Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Constantine to Fogheads: 'We messed up'; KFOG PD announces change to Morning Show

'Twitch' is OUT.

Tim Jeffries, (ex-KFOX), is in and Melanie is still on KFOG

And there's more to come. Lots of heat on this one.

Developing...

124 comments:

  1. So glad they didn't bring Irish Greg back

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    1. I honestly don't get the Irish Greg hate. Even if you didn't like his voice, he produced a fine -- and, yes, "intelligent" -- show. He had a lot of contacts after nearly 20 years in SF radio and lined up great guests. Sheesh.

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    2. Because he's Irish! This is such a highly-skilled job they can't hire from in the US?

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    3. Well, Tim built up a listener base at the KOME spot and KSJO. Now it's a question as to how much KFOG management will reign Jeffries in. Send Constantine back to Oregon and bring back Alex Bennett, local comedians, and a live studio audience. And then let entropy take its course... Sometimes I wonder, other times I'm sure.

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    4. I liked Irish Greg. Some people don't like non-American accents and claim he was difficult to understand, but I never had a problem.

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    5. he wasn't difficult to understand... but I thought his contributions weren't always top-shelf.

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    6. I'd like to have heard Irish Greg, Greg, and Renee.

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    7. I don't believe Tim was ever at KOME; KSJO and KUFX ("K-FOX"), yes.

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    8. if you don't like non-American accents you are definitely in the wrong city!

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    9. I too am glad Irish Greg remains gone. He was probably a good producer, but sounded like a train wreck on air.

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    10. Irish Greg was a good producer for the morning show, and I like his bit of a brogue accent, don't understand the negativity directed towards him. The morning show worked well with Webster (a geniune,fun personality who is missed) , Irish Greg & Renee, it was lively & intelligent, I will never understand why that combo was ditched. Why is Constantine still employed? He is a big dud on air, the afternoon show is saved by Renee. I think that his judgement just about ruined what was once a terrific station

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    11. I liked Irish Greg, as well and think he was a phenomenal producer! Wow, if only ABennett would come back to SF. I'd just like the original re-organized team with Webster, Renee and Irish Greg. I'm sure Renee enjoys NOT getting up in the middle of the night to work, however her many talents are wasted in teaming with Constantine in the afternoon. And there's the rub.... Constantine would be best to step away from the mic, if not from the whole station.

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    12. i hope they get better music in the morning show. it sucks now. the old show had 'new music' days and 'giants update' reports (which i loved). i don't listen to the new show at all - could only take 3 days, max.

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  2. Thank goodness - we messed up is an understatement! I sure do miss when KFOG was a great radio station.

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  3. Bring back Dave morey.!

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    1. Dude, you need to let go of that one. (rolls eyes)

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    2. Bring back Lee Sims, Scoop Nisker, Sky Daniels, M. Dung, Bonnie Simmons, David Gans,Mark Naftalin, Richard Gossett... If you want to hear a morning show done right--and featuring news & commentary from Sean Laughlin, the son of the late great Travus T. Hipp--simply go to www.kvmr.org and "listen live".

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    3. Dude, he *retired*. Voluntarily. At retirement age.

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    4. Yep. So long Dave. He deserved retirement. I remember doing a "My Three Songs" intro with Dave from my desk at my first job out of college, and now, alomost 30 years later, have my eye on retirement too.

      (Kid Charlemagne, Time Loves a Hero, Devil with the Blue Dress Medley by Bruce Springsteen off the "No Nukes" live album).

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  4. I haven't been listening and not sure it's worth going back. I started disliking the program when Greg Gorey came aboard. Way too many changes. Dave Morey retired, he's not coming back. I thought Irish Greg, Webster and Renee could have kept on without the edition of Gorey myself. I thought I'd turn on the radio to KFOG earlier last week and quickly turned it off. Not sure if you'll get your listeners back - too bad - lots of folks were longtime KFOG devotees. Maybe that's why Peter left - he saw the writing on the wall.

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    1. I have been a KFOG listener for over 20 years Webster was great, Irish Greg sowed independent intelligence and independent opinions. For Gods sake, get RID of "dread at night" I "dread" it when he's on, turn the station fast. But when ir comes right down to it, KFOG has become so pathetic it's not worth listening too any more. I know a lot of X fans of what used to be an awesome station. Good riddance KFOG, this was a terrific, intelligent station. Pandora, here I come.

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  5. Bwah, ha ha. When are they going to replace Dennis Constantine

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  6. I've been a foghead from the start. Had pretty much stopped listening altogether. Unsubscribed from the mailing list, too. My son just phoned me to tell me he heard the apology. Made my day. Hope it doesn't take them long to change it back. Agree -- "we messed up" is a serious understatement. And, yes, bring back Dave Morey.....

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  7. The Morning Show is Irish Gregg...and Benson, and Renee, and Peter Finch.

    These guys still don't get it. Turn off KFOG ~!

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    1. Morey isn't coming back; he's enjoying retirement too much...
      Finch isn't coming back; saw the writing on the wall and got ghost while he could...
      Renee should go back to just mornings; no reason she and Melanie can't coexist...
      Webster and Irish Greg will land somewhere else; they're competent and well-liked, but they won't be coming back to KFOG...
      Heard the apology by accident (turned to KFOG on my way to Live 105 and heard Greg and no one else, then Dennis comes on with the apology. Wow...to do a shakeup like this after barely 2 weeks shows what a monumental epic historic phuqueup this was
      My question: How did they get Jefferies so fast?!? Was he on the short list for the new show and didn't make the cut?!? Should've gone local in the first place; there are plenty of long-term local radio people looking for work rather than grab some pseudo-shockjock from Redneckistan...

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    2. I think they got Tim so fast because Dennis Constantine already knew him from years back. Tim was let go from KUFX a while ago and probably had contacted KFOG when he was first off the air. Likely that it wasn't Dennis who chose Tony/"Twitch" for mornings, but a corporate decision, so when things derailed, Dennis already knew Tim was available and kept in touch with him.

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    3. Who is Benson? Yes Renee, Irish Greg, Peter and Webster rocked! My world still is not right without them and that happened last May. I haven't turned on KFOG in the morning since until accidentally yesterday to learn that crazy "twitch" guy is gone. What happened? Geez can't they get it right? AND PLEASE get rid of Dennis C. - he sucks badly and is screwing up Renee's fine career in my opinion. I miss KFOG how it was in the "old days" i.e., before this past May. Please fix it and right my morning world again. PS I listen to a lot of Pandora now.

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  8. i agree - irish dave should not come back, to full of himself and not very funny.

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  9. Rene is the classiest person on radio. She should be in charge of The Morning Show. Greg is great, too. Whoever changed The Moprning Show screwed up big time.

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    1. a rasping, poorly-read person is "classy"? Wow.

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  10. Irish Greg did a good job on the producing end, and getting guests for the show... He certainly wasn't as strong in front of the mic, which was fine when there was Dave, Renee and Peter there but when it was just him and Webster that was a lot of water for him to carry. Hearing Peter Finch's voice on one of the stages at the GGB party made me miss his morning show presence (and I remember being bummed when he replaced Scoop).

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  11. I remember when KFOG came on the air around "83 or so...Dave Morey and M Dung in the morning, amazing mix of current music, oldies and obscurities. They had already gone mostly down the toilet with the loss of Dave Morey and format changes...the latest changes were just the last shovelful of dirt on the grave.

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    1. Beginning of the end when Dave Morey left. The format change is where they started to lose me, and I haven't listened at all since the morning show changes. Hope that the morning show isn't all that they plan to change. I'll come back when the format is back to the way it was. KFOG was unique. Not so now.

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  12. The Fogheads totally drove this change. I was surprised at the sustained anger and sorrow on the Facebook page, and it looked as though the negative feedback had an impact. Good for Constantine - I hope he doesn't lose his job over this - that was a courageous thing to do.

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  13. I don't think Dave's going to work for CMLS.

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  14. Thank goodness they realized their mistake. I was about to change radio stations.

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  15. Thank goodness. I was losing brain cells trying to listen to the morning show.

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  16. I feel bad for the morning guy who lasted two weeks, but he was really terrible. He still needs more time honing his skill on a college station.

    Melanie is very weak too.

    It was shocking how lame they were, however Webster's show was very dull, so I can understand the attempt at change.

    The music on KFOG is slightly improved, but the problem is the dj's lack personality. The breaks are way too formulaic. It's too bad DJ's can't have more personal input on the music they play so we can learn who they are. This would be the best way to give KFOG a real personality. Dave Morey was best at his 10-2 slot.

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  17. Bring back Irish Greg!
    I miss hearing him on the air. Thoughtful, articulate, intelligent interviews.

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    1. Irish Greg sucked. KFOG dropped to a .2 in the morning because of that guy. He wouldn't even be good in a small market like Modesto let alone a major market. Now he has all the time in the world to ride his bike and dream of meeting Gavin Mewsom for brunch in Noe Valley. What a turd.

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  18. They need to hold a spot for Obamao. He will be free in November

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    1. Terms last until January.
      Stupid is as stupid does, Forrest.

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    2. Right, because Flip Flopney the elitist dog abusing magic underwear wearing Bush 43 clone will win and magically fix the country's problems. Ignorant greedy hateful conservative scum.

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    3. A good fit. They cannot see the teleprompter on radio.

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  19. Bring back John Grapone

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  20. Was Raddys Comcast show cancelled? not on and not on tomorrows schedule.

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    1. No dumbass he's on the road @ the US Open, cameras only in the studio. U can tell us how much you hate the show on Friday when you tune back in via comcast.

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    2. Not cancelled- Gary and Larry are doing a remote today, and the Giants have an afternoon game tomorrow, so no Comcast on those days...

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    3. They're broadcasting from the Olympic Club so no TV

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  21. get rid of melanie. she adds nothing. tony wasn't a fit for san francisco, but he's a fit for other markets. melanie sounds like she just got her first gig on college radio.

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    1. agreed, get rid of Melanie. When i heard her when they were "trying people out" I believe for Peter's spot ... she sucked ... she hasn't changed. Again, what is KFOG thinking? I really don't get it. Are they putting newbies on to save money just like corporate America? hmmmmm

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  22. I missed the mea culpa, but heard the conversation afterward and the voice of Tim Jeffries. Haven't heard of him since his "KOME spot on your dial" days. Jubilation! I'm not sure why I was listening to KFOG as I wrote them off a couple of weeks ago, but now I'll give it another try.
    I miss Webster and Irish Greg. They may not have been perfect, but nobody is.
    Kris

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  23. KFOG's problem goes beyond on-air talent; it's the music. When I moved here in 1986 the station played an innovative mix of genres and deep album cuts. Gradually it moved towards the middle of the road (predictably, as its target audience grew more affluent), to the point where KFOG's programming is some of the safest - and dullest - on the air. KFOG is the Prius of radio stations.

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    1. I agree about the music. FM radio became a force in the music industry by ditching the 'top 40' programming and featuring the album music that wasn't a hit single or a snappy, poppish 3 minute song. KFOG neds to get back to that. their playlist of 'new' music is very thin and they are prone to a lot of repetition of the songs that people know and request, instead of featuring the good music that did not make it to the pop charts. It is way past time to return to that approach.

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    2. It didn't work. Audience wise or advertiser wise. Lee Abrams and Kent Burkhart destroyed that particular format by "SuperStar"ing familiarity, not creative expression.

      Now, people are trained to their favorites, not "newness" or "unfamiliarity." That's why libraries are only 300 songs big these days -- and have been for 25 years or more.

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    3. Agree, agree, and agree. KFOG... I have been a listener for years and in the last 2 weeks, I have been wondering which station do I change too. The morning show was not it.... I felt I was listening to an AM station. Tony may be a good DJ but not for KFOG; Melanie I am starting to like you because you are being more vocal and personal. Greg G. you are ok in my eyes. I have alsways liked your voice and a feeling of relaxfulness when you speak. Of course, since Dave Morey left, I will admit, he was and still is a hard person to follow. I missed Reness in the morning, but I really like listening to her on my way home from work come 6 pm. Renee you help me get into the evening after work mood. I really love the "pick your song" time you do. Great way to drive home from work especially on a busy freeway. Thank you for helping deal with the traffic. I am up for progress etc. BUT I want KFOG to remember who they were and keep that idea as "number one" for future progams. People want a smooth, fun time and informative morning show. No AM ish games, with fast talking dj's who are not being REAL.......
      Today was good.... it was a "I remember when" time with the music and talk. :))))

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  24. Bring back The Streets of San Francisco!!!

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  25. KFOG needs to bring back better music! They're playlist right now is lame.

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  26. Yawn. Really? After listening to KFOG since it started, I finally gave it up. Too bad. Too many commercials nowadays, too little quality.

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    1. Really? Maybe it's because of too many stations and competetion unlike the "pioneering" times when it didn't matter so much. Too many commercials? Those million dollar contracts cost a lot of dough. The idea is to get as much of the ad revenue as possible to survive. You have to put them somewhere.

      Radio stations and advertisers are in it for you. They're in it to increase the bottom line -- just like any business.

      "OK, I've sold two bikes today ... that's enough." It doesn't work that way. You'd be out of business in no time.

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    2. Yes, advertising is necessary, the morning show has just gotten a bit overboard on it. I don't think DJ's are getting million dollar contracts, if so, I am in the wrong business.

      As others have noted, KFOG has gone through lots of changes over the years. As such, listening habits change as well. It was the last one where the fullness of corporate greed overran any sense of good radio, advertising or not. Since I switched to another station for my morning wake up, the advertisements are down, quality is up and I ENJOY it.

      Good bye KFOG. I will remember you fondly.

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  27. Renee, classy?
    Ha!
    She is grating and annoying and sometimes downright MEAN.
    I can do without Renee...she will never reach the bar set by Anneleise and Rosalie at KFOG.

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  28. Complain all you want about KFOG. Try listening to anything in Phoenix, AZ were I had to move a couple of years ago. Still streaming KFOG on the internet to listen to anything better than the local stuff here.

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  29. Greg Gorey is a douchebag tool. He was OK as Howard Stern's San Francisco board op, that's it. I remember that 1053 morning show started letting him actually spout ignorant opinions, could never stand his no talent hack performance ever again.

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  30. go back to some new old thinking like deeper album cuts, mix of genres. now it just seems like the same song list just set to random

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  31. Can't believe Constantine was behind the Twitch hire in the first place. The guy was already in the Cumulus (cough cough) "family". I'm sure all the homophobe backlash didn't help. Melanie probably was his doing since there was an open audition process.

    BTW, Dave Morey was/is well shy of retirement age. He retired, mostly, because he coudn't stand the new regime.

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  32. The Morning Show hasn't been the same since Dave Morey left. Webster filled in and fit in nicely tho. Then Renae left, now Greg? Time to re-think your mornings. I won't listen anymore !

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  33. Alex Bennett was never on KFOG.

    Bring back Lee-Baby Sims!

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    1. And old time hockey with Eddie Shore!!!
      Jeez. Toe Blake, Dit Clapper, Eddie Shore, those guys were the greats.

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  34. Was Twitch the guy with the irritating high whiney voice?

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  35. Send program director Dennis Constantine to KNBR.

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  36. Sheesh I loved Irish Greg... back in the day when he, Greg Gorey, and Renee "Rotten" were the Live 105 Morning Show with Johnny Steele I listened every morning while I got ready for school.

    And yes, the music is one of the main reasons why I don't listen as much - who wants to hear "Saved by Zero" 5x a week while you start your day? Not this guy.

    However, the bigger problem for me is the constant commercials - I can't turn my radio on during my morning shower now without having to listen to at least 60% commercials, some mornings I don't even hear a single tune. Spotify, I love you.

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    1. I agree - have followed Irish Greg and Renee from Live105. Both are great on the air.

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  37. I like Dennis. He messed up with the personnel changes, but his tweaks to the music programming are an improvement. Waaaaaay less Santana and Grateful Dead now, and that can only be a good thing. Also--enough about Dave Morey, he retired by choice.

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  38. Dennis Erectus? We need you now...

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    1. Sadly Dennis has passed. Most recently residing in a Castro Valley care facility, he suffered a heart attack. RIP.

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  39. Thank goodness! I can return to listing to KFOG before 10 am again.

    Clue for the suits at corporate - when you run a tag line like "We're different here" it means you have to BE DIFFERENT. Hiring in DJs to do the same boring morning patter that one can find on Every Other Radio Station is not being "different". FOGHEADS want their KFOG - they want it different.

    You have a HUGE library of music. Let your staff dig deeper into it - don't prescribe what they have to play everyday. Don't limit the deep cuts to shows like 10@10. Sure, you want some consistency in the music playlist but you also need to allow for more variety. Let each person play up to 20% of deeper cuts from the archives on each show, to highlight their musical chops and highlight how much variety you have in the archives!

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  40. Good on Dennis for sucking it up on his colossal mistake. Tim Jeffries - remains to be seen (heard?) Melanie is dead weight; 86 her and bring back Renee. And Irish Greg - I enjoyed his as party of the morning crew.

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    1. Agree on all points. 86 Melanie, brink Greg back

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  41. I just about fell over reading BFT's Sunday column where Constantine claimed there was a huge outcry over M Dung being replaced with "new guy" Dave Morey when M Dung left KFOG. I suspect pretty much all of his comments in that column were written by Cumulus stooges. Glad to hear Twitch is gone. I only heard about ten minutes of him one morning and that was ten minutes too many. Not sure why Cumulus thought a DJ who makes anti-gay comments on air would work in SF.

    Agreed about the advertisers threatening to leave is what caused the change, not a listener boycott. Now if we could only find a way to get Constantine and the equally mundane Dred Scott off the air too.

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    1. Having been there at the switch, there was an outcry....but it was FAR from "huge..." Half a dozen, maybe. With a LOT of misspellings.....

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  42. I have participated in and relied on radio communities for years. KFOG, KTIM, KSAN and others have been important to me. But FM radio in general and KFOG specifically has been irrelative for years. Music mix is boring and repetitive, morning discussions are the last thing I want to hear in the morning, too many commercials etc

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  43. I miss the intelligent, compassionate, liberal, grown-up, fun team of Morey, Finch, Renee and then Webster. Life is chaotic and negative enough - it was great to start the day on a positive/fun note with the previous line-ups. Irish Greg was always a negative downer who hated a lot of things. Please bring back the music, positive team and less talk!

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  44. Radnich has not been cancelled. He's out at the US Open this week, so no TV.

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  45. So, how 'bout a Conspiracy Theory? Was this whole fiasco pre-ordained? In a "New Coke" sorta way? The fact that Twitch was allowed to be in 2 places at once (seriously, how long would that have been sustainable?) does give one pause. And he now gets to go back to KY and dine out on this story for years, as they say. He can tell all his redneck listeners that us SF liberals are just as mean and intolerant as Fox News says we are, and the KY audience will eat it up with a spoon. Other than the 2 weeks of awfulness we got (and the unfortunate casualties of Webster and Irish Greg), everybody wins!

    Meanwhile Jeffreys is a solid local pro, and while I welcome hearing him in the morning... he's kinda similar to Webster, who (supposedly) the new younger demo found boring, no? Curiouser and curiouser.

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    1. I think you're onto something....just saw a picture of Tim Jeffries, he's quite a bit older. Nothing wrong with it, but if KFOG is skewing younger....

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    2. Not really, they're only about two years apart. He just didn't age as gracefully as Webster.

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  46. Bring back Don Sherwood and Guglielmo Marconi!

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    1. I'm holding out for Walter Winchell and FDR's Fireside Chats, personally.

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    2. If only ... at least in Sherwood's case. I'm doubtful if you ever heard him.

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  47. Who still listens to old fashion radio? Never went back after getting satellite radio.

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    1. Lots of people ... would. Ask the former listeners of KGO, KFRC, KIOI, KABL, KCBS, KYA, and others. Not because of what "they sounded like" -- but what "they stood for."

      Maybe you're too young to know what "real" radio was like -- and it wasn't all that long ago. Today's music sucks. Today's "new" programming sucks. And yet, people in LA, NY, Philly, Chicago, etc still listen to "oldies" ... the music they grew up with.

      That's who.

      Show me a "Hot A/C" station and I'll show you 10 others that ae absolute failures because people, generally, don't like "new." If they did, there would be a lot of new rock, metal, rap 'n crap, etc. The mechanics aren't there, nor are the formatics because that meant a touch of decent personality ... know matter if jocks were in their 50s or older.

      We've become a bunch of hynotic, transe-inspiring, cost-cutting, executive boobs running radio stations for corporations and not for communities.

      Listen closely to Sirius XM ... and without commercials ... what do you really hear?

      Good OLD radio.

      Best to you.

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  48. Hopefully they won't go the track of 105.3 and bring in idiots from LA, who had no clue about the Bay Area. Problem with these corporate owners is they feel they can put anybody anywhere and all locations are generic. SF is not Tulsa or Indiannoplace.

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  49. Get rid of Dennis Constatine...he shouldn't be a Program Director in this size market...hes in way over his head

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    1. Though he may have (if true it was HIS decision to bring on Twit...er Twitch)...Constantine is the founding father of Triple A.

      Does not mean he is infallible, but his bona fides in this genre/format are pretty much unmatched by anyone else.

      Again, doesn't mean you don't miss on talent...still think Webster was good, smart, easy to listen to...felt like it was a conversation, not a contest to be the smartest or funniest in the room. I do not agree with his ouster.

      Having said that...Tim Jeffries was very good on K-FOX in Middays, but this role in drive time I think will further allow for his talent to flourish.

      I will say this though regarding Constantine...or anyone for that matter...you have to have a better vibe and be more in tune with you market. No disrespect, but even the optics of bringing in a guy from Kentucky to San Francisco should have given Dennis and Cumulus pause. It is not like Twitch was coming from say, Seattle, or even a semi progressive bible belt city which knows music like Nashville...it was Lexington...pretty much Redneck Kentucky.

      Not that CA doesn't have it's share of Rednecks...but most do not live in the Bay Area.

      And not that Rednecks are bad folk, but most don't listen to Triple A for obvious reasons, and most jocks working in that region do not translate well to more progressive cities on the west/west coast.

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    2. Dennis is WAY out of touch. This was a colossal failure on his part. TWO bad hires--Tony and Melanie.

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  50. Hells bells I didn't know k fog was so popular!

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  51. Tim Jeffries seems like a much better fit, but the show will still be weak with Melenie. Will Mr. Constantine be fired?

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  52. My admittedly uneducated take on what happened and why:

    1. The ratings for the morning show with Webster/Irish Greg were declining… gradually, but still on the way down.
    2. Cumulus saw that KFOG was losing market share and wanted to reverse the trend.
    3. Seeing that the likes of Alice were increasing in market share, ostensibly due to a morning show with “tude”, the braintrust decided that KFOG needed something like that.
    4. The likes of Greg Gory and Melanie were brought in for ‘trials’, but while found to be adequate second and third fiddles, were found to be not quite ready for prime time.
    5. A national search was conducted behind the scenes, and voila! They found Twitch.
    6. Due to privacy concerns, Twitch doesn’t have any time to coalesce with Greg and Melanie.
    7. The new show starts May 29, and it is immediately apparent what a huge mistake has been made.
    8. In spite of attempts to tone it down,
    a. The chemistry amongst Twitch/Greg/Melanie doesn’t improve.
    b. Listeners bail in a New York Minute.
    9. A new search is performed quickly (or a review of the first search occurs), and Tim is found to be eager and willing.

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    1. Tim Jeffreys knows that radio can be profitable, artistic, and fun from his time served back when there was KOME on your dial. But at KFOG these daze, it's a question of survival with the likes of Constantine, Salvatore, & the Cumulus Media Machine looking over your shoulder and breathing fire. Imagine what KFOG could be with the likes of Mikel Hunter, Thom O'Hair, Bonnie Simmons, or Richard Gossett at the helm and the evening shift held down by Dennis Erectus. Let's hope that both KFOG and Dennis can miraculously recover... and PLEASE nominate both Richard & Dennis to the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame NOW!

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  53. Why does a competitor want to copy a rival when they see they are doing well? KGOne wanted to become KCBS#2 and now KFOG wants to become Alice#2?

    Two stations that lead the pack now want to copy another format? I am not sure Cumulus won't be satisfied until the shake every single listener from outside of their target demo loose.

    They obviously have no respect for loyal listeners who are aged 50+!

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    1. KFOG has never led the pack though, at least not for the last few years.

      Agreed that there's no need for them to become Alice #4, though. (Star and Mix are already #s 2 & 3.)

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  54. Well, there will always be change and as much as I miss the old (morey)kfog there was a nice chemistry post that. Irish Greg did grate on me at times but that too was part of the charm. What I cherished most about the morning show was an intelligent discours about many differing topics with varying opinions by the folks who were there. Renee, Irish Greg, Greg and then Webster. The guest list was always impressive and varied enough that I enjoyed the show on my hour long commute in the am. Then this last train wreck happened which totally alienated me as a listener only to find by mistake this morning that it changed again. I certainly can live with some minor irritations during a show that I otherwise like so I am hoping that some of the "old" kfog can be revived to keep me interested. I will give it a try for a couple of weeks, maybe it will exceed my expectations??

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  55. If there's a take away from this situation, it's that people being loudly pissed CAN be heard and CAN make a difference. Cumulus pivoted quickly on this one due to the intense outrage posted by loyal listeners about their ill-advised move. Score one for the audience.

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  56. Corporate radio will forever suck

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  57. Dennis has always been a programmer first and foremost and has been a well respected architect of the AAA format. I think his musical tweaks to KFOG have been a long time coming. It needs freshening to be sure. I wish it would go farther than it has honestly and I'm an upper demo listener. Whether or not he belongs on the air is another thing entirely. Probably forced upon him by the cheapo company he works for is my guess. Also doubt it was his hire in the morning but still flabbergasted that Cumulus responded to public outcry. It's got to be a first, right?

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    1. Dennis is a hack, is he related to you? Fucking poser, with his oh so precious playlists and wussy dj patter. Bring back Lee Baby Simms, who could do a more interesting show in his sleep. Fuck Fog Heads, dead musically morons.

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  58. anyone remember the sports reporter Kevin the Rat?....I know, I'm going back over 20 years with that one

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    1. Dude, Kevin the Rat has been working steadily for years at KNBR and currently at KGO covering sports. KGO says he just won a Mark Twain award from Associated Press. But his tour of duty did start at KFOG with M. Dung.

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  59. Irish Greg should have stuck to being the glorified 40+ year old go-fer instead of trying to be a morning personality in the 4th largest market. He is not talent. If he stuck to his duties of getting coffee and clipping newspaper articles, he might still be getting a paycheck. But no... He thought people wanted to hear his negative, marble mouth ramblings. The ratings spoke and that's all there really is! Welcome Tim Jeffries! Tim now has a great team to support him.

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  60. Y'know, if the suits at KFOG was smart and REALLY wanted to up the station's ratings, they should HIRE BACK M. DUNG!!! The long, downhill slide of KFOG began when Dung Boy was let go. He's still around, living on the Peninsula -- and he's doing the Idiot Show on the internet.

    C'mon, KFOG -- time to get some freakin' ENERGY pumping out of the station for a change! BRING BACK DUNG!

    AY-WAY!

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    1. A-a-a-y-y-y-e-e-e!

      Dung rocks!!

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  61. Hey, congratulations Rich! Your blog was on "We recommend...." on sfgate. You probably knew that.

    This is for all the bitter people who post rotten comments on here about you being a wannabe: Rich is part of Bay Area media!

    (Wait, that's kind of your blog title....)

    Have a great day and keep writing. We'll keep reading....

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  62. The best format is a"guest" DJ show; keeps the music fresh, alive, and listenable. If KFOG is "about the music", then stuff the personality issues. Get these EGOs out of the way. Otherwise, KCRW "Electic24" and Pandora will both replace the need for playlists that sound like they came from a recent purge of Dad's CDs.

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  63. DJ personalities aside, the music is what counts and KFOG's playlists now reflect the pathetic genre's of modern music. I really don't listen to radio for personalities, I listen for music. KFOG needs to recognize that a mix of modern and a strong injection of 1960-1980's music is what defines rock-n-roll.

    Do I hear Beatles, mixed with Jethro Tull, Maroon 5, Adele in a set?

    What about progressive rock for progressive San Francisco? Dredg from Los Gatos, UK's Porcupine Tree and Blackfield, each extraordinary talents and remarkably great music I have never heard on KFOG.

    KFOG, if you continue to play the EMO garbage mass market record companies expect you to play, you will fail. If you connect with your Bay Area and world audience looking for interesting, non-commercial progressive and intelligent music, you will thrive. Just connect with your strategy in the '70s to learn from your successes.

    It's really not that difficult, just play good music, please!

    - Dave from San Jose, a listener since day 1 a long time ago.

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    1. As Christopher Walken once said "I need more Adele!"

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    2. What worked in the 70s isn't necessarily going to work today, sadly.

      But I agree that it would benefit them to play more quality local music. I'm with you on Dredg 100%.

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  64. so... doom and gloom ... it was over when cumulus came along, or maybe when susquehanna moved in and Dave left. Oh well. KCRW and Radio Paradise will fill in just fine for music options. it is sad when something good dies, especially when it could have been saved. Who knows maybe something good can rise from the ashes. In some cases when you do a remodel you have to tear down all the walls except one and build it back up from the foundation.

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  65. Agree they need to branch out musically. Same ole same ole, chatter, and mattress commercials are just not cutting it. I find myself switching over more and more to Radio Paradise. And yes, I send them money, which I am happy to do in order to find real music.

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    1. Take a look at the source & history of Radio Paradise, which is the labor of love by none other than KFAT/KPIG alumnus Wild Bill Goldsmith: http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/5571

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  66. Worked for Tim when he was PD at Kfox for a while... the man is one of the worst people i have ever met, did you ever hate why you heard the same songs on the radio? ... Tim was notorious for choosing the same song at the same time on the same day, every day... (eventually everyone driving home at 4pm on monday is going to hate listening to ac-dc) His management style was also militaristic... he fired Karin Nakamura because she was busy with a family matter and couldnt attend a meeting... he fired chris jackson because he didnt like the fact he was popular in the bay area... Whenever you asked him what he thought about someone in radio, he would tell you the most negative aspects of the persons character... most of the time point out that they were 70s burnt out drug abusers, and that he was much better than they are. He cared only about himself and how to make money to keep himself on as temp PD there... even at the cost of everyone under him.

    if you like Tim on the air, thats the only place he belongs in radio... but sadly you should never meet your heros kids.

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