WORD ON THE STREET...
*CBS' deal with Cumulus on a 24-7 All-Sports Network is due to begin in January. Most of the stations, including KNBR and sister, KNBR 1050, are local sports content driven. KNBR and its talk shows are a successful build-around its franchises--notably the Giants, 49ers and Warriors.
Conceivably, the addition and/or replacement of current local content with CBS Radio sports programming could have a significant play on future local KNBR content, non team-driven. Don't think that hasn't gone unnoticed over at 55 Hawthorne.
So, yes...rumors galore about the status of albatross shows like "Fitz and Brooks", are making the rounds. Why have two somewhat bloated salaries with producer when you can run syndicated programming that is far cheaper and, in the case of Knibber, more entertaining and compelling. Fitz and Brooks are not the only shows on the potential hit list. Start guessing.
*Speaking of Cumulus: There is word on the street that KSFO is for sale. Sounds plausible. For one, a sale would reduce Cumulus' stronghold of AM and FM stations it owns in the Bay Area market, and thus, make it easier to acquire CBS-owned, KCBS. (Scary thought be it as it may).
And KSFO, with once-giant call lettters, is but a skeleton of its former self, with only two local shows and a weak dial position. (Although they did have a decent ratings bump in the last monthly book, thanks largely to the fact this is an election year.)
*As I noted here, the Raiders are looking for a new radio broadcast partner. Ironically, the suddenly meek situation affecting KGO begs for a sports partner on the weekend that could jolt some life into the vagabond 50,000-watt 810 AMer. Oh, yes, Cumulus owns KGO and KNBR too. (What do they don't own?)
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I'd love to see Fitz and Brooks replaced.
ReplyDeleteOf course if they were ever fired, Rich would reminisce about how great they used to be and rallying to support them against evil Cumululus!
You simply slip once on the keyboard and you accidentally come up with a new term for Cumulus upper management: The Cumu-Lulus.
DeleteYa gotta love it! Hahaha
Other side of the coin: Fitz Brooks goes national, originating from 55 Hawthorne, creating a whole new network show to sell without changing the cost structure much over running the show on just one station now: Yeah yeah, you're national now, here's a 20 buck raise now shut up and make with the radio, and just don't say the call letters no more.... yeah yeah....
ReplyDeleteAs for the Raiders. Anything but their current radio station.
ReplyDeleteWhere are the Raider games being broadcast? Does anyone know?
Raiders find yourself an AM outlet and beam your games to a wider audience.
When I think of FM, I think of music content, not the NFL.
The Cumulus business model requires a bias for cheap syndicated programming. And local ratings don't matter, so quality isn't a requirement either. What an utter waste dump of an organization.
ReplyDeleteDoubtful if Cumulus could afford KCBS, no matter what. CBS Radio will most likely be sold to a group, but that would be a multi-billion poke for Cumulus that is still reeling from an over $2-billion stake and merger with Citadel.
ReplyDeleteKSFO has a good dial position at 560, and a "decent" signal ... but at 5kw, it's no 50kw flamethrower. It won't, however, go for near the price of a KCBS. Guess double figure millions in the $25-$40-million scale. KCBS -- easily twice that.
Raiders on KGO? A good possibility. Remember, however, that the 49ers were an expensive loss leader for KGO when they had them. NFL an expensive proposition, but KGO would be a good fit for them. An FM, however, is equally important today in a major market. Think Philly and many other markets. Money demos go to the FM side.
CBS Sports radio does not have to eliminate local content. It can be regionalized or long-form, depending on the need.
Raiders on CBS Live 105
ReplyDelete"Fitz and Brooks are not the only shows on the potential hit list. Start guessing."
ReplyDeleteTalk about throwing shit against a wall.
"What do they don't own"
ReplyDeleteWhat school you went?
I have mixed feelings about this. As much as I have commented on here saying I don't feel Cumulus would dump Fitzgerald because it's a free salary to them, and as much as I like to comment about how they NEVER admit when they're wrong and belittle the callers, I feel somewhat bad for Rod Brooks. I wish unemployment on no-one. Hopefully Rod will rebound and land somewhere. Fitz...no comment.
ReplyDeleteBrooks is lucky he had the job so long at knbr. His use of english is terriable and adds nothing to show. Surprised he was not at the Nascar remote they had since he is such a big fan as he claims to be. Dan Rusinowsky filled in and did a good job in his absence.
DeleteIf fitzgerald left he still has the warriors and NFL radio brodcasting to keep busy
You feel bad for Rod Brooks because of what? He hasn't lost his job, this is only a rumor and given 415 Media's track record, probably unfounded.
DeleteAll - the really real here - the local people on knbr are ok - however- cumulus can reduce costs by going syndication. If all these knbr guys agreed to work for less on a collective basis - then cumulus would probably reconsider. Its just business - it sucks for us local people - however it is what it is.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that old fashioned terrestrial radio is just dead. What's happening here is also happening in Cleveland and Pittsburgh and Baltimore and DC.
ReplyDeleteMy next car will have satellite radio. There's no way out of it.
Brooks is lucky to be as long as he has because he doesn't make any waves. Any show he has been a part of on 1050 or 680 AM has been a snoozefest and has led to either him or his partner moving on. He is like the Ted McGinley of Bay Area radio.
ReplyDeleteUmmm, Rod Brooks is one of the weakest . . . ummm . . . host on KNBR. Got to give him credit for faking it for so long. When paired with Rick Barry, he once yelled at him off air about his creditability. "it's the only thing I have."
ReplyDeleteWow, KGO and the Raiders...I seem to remember talk about that a few months ago and many of those "in the know" said we were crazy and didn't know what we were talking about.
ReplyDeleteI know "word on the street" says CBS sports will take over local programing. But, I HIGHLY doubt that would EVER happen. The 49ers, Giants, Raiders (if at KGO), Cal Football, Stanford, and Warriors wouldn't want that. You can't tell Mr Nat'l host to talk about/up the local teams the way a local show can. You WILL NEVER See the local prime time shows disapear here. Maybe changes, but I don't see a way we would see the local driven hrs disapear. KNBR is #1 in the ratings, WFAN is celebrating their 25 aniv, why do those stations work....local shows. Why is CBS getting back into sports radio becuase it's hot and makes money. Why are they flipping stations like the one in Houston over to sports.......because local sports talk moves the needle which means increased $$$ for the station. The stations that will flip to Nat'l sports are the markets further out that are not as driven by local sports teams.
There is work in progress to lease a new site for the KSFO transmitter. The plan is to upgrade the signal to 50kw with a new directional pattern. This should fill in many of the station's current signal holes in the Bay Area.
ReplyDeleteIf the company wants to sell KSFO, it would likely wait until the upgrade is completed.
Yes, I work there. It's a paycheck.