The February radio ratings came out a week ago and we didn't have a chance to comment on them but now we will.KCBS is the most dominant station in the market. The all-news 740 AM powerhouse, recorded a solid 6.0, from its previous month, 5.3. There's no doubt that KCBS, firmly #1, has seized its niche as the go-to outlet for breaking news, traffic, weather, and sports.
We always have to remind people that these ratings are not the ratings advertisers use to buy time on each respective station but they do present a fairly good gauge as to what stations are gaining traction, what are flat-lining what others are struggling and just hanging on.
KNBR, for example, fell off the cliff, on the overall 6+ numbers, going from a respectable 4.7 to a paltry 3.1 --as baseball season begins those numbers will increase but KNBR makes its money from a certain key demo: the beer and boobs, male-dominated sports-talk genre that is a hallmark of its 24/7 format. When the Giants are playing, KNBR pretty much goes fulltime baseball. The Warriors impending playoff push will help too although the NBA on radio has always played second fiddle to MLB and the NFL.
Contrast KNBR to Entercom's all-sports FM outlet, "The Game", (95.7 FM) which continues to falter posting a disastrous 0.9 --as flagship station of the A's, the Game figures to pick up some mileage soon and a revamping of their morning show and a new PM show, however meager, can't hurt.
The big disappointments: KGO: out of sight, out of mind to the depth of darkness posting an all-time low of 2.0 getting destroyed amid a plethora of in-house turbulence and a growing sense of desperation within both the rank and file and management ranks. When KSFO beats you, (2.1), you know you're in trouble.
KQED held serve at a respectable 5.3 in second place to CBS--Clear Channel's "Talk 910" posted an embarrassing 1.0 --it's fairly obvious that they have yet to deliver on the "Bay Area only talk-station"--really? One problem: nobody is listening to Gil Gross and Frosty the Snowman. Among others.
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Rich I know you like to take shots at KGO radio , but there is "no in-house turbulence" here and that is coming from someone who has worked here for several years. And I am, contrary to what you might think, NOT some intern-stooge! So put that in your pipe and smoke it my friend.
ReplyDeleteFrankly, there should be in-house turbulence, especially with the way things are going over there. You must be a sales rep trying to keep what little you have of a commission stream going. KGOne is long gone. It's horrible. Facts are facts. Smell the coffee.
DeleteHow do KGO employees feel every time they hear Mary Rose or some other Dallas-based traffic reporter mangle the pronunciation of a Bay Area town or road? Her attempt at saying "Almaden" the other day was painful.
Delete"Tuolomne" was even worse....she has no business being on ANY radio station.........
DeleteThe best mary rose kerfuffle was when she said beach blanket bingo in stead of babylon
DeletePlease ask Mary Rose to use her normal voice when she broadcast on the radio. Using VOCAL FRY is very annoying. She is supposedly a professional radio newscaster. As soon as I hear her speak in that manner I change to another station.
DeleteThis morning she managed to make Merced and Ammiano unintelligible. A few others as well, but those were the most amusing. Her voice is horrific even without the mispronunciations.
DeleteYou haven't done one in months...but,how about a mention of a commercial that is not wearing out? The Geico "Made of Money" Motorcycle man? The Allman Brothers "Midnight Riders" song has held up. Not sick of it yet.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the irony of Duane Allman killed in a motorcycle accident decades ago is lost on the new generation. Something Geico had to have figured.
No need to mention "The Most Interesting man in the World"..that's just on another level of great commercial" HOF.
And HE admits he hardly even drinks cerveza. What an endorsement.
Don't forget Barry Oakley suffered a similar fate one year after Duane, also dying in a motorcycle accident. 'Eat a Peach' indeed.
DeleteThey're actually pimping dos equis beer. Regardless it's a great fun commercial and I haven't tired of it yet.
DeleteRich, Stan is a great addition to your blog. He adds so much intelligence, insight and wit.
DeleteIt would be great for him to start providing regular posts, not just his occasional comments.
I only go to this blog four stan. Hes the best. Keep up the good writing.
DeleteStan is like fine wine, just keeps getting better with age, a brilliant addition to 415 Media. My only complaint is we don't get enough of him. More Stan, please!
DeleteStan
DeleteBesides 415 Media why don't you shell it out over at BayAreaSportsGuy. We miss you.
Hey Stan,
DeleteThis is Neal, keep up the good work and nice for you to get some recognition and Rich the same to you.
I have always rooted for KKSF hoping they would fill the void that KGO left. I know people don't like that they do not take calls. That is becoming more and more common on many stations. I have Sirius also and many of the talk channels on there have a similar format to KKSF. In defense of Gil I usually tune into his show is there is a news event happening. He covers that type of thing very well with analysis and expert guests. A good example was the Malaysian plane disappearance. KKSF will give more expanded time to this type of event than other stations do.
ReplyDeleteI said it before and I'll say it again. After Gene Burns became ill and couldn't do the show, KKSF did an excellent job putting a rotation of former KGO all-stars. A different host each day of the week and on Fridays ending with Rosie Allen and Ed Baxter's show. That was excellent! The worst mistake was giving the show to Gross completely. Awful damned radio. I tuned out over a year ago and obviously I'm not the only one. I read in Facebook Gil try to defend the lack of callers as a sort of experiment. Well Gross man, the experiment is a failure. Nobody wants to hear you talk non stop for four hours. Take some calls dude...as for Frost head never heard the guy except in promos. Awful! Goddammit I hate to say it but spencer aka "Jose" Hughes is much more entertaining and takes tons of callers on his show. Whatever.
DeleteMany shows still take calls, here is a few (like them or not) Spencer Hughes, Ronn Owens, Pat Thurston, Brian Copeland (other KGO hosts) Tom Sullivan, Mark Levin, Randy Rhoades, Hannity, Rush and Savage, (Savage could do without calls, he so unpleasant to most of his callers, Levin the same unless the caller agrees with him). Gil can have some interesting points, and good guests, but for the most part his show is just boring, boring, 4 hours a day of one hosts. It is obvious he at times needs to fill the air, so he end up talking about things nobody cares about, chatting with LL Young, etc. Altogether the state of talk show radio in the Bay Area is a sad state of affairs, especially when you think about what it use to be.
ReplyDeleteI really wish a Bay Area station would pick up Hugh Hewitt ' s show, the best in the biz. I would much prefer to listen to interview s with news makers or expert analysts - not "Joe in Martinez". My problem with the KKSF hosts is they seem to want to talk about anything else but the important news of that day.
ReplyDeleteIt's not from the Bay Area, but I suggest the John Bstchelor Show, coming out of NYC, on KSFO, 6-10 pm, M- F, 7-10 pm on Sunday. No calls, all interviews and discussions with a tremendous variety of authors, reporters, "experts", scientists, etcetera, on a huge variety of subjects--news and current affairs, both domestic and foreign, politics, history, literature. It can sometimes be a challenge to listen to--witty, informed, fast paced, full of both fact and analysis. It is not dumbed down radio; it presumes its listeners are intelligent and educated. No gimmicks, just smart talk. It is not strongly partisan, but it does have a moderate right of center orientation most of the time. Any lefties who listen will find many of their arguments strongly debated in ways that you may find hard to refute with logic instead of emotion.
DeleteI Stand With Gil (and Mrs. Gil too!). Can I get a Wittness?
ReplyDelete@8:58 you are kidding me right? No turbulence? Is that why all of the decent AE's have left (most over to CBS where they are making money). Is that why long time employees left from the newsroom, marketing department, accounting department, programming over the past year and a half? Is that why when a position becomes available at a competing group everyone from this building sends their resumé? WE JUST GOT A 2.0 RATING! Even with PPM methodology that is a joke for a major market station that has 1 maybe 2 competitors. What is KGO now? It's not news, it's not talk. It's a station with no direction and no future, no matter what Bloomquist tries to do. I guess you don't see the Miller Kaplan reports? The billing for KGO is down 70 percent from 2 years ago! Ask our traffic department how many bonus spots they give advertisers of the other stations on KGO. WE ARE A JOKE. I've worked here for a while, have never commented on a blog like this but I've had it and so have many people here. A few major contracts of good news people are coming up. Think their not looking to get out. As soon as I get something else I'm ready to write a letter to the dickhead brothers and tell them what I really think of them.
ReplyDelete@12:56, is that you, Mel Baker? ;)
DeleteI can only hope that with ratings and billings down so low, they will sell to Micky Luckoff or someone who really knows talk radio and it will rise like a phoenix from the ashes.
DeleteWhat do you think Randall Bloomquist has to do with any of this? How long as he even been employed by Cumulus? How have things changed since his hire?
ReplyDeleteI sense your obvious anger, but please, elaborate on what the problems are at KGO?
This morning on Ronn Owens's show I heard an ad with Fran Tarkenton blasting liberals about AARP, which coincidentally I just received my first mailer from them. I thought to myself "these are the ads KGO is selling? When are they going to flip to conservative talk?" Very ominous sign. But as a salesperson, what's it like selling this stuff? Who even buys it? Anyone locally?
I heard that ad on KGO but not this morning. I looked up at my radio to make sure I hadn't randomly been listening to KSFO or KNEW. What a tragic station KGO is that they need to sell those types of ads.
DeleteTo whoever wrote the post at 12:56pm, I too, have been working at KGO radio for a good number of years and yes, while it is disturbing that the ratings have cratered and that some good people have left the building, KGO still has an excellent staff of solid news broadcasts journalists, and a top notch news director in Ron Escaraga. You obviously don't work in news, because if you did, this would be plainly obvious to you. The news staff are proud and hard working pros who are managing to stay focused and on point under difficult circumstances. They should be acknowledged. I have worked at other stations where there was a lot less direction and a lot more 'turbulence,' as Rich likes to characterize it. You need to get a better prospective and give some of these people some credit. They're not all looking to get out of KGO radio, contrary to what you might be thinking. Rich loves to stir it up about KGO and that's his job. But don't believe half of the nonsense he publishes about KGO . I don't know who is feeding him much of his phony information about 'turbulence' there, because that's simply not true and he's not giving you the full picture there!
ReplyDeleteWho are you? Hiding behind the PC at the albatross ---never mind. I sorta know, house shill. Don't forget the brown toilet paper.
DeleteI enjoyed hearing you on Michael Savage's show today, Rich. I don't agree with the stance Savage took about him being a "clown" when you said he entertained you. He seems to take the wrong opinion on stuff and instantly run with it. Either way, glad you got the national exposure....much deserved.
ReplyDeleteWeird, I must have heard a different show. Savage generously tee'd up Rich making him sound like a legit authority on local radio, then Rich choked by not having an opinion on what makes the local listeners tick. He waffled, then nervously blurted out that savage is "funny". What happened to "bring it on, anyone, anytime, anywhere about anything"?
DeleteMy guess is that Rich stated some real provocative stuff, savage was overwhelmed and cut away, thereby censoring rich. Can't trust folks that censor can you....
That was a rather insulting comment you wrote about the person from KGO who just responded to your post Rich, but that's part of your M/O. You love to take shots at people, especially those who work in that group of stations. I know that you covet 'the good old days' of radio, but unfortunately, that ship has sailed. For those of use who still work in the profession, we all try to stay positive and do the right thing. What are we supposed to do, quit en mass because we don't like what has happened at the station? Most of us have invested many years in radio and have families and kids to support. I'm another of the people who work at KGO who sharply disagrees with you Rich, and I'm not some 'stooge intern' either or a 'house shill.' Just because someone disagrees with you Rich, why do you have to insult them like some school yard bully? You really like the throw out the insults don't you? I wonder what it is in your life that has caused you to be so mean spirited and bullying. Your rudeness and the misinformation that you like to splash on your web site are not necessary. Are you just trying to stir it up or are you just an unhappy person? Whatever the case is, it would be nice if you stopped doing it. It's crude, rude and insulting Rich.
ReplyDeleteI'm in a good mood actually.
DeleteIf you insult me, then I'm going to insult back. Screw the high road. Fine, you work at KGO--bring it. But if you're going to bring and rip me, have the balls to say who you are like I DO.
If you need to remain anonymous because you, A. are afraid of management retaliating, then you really should not be writing comments.
B. If you want to compliment the Cumulus employer and praise how everything is groovy over there, then the fact of revealing one's ID would make sense. They might even give you extra Sweet Jack coupons.
C. People who HIDE behind computers and write out jibes and hits are the WORST of the worst. No balls. Again, the worst.
D. I know there's good people over there who are good workers, quality pros who have families and house payments--they are the minority. And they understand the situation over there and aren't brown-nose fools like you.
NO, in fact, YOU SIR/MADAM who is "rude, crude and insulting."
Have a lovely day and say hi to Ronnnnnnnnnnn too.
And congratulations on that 2! rating.
Oh shut it you poop head. Wake up. People are sick and tired of the "happy talk" bull crap that's being passed around. Reality says radio is going down the tubes. It's not about the good ol' days. It's about doing it the right way. Apparently, you were slapped in the face and can't see the forest for the trees. That's the problem in this country. We don't care about the right way anymore. Pay attention you moron.
DeleteI love hearing all you Liberals complain about Fran Tarkenton. He as I have seen how bad AARP is and is trying to warn you before you fall for there bull shit. Wake up and stop drinking the Pelosi Cool Aid and realize that even though San Francisco might think of itself as super liberal, it is not, there are plenty of us real people here that don't buy that crap and want to rid this country of a socialist engineered agenda. I for one don't like socialism and government dependence from cradle to grave.
ReplyDeleteAnd I enjoy posts such as yours from cretins like you. Terms like "real people" and a misunderstanding of what you call socialism.
DeleteYou LOVE socialism! The military, our highway system, law enforcement (local, feds), taxpayer funded jails, public beaches--the list goes on an on.
So I assume you are or will not be cashing your Social Security checks?
You're confusing socialism with government. Just because you have roads, law enforcement, etcetera, doesn't mean it's socialism. Good grief.
DeleteHey 5:27pm. You're a fink! Have you ever worked in broadcasting? Probably the closest you've been to a station is when you turn the dial on in your car radio. We all know that the 'good old days' of radio are long gone...okay...we know that! Believe me, if you've worked in the industry for as many years as some of us have, you're well aware of it. So what are you going to do about changing it? Complain? Make insulting remarks? That's what children do. I guess you're the one that needs to grow up 'Poop Head!"
ReplyDeleteHey get a life at 4:41 am: I have worked in the business. What have you done? Erase carts? The people who are getting short changed are the listeners. But they're too damn stupid to know better. They just get fed the crap from whoever's in charge. Maybe you're one of them. You entitled to protect your own interests. But if you are one of them, you're the root of the problem.
DeleteDo you have a favorite all time talk show host in bay area broadcast history Rich?
ReplyDeleteMy pick would be one of three: Joe Dolan, Pat Michaels, or the late, great Robin ("and remember, Love too, is a four letter word!") King, the voice of San Miguel Beer.
Those guys were soooo much better than what's on the radio today, and they all worked at KNEW at the same time back in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Do you remember listening to any of those guys Rich?. Ray Talioferro was just a young guy earning his stripes and was working at KNEW as well, and so too were SF native Steve Somers, (now for many years a sportstalk host at WFAN all sports in NYC), and Hilly Rose, (great name!) What a lineup KNEW had back in the day! I wonder why they broke up that winning team?
Thanks all!.. Hey,as long as I'm on a roll (ehem) How about a mention of ch2's Debra Villalon?..she's been at it for years..steady as can be. I like those types. Her, Leslie Brinkley,Carol Ivy back when. Something about them that can't be not true. At least I think that.
ReplyDeleteStan, check the definition of sarcasm.
DeleteOh no,way too many grains of truth in those compliments. Don't hate me 310,because I'm a beloved liberal icon.
DeleteStan, you've done it again. Keep them coming. You're the only reason I still read this blog!
DeleteI got too mention Heather Holmes(hey Holmes, as they say in the barrio) this weekend? wow- She was effervescent..no sarcasm when I say that. Smiling,laughing,making jokes. None of the icy act she's been known for all these years. I have never seen such big smiles on her.
ReplyDeleteIf I had to guess,the viral video of her accident had the effect of her either caving,or coming back with a vengeance. She came back. Got to give her that.
It would have been not good that one accident of minor importance would get her career down..or put that ceiling on her.
The viral video thing is pretty powerful stuff.
I can imagine a video of me getting out hugging my cat-oh-hoe!.
Ok,I wouldn't care.
Oh wow, videos of Stan with his cat, that would be hilarious. Rich, make it happen.
DeleteHow far the Bay Area radio star has fallen, Yes, KCBS is my go to station for what's happening now. KSFO and KGO have been long gone from my presets. Thanks to Big Heart radio, I listen to WABC in New York fr at least 4 hours each day. Not very local but it is entertaining.
ReplyDeleteKKSF is one big disappointment. Here are a few tips for improvement:
ReplyDelete1. Hire Len Tillem.
2. Fire the snowman
3. Fire the Randy lady
4. Cut Gils hours and no more wifey ; and he has to take callers. A lot of them.
5. They should all look at Alan Colmes; he has a VERY entertaining radio show. Lots of unscreened callers; lots of nut cases; just really great.
6. John Rothman should have some time as well.
That is my recipe for recovery
Why is this idiot 'Stan' on your blog so often Rich. He's not very bright, not very funny, and doesn't even seem to have a basic grasp of how to construct a sentence properly. I have a theory; I think he's actually you Rich, your alter-ego! Am I right?
ReplyDeleteDoesn't stan have his own blog that nobody reads? He should keep his stuttering, disconnected thoughts from cluttering the comments section of this site. A thought on the 'stan trolls': Rich enjoys and posts them for more stan reaction.
Delete'Stan' isn't even my alter ego.
DeleteHey you know? Why as he brags about how much money he has,doesn't Radnich fix his bad teeth? Or,should I say have them refixed as old youtube vids show him in the 80's with perfect choppers,capps. I mean if he thinks gapped teeth make him more ethnic,then stop spending a fortune having his hair frosted and get a perm-fro...
Stan is brilliant, fresh, and unconventional. Some people can't appreciate his mind-bending insights.
DeleteLOL. Keep it coming Stan. Love those Radnich zingers, never gets old.
DeleteAnd just as predictable as I said,..no sooner then this post went up? Radnich and Krueger gratuitously brought up how Radnich has his Bentley and the wife drives the Mercedes...STATION WAGON. lol,I think Radnich must look cool driving his Merc station wagon with the wood paneling on the sides. Beachballs,stuffed teddy bears, roof rack. Gary needs someplace to put the moose carcass when he goes hunt'in in his Merc.
DeleteMore money means more money to waste. His idea of charity is supporting European car mechanics and their $200 an hour charges.Could be more.
I just go to Jim's Volk's around the corner. Sometimes he doesn't even charge me . THAT'S one great mechanic.
Big problem....Newstalk 910 has NO SIGNAL in the east bay.
ReplyDeleteIt's weak in the daytime ..... and gone at night.... The ratings show it.
Love that "Marey Rose" ....from KGO... Embarcabaderao .......HAHAHAHAHA
Ratings are gonna TANK some more soon .... you watch.
I guess people with developmental disabilities.... need jobs too.
Now she is rushing the half ass reports and not naming anything except freeway numbers.....numbers? ......hahahahaha
The next KGO ratings will be interesting.
Reflecting the new so called "traffic desk" .... in the cloud.
Jeez, radio must be a really dysfunctional profession, judging from the caustic remarks that are flying back and forth between a couple of your posters Rich. Both claim to work in radio, and I wouldn't dispute that, but they show how angry, upset and disturbed people who still work in the profession are about all of the dumbing down and downsizing that's happening in recent years. It is very disheartening, and I do get a kick out of the young 'interns' as Rich likes to call them, who paint a bright cheery view of what's going on at places such as KGO and KNBR. Those youngsters have obviously not been working in radio for very long, because if they had they then they too, would be greatly alarmed by what has been happening since deregulation. I hate to say it, but I don't see if changing soon. One of the biggest problems radio faces today is the inability to get the 'young demographic.' So many people under the age of 30 no longer listen to the radio, or if they do, they rarely listen to AM radio, they'd rather hear music which they can pick up on their 21st century devices. IN some respects, the 'new media' has had a major impact on the traditional 21st century media. Just look at what has happened to the newspaper industry in recent years. Jobs and longtime papers have either disappeared or been downsized in a major way, as young people especially don't seem to have the ability to focus on reading something for more than 5 minutes.
ReplyDeleteThis is one of the big reasons that we are a more misinformed nation than ever before. While information is more instantly available on more 'platforms,' there are also fewer and fewer reliable, professionally trained print and broadcast journalists, and many of those who have survived the recent purges are working for less money and doing reports for more than just one station or newspaper. A sad state of affairs and I understand Rich's distress and anger which he directs toward the 'interns' who as Rich likes to say, use the 'brown toilet paper!'
I agree with the observations of 5:16 and 7:43, for the most part.
ReplyDeleteGross needs to start taking callers again and put the Mrs. on the back burner. While I like Frosty well enough, he needs to go back into his previous time slot. Randi Rhodes is just plain annoying and I'd wish she'd just go away.
The reason why most of the under-30 crowd does not listen to radio is because they perceive it as old and dated, and they're right. Name one radio talk show host that is under 40 - there may be ONE. Not one talk show on the radio addresses any issues that are relevant to that demographic. Also, most of the FM stations keep to the same old "pop" or "classic rock" format that didn't work twenty years ago. No twenty-something is going to want to listen to ad nauseum Led Zep or AC/DC. Not one station in the SF market plays current rock/hard rock/metal, and perhaps one or two play current hip-hop or rap.
The corporations, populated by old men, have no clue what the current or next generation wants or needs, because they refuse to take risks and spend the $$$$ necessary to keep radio relevant to the next generation of potential listeners.
Radio is dying because it is BORING.