Tuesday, March 11, 2014

The Damon Bruce/Game Change And Why KNBR Isn't Worried, (For Now); Back Story and Analysis


 Contrary to what many think there is no wake taking place at KNBR, suddenly bereft of its only 1050 AM content provider, Damon Bruce--you know, he of the one who thinks he's the second coming of Pete Franklin, circa 2014.

Bruce has landed the prime-time drive home at FM sports vagabond 95.7 FM The Game and good for him.

He works hard. He provides a necessary alternative to the primitive and highly provincial Knibber whose sole existence is based on the Giants standings and 49ers supremacy, and now, the Warriors uprising too.

But make no mistake--Damon Bruce was more suitor material from Entercom, (which owns 95.7) and its SF outpost. The Game. This has been an under performer from day one and even with arrangements with the A's and the Raiders, The Game's ratings are still abysmal and in the tank. They lack a strong personality unless you count Greg Papa and John Lund and they performed miserable in the important morning drive with "The Rise Guys" who may feel a little limp right now since they were shown the door only to be replaced by Ric Bucher and Chris Townsend. I'm not a huge fan of the latter but their show is markedly better than the morning dreck boys on KNBR. Anything short of cryonics would be an improvement over the smug and smarmy Brian Murphy and his partner with the fake New Jersey accent and a voice that is flatter than Ellen DeGeneres bust.

Bruce is essentially a "nothing-to-lose" move by 95.7. His hiring is not sudden nirvana. Sure, he'll be making a lot more money, has a chance to shine in a more lucrative time slot and a fresh start and new beginning in a new crib down the street from the building of KNBR where he was never really appreciated to begin with ---for good reason.

His most indelible mark--the famously infamous rant on women in sports was his most signature moment. He didn't get along with anybody and had constant beefs with producers, interns, salespeople and yes, some guy named Gary Radnich. Their brief virtuoso lasted about two weeks and coincidentally landed DB in KNBR's little sister of the poor, 1050 AM, or the Death Valley of the dial position. That worked fine for Lee Hammer and company and even for Bruce himself--his little playpen and no threat to Radnich, no threat to the station itself which could hold onto a rising air presence and not mess with the nice furniture in the living room.

See, KNBR is fine so as long as the Giants, 49ers and Warriors, to a lesser degree, are fine themselves and all three are prime tenants of the meat dept. They help supplant KNBR, (and Cumulus, by extension) and move the cash around the sales dept. where Tolbert and Ratto, Radnich and Krueger, and the Morning Show midgets can perform without messing with the cabinet that holds the keys to the kingdom.

Think of it this way: If The Game had 50K watts, prime AM dial position with a great listening signal and KNBR was stuck in the FM desert, the dynamics would change and it would be Knibber trying to snatch, say a Tom Tolbert. That wouldn't necessarily make for better ratings but it couldn't hurt. It's the proverbial if you throw enough shit against the wall some of it might stick. Not to impugn Bruce, but that's the central line of fire in The Game's limited strategy--they are stuck. They have the A's and the Raiders. The A's are exciting and possess a loyal fan base but not enough to sustain an entire time block around daytime programming. (Is it any wonder that Eastbay critics of The Game complain they talk too much SF sports teams?)

So be happy for Mr. Bruce and allow this essentially one-day shelf-life of a story take shape. It's not earth-shattering and it isn't the type of move that trends on Twitter; not that that matters but the bottom line is its more a proactive move by The Game rather than an omission by the big boys at 55 Hawthorne. Noon-3 on 1050 is not their breadwinner. Never has been. More like the last aisle at Toys R Us.

Moreover after a day or so in the newness of 3-7 on FM, Bruce will have to grapple with the likes of Tom Tolbert and Ray Ratto, not extraordinarily special especially with the abundance of commercial spots and countless "updates". No easy competition for DB but anything competitive against the 680 machine is OK with me.

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30 comments:

  1. No one cares. This is as lame a "story" as ever for a no nothing talent and radio station going nowhere. Loser.

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  2. Will he take MaRae with him from Denver, Bruces token brotha and will Mom reappear on the Game?

    Rich was he walked to the door?
    Did he give two weeks notice?

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  3. Couldn't agree more. The game is for losers and Damon Bruce is a poor excuse for a sports talk host. The guy is predictable and full of his own BS.

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  4. Three stories on Damon, sure he is the big name, but but but, for me, Rise Guy was my favorite show on the Bay Area dial. I was a dedicated listener with devotion not seen since the glory days of Gene/Bernie on 810am. I'm going to miss listening to the Rise Guys (and I've despised Bucher since day one....the replacement)

    So what do people listen to from 6-7:30 am ?

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  5. Hmmph. I thought Dibley was starting to make a name for himself. I noticed that bit he started based on Mt Rushmore had actually caught on nationally. I would hear versions of it on various sportscasts. Kreidler was a Yahoo staple as guest. I guess blame Whitey...as always...hee,hee,hee.
    Bruce? not much interest. His rants on woman and men who read books was too revealing. I hope his new employers get him to drop Indiana talk. Just as boring as when Letterman does it. Indiana..so great and all American, all move away. Uhuh.
    Lund and Papa sound like two kids who saw ratings spike after a few dirty jokes..and now can't stop. Won't stop.
    And for sinking in the ratings..thegamz isn't shy about going on long commercial breaks that drive me to KCBS,KGO..whoever does their work on air...not in an office booking commercials.

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    1. Oh, so Stan was wrong about Dibley. Gee that's a shock!

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  6. Too bad they didn't send Townsend's ass packing as well. He is awful.

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    1. I agree Townsend is horrific and unlistenable.

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  7. 95.7 needs to bring in Ralph at least for a Sunday night time slot if his health permits.

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    1. Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  8. Rich, would you like Bruce more if he spent one show a week talking about hot female broadcasters?

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  9. I think his departure can be summed up by his show ending clip: "And like that...he's gone." Got to wonder though if he'll keep his CBS Radio gig, since 95.7 is an ESPN affiliate. I found it a surprise personally -- wonder if they'll actually fill that slot with local sports talk or just go to CBS Radio or some other syndicated source in order to save some cash and maybe get a few people to switch over to Fitz/Brooks instead.

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  10. Rich: Has PD Jason Barrett been replaced?

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  11. Chris Townsend was much better by himself. I don't listen often during the baseball off season, but whenever the dial is still tuned to 95.7 after the A's game and I have to hear Bucher, I lose interest. Chris could do an evening show by himself like he did awhile back. And where in the world did Guy Haberman come from and why did they put him on A's pre and post game shows? He is b-o-r-i-n-g and bland. Who needs an out-of-towner doing the talk for the local team which he has no history with? Bring back Rick Tittle or Townie.

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  12. This is the most cogent piece you've written in a long time. Not saying it's Pulitzer quality but you offer good perspective and make your points without being unnecessarily dickish for a change. Just thought I'd compliment you one time... I'm trying to be a more fair and balanced person.

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  13. If The Game could add Ralph Barbieri to its lineup, maybe 12-3 lead-in to Damon Bruce, you would have KNBR listeners possibly maneuvering their dial a little more often. I listened to Tolbert & Ratto last Friday and it was just bad, uninspiring, flat radio. Tolbert is not the same with Ralph, and Ratto does not add anything more than over-the-top reactions that resonate more on newsprint rather than radio. It would be nice to see the Game at least try to make a dent in KNBR's ratings. I know that Damon will offer a more compelling show during the 3-7 time slot, that's for sure.

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    1. I would love Ralph on 95.7 ( or anywhere for that matter ) but the last 2 times he's been on the radio, his voice was shot, he could barely talk. If that's because of his failing health, that's a bummer. I miss you Ralph !

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  14. I actually liked the rise guys. I've never liked any of the other shows and I never liked Damon Bruce. Now there's no reason to listen to the Game. It's getting harder and harder to fill the slots on my radio presets.

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    1. My sentiments exactly. Should have made the opposite move - get rid of Towsend & Bucher.

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  15. Rich Lieberman's coverage of the Damon Bruce hire has envy written all over it.
    Signed
    A Poser.

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  16. Bold move by The Game.
    Now they should set their sights on Larry Krueger.
    He would make an excellent addition to 95.7

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  17. Love the Damon Bruce show. Just love it. Big loss for KNBR. Must've been related to the Jonathan Martin pick up by the Niners, and some kind of ultimatum.

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  18. This is obviously a salary dump. 5 people fired in 2 months. Only 2 people hired to replace them. Damon's show will be shortened for A's pre-game or won't air at all when the team plays on the east coast. How the PD kept his job is a mystery.

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  19. I agree with the poster above who said Guy Haberman is a bore. The guy says "um" and stutters. He shares no personal stories - ever. It is like he's a robot. I think 95.7 has moved him from 7-10pm to the 10am spot.

    They've been putting Rick Tittle out there at night the past week or so. Some people don't like Tittle because his voice sounds dry but I like him. He has strong knowledge about every single Bay Area team, every single sport. He was a guest on "Forum" on KQED with Michael Krazny, during the Winter Olympics, and actually knew what he was talking about when talking about luge, figure skating, etc.

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  20. Good job hiring Damon Bruce. Morning show elimination a huge salary dump. Better to have The Game in the Bay Area than not. It's not an either/or. No station will come close to KNBR as long as it has the Giants/49ers/Warriors. And, that's fine. One thing I will say is the sound quality on The Game, on my app plugged into my phone for anywhere listening, is awesome. And, Rick Tittle is a hidden gem.

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  21. Dibley was annoying, but at least he tried to be original and different. Damon Bruce is just plain annoying.

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  22. BTW, Mychael Urban is back on 95.7 on Saturday mornings.

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  23. You're kidding me? Mychal Urban? I thought he had burned every last bridge in the broadcasting biz!

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    Replies
    1. Yup. Still working off the rust after two weeks.

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  24. BTH "On Vacation" this week. G-d I hope this is a change to the 95.7 morning show.

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