Which is all the more frustrating that 95.7 FM, ('The Game'), continues to flail away aimlessly, seemingly rudderless without a leader, without any sort of vision and programming run by a clueless radio retread.
The August ratings are out and once again, The Game has bottomed out. At this stage of the year that shouldn't be happening, not when you have a major league baseball team fighting for the playoffs, although sure, the A's are the second team in the market. And yes, the Raiders are mediocre at best, but still an NFL team.
95.7 relies on its sports-talk shows. Too bad PD, Jason Barrett, has no clue what the hell he's doing. Barrett somehow keep his job even though The Game's talkers keep being moved from one place to the other; shows have come and gone, other shows are in the wrong time slot. The best show on the station, Greg Papa and John Lund's, "The Wheelhouse" is lost from 12-3 PM --Damon Bruce should have that slot where he wouldn't be preempted by A's baseball.
And then there's this pure foolishness. An infomercial would be more compelling.
Then there's the morning show: a complete and useless failure. It would be nice that two of the three hosts knew something about sports, but why be so picky. Aubrey Huff, the ex-Giants jock has essentially quit the program and has now been moved to part-time status. Ric Bucher is on his way out. Chris Townsend remains but the show's future is in doubt.
All the while, again, despite its amateurish programming direction, The Game could and should beat KNBR in various parts of the day. The Game is smarter, more cogent and doesn't lob 140 thousand hours of commercials at its listeners like its AM competitor --greedy KNBR.
But The Game needs a better programmer. It wouldn't hurt to have a stronger and better signal too, but that's sort of uncontrollable. Too bad too. With some innovative thinking, 95.7 FM could be a vital sports-station listening device but as long as Barrett is running it, it has no hope.
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That Pompous Ass, Ric Bucher cannot leave the airwaves fast enough!
ReplyDeleteI like The Game. It's way better than KNBR and their constant blow-jobbing (is that a word?) of the Giants.
ReplyDeleteThe morning show is terrible. Huff is a complete failure. The Rise Guys were a lot better.
Papa and Lund are great.
Their lineup is more diverse but Clardy and that Guru guy stink. They don't belong in this market talent-wise.
Bruce is OK. Just OK.
Finally, their commercials are embarrassing.
I disagree, Papa is horrible.
DeleteBruce is very good.
Papa is fine when he isn't being encouraged to act like a 12 year old boy hearing his very first dick and fart joke. When paired with an actual professional, Papa is quite good. Lund's immature prattle is what ruins that show. It's unfathomable that it's their highest rated show until you look at the other options available locally.
DeleteBruce is very good when he's not going off on one of his misogynistic diatribes. Could the girl doing the updates for his show sound any more uncomfortable?
I used to enjoy listening to Papa. I would call in from time to time to chat with him. Ever since he went over and started doing Giants games he started soundling like an out of control teenage delinquent.
DeletePapa should do a solo show like he did awhile back on 1050 12pm-3pm that show was quite good.
Delete2 person shows are terriable as they get off on some tangent think Tom and Ray R.. They probably use 2 because either one is not strong enough to carry a show on their own.
Damon Bruce is another Santa Clara 49er apologist!
ReplyDeleteDamon is a Midwesterner who is a lifelong fan of the Bears and Cubs. The 49ers fired him from their pre/post shows last year for his sandbox rant. He has no love for the 49ers, or the Giants for that matter.
Delete-- Gaga V, for the record
"It wouldn't hurt to have a stronger and better signal too, but that's sort of uncontrollable."
ReplyDeleteExactly, what PD can overcome this?
My thought exactly. I live in the Santa Rosa area and it is impossible to pick them up within the city limits in a vehicle.
DeleteIf they're not getting higher ratings now, they most likely never will. The A's are postseason bound for the third season in a row. The NFL season is just starting up with the Raiders generating some buzz for the first time in a while. If the program director's attempts at luring listeners away from KNBR worked, it would have done so by now with the Giants being in contention and the 49ers considered Superbowl contenders.
ReplyDeleteProfessional sports in the Bay Area couldn't be any more popular, yet The Game's numbers remain flat.
When they switch to national programming, I switch them off.
ReplyDeleteOverall, their ratings have been in the shitter for the 3+ years they've been on the air. However, the station is obviously hitting the numbers in the demo that the station and Entercom are looking for.
ReplyDeleteIf the A's move to a different station after their deal expires this year, that would be pretty crippling, but the station is continuing. As much as you want to throw this lame station under the bus, why bother giving them any PR? Employees have mentioned what a colossal ass hat Barrett is, but he remains employed. I always find it humorous that so many go out of their way to tell you how badly a station sucks ass. Then why are you morons listening to it?
The morning show is just bad, it's unlistenable. Huff and Bucher are the craps and the other guy is a drama queen.
ReplyDeleteRich, or anyone else in the know.
ReplyDeleteDidn't the previous owner of this station file bankrupt?
Huff got a rude awakening that he is not very witty or interesting without a bat in his hand. With the hero-worship over, he ran away (again) before he had to face what we all quickly learned - he's kinda dumb and unlikeable.
ReplyDeleteKind of?
Delete...or a beer in his hand!
DeleteHere's the thing: you say that KNBR is "painstakingly bad."
ReplyDeleteBut I've lived all over the U.S. -- South FLA, Chicago, Dallas, Kansas City -- and I can tell you unequivocally...
KNBR is 1000X better than the sports talk I've heard in those markets and when traveling to places like L.A. and, yes, even New York.
I could do with fewer commercials, and I don't tune in for the morning guys, but I think their overall product quality is definitely better than what you'll get in other markets.
Yes, the Game is nauseatingly bad. But you're off the mark with KNBR in my opinion because, really, there's really nothing better out there.
Agree with 5:15. I have had to travel extensively on business and I always find the local sports talk station. KNBR is a very good sports talk station. I will say it compares to New York because the main topics in NYC are the Yankees and Giants vs. the Mets and Jets because those teams are shitty. The Yankees aren't good, but like the Giants, the Yankees are a marketing machine and the venerable team in that region.
DeleteThe Game should take some cues from KNBR, whose ratings soar during the Giants and Niners season. KNBR does extensive analysis, interviews with team personnel and pre and post game shows. People eat that stuff up and I'm sure Raiders and A's fans would too if given the chance.
One thing I've noticed about KNBR lately. Cal becomes an advertiser and guess who gets show coverage - Cal. Despite the fact that Stanford is ranked #11 this season and has the second or third highest winning percentage in the NCAA for the last three years under Shaw. What's Cal ranked? They're not even on the radar and will fight for last place with Univ. of Colorado and maybe Utah.
the Yankees aren't on sports radio in NYC, and the Mets are on WOR. the giants are on WFAN. the others broadcast on ESPN. you're argument is off the mark.
DeleteRadnich? Brooks and Fitz? Ray Ratto, Eric Byrnes, kevin lynch, Ted Ramey? these people would never have jobs at WFAN or espn nyc.
I'm in nyc at least once every 4 months for work. there's no comparison.
So, no one talks about the Yankees on sports talk because they're games aren't on the radio? I doubt it.You're also using the worst hosts for your argument.
DeleteIn general, I think sports discussion is more informed the farther east you go starting in Chicago. The fans are much more into it and I agree that you can't get away with some of the things sports talk hosts say here. For example, today on KNBR said Ray McDonald hadn't even been charged yet, when in fact, he's been charged, arrested and freed on bail.
SWWWWWWING and a miss.
DeleteUsing the "worst hosts?" What are you talking about? Radnich is the station's highest paid host, and is on TV. His partners are worse! Fitz and Brooks are middays. The others make up a major part of afternoons. There actually are worse ones, but my example is poor because I used their actual hosts? What are you even talking about?
As for the Mets and Jets I don't think you have a clue. The teams who get more play in NYC are seemingly the teams who suffer. The Mets were a mainstay on WFAN for many years, and I believe most of their talent are Mets fans. Whenever I hear callers it's at least 50/50 mets, and no different for the Jets. They dominate the calls more so than the NY Giants do. I think you're imagining things.
All of this aside, the product at WFAN completely blows away KNBR. It's sharp, consistent, the hosts setup the segments better, fast paced, hard hitting. The Game at least shows some semblance of order even if it is layered with terrible rock music and other gimmicks. KNBR is just a free-for-all. It's as bad as a leading station can be, and because it's leading they get away with it.
Guess what I just heard? I'm listening to Gil on 910am at 5.30pm. Gil says in a couple of days JOAN LUNDEN will be 'taking the Frosty spot'. I think it's just a one time event. But isn't that reaching way, WAY back into the past when they have up-and-comings ready to take that spot and make a name for themselves?
ReplyDeleteI live in the North Bay and their signal is terrible. Papa, Lund and Bruce are solid alternatives to KNBR...its just a pain to try and listen.
ReplyDeleteYes, that signal situation is frustrating in the North Bay.
DeleteEntercom had a golden opportunity to fix this problem when they blew up the 98.5/102.1 simulcast back in July. I would have put The Game on 102.1, simulcast it with 95.7 for the summer, then broken away 95.7 on Labor Day for the music format they now have on 102.1. (Actually I would have done the music differently, but that is a different discussion.) Voila, the sports on a full-market signal that is more competitive with KNBR, and the hip-hop on a signal whose footprint gets into the areas that are most likely to find that music interesting.''
DeleteOf course, no one asked my opinion, and no one over there at Entercom seems smart enough to see what's just beyond the tips of their noses.
The person commenting about KNBR vs New York stations has no idea what he/she is talking about.
ReplyDeleteWFAN 660 AM in New York is an absurd money maker, and NOT because of the teams. KNBR succeeds ONLY because of their teams. WFAN was so confident in their programming that they let the Knicks, Rangers and Mets leave their airwaves without concern for numbers or money. All of their programming is well put together, professional, and tested. Boomer and Carton are on television, as is Mike Francesca, nationwide. There's not a show at KNBR that could ever be considered national, and yet these shows still hold their audiences.
As for South Florida, Chicago, St. Louis, D.C, Boston, and many other places, nearly all of them have better sports radio than San Francisco/Bay Area. To even suggest otherwise means you have no idea what it is you're listening for. I've been told by numerous people Lee Hammer is completely disengaged at KNBR, and is, I quote, "just waiting for retirement."
CBS basically copied WFAN and made it a national platform. It's also doing quite well considering how cheap it is to operate.
As for Jason Barrett, I have met a lot of people in this business, and I can say that unequivocally he is the most clueless of them all. That is saying a lot. He has no business being a program director of a station in a major market, and I question whether he should even be an executive producer of a major show.
He was fortunate enough to be sitting on top of the pyramid in St. Louis when Entercom went on a spending spree. There was a ratings bump for a moment, but when the marketing/ad dollars dried up, the station fell right back to nothing under his stewardship. I'm told he has family in the business that has managed to get him jobs throughout his career. I can't figure any other way he'd be hired.
There's a lot of bad radio in the Bay Area, and many mistakes have been made. I'm not sure what the answer is for The Game, but to have an amateur like that running the station tells me all I need to know about their future successes: there won't be any.
I think Greg Papa is good. I like John Lund as well. I don't mind "Townie." The rest of it is average. Damon Bruce is a phony.
Here, here! My first post on the Rich Lieberman Blog!
Agree - Damon Bruce is a phony. I'm surprised he hasn't gone the route of Scott Ferrell when he was on KNBR. I think the other 95.7 hosts are okay too.
DeleteThis relates: You remember on this 415 media I said the trade of Cespedes would cause "The A's to sink like rocks". Right on perfect-o. Today Ann Killion and Kawakami said it was a "good trade".! Thats the level of sports media..they can't even get hindsight right!
ReplyDeleteAnd Barret? I said- here on this blog- He should put his young black talkers to the morning. I like their sense of humor for one. But- that's like revolutionary to the Barret's the Hammers and the Yahoo's of the world.
Sports media locally is the profession of clowns. Bad clowns.
Stan, nobody remembers or cares what you allegedly said. Why would they?
DeleteHuh, this guy thinks anyone would remember his quotes? Why would anyone remember his quotes?
DeleteWell,for one,a reader on this here blog said "Stan doesn't know baseball" and then launched into his long technical reason of why I was "wrong". Einstein had to read all the time how he was wrong from German scientists. How I know the feeling....
DeleteAnd- the Warriors wont equal last years wins. Lacob was a coward to keep Thompson. Hell,Thompson's own father thought trading his son for Love was a no brainer great trade for the Warriors.
That's a bonus call.
And now you know why local sports pages block me. I run circles around their beat writers,columnists and insiders. And its just a hobby to me.
Huh, this guy thinks anyone would remember any of this?
DeleteIsn't this the guy Lieberman got rid of a couple of months ago after his constant posts went bonkers?
It doesn't surprise me to hear that nepotism is probably the reason that Jason Barrett is the PD at the game. He's not only clueless, but he seems to think he has all of the answers. His worst mistake was firing the 'Rise Guys' in the morning, and putting an absolutely unlistenable show ('Townie, Bucher and Huff') on in it's place. It's been a disaster to say the least. For that faux pax alone, he should have been sent packing.
ReplyDeleteAs an ex-employee of the station I have no idea how this has lasted so long under Barrett "the pimp" and Jeremiah Crowe. The abuse of employees, the absurd amount of effort they require for show prep, everything being about ratings ratings ratings being first... it's a downright sucky environment.
ReplyDeleteHilariously enough The Pimp was on his twitter feed crowing about hitting "Top 7" in the ratings.... I'm assuming he's only counting males 25-54 (the money makers) but that seems so impossible with the crap decision making. Barely 4 months for a brand new "changing the game" (pun intended) morning show and everyone is running for the hills? And the new style that they have done for the Raiders pre and post games are TERRIBLE. At least 105 DID something special for the Raiders to make them seem important.
Bottom line, Jason must be working for free. That has to be the ONLY reason he is there, he's the cheapest option.
ReplyDeleteOther than Papa and Lund, station is unlistenable. Gleason, Dibbly and Steinmetz are missed, Weekend guy Zack is nauseating.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to take the unpopular view here.
ReplyDeleteI do think 95.7 can make in roads (small ones) to KNBR's audience.
On their side is Greg Papa. Who gives the station credibility.
And so does Damon Bruce.
I am still of the opinion that their FM home will always work against them and until that is fixed they will play second fiddle to KNBR.
do we really know of the game is failing in specified demos? being on FM is a major advantage, and if they are in fact close top three top 5 in coveted 25-54M then it's somewhat succeeding.
ReplyDeleteanyone?
As someone who sees all the major ratings for key demos they are Top 7...which for 3.5 years in is not good.
DeleteHow is being on FM a major advantage when the signal sucks? I've heard KNBR680 and 1050 on with a HD signal and it sounds just as good, if not better than 95.7 because I don't have to worry about the static from 95.7's shitty signal. Aside from Bruce and Papa, when he's serious, the whole station is a fucking dumpster fire.
DeleteThe ratings show how gullible Bay Area listeners are. Then next time I flip over to KNBR and the are NOT in an advertising break, will be the first. Does the station even broadcast 30 minutes of programming an hour? I doubt it.
ReplyDeleteJohn Lund is typical of some of the sports talk hosts who are now bleating on the airwaves coast to coast. He's an annoying, know-it-all who finds juvenile humor worth using on the air, (it's not amusing John!) and it's a shame Greg Papa has to be paired with this ridiculous clown. Chris Townsend has one of those voices that sound as if he just got out of high school, and he also sounds like a know-it-all, and unfortunately he's paired with Rick Bucher, who knows absolutely nothing about sports outside of the NBA. Jeremiah or Jedediah, or whatever his name is is an absolute joke. Where did they find this guy anyway? Did he win some kind of a contest to get on the air? Probably. Outside of Papa, Guy Haberman is the only host on 'The Game' who has any credibility as he seems to do a really nice job on A's talk. Whenever I hear any of the rest of that dreck, I simply turn it off. How that phony PD Barrett keeps his job is one of life's great mysteries. He must have compromising photos of Entercom Execs!
ReplyDeleteKGMZ has all the potentials to be better than KNBR, however with Barrett ruling, the programs are loaded with cheap "humor" and bad sound bytes. I like Chris Townsend, but even he has now been tainted, with constant references of lewd comedy. The station now has no identity and feels cheaper than a $10 Gucci bag.
ReplyDeleteDamon Bruce show is a joke, he likes to talk about controversial topics all the time instaed of current events. No, i do not care that the NFL execs stay in nice hotels during the superbowl, i do not care! His interviews are corny and all over the place and sounds like he asks a list of question instead having a true interview as a conversation. Still, the questions dont even transition properly.
ReplyDeleteThe mornign shows is horrid, i like bucher because he talks about current events and gives his opinion. Townsend too, but he does sound annoying and has cookie cutter takes on topics, very predictable. Huff was horrible, period. Rise guys getting fired was a joke.
The wheelhouse is the best show, i like the childish banters because its like two friends just talking sports and throw in some jabs and some funny references. In the end, they do talk about sports and go at it sometimes, its fun to hear.
If anything, haberkauf should be the morning show, damon bruce for a couple hours after or late night at 7pm. Solo radio like damon bruce should not be during the day or commute home, solo radio should be night time. Townsend and somebody else commute home, maybe wolford or someone. I wish Romo had his own show, would be funny.
Barrett is a complete idiot who should have been fired long ago
ReplyDeleteto answer the titular question: Why fire someone when the ratings go up each year. Clearly more and more people disagree with your assessment Barrett's work. 95.7 has positioned itself to take FULL ADVANTAGE of the inevitable KNBR slippage over the coming years.
ReplyDeleteDamon Bruce: an overrated third rate hack who thinks he knows everything about bay area sports (he doesn't), and who's farts don't smell. He got run out of KNBR because he didn't have the good sense to do as he was told. Instead he made a lot of noise and pissed off Lee Hammer, not a wise move! But then, if you look at Damon's employment record, he's never stayed at any one place that long. The guy has a modicum of talent, I'll give him that, but he over blows practically everything and he's annoying to listen to as a result. I don't see him lasting too long at the Game, but I could be wrong. Jason Barrett is a clueless fool who seems to be enamored with Damon, at least for the time being.
ReplyDeleteThanks for exposing this Barrett clown Rich. He's been a running joke every since he showed up and more than a few folks in the industry have wondered allowed: "Who did this guy know to get a job he's not qualified for?" I wonder when the suits at Entercom are going to see that this putz is a fraud and can his ass.
ReplyDelete95.7 The Game has been a failure since day one, starting with those ridiculous advertisements making fun of KNBR. But.....For the most part I like the current lineup and Jason Barrett is lucky to be allowed failure after failure until he gets some things right. Entercom decided to fork big bucks for Damon Bruce, how is Barrett responsible for that success? What he is responsible for is getting rid of my favorite show The Rise Guys and putting in that car wreck BTH (a show worse then O'Connell and Steinmetz if that's even possible) The Rise Guys also had much better guests than the current morning show which I only tune in for when Buster Olney is on.
ReplyDeleteHe should be on the short leash for that failure. I also think he tried to play all sides with that horrible decision making, getting rid of Bucher would have made Barrett's name get tossed through the mud due to all of Bucher's connections. Barrett as a manager in this case let his customers, owners, and employees down. Now he is desperately trying to manipulate the sports radio industry with his blog, a way to reach out to people and angle for his next job.
Meanwhile, he blew Urban out of the picture only to be brought back for weekends and has ignored the stenghths of Rick Tittle, an A's fan favorite. Both these men have 10 times the intellectual capacity of Barrett and he can't manage that! I am just shocked that the corporate bafoons don't see all this.
But hey, don't be so hard on the guy, an "inside source" told me he may have a mild case of aspergers.
I actually like the morning show (Buch and Townie) a lot--although I never figured out what Huff was supposed to add. Problem is, I think Murph and Mac are the best hosts on KNBR and are pretty entertaining too.
ReplyDeleteSomeone said earlier that Bruce is solid when he isn't going on a misogynist rant--totally agree. He knows his stuff and is the only guy who can (occasionally) make me laugh out loud. As long as he isn't talking about women.
Claridy is incredibly weak. It's hard for me to listen to him.