Several of you texted and one notable broadcast observer called me this (Sunday) morning to say that KGO Radio was running bizarre music and several station promos from 10 AM-10: 15...a break from their onslaught of brokered programming --along with it, I also heard there were several glitches.
First off, I'm not surprised. In fact, I would expect more of the same. Nobody is minding the store--like you're surprised?
The people who run the station (and some on-air people) have an excuse now--KGO recently moved to Broadway and Battery --the whole Cumulus stations moved. And there's been heavy-duty dead air and bizarros taking place night after night.
"It's a joke!", offered the broadcast observer.
Although when KGO moved from the Tenderloin to the Embarcadero no such problems took place and recently when they moved over to Hawthorne there weren't any noticeable glitches.
I have a theory: Maybe God hates brokered financial shows and is pissed.
I have a theory: Maybe God hates brokered financial shows and is pissed.
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It was a mess. I think the music was selections from Ronn's bumper collection. Speaking of Ronn, when I left work last night around 1130 they were running a "best of" of his show??!!??
ReplyDeleteI heard some of that. The guy before Ronn in the 10 O'clock slot had a good subject.
DeleteWhat are you talking about? When they moved out of 900 Front Street over to 55 Hawthorne, it was a technology disaster zone, a thorough embarrassment for a station that had been consummately professional up till then. It took the Cumulistas months to get everything working right (assuming they *ever* got everything working right at Hee Haw). This is the price of moving six stations all at the same time, rather than phasing the move and absorbing some extra upfront costs to do it right.
ReplyDeleteYep,it was a disaster when they moved to Hee Haw. Cumulus Engineering isn't Engineering at all, its a big joke and you can hear its effects daily.
Delete"... when they moved over to Hawthorne there weren't any noticeable glitches. "
DeleteAre you serious!!???
The phone system, alone, was an unmitigated disaster. If more than 4 calls came in, on a busy hour, the whole system was blown out.
What I don't understand is how any texter or tipster stuck with the station long enough to hear the screw-ups. I mean, who's listening anyway?
ReplyDeleteI heard On the Go show with John Hamilton this morning. At the end of his hour show, John said paid programming is next! Then immediately he said that his producer said not to say that!
ReplyDeleteSomewhere, Ira Blue and Owen Spann are spinning in their graves.
ReplyDeleteOwen Spann was cremated. He now resides on a mantel in Southern California.
DeleteThe urn did move a few inches last night.
LOL Was that the earthquake I felt?
DeleteGene Burns as well, I'm sure Ronn is not too pleased, whatever you might think of him, he is professional and also a bit of a perfectionist.
DeleteWrong. Ronnnnn will "get excited" about paid programming. Or whatever other crap mgt comes up with. He is a shameless lapdog.
DeleteI hear all sorts of screw-ups on kgo and it has been going on since before the move. I constantly hear open mics when commercials are being played. The station is a joke, which is probably why is still listen.
ReplyDeleteI don't know why people complain so much about the paid programming. After all, they don't play the kars for kids commercials during those hours.
Cumulus = Crummyness and has as many potholes as Mission St.
ReplyDeleteRonn Owens repeat at 11:00 Saturday night between John Batchelor at 10:00 and again at midnight. Also KSFO has not played Mike Rogers commentary or Rush Limbaugh morning updates since the move. There is clearly mass confusion in this move. Gene Burns and Pete Wilson are rolling over with Ira and Owen. Drex and Chip come no where near the stature and standards of the Luckoff-ABC management. What a bunch of amateurs!!
ReplyDeleteDrex is booring, seem like booring milk toast is the new in in radio programming, here is a few, Gil, Ed Baxter (whom I like) Joel and Corey, Drex and paid programming. Who is the genius that thinks one person or 2 bantering about nothing for 2 to 4 hours is interesting radio???? Very few people can hold the audience attention for 2 to 4 hours without callers, 5 days a week?? In my view, which obviously is in the minority, very few, even my all time favorite Gene Burns (although compared to the one I listed, he certainly would be head over heals above them) would have problems.
DeleteIt's no secret that AM radio is dying, and this is, IMHO, one of the symptoms. So many of the smart listeners have gone away (to public radio, Sirius or XM, streaming or using their own devices to create their own programing) that many who remain aren't worth putting on air. So instead of having a call-in show from Stupidville, the talk stations put very few (if any) callers on the air, which forces the hosts to fill up the time themselves. Add in the increased spot load that's made the program content that much shorter each hour, and it's a veritable death spiral.
Deletelike Howard Cosell used to say "amateurish" lol
ReplyDeleteTRAIN WRECK!! This whole KGOne operation is one. big. train. wreck. And I would bet that the majority of its listeners (maybe 8 - 10 people??) are listening ONLY because.....who doesn't love a train-wreck?? Can't someone shut 'em down and give us something respectable to listen to?? PLEASE??
ReplyDeleteDrex or Infomercials, vote.
ReplyDeleteThe infomercials are actually more entertaining than Dreck. "Labelth are for canth. Leth talk it out."
DeleteI'll take the colonoscopy before the other two choices.
DeleteHave they blown up Candlestick yet?
ReplyDeleteHow many has-been, irrelevant women can KGO come up with? Christine Craft, Pat Thurston, Maureen Langan and now, Kim Kommando. All of them are an insult to human intelligence.
ReplyDeleteWho does Chipper think he is? Buddy..we are much too sophisticated for your dribble..
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, the hard working people who are trying their best to put on a good face and be good soldiers and slog forward continue to read all of the criticism of their once-proud station with heavy hearts. Why don't you folks lighten up a bit? We're giving it our best shot! I never hear much criticism about the KGO news department, so I guess that's a good thing for those of us who work in news.
ReplyDeleteNot as bad as you said. For the most part, people in the newsroom are happy with the move. The physical space is better and the newsroom is close to the air studio now. It's a work in progress but all in all, the move to Hawthorne from Front St was WAY WORSE in terms of on air glitches. But complain away if you must.
ReplyDeleteThe same thing happned at 1050 at 1pm saturday aired a few minutes of Nascar race and then went to a college basketball game
ReplyDelete@10:05 PM. It sounds like you just hate Women in general to me. I would rather listen to Christine, Pat, or Kim than any of the Male KGO hosts. I have never listened to Maureen so I can't say about her.
ReplyDeleteWhat's up (or more accurately, down) with KGO's studio audio? It used to be the best sounding AM in the SFBA market, but recently the talk hosts sound like they're literally phoning it in. I heard a few minutes of Ronn this morning, and the caller had better fidelity than Ronn did. Same with Drex last evening; when they transitioned from the newscaster to him, the reduction in frequency response was noticeable. Has Cumulus been getting their new studio mics from Fry's Electronics, or is it a bigger problem with KGO's new audio chain?
ReplyDeleteThe compression on the studio audio is too tight. It's on the list of things that need to be looked at. The equipment is top notch, just the setting need to be massaged. The announcer mic is the same equipment, just with less compression.
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