By now you know about the Warriors new radio home, "The Game" (95.7 FM)--Some quick Bullet Points and Info that some of you don't know and need clarification.STATUS of PBP Announcers ...station info...chit chat.
*Tom Tolbert will continue to host his talk show on KNBR; KNBR will never allow Tolbert to broadcast Warriors on The Game even though it has inferior signal.
If Tolbert wants to maintain his analyst gig on Warriors radio, then there's some potential interesting scenarios --not at all pleasant to Knibber.
*Bullshit Dept: The Warriors DO NOT PAY for Bob Fitzgerald's "Fitz and Brooks" show on KNBR from 1-3. That's an old wives tale that somehow has made the rounds here, it's 100% false.
KNBR pays Fitz on his talk show and the Warriors pay him as their TV broadcaster.
*Don't be fooled by those who say "KNBR suffered a big blow" by losing the Warriors--yes and no.
Look, as big as the Warriors have become and as popular as their brand is now, Pro Basketball on the radio here is not as huge as has been made out to be, certainly not as profitable nor as successful as has also been made out...Let's face it, KNBR is still, #1, a SF Giants station, all Giants all the time. The 49ers come second but the 49ers knew the Giants were the top banana all along; are they (the Niners) thrilled about second banana? No, but they like KNBR's 50K watts and signal --a reason why the Niners committed a long-term deal with KNBR/Cumulus. Almost 10 years to be exact.
The Warriors are another story. They wanted to be Top Dog and were clearly frustrated over being relegated to KNBR's Little Sister of the Poor, (KNBR 1050) on numerous occasions not only regular-season games but even playoff games too.
This is big deal but not really a BIG deal as big deals go.
Please, please, please, please, please replace Rudy and his smug asshole persona
ReplyDeleteAmen, 11:38!! Rudy is a asshoel!!
DeleteCouldn't they have used KGO as the spill over station instead of 1050? I've often wondered why they wouldn't make 810 a sports station and bring over the A's and Raiders. That would obliterate 95.7.
ReplyDeleteYeah I thought the same.
DeleteKGO as a news-talk station is over.
They would be an ideal sports station. AM band and signal strength.
Agreed. Moving 1050 programming to 810 makes sense. And it would make Cumulus sports partner, CBS happy for the clearance on the 810 signal and Cumulus for revenue and operation expense alone as well. Plus leave KCBS and KQED in the talk, new and information audience pie to duke it out for more revenue.
DeleteAll this watts and signal talk all the time. Can't the other stations just buy a "more powerful" antenna? With all the new technology yearly, can't they just boost their signal somehow?
ReplyDeleteThe Game is FM. It is a higher frequency, doesn't travel as far as AM (amplidude modulation).
DeleteBoosting the FM signal wouldn't do much. To better receive an FM signal you need a taller antennae. FM is line of sight.
AM is prone to static, the noise floor increasing every year as the new technology you describe creates yet more electromagnetic disturbance. If a station runs less than about 5Kw, it is pretty useless because it will be drowned out by the noise. FM, on the other hsnd, is generally static-free (as the Steely Dan song says). It is where nearly all of the listeners today are. AM stations net about 10% of the audience, while the other 90% are listening to FM. Many people under 30 don't even know what AM is, so being on an FM station is an easy way to garner nearly all of the available, young audience.
DeleteTolbert, Fitz, GONE. We know what fitz is all about, but this weird obsession with Tolbert, aka Captain Obvious, is un-explainable. The guy adds ZERO to the warriors broadcast, Uhhh, curry really needs to work off that screen. Um, ok. The knbr show is really bad as well, he always seems to be threatening to punch or slap someone, and again, his analysis comes from reading directly from the box scores or sports reference websites. "I need to wait until at least June to know what kind of team the Giants will be this year" No shit sherlock.
ReplyDeleteTolbert and Ray Woodson are the only people on KNBR that I can stomach listening to.
DeleteI completely agree @1:55.
DeleteDon Nelson was recently asked on NBA TV what was the secret with Run TMC. Nelson revealed that Tolbert was one of the keys to make Run TMC go, not Hardaway, not Mullins, not Richmond, and called Tolbert one of the smartest players he's coached. I would think that a hall of fame coach would know.
Delete1:55, u are insane. Fitz pretending to be tough is impossible to listen to, for even one second.
Delete3:00, also insane. Tolbert was a dead end street like all the other lumbering bufoons that made the Warriors laughing stocks for decades.
Fitz and Tom and Ray and Damon are why tv shows make us white boys out to be dorks. I hate them.
Odd take 7:44- 1st, 1:55 never said he liked Fitz, aka Shitz; 2nd, if Nelson said that about Tolbert, well ok, but overall Tolbert's relatively few minutes played belies Nelson's statement; 3rd, the last statement makes no sense whatsoever- TV shows? White guy dorks? Uh, get a grip on reality if you're that worried about those dudes making you look like a doofus.
DeleteThe deal is for 5 years. So the broadcasts could likely go back to KNBR, just in time for the Warriors move.
ReplyDelete5 more years for AM radio to continue its ride around the swirling toilet vortex, fewer listeners, more noise, and oblivion looming closer.
DeleteAnother brilliant business move by Hammer. How does that glorified board op keep his job? Are his and Twitmeyer's days numbered?
ReplyDeleteI'm no fan of KNBR, but I think the Warriors made a mistake. The signal of 95.7 is terrible in parts of the peninsula. That's remarkable since the transmitter is on San Bruno Mountain, but they don't have much power (6,900 watts) or it's not radiated in the right direction. I can't pick them up on I-280 or I-101 when I'm south of Menlo Park. They should have made a deal to be on 810 KGO or 860 KTRD.
ReplyDeleteDitto in East County---In the morning can't get the Game clearly until at the Concord Naval Weapons Station--on evening drive signal breaks up at Pittsburgh-Antioch border. I'm a Giants fan but the sports talk on the Game is much much better than KNBR.
DeleteI believe Entercom seems to be making moves into sports more and more elsewhere for the revenue and ratings it delivers. I'm curious does anyone know the rough revenue numbers that the Game is delivering?
DeleteAs far as the East Bay and South Bay signals, KRTY and KUIC will also be broadcasting the Warrior games. So Concord/East Bay or South Bay signals may not be the issue.
Also in a few years, we may see a better Bay Area radio ownership landscape and "The Game" maybe elsewhere on the SF dial since Entercom wants a seat at the major broadcasters table across the country.
And where is the streaming revenue and listenership in this scenario? I assume that is rapidly growing.
Can't argue with 2:10pm.
DeleteThat is why Joe Lacob should have given serious consideration into purchasing 860 KTRD.
This would give him total control of the on-air programing.
An idea worth further consideration.
As Rich states, I assume the Giants get more listeners even in early season games than the Warriors get even in the semi-finals and finals, but I'd have to see the numbers because the Warriors broke every local and national TV viewership record this year. I would hope it's a sheer numbers thing, but again, the Giants have a pretty good stranglehold on the Sports Leader.
ReplyDeleteRatings for Warriors on The Game will be shitty.
ReplyDeleteProbably not.
DeleteI've never gotten a stereo signal from 95.7 I'm wondering if they even broadcast in stereo or is mono a way of reaching farther on the same wattage?
ReplyDeleteWhat do techies think?
Yes. Stereo isn't necessary on a talk station, and you are correct, the full carrier power is available for the programming. The signal should travel a little further.
DeleteKGMZ has never broadcast in stereo. Not sure what the reasoning is.
DeleteCan they take the village idiot Fitz and Lund with them?
ReplyDeleteTolbert and Ratto can be hard to take in anything but small doses separately, but the ying/yang they had as a pairing worked. Heck, even Ralph was better than the current setup, which lacks chemistry and gravitas.
Since the change, my radio is now tuned more to music than "The Sports Leader."
I'm glad Big Head Lacob has been able to turn the Warriors into a real franchise, but the Bay Area has always been NFL territory first and foremost, the questionable ownership of the Niners and Raiders notwithstanding.
I, for one, miss Ralph. Sure he had slipped in his last years, but he was an original. He could grate with his long winded questions and other quirks, but he was passionate and intelligent and he was a long time fan, like us. He suffered and rejoiced along with the rest of us as the years went by. Plus he was outspoken, a trait we don't see today in radio or TV. People loved to rip him, but now that he's been gone what we're left with is pure milquetoast mediocrity.
DeleteI'd like for Tolbert to bolt from the sports bleeder so he can still do commentary for Warriors games. What would make it sweeter would be if he got the same drive time slot at 95.7 replacing the loudmouth that said he'd bury Tolbert ratings wise (hasn't happened; but with that lund loser, it could lose a few ratings points for Tolbert)
ReplyDeleteNow if we can just get rid of arrogant cheerleader Bob Fitzgerald on the TV side...but keep Jim Barnett.
ReplyDeleteI think 95.7 is a bit of a gamble, for coverage reasons. On my commute home 95.7 coverage on 101 in Marin is okay, by the time you reach Sonoma County it is degrading as you go north to Santa Rosa. Probably in the heart of the Bay Area it's not an issue, but in the outer reaches (north bay and over the hill in the east bay) it will likely be a problem.
ReplyDeleteTHE QUESTION IS:
ReplyDeleteWill KNBR get rid of Fitzgerald and Brooks show because it is hands down the worst sports show in the Bay Area, or at least tied with anything that Jeremiah and The Guru do?
One could argue Fitzgerald brings Warriors listeners to KNBR but I would argue that nothing could be further from the truth. Again, he is the absolute worst radio host I've heard, and quite frankly, he also sucks as a broadcaster on TV. When the games were moved to ESPN/ABC it was a needed relief from that guy. I often watched the games muted, or with KNBR on, even though they never were in sync.
So...will KNBR finally cut bait from that no-talent?
actually thought KNBR was the perfect place 4 warriors. easy to tune in. but sems like warriors want a more ''sports center'' thing big sound and hype rather than the ''card table guy talk ,lets get a beer'' of the yahoo's on KNBR. you want an excuse to say ''card table guy talk'' because that's the kind of things you think of when youre stoned on pot! you think ''card table guy talk '' sounded clever.
ReplyDeleteWho listens to the Warriors on the radio? What small percentile?
ReplyDelete