Sunday, September 4, 2016

Sunday Word on the Street: 'The Game' Courts 'JT the Brick'; 'Armstrong and Getty' Flounder on KGO Radio; Sadness in Branson; Bristow makes waves on KCBS

Image result for san francisco silhouette skyline SUNDAY


Image result for JT The Brick
JT the Brick /Fox Sports Radio
*It's a rumor now but it has enough teeth to merit serious consideration: word has it that 95. 7 The Game, (All-sports FM) is supposedly going to offer the 10 -Noon slot to "JT the Brick"also FSR 8-11 ET.

The current occupants on The Game from 10-12 are  Haberman and Middlekauf , whose ratings continue to plummet and show no sign of moving up despite mounds of promotion and PR by the station, which just stole the Warriors from KNBR and with this move, acquire a major sports-talk radio figure, a proven talent who would certainly move the needle.

"The Brick" is based in Las Vegas but could do his show in SF via a remote set-up --very common in broadcasting.

For his part, JT, (real name: John Tournour) is downplaying the rumor telling me directly he hasn't "heard anything from "The Game" but he also didn't pooh-pooh it either." San Francisco is a great market and anybody would love to do a local show there--who wouldn't?"

We'll wait and see.

*Meanwhile, on KGO Radio, the abysmal "Armstrong and Getty" Show --mired in Branson, Missouri humor and out-of-date, out-of-style performance, isn't performing. The syndicated snot-noses are so unpopular they're actually drawing less-than-half the numbers from a year ago when KGO was all-news.

Image result for armstrong and getty
Armstrong and Getty: Branson's finest ain't so fine on KGO
Anybody who's anybody at the station concede the "A and G" experiment is a total disaster thus far with no silver lining in the offing.


Image result for John Bristow KGO
John Bristow on KCBS
*KCBS has been using more of ex-KGO tonsil, John Bristow --in fact, if you listen to KCBS enough, Bristow has been heard frequently on early weekend mornings.

I've had issues with Bristow over the years making fun of his notorious image as "Mr. Pipes" (the boom DJ voice and overly-exaggerated isms) but he's sounds good enough to be on KCBS and wish him well.



See, even I can be warm and fuzzy.







51 comments:

  1. KGO knows when you pay 50% less for programming, you get 50% less ratings. Savings of 50% goes on the books...win.
    Next move,
    Recoquista!

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    Replies
    1. The station wasn't exactly swimming in ratings before and after the shakeup.

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    2. Didn't the big decline start when Bernie Ward had to leave? The decisions made then...only continued the misery. By the time Cumulus got there, KGO was already in free fall. Their decisions, some the same decisions that didn't work before, have not as yet put KGO on the ascendant.

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    3. Maybe the answer to KGO's rating problems is to bring back persons such as Bernie and Ray. KGO was once a fun station. I don't think that the ratings problem is difficult to solve.

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    4. Gimme a break. KGO would be better if a guy who deals in child porn were back on the air??? My eardrums would bleed. Build a bridge. Get over it.

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    5. I doubt very seriously that Bernie will work in radio again, because advertisers would balk. My point was merely that the huge ratings tumble began when he departed. Reading comprehension is not your forte.

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    6. Agree with 8:41pm.
      I think a strong argument can be made that KGO's fall began right around the time Bernie Ward was fired.

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  2. The Raiders move to Vegas will be convenient for that particular longtime reporter of theirs.

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  3. It's so nice to see a good and talented guy succeed and a couple of schmucks fail.

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  4. I like Armstrong & Getty, but apparently mot many others in the Bay Area do. What choices does a station have when this dip in ratings becomes a new normal? Aren't they obligated to either keep paying the hosts or simply pay them in one lump sum to go away?
    Then what? News that lather-rinse-repeats itself every 25 minutes?
    """""Off Topic"""""
    I was delighted to find out Bob 'the happiest gardener' is still on the air at 560am. I was sure he had been shitcanned with all my other Sunday Morning favorites. Bob is the Last Of The Mohiccans!

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    Replies
    1. I too like them. Rich is just a biased lib.

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    2. Glad Bob is still on. They shit canned that goofy Rabbi Lapin. Right wing hack who used the Torah to shill books to unsuspecting listeners. Hateful guy that rabbi.

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    3. I'm a biased lib and I like them.

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  5. I prefer hearing Bristow over Janice Wright's condescending voice.

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    1. JW is anything but condescending. She was just incredibly relaxed and laid back. Her style is just more conversational than nearly any other news reader.

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  6. It is nice to see Jon B to be doing well at KCBS.

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  7. Doesn't the "brick" do Raider pregame TV now? Or is that the Rat?..I cant remember who's who.

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    Replies
    1. The Raiders pay him to shill season tickets from the sideline on the four televised Exhibition Games only.

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  8. Bristow is a solid pro who is very well prepared, smooth and a good guy. I worked with him for awhile and can attest to his professionalism and excellent work.

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  9. The cloud company reps have so many things they can't sell clients, now A&G, and obviously Savage. Doesn't matter how good Savage's numbers are, nobody wants their spots on his show.

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    1. Cumulus can't sell A&G and Savage for VERY different reasons. A&G would sell if they have ratings, and in some places they do. I'm sure it's not an impossible sell. On the other hand, Savage is a tough sell because no one wants to buy it, regardless of whether he has ratings or not (he doesn't). And while he likes to brag about his internet ratings, which are a far cry from his claims, that stuff barely gets sold.

      All told, if A&G didn't suck and could gain market share in major cities Lowes and Home Depot would have no problem with their generic-ness.

      Unfortunately for Savage, the same thing that makes him popular with the largely white, male, over 50 crowd is the same thing which makes him impossible to sell.

      -DW

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  10. There is no guarantee which destination the Raiders will be at in 1-3 years. But it is guaranteed that JT The Brick has been close to the Silver & Black forever, and it is a no-brainer decision that 95.7 The Game should make and hire him.

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  11. Brick's terrible. Unlistenable. Means he's a cinch for some new gig. P.U.

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    Replies
    1. He'll fit in great with Damon Bruce and the rest of the yahoos they have on that station. I give the station a try every once in awhile, but the only one I can stand for longer than a couple minutes is Papa.

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  12. Jon Bristow is a talented anchor AND a good guy (I worked with him for years).

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  13. I kind of like Armstrong and Getty, I have been listening to them since I moved from the Peninsula to Benicia in 1998, at that time the morning choices was KGO news, which I think was still Jim Dunbar and Ted Wygant, later it became Rosie Allen and Ed Baxter, and although both were excellent shows, I just didn't want all news all morning long, often repeats, (except for 9/11)the other choice was Lee Rodgers and Melanie Morgan, and I did listen to them, but they were much too conservative for a steady diet. A&G at least at times could make me laugh. At timer their show was just a little to juvenile and silly, other times they did some really good interviews. They do tend to wear a little thin, and 4 hours for any host/hosts is, in my opinion a tough thing to pull off.

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    Replies
    1. 4 hours of these guys with no callers is 3 hours and 59 minutes too long IMO.

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  14. KCBS has rebranded itself as KCGOBS

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    1. KGO ran a very good news product and John Bristow is a VERY good news man. In fact, most everyone I had the chance to work with on the News side was great. It's just that the Bay Area (no city) didn't need another radio news outlet. If KCBS hires some of the people from KGO, especially the best of them - like John and Kevin, etc, it would only make a very good product that much better.

      -DW

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  15. I knew A & G would be a flop. Smarmy guys whose voices sound alike and don't take in callers. 1/2 the ratings of the low rated news? lmao. KGO's tinkering is getting worse and worse. Their loyal listeners have pretty much gone away and aren't coming back. They should of left it alone in 2011 when they were still in 4th or 5th place. Now they're in like 20th. Pathetic.

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  16. Bristow has pipes? I've heard better on a $3.99 transistor tin can. You want pipes? How about Al Hart, Jim Dunbar, Ted Wygant, Dave MacElhatten, and the best of the best, Bob Trebor. Dem were pipes.
    Speaking of KCBS, they are giving a run for the money against the "The Spots Leader" for inane and interminable spot clusters. What good has Jack Swanson done? Nothing.
    By the way, KCBS should do away with sports. Who listens for sports news on the news leader? Nobody. That's why we have the Spots Leader. The best on KCBS? Hands down: Susan Kennedy. Now there's a news person.

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  17. Can't stand "The Brick". Reminds me of a sports version of Limbaugh.

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  18. I listen to the John Bachelor show when I get home from work at 1:00am and really like it. When I wake up in the morning A&G is on and I like it most of the time. When they are over....810 gets changed. Between 10:00am and 1:00 am I live in a cloud free zone. Couldn't tell you what the hell they are doing between those times. There was a time when 810 was on 24/7 ,it was never changed ...period!!

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  19. I had the station on and once again hear somebody named Kat Commando. She did small talk, then her show launched into commercials for the kind of junk you can buy at the Flea Market..like "her" HD antenna "Replace expensive cable!"..well,yeah to get 6 channels that's fine.
    Its products that she buys from China I guess,and sells as "Komando products.
    I didn't get any of the reason why she has a talk show.

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    1. HD channels now often include subchannels that HD TVs pick up and decode, and each station has 3 or so of those. Plus the picture is the absolute best of any other source. I have HDTV and rarely switch to cable, only to watch the news channels. It's 100% free.

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    2. First, Stan, it's Kim Komando. Like most radio shows, if an advertiser is willing to pay money to advertise on her show, the program distributor will take the money. The host usually has no say in ad sales. And if the advertiser is willing to pay extra for the host to read their spot, she'll voice the commercial. That doesn't mean she herself has deep faith in the product. Leo Laporte's program operates pretty much the same way, though Leo sounds like he knows more about the topic of technology.

      Second, where I live, the only over the air TV signals come from Fremont (and occasionally Sacramento, weather conditions being cooperative). I receive nothing from Mt. Sutro or Mt. San Bruno transmitters. And yet, not counting the Sacto stations, my TV's can receive 38 distinct program streams from 10 different transmitters. (Sacto stations, under ideal conditions, can add 12 other program streams.) A number are foreign language services or religious channels, but that's still a far cry from "6 channels".

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    3. 3:44, I'm waiting for the day when one of the current cable news channels, maybe OAN, provides an exclusive product for the HDTV subchannel carriers, similar to the way Antenna TV operates. Then you won't need cable even to receive a news channel.

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    4. Agree. Who wants an HD antennae when all you get are 4 (if you are lucky) channels. Honestly I tried an HD antennae all I got was 3 additional novelas?

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    5. HD antennaes allow for full 1080p, unfiltered video ND fu 5.1 surround where available. The native picture is way clearer than cable or satellite. During football college basketball season and some shows like Gotham and others with visual effects, I watch whenever I can via the antennae. Yes... I can tell the difference between 720p/1080i and 1080p.

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  20. A&G are in multiple markets. They are wildly successful by any measure. SF is not good for them....shocker. A bunch of leftist loons who think Ronnnnnnn is too right wing because he doesn't polish Obama's knob sufficiently. Who pine for Child Porn Bernie Ward to return. They are great. And they will be here to stay so suck it up, buttercups.

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    1. Wildly successful? I doubt it. What are the ratings in the other markets for these 2 clowns? When you get crap ratings like A &G do on KGO, they will not be on here very long and I can't wait. We're a bit more sophisticated then the other California markets and A&G is low rent to say the least. You silly Cons are full of hate, aren't too bright and fall for the GOP propaganda nonsense, and Contard radio has carved a nice niche for you. But ratings are drying up for Rush, Beck, Hannity, etc as you guys die off. and there's not enough new white trash dummies to replace you. Thank GOD!!

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    2. Hey dickhead, go back to stuff your head in your Atlanta toilet bowl, they miss you.

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    3. Look it's very simple. A and G are right of center, for all intents and purposes right-wing in the Bay Area. KSFO has the right-wing audience locked up at around a steady 2.0 share. So effectively Cumulus is trying to steal audience from itself. A and G got something north of a $3-million contract from Cumulus to be their big no regional syndicated show. As a former Cumulus employee we were always trying to predict what management's next big idea would be, but every time we were wrong because the plan was so bizarre NONE of us could ever have predicted it.

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  21. KCBS has picked up some great talent to add to their already solid team of journalists. I like Jon Bristowe. Kevin the Rat and Erica Kato were also good additions and brought name recognition with them

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    1. Can't stand Kevin the Rat and Steve Bitker for different reasons. The Rat sounds like a loser. Bitker tries to reshape the sports landscape by promoting minor sports like soccer, tennis, and hockey.

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    2. Erica Kato is horrible. She was awful on KRON, awful on KCBS. Ron Lyons is rolling over in his grave with her behind the mic...
      I enjoy KCBS new weekend mornings with John Bristow and Melissa Culross.

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  22. Hey Rich...What is your over/under on Mike Anthony and Justin Whitmeyer? The architects' of the New Generation on KGO? At least one of them goes by years end. Lost the Warriors and took KGO to a 1.5. What Genius.

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  23. A&G work for me until the 9-10 slot. If they get sacked, I'll stream them as I did before they were on KGO.
    Thanks

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  24. I've listened to and enjoyed A&G for many years. I'm on the road all time and can stream. I only started to listen to KGO again because of them. They leave SF market I'll just pick them up from one of the many stations they're on.

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  25. As far as Fitzgerald not being paid by the Warriors by KNBR?
    Raddy has never denied it or made fun of the rumor. Since when does he not take a shot at KNBR critics of something not true?
    Its possible there is some smoke mixed into yes or no.

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