KNBR/CUMULUS --they're all in one --gave its walking papers to one of its few, talented on-air people by letting go of 16-year-plus sports host/reporter and talk show vet, Ray Woodson.Woodson was apparently too rich for penny-pinching Cumulus which makes its employees nervous at the end of the month and Friday was no different.
Woodson covered sports and did talk shows, usually in the evening and following Giants' games. His acerbic wit and biting intellect was a nice diversion away from the nausea that permeates the usual booster club dreck on sports-talk radio. Wooden made it a pleasure to listen to banal AM radio and his refreshing takes were authentic and genuine.
He also had numerous stints on both Warriors and 49ers pre and post game shows. I'm guessing that Cumulus had to cut what it sees as second-tier talent and begin its slash and dash personnel moves as it nears an impending bankruptcy.
So being the yahoos they are, it's no surprise they sack Woodson, a bright, funny, and talented voice --and bring on some part time Uber driver that is now cheap enough for the KNBR palate.
UPDATE: 2: 25 PT:
A station source tells me ex-Giants player and current KNBR 1050 sports guy, Kevin Frandsen is the odds-n fav to take over for Woodson.
Frandsen is less than mediocre; a part of the Howard Cosell jockocracy , circa 2017. He's infinitely dreadful which means he'll be a perfect part of the KNBR nighttime line-up.
Dude!
Woodson was the most palatable of all the hosts. Seems as if KNBR got it wrong. If they want to dump salaries, start with the two morning nitwits. Can't stand listening to their crap.
ReplyDeleteYou got that right - they should keep Woodson and look elsewhere for their cost cutting - they just don't get this market....
DeleteMurph and Mac are the worst. Especially the ridiculous song parodies and 12 year old sound clips from movies. So fucking annoying.
DeleteThey fired Arthur Chavez I mean Ray Woodson?? Maybe his beloved Obama can help. Way too political for a sports show.
DeleteMurph and Mack are like a 1980s morning zoo show. Stupid!
DeleteSo true at 6:56pm and 11:34am
DeleteMurph and Mac, where we give lessons in talk radio stupidity.
Ray, let us know where you land next. I'll tune-in for you immediately rather than listening to the drivel remaining on KNBR (save Tolbert). Thanks for the miles...you were great!
DeleteI know Mike McVay had a hand in this, I know it. Next time he comes into my mini-mart for his goddam Colt .45, I will tell him to get the hell out of here.
ReplyDeleteYeah!
DeleteAnd no more cutting in line for Mike at Golden Corral.
He can wait for his soda like the rest of us simpletons.
Sportsphone 680 with Damon Bruce. You heard it here first.
DeleteHe'll be missed. One of the few good hosts on KNBR. Shoulda sacked Paulie Mac instead.
ReplyDeleteYou got that right. I can listen to those two shrill voices in the morning.
DeleteWoodson was the only KNBR talk show host that I could listen to, so KNBR has now lost another listener.
ReplyDeleteRay Woodson was the only person on KNBR that I bothered to listen to. He is far too talented to be out-of-work for very long. Someone will pick him up.
ReplyDeleteYes, Arthur Chavez will find a home sooner than later.
DeleteTerrible move. They could have dumped Lund, but he's a J-Twitt lap dog. Shitz is another crap host. Shaving off those 2 would save them big bucks. But no, they get rid of 3 of their better people, Woodson, Ramey, and the 1050 morning show crew. Hammer, McVay, J-twitt, and throw in Anthony- they all should be fired.
ReplyDeleteThere are only 2 decent KNBR sports talk show hosts that I would even listen to-Tom Tolbert(minus John Lund) & Ray Woodson. Now evenings on Sportsphone 68 either following Giants games or for the full 3 hours(7-10 pm) whatever KNBR listeners are still left are stuck with the embarrassingly putrid Ryan Covey. The great Pete Franklin must be rolling in his grave right now.
ReplyDeleteexactly! agree 100%!
DeleteCouldn't agree more. 95.7 is getting more & more air time in my ears!!Hope they pick up Ray.
DeleteDon't worry about Ray, he comes from family money. He's one of your brothers Rich.
ReplyDeleteRay has tons of connections. I wish him well.
DeleteWhoa . . . I'm listening less and less to KNBR, but Ray was at listenable.
ReplyDeleteRay Woodson is a decent man and one of the rare talk show hosts who was a true companion on air - the essence of one-to-one communication.
ReplyDeleteRyan Covey is a douche who has a very high opinion of his hot takes. He's the cliche. He's the template of how to do it wrong.
Fucking corporate radio. I've never been happier to be out of it.
No, Murph and Mac are the template on how to do things wrong.
Delete"A true companion on air, the essence of one-to-one communication" says everything anyone needs to know about Ray Woodson on the radio. I stopped listening to Sportsphone 680 as soon as I heard he was no longer hosting. Hope he finds another gig, preferably one I can tune in to.
DeleteI wonder when KNBR will wake up and realize,sports shows dont need two hosts? One host and a zoo and guests. All two hosts do is agree on everything. Radnich had Krueger taking that "Poor Floyd Mayweather,woman take advantage of the man who had no father growing up" And the super conservative Kreuger had to eat it.
ReplyDeleteOr, maybe Krueger stays and...
Ray is interesting, competent, personable, and well-liked. Seems that's a bad combination nowadays.
ReplyDeleteCumulous ruined KGO, ruined KFOG and are slowly running KNBR. Woodson was one of their better hosts.
ReplyDeleteWoodson and Tolbert are the only people on KNBR I can stand listening to.
ReplyDeleteOne of the few on KNBR that was worth listening too.
ReplyDeleteI've called in to KNBR perhaps a dozen times over the years, at least a few to Mr Woodson. He was the only host who let me speak for sixty seconds without butting in with a lame attempt at humor or talking over my comments.
ReplyDeleteThe Charlie Rose of radio? I'd wish you luck, Ray, but you'll be fine. Thanks for hours of intelligent and insightful sports talk radio.
Insane I stop regularly listening to knbr years ago but I still listen because of Ray I enjoyed his giants post games shows as I am a huge giants fan. They definitely got it wrong the morning shows as been horrible for years, Gary is for the 60 and over crowd, ditz and brooks are unbearable, Tom Tolbert is basically the only thing they have left and for some reason they thought it was a good idea to give a horrible co-host in John lund, ray ratto was way better.
ReplyDeleteI'm over sixty, and I gave up listening to and watching Radnich years ago.
DeleteExactly!
DeleteNice guy but never told you anything you didn't know.
ReplyDeleteRay once made one of the funniest comments I ever heard on radio. He was doing sports updates for Gary when Diane Lane came in to plug her new movie. The next day Gary made his usual chauvinistic comment ... "If Diane Lane knocked on your door at 2am would you let her in?" Without hesitation and before Gary barely got the words out Ray answered ... "Oh yeah, I'd show her 'Secretariat'!" I rolled on the floor for 2 minutes over that one !!!
ReplyDeleteGood for you.... wtf was funny about that?
DeleteListening to Covey and Frandsen this afternoon after the Giants game.....these guys are nauseating---their attempt at cuteness is tired.
ReplyDeleteReally makes me miss Marty's program.
I can't see Frandsen going solo on Sportsphone. His halting way of speaking is amateurish.
Meanwhile in Reno, Cumulus owned KKOH 780 no longer has 24 hour news updates; they have been cut back to weekdays 5a-11p. Another sign of the cloud company's financial troubles.
ReplyDeleteThe combination of losing the Warriors to 95.7 and the Giants and 49ers winning less often must have deprived 680 and 1050 of ad revenue that afforded them Woodson and Ramey. 1050's relatively weak signal, 0.x ratings, and heavy reliance on national network programming are factors to consider, too.
Speaking of KKOH, in the opening segment of his 2003 MSNBC show, Michael Savage is shown on camera listening to his radio show on delay on KKOH. http://youtube.com/watch?v=QsH5j0nFYNY
That sucks. Woodson is very political on his Twitter. I wonder if Cumulus didn't like his views.
ReplyDeleteMaybe.. but he rarely brought his political side to the radio, except after the election. But heck, none of them could help themselves
DeletePolitics and religion. You should know that Mr. Woodson. To quote the bloated one that doesn't follow sports anymore ..Maybe ya need to "live a little"
DeleteNever heard of the guy but then again I am a normal adult that does not pay attention to 50 year old sports talk morons wearing their hat backwards.
ReplyDeleteLMAO.
Who's the moron? You take the time to post a comment professing you know nothing about the topic at hand. Hey, look in the mirror and LYAO.
DeleteIt is not the money, Rich. Woodson has been critical of the team for several weeks now. Baer had enough so he is gone.
ReplyDeleteSadly, 7:39 is right. Lockstep Larry struck again. And the farm system is still a joke and Amy G is still inane. Baer has bigger fish to fry regarding his team, but of course, he is frying a sardine or two instead.
DeleteRay Woodson = Bruce MacGowan
ReplyDeletevanilla hosts who don't make waves.
in today's media = zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Rich would not be cool with Woodson if he was asian.
ReplyDelete@9:01...stupid ass comment.
DeleteThe Bay Area can't support 2 sports talk networks. KNBR has no content to attract an audience now that the Giants and 49er's have gone to shit. The death knell was them losing out to 95.7 as the Warriors flagship. Gary Radnich will be the next to go but not the last. There's not that many listeners anymore and not many sponsors willing to pay for the few that are left. I predict Cumulus will sell the station and it will be reinvented as something else, maybe even in a foreign language. Everybody just think about the radio stations you used to listen to 20 years and what the are now. KRQR, KSAN, KSJO, KPIG, KTIM, I could go on but it's dizzying. The irony is that in an age where there is so much information and programming available and so little wisdom, the really good stuff is important and will still attract listeners. but it's not economically viable.
ReplyDeleteNobody listens? They're a top-10 station in the Bay Area (with twice the ratings of "The Game") and have the highest market penetration of any sports station in the US.
DeleteRay and Tom are the only competent people there. Is Tom next?
ReplyDeleteEven though I wasn't big on Ray Woodson, I was shocked to find out about this. He was one of the last people I thought KNBR would let go.
ReplyDeleteAs far as Frandsen goes, I'm not sure how Frandsen will do on Sportsphone. It will almost be like when FP Santangelo and Eric Byrnes hosted Sportsphone. They're baseball guys so it works for baseball season after Giants games, but what is he going to do come football and basketball season when the 49ers, Raiders, and Warriors start playing again?
Also, what's going to happen to The Audible, the new morning show on 1050 now that Frandsen and Rudy Ortiz are leaving the show?
Disagree completely.... woodson is boring, condescending and overly political. Gee I'm sure it's all the far left missing him here. He comes from a rich family, spoiled and never had to work... he failed in LA and never misses a chance to spew hatred towards Angelinos. LA radio is far superior to the tripe in this market, but who cares.... I'd fire Murphy and Mac, Ranch and Covey.... the 1050 am show is/was great, and better if Kermit...err, the Homer Franken does go to evenings. Long live the Dodgers and the great Petros and Money!
ReplyDelete10:27, way off on every count, it's the reason you're in LA and thankfully not up here.
DeleteThat's B.S.!!!!
ReplyDeleteRay is one of only a select few in sports media (radio or TV ) who have the rare combination of quick wit, intelligence, objectivity & humor. In fact, these qualities are rare in all media these days (news or sports). Listened to him for years & will miss him. They say things happen for a reason & usually work out in the long run. Would not be a bit surprised that Ray goes on to bigger & better things & will surface again soon. Good luck!
Above all else please fired the moronic, no class, disgusting trash that is Patrick conner.... this guy is just irritating and not a sports guy, don't need movie and music trivia, if it's too much to do sports then just go away.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first started listening to KNBR more frequently (post college, into the work force), I seem to recall some mix of Chris Townsend, Radnich and Rick Barry from AM to PM. Of course, Tolbert and Ralph in the PM. Ray Woodson popped up at some point and was the sports / news / traffic guy for several years. Ray seemed like a nice guy and he started guest hosting during holidays and other situations. Ray is like a jack of all trades, he does a little of everything.
ReplyDeleteI was happy he got Sportsphone 680 as I thought he deserved some stability.
He had opinions but not sure if his knowledge of sports was "great". BUT, he was cordial and spoke to people politely. That should count for something right???
It's too bad they cut him. I think it's a mistake. I don't mind Ryan Covey. Frandsen as the new guy? He sounds raw and may take him a while to find his bearings. But I guess that is a way to save money. Hire a new guy.
If there is one thing I'll say about KNBR vs 95.7? I wish KNBR would go to 11 PM regularly. Some nights I drive home past 10 PM and I hate the national radio on KNBR. So I go to 95.7.
Too bad.
ReplyDeleteAt least with Ray Woodson you could understand the words coming out of his mouth, unlike 90% of the characters who infest that radio station, with them English is a second language.
Ray will be missed. Shame on Cumulis. You blew it!
ReplyDeleteMurphy is a good example of poor English grammar skills. He likes to blow his own horn, but his grammar is terrible, not to mention his stupid, scripted little laugh in the middle of a sentence. Dude, there you go, yeah, yeah , yeah. Tell us one more time about your beat writing days or Junior Giants board.
ReplyDeleteTolbert would be a lot better dropping the Cap'n Crunch stories. Who gives a rat's ass, at this point, what he eats or what beer he drinks. Tired act!
ReplyDeleteWhat do you expect?? It's Cumulus -- the company that destroys stations. Woodson probably drew listeners, so he had to go. Cumulus sent KGO's listeners packing -- and ruined its once legendary ratings -- now it's time to destroy KNBR.
ReplyDeleteI knew Ray was Dead man walking once KNBR lost the Warriors!!
ReplyDeleteThen to make matter worst the GIANTS went on a historic Meltdown!!
Giants OWNERS cause all this, because they can't find anybody to hit Home Runs in left field!!
Ray days were number once KNBR lost the Warriors!!. Giants ownership didn't want to be 2nd. banana's to a very popular Warriors team,with their gifted young STARS!!
ReplyDeleteThe TICKET is a terrible Weak station, maybe Ray could get work there?
I am probably not in your typical demographic -- I am a professional woman in her seventies who has listened to KNBR for years because I am a passionate Giants and Warriors fan. I am very sorry to see Ray Woodson's intellect, knowledge, insight, dignity and humor be replaced by the kind of crudeness that seems to be gaining momentum in this culture now. if the move is economically based, KNBR might have thought more seriously about who their audience is. I am sure it is not made up only of twenty-something males who think like high school freshmen and who would be appealed to by the kind of crass, cliche, inane banter that is now on the majority of KNBR sports talk shows. Long live Ray Woodson! (Long live Marty Lurie! And may HE never be put off the air!!!)
ReplyDeleteAll this talk about Woodson and nothing about Ramey? Seeing Ted Ramey go is bigger to me than Woodson. Ramey never used hyperbole or clickbait tactics the way 680 and 95.7 do from noon-3. Ramey is also the only guy in the local sports radio landscape to talk about the Sharks and Quakes with any regularity... and actually know what he's saying rather than using a couple talking points he got off Bleacher Report that morning. Ted will be missed by a lot of people who've never been able to listen to nonsense spewed by Fitz, Brooks, and Papa.
ReplyDeleteRat was is and will always be a d-bag
ReplyDeleteI liked Ray Woodson the best. I am sorry that he was let go for cost reason. Franzen is in love with himself and his baseball career. I do not care about stories of his career after awhile. Intelligence is leaving KNBR.
ReplyDeleteThe replacement is as bad as the 2 morons doing the earlyy mor Ming show.
ReplyDeleteYou're tuning in to THE Sports Loser.
ReplyDeleteBad bad choice? Really??? You ditched "RAY?" :YOU living proof of corporate shit?!
I don't know any behind the scene details but whateever happened....you're now successfully mediocritizing the Once beautiful.....KNBR brand!
Meanwhile.....Just love how ya lost the Warriors though? HAHA....Is that why you ain't got no budget for quality broacasters...huh lame ass Lee - (what's your wife up to?) Hammer?
That shit move and allow me to pile on ....that by adding the over-verbose and Tolbert ass-kissing John (small loins Lund- or so he brags about it?) :You've succesfully lowered the IQ...and entertainment level from that shift with the obnoxious Lund! Ratto....who you probably can't afford either was the quintessential humor/knowledge co=host?!
So we embrace 95.7 and 1050 ESPN syndicates.
Hey! Don't be blaming that idiot Radnich on us 60+ boomers. I'd rather crawl naked through razor wire than listen to that self absorbed nitwit.
ReplyDeleteKreuger is gun shy after his previous Baer related firing. Kreuger won't say it out loud, but Larry, your team is UNWATCHABLE. They're sucking so bad a black hole might open up behind second base. Hopefully it'll suck Jon Miller into it, if he happens to be at the game.
Brooks is un-listenable with his overly pedantic delivery...is he compensating for a speech impediment, or does he really think he's smarter than everyone else? (he's not).
Fitz is old cottage cheese that someone told you was French Vanilla ice cream. Fitz and Brooks is a test of your gag reflex.
Who are these murph and mac people of whom you speak? (that question should speak volumes).
I'd listen to Tolbert every day if there were a mute on Lund. Riding my bike in Oakland traffic is more pleasureable than listening to Lund. V A C U O U S TWIT.
Woodson was just too smart for KNBR.
I love baseball, but I don't love it enough to listen to Marty Lurie.
Sorry to see Ray and Hal go. What's worse than the crappy 1050 Polymac podcasts? When there on simultaneously with Espn, Sun. 3/13. NO competent person at the station listening to this stupidity.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe of all the comments there was no mention of how horrible Rod Brooks is, I do not listen to the two hours he is on. Ray will be missed, but Cumulus needs to look at other hosts, starting with Brooks.
ReplyDeleteInteresting Cumulus media's stock peaked last October at $2.40 a share and over the last 3 months it has been in the 40 cent range.
ReplyDeleteRay is NOT missed at KNBR.. his smug wrinkled a$$ killed sportsphone... Nice job artie...
ReplyDeletelet them fire people who are bought and paid for by pro teams like the warriors and niners. You cant get a valid opinion from these guys like KRUGER AND fITZ. They like to keep their sports team job while pretending to be objective in their radio job.
ReplyDelete