*I'M not piling on Greg Papa. I like Greg quite a bit and he does his homework and is about as polished a sports broadcaster there is; that said, his personality has changed; he's become downright boorish and unpleasant to work around. I don't know Kelli Johnson but they seem to be on a collision course which A., doesn't help a show that is already sinking, and B. only further fuels the word that Greg is difficult to work with. On the other hand, she (Johnson) seems to think that over-talking him (Papa) looks good on TV when it comes off as amateurish and bad. A good director would buy the two lunch and work out the kinks but good directors are not that good when they're being paid peanuts.And then there's impish Ray Ratto who somehow has convinced decision makers that eternal Mr. Curmudgeon comes across as cute. Ratto knows his sports, I'll give him that but his shtick was lousy years ago and people are tired of the grumpy asshole persona; Ratto thinks he's the Pope on Easter Sunday lecturing the masses only the Pope has better numbers and is a bit more happier.
*Jon Miller is a Hall-of-Fame broadcaster; he's totally legit and still has terrific broadcast technique but, (this is a broken record) Miller sometimes thinks he's bigger than the broadcast...on Saturday night I was driving home from a function and it was well past 8; I figured the Giants game was in extra innings because the game started at 3 o'clock. I wanted to know that but I also wanted TO KNOW THE SCORE!! I counted; it was a good five minutes before Miller gave the score and that was only because the inning ended and he finally provided the info, hallelujah! Lon Simmons once said you can never give the score too many times; Ken Korach always gives the score almost every two minutes. Miller is a fine storyteller and still has the basics down; I'm not knocking him I just wish he'd pay more attention to the game and provide the basics. Jon, other than that, you're great.
*If Mark Ibanez hasn't signed a new contract extension at KTVU by now then he's very close --Ibanez will mark 40 years at Jack London Square this fall. The Sporting Life is safe for another three years or so.*Yeah, that window ad that runs every minute on KCBS is a pain in the tuchas --but has some really stiff competition:
1.Texas Superfood: Oh, just stop.
2. KCBS' Cheryl Raines and her annoying work-out spiel.
3. "Dinovite" --it has caused me to pull over and stick my head out the window and scream uncontrollably.
4. The Crime Dog and Joy Behar PSA that plays so many times asking me to meet my neighbors; I have and they still hate me.
5. Steve Moskowitz --oy vey. Worse than an audit and you Stevie, get a better toupee*Speaking of Greg Papa, it's a virtual certainity that he'll continue to broadcast the Raiders when they play in Vegas --Mark Davis, son of the late Al Davis, likes Papa as did Al --It's only an hour flight from the Bay Area to Vegas so Papa will continue to do his Bay Area radio show and NBC gig; and believe me, he needs the money.
*The Bob Fitzgerald-Jim Barnett combo on Warriors' cable broadcasts are still very good. Barnett is excellent as has been mentioned many times on various media sites; I just wished Barnett would be a little more engaging off the air. As for Fitzgerald, he's far more superior on TV than he is on radio where his eternal smarm and "hey, I'm an asshole and I know everything" persona makes him sound like the jerk he can be. Fitzgerald was the kid in high school who sat in the front row and told the teacher the guy sitting next to him was copying his test answers.*95.7 FM 'The Game' --the all-sports FM outlet current template: Raiders lame duck status (try selling ads for that block); the A's who have a tepid following at best; the Warriors-- but the NBA on radio is no sure fire winner.
Which has led to rumors that Entercom entertain the idea of a format change; I doubt that but don't rule out a hybrid mix of sports and news/pop culture hosts. You can't continue to run an FM station that can't break out of the 1-plus ratings. Yeah, it makes money but hardly anyone is listening.
*Embarrassing moment on the Giants' Opening Day broadcast on KNBR: a five-minute on-air statement by a computerized voice required by the court that Cumulus broadcast a statement to its creditors on the impending Bankruptcy proceedings. Ouch.
I'm sure Lew Dickey was sobbing in the Bahamas with some of the millions of bonus money he siphoned off to have endless margaritas with his girlfriends on the yacht.
*Frank Somerville: currently the highest-paid Bay Area anchor ($615K a year) --on the future horizon, KGO's Dan Ashley will exceed that number and come close to seven figures, trust me.
*Nice guys finish first: Michael Finney. Smooth, sincere, genuine, and a terrific Consumer Reporter/Anchor to boot. Finney has helped literally hundreds of folks who got ripped off by unscrupulous businesses --credit card fraud victims; bank incidents; IRS threats; computer issues -etc. Several of Finney's victims are elderly people.
Finney has a large staff at KGO who answer the phones; email; and good for him and KGO for its commitment to those who have been ripped off and have no place to go.
I get constant e-mail from folks who tell me Finney personally called them to check on the status of their beef(s). No, not everyone is served because it would be impossible to answer the thousands of emails and phone calls KGO/Finney gets but he does his best.
That's good enough for me.*
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The ONLY reason Johnson is there is because she is a woman. Talks way too much--not the same as knowledge. Dump the show!
ReplyDeleteI told Ray over a month ago to NO LONGER eat at my Diner!! He makes babies cry when he eats then belches out the back profusely.
DeleteAs a woman, I hate when they do that. There are women who are entertaining and knowledgeable and who look decent as well. I have to say, though, Johnson has stepped up her sports research on topics for the show and it shows.
DeleteRay Ratto is living proof the Bay Area has given up on looking for entertaining sports personalities. Which is the same for whatever that garbage KNBR has on at night now with Ryan Covet and Drew Hoffer and Fitzgerald. TERRIBLE!
ReplyDeleteIn his days withe Orioles, Jon Miller was profiled in 'Sports Illustrated', and the article prominently mentioned that Miller used an old-fashioned egg-timer during games, adhering to his self-imposed 'rule' that the score must be given no later than very three minutes. Obviously, that went out the window on ESPN.
ReplyDeleteHey Jackass! You make REAL MEN look bad when you make a stupid ass comment like that ... Kelli Johnson is there for a variety of positive reasons. She didn’t get the job because she’s a woman. She got the job because she is a hard working driven woman (who would out work your ass too) who brings nothing but class and professionalism to the set everyday. How would you like it if your mom, grandma or your sister only got credit for something they did or do because of their gender.
ReplyDeleteGreat! She'll have a built in fan club--you--when she moves to another station.
DeleteKelli is very knowledgeable about basketball, being a former All-American player. And she's a hard core Giants fan which allows her to talk authoritatively about baseball. Plus she loves Jimmy G and the 49ers and although she can't talk compete with Papa when talking about obtuse formations she knows as much if not more than 90% of her audience. Ratto is Ratto, all too often being gratuitously curmudgeonly.
ReplyDeleteNice to have the Johnson Family chime in!!
DeleteKelli Johnson is a St. Louis Cardinals fan and a Seattle Seahawks fan. She mentioned it on the show. She's from Idaho. I can see her being a Seahawks fan, but a Cardinals fan? They do have a large reach/following in the midwest though.
DeleteObtuse formations? Did you mean abstruse formations?
DeleteI'll buy the line that Kelli loves the 9ers, but I seriously doubt that "...she knows as much, if not more, than 90% of her audience." She IS a former star athlete. In regard to her media work, however, she is mediocre at best. A "meh" when it comes to level of knowledge and interest, delivery, and appearance.
God, yes, the Cards do. My dad was from St Louis, and you think any of the midwest teams would be liked by Iowa. Nope, its the birds. Maybe its the red or the cute cardinals on the shirt?
Deletehmmmm...if I had an IRS audit probem, who would I contact? Steve Moskowitz or Michael Finney? Hello Steverino!
ReplyDeleteAdios Pay -lota!
ReplyDeleteHey Rich, Can you address the Sinclair "Promo" controversy. What's your take? Closest owned station is Fox 26 in Fresno.....
ReplyDeleteAbout as disgusting as it gets but I'm not surprised anymore...I was going to write a story but since there's no Sinclair station here, I said screw it.
DeleteBut yes, corporate broadcast at its worst.
A couple of LA announcers, Chick Hearn (basketball) and Bob Miller (hockey), were two of the best I've ever heard at giving frequent score and game clock updates.
ReplyDeleteSomething viewers noticed (well before he did) about Chick Hearn:
DeleteOn the broadcast they would have a contest of some sort at halftime with fans pulled from the stands. When the fan was white he would ask "So, where do you work?"
If the fan were black:"You working?"
Bring back Sports Talk Live,,,, with Koz returning to host seat,,,,far more interesting
ReplyDeleteKozimor? Totally forgettable. He blends in with the furniture.
DeleteRich, great column today!!! Please keep this coming-write more like you did today. Lot's of information and stories just like today!!!
ReplyDeleteyou know its bad on kgmz when if you listen for any length of time, guess what nobody ever calls in..chris townsend, who is still around after all this time, he's on four hours at night, very rarely any listner's call, its just him talking to himself, same with all the weekend fill in people, just people killing time so they can sell ad space.. no wonder their ratings are so bad..
ReplyDeleteRich,
ReplyDeleteI heard on KCBS this early morning that Ted Wygant has died. However I checked all the news sources and can't find anything about his death. Was I dreaming or did this really happen?
Almost as bad as the unHappy Hour is the Warriors Outsiders show, with snarky back and forth, pet jokes, and uncomfortable transitions that get in the way of the decent information that they do research on and provide to the audience. The whole thing is just off-balance and needlessly cringe-inducing, it's like they think they are trying out for comedy writing via this sports show. With so many interesting plots in the Warriors season, trying to outdo each other with painful cut down one-liners that seem rehearsed and overly-scripted is a drag.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree. I'd lock myself in a room and watch the Happy Hour for 24 hours straight before I'd watch five minutes of the Outsiders. It's like two idiots filming a video in their garage.
DeleteWorse thing ever. I thought I was still asleep from the game. Down with the Outsiders!
DeleteI'll admit, they're better than last year, but I have to admit, watching the Warrior Outsiders you almost feel like you can do the same thing. haha. It's like you think to yourself, I could probably host a show with some family and friends talking Warriors and be better than them. LOL
DeleteI actually enjoy the Warriors Outsiders. They are hilarious. But for really good analysis, The Athletic's Anthony Slater splices into his articles short videos that demonstrate his Warriors analysis point by point.
DeleteI've noticed Jon Miller doesn't describe what's happening on the field quickly enough. Where's the baserunner? Is the ball fair or foul? Don't get me wrong. I like him, but sometimes I yell at the radio, "Spit it out!"
ReplyDeleteby the way. i disagree john miller has been overrated for years..he is boring doing play by play,tells the same boring stories over and over again,frequently gets names and facts wrong, doesnt recap the game as its going on, he will just tell you the score and not any details, he is going through the motions, i dont know when he might retire but i wont mind at all when the day comes..
ReplyDelete