NO SOONER had
Audacy's 9
57 The Game 86ed its PM drive show, Damon (Bruce) and Ratto (Ray), I began to get calls and texts. Lots.
I said for months
95.7 FM The Game was bleeding red ink. They had a cash flow problem and worse yet, their financial hardship was overwhelming and mighty bleak. Something had to go and carved out: Bruce, who boasted about his bloated salary was given the heave-ho; Ratto too.
Again, no surprise only thought it'd be sooner.
KNBR, The Game's AM, (and 104. 5 FM) rival is in a similar situation with parent Cumulus in bankruptcy-mode, a second one any day now--rumors all over the industry.
KNBR has already cut and carved. They are only days from probably making another slash move. They too have mega-financial issues with a multitude of cash-flow problems and significantly less revenue than years before.
Their one time cash cow? The
Giants are no longer a revenue-producing client. In fact,
KNBR barely broke even on Giants' broadcasts the past couple of years. It's a tough business at
Cumulus/SF and KNBR is at the center of the abyss.
Misery loves company.
*KRON and a select group of senior managers and workers (including some on-air staff) had a quiet, secretive meeting at 900 Front on Wednesday; nothing involving the lingering union problems, more a rally-the-troops schmooze but staff was both anxious and unimpressed. Had Nexstar made a small goodwill gesture by buying lunch, that might have helped/soothed the assembled masses but 50 bucks worth of Subway sandwiches was not on the table, literally and figuratively.
*Her starting gig literally less than a day,
Emma Goss took a
LOA from
NBC Bay Area and the reason was described as a "
family issue."
*
KTVU should know its morning traffic anchor and Bay Area semi-celebrity,
Sal Castaneda, has a contract expiring in Sept. He'll most likely stay at
Fox2 but Sal is probably going to get a few suitors--say,
KPIX and
Circle7--who could and should show him the money. Sal makes north of $200K yearly but a friendly nudge from the others might be in the front-view mirror.
I just don’t get Sal. Schlub at best
ReplyDeleteEmma Goss: I didn't know reporters could make demands like that in this day and age. There's hundreds of her out there in Fresno. I don't know another field where she could get away with this sort of caca. Ditto Veronica De La Cruz.
ReplyDeleteLet's just say that Veronica De La Cruz should be on a bof Cocoa Puffs. She has no leverage to make demands and is a whack-a-doodle.
DeleteEmma's IG starts with her/she.... sorry, no thanks
ReplyDeleteMy thought is that Sal is the BEST traffic reporter in the Bay Area. But he is not an anchor. If he can go to pix or kgo. More power to him. Ktvu is a sinking ship. And wil remain so until they clean house. V from Richmond to Somerville to McKenzie. To Watson to Williams etc. they are nothing. They aren’t even a shell of what ktvu used to be. That why I say to say get the hell away while you can.
ReplyDelete11:40 Are you on crack? Sal is a bumbling fool. Have you actually watched him? Ever notice how often he fucks up or leaves the scanner on?
ReplyDelete11:40 Sal is a solid, consistent presence on 2 and we know that viewers want that quality. Sal is human, the audience is too and his little mistakes are (in my opinion) endearing to morning viewers. BTW, when it hits the fan, Sal is a very good teporter. I've seen him do excellent field work.
DeleteEmma Goss is a strange person and apparently a bona fide drama queen with an established M.O. (and annoying voice).
ReplyDeleteShe was at KTVU for a while, though most of the time was spent on 'leave.' All the while she was posting all the usual BS on her Instagram: girls night out, pretending to be happy with her boyfriend, drinking with a bunch of other obnoxious millennials, blah, blah, blah.
Then, after said extended leave, Goss returned to KTVU only to stick around for a month and jump ship to NBC Bay Area. It became widely known she had no allies at KTVU and it's generally understood that while she wasn't fired, KTVU showed her the door without actually showing her the door.
Now she's been at NBC Bay Area since the holidays and is already starting up with her BS leave again. All the better though, it'll make watching NBC tolerable again.
I never understood the appeal of Emma Goss.
DeleteAs far as her returning after a long leave only to be gone in a month, as a HR professional that sounds awfully like an employer who wanted to fire her but had to wait until she returned. If she wasn’t actually ‘fired’ it wouldn’t shock me if upon her return the station had a conversation with her about her performance and made it clear there was no longer a future for her there.
Sounds like now she’s quite possibly repeating the same behavior at NBC.
What I don't understand is how in this age of social everything and reputations sprayed all over the internet, KNTV didn't know they were getting a problem child. Why would anyone hire her when there are so many hungry kids out there looking for a break. She's not a seasoned veteran with lots of contacts. She's a nobody.
Delete> KTVU showed her the door without actually
Delete> showing her the door.
They're good at that. So is KRON.
"If she wasn’t actually ‘fired’ it wouldn’t shock me if upon her return the station had a conversation with her about her performance and made it clear there was no longer a future for her there."
DeleteMaybe, but since she was a freelancer, I don't know why they couldn't just not call her in anymore. She's a day hire with no standing. No need for HR to involve themselves or for anyone to "have conversations."
I don't wish for anyone to lose their employment but I was never a fan of Damon after hearing some comments he made back in his KNBR days. He seemed to have an elitist "I'm better than you" attitude. Does Ratto still write for papers or is he completely out now?
ReplyDeleteKNBR could save money dumping the morning guys (does anyone really listen?). And then Tolbert probably makes bank. I don't see them dumping Papa with the team connections he has.
Please PLEASE PLEASE, KNBR, chop the dead wood: Murph n Mac, then Cop n Beer Boy, then Pop N Lump, in that order.
ReplyDeleteThese idiots need to file for unemployment insurance.
No wonder they make Sal go out and do interviews and work on news "stories". Gotta earn that scratch Castaneda. They pay him over $200k a year to sit at the station to report on traffic and banter with "I don't have air conditioning in Livermore!" Gasia. Why? What a waste of money for Mornings on 2.
ReplyDeleteSal is about as engaging as a paper straw in a puddle. Wave goodbye to him and give some hungry guy from Bakersfield a shot.
ReplyDeleteMurph and Mac are for 12 year old boys. All they talk about is Soprano and Seinfeld episodes. Murph thinks Super Fan is funny and it's embarrassing listening to that smuck.
ReplyDeleteThey are beyond awful but do get the 12-15 demo. Both in age and IQ.
DeleteIn other words, they don't talk about Bay Area sports. The clowns are here. The circus is in town.
DeleteThey lost all credibility when they professed their love for the sham glam band KISS. Evidently sports are too difficult for them to pay attention to.However They do love the stench of Giants’ jock straps
DeleteNothing more then Giants Pravda. State Radio for larry baer
DeleteTalk radio here seems to be dead anything decent now is on the internet.
ReplyDeleteSports radio has been joke for awhile here, glad Ratto is gone though.
ReplyDeleteI only listen to KNBR for Giants baseball when I am not home. The talk shows are boring. Murph and Mac are idiots.
ReplyDeleteEmma is listed as a freelancer in both her KNTV and KTVU jobs. I don't know how a freelancer can get away with what she does. True they're not paying her bennies, but back when I freelanced if I had that much absentee time I eventually wouldn't be asked back. But even when I worked in news I never understood how some people could get away with behavior others would be canned for in an instant.
ReplyDeleteI've seen her byline on articles in a local Jewish newspaper, so she doesn't just do TV.
Deleteexcuses, excuses, excuses.
Delete"I've seen her byline on articles in a local Jewish newspaper, so she doesn't just do TV."
Deleteoh ok, that makes sense. we all need to take months off of work to write an article. she should spare local news the headache and stop with her whole 'freelancer' charade.
Even if she fails to change her immature behavior, it's safe to say once KNTV kicks her ass to the curb (which is only a matter of time), her 'career' in the bay area is over. KPIX, KGO, KRON all know her antics. Hell, even KTSF26 has probably heard what a drama queen this dump muffin is.
Sports talk radio, here or in any other big sports town, is pretty much a masturbatory exercise. Everybody gets to vent about what's not happening and fantasize about what would in a perfect world.
ReplyDeleteThis is actually the *second* leave that this crazy cat lady has taken at KNTV. Let’s not forget that after joining KNTV late last year, Goose almost immediately took a month off. No explanation, just a cryptic message that she was on ‘leave.’ And as someone mentioned above, all the while giving the painfully fake illusion of living her best life on Instagram.
ReplyDeleteI mean, I know local news is a sinking ship but in a country of 350+ million people, is it really that hard to find one person who actually wants to work?
I’m talking about some who is qualified AND has a voice that doesn’t make you immediately turn the station, neither of which can be said about this floozie.
Dysfunction hires dysfunction.
DeleteAs I posted to someone earlier, I'm not sure why some people find humor in someone losing their job, whether it be in radio or elsewhere. These people must be really sad individuals to find humor in someones' lost job. I am glad I am not one of them. Nor will I ever be.
ReplyDeleteCry me a river. Damon Bruce is most likely pulling in $300-350k. He’s not hurting and he’ll be hired again be it in Rochester or Toledo.
DeleteI fell a lot more sympathy for the person pulling in $50k living pay check to pay check that looses their job.
Losing your job from economic attrition is one thing, where its no fault of your own. Being the architect of your own misery, courting disaster through incompetency is another matter. The you are just deserved cannon fodder.
DeleteTiered of hearing Mac talking about his love of weed, or Lund talking about his drinking adventures, grow up both of you
ReplyDeleteGrow up? Why the idiots in charge not only don’t reprimand their commentary, they glorify it. That’s why you have a station of mostly man-children with terrible sports takes when they got to them between all the nonsense they spew.
DeleteNope. Just a long time follower of sports talk radio. Advertising dollars have dried up and we are lucky that M&M are still around. Soon enough the only local hosts worth anything will have other sources of income from Play by Play or creating content for the teams specifically.
DeleteMurph and Mac are the only good radio in the Bay Area. They are local guys who fill me in on what’s happening in the morning. They are a Bay Area staple. Once they go then all we have left is Papa. Tolbert has been mailing it in for years. Aside from his Steve Young segment, all of Tolberts guests are boring. Even the Kerr interview is stale. We’ve heard all their stories from college. M&M’s interviews with Krup and Kuip are still good. Tim Ryan is good on Murph and Mac. I only listen for about 30-40 minutes a day but I find it entertaining. I’ve tried the 95.7 shows and just haven’t found them all that gripping. I admit I’m only an NBA fan during the playoffs. Podcasts are not current enough in the morning. We all complain about hosts, but rarely have solutions as to whom we would want to replace them? Who would you rather have in the morning on KNBR than Murph and Mac? Name names…not just anyone but? Hosts have to chemistry and M&M have chemistry. The listener knows what they are going to get. Mark Willard Janet had any chemistry since he as with Tony Bruno. The guy who needs to be replaced is John Lund. He can’t carry a show without Papa. I would love to see Larry Krueger with Papa. For some reason I never grasped onto Damon Bruce. KNBR should have never let Ratto go to 95.7. Ratto and Tolbert were good. Copeland is a good third on M&M and is good at pregame and post game. Copeland would be good from 6-10 when no Giants, while also handling pre and post for Giants and 49ers. I’m also a huge Marty Lurie fan. Love him on the weekends. I’ve taken a liking to Lasky as well as Marty has cut down on his duties. Just my opinion. Your thoughts?
ReplyDeleteIs that you Brian Murphy who wrote this?
DeleteThat comment must be by a guy with no life. Why would any thoughtful person listen to any more than 3 minutes of Slurp n Smack? Those 2 are as sports informative as a greasy old t-shirt. Nothing there. BroMances? Puh-Leeze. Stupid Songs? Hilarious, if you are pre-pubescent. The two of them are coasting toward getting laid off. Like Fitz n barbieri, many of us look forward to their last show.
DeleteHas to be Murphy since Mac could not write a whole paragraph.
DeleteNope. Just a long time follower of sports talk radio. Advertising dollars have dried up and we are lucky that M&M are still around. Soon enough the only local hosts worth anything will have other sources of income from Play by Play or creating content for the teams specifically.
Delete“We are “lucky” to have M & M around ?????” Said the guy who thinks the clap is a good idea!
DeleteThey spent a good 20 minutes describing play by play trying to get some limited tickets for a yosemite event. That was one of the worst things on radio.
DeleteBruce and Ratto were let go because they , especially Bruce, make the most $$$ at the station . Dan Dibbley probably makes $20 an hour . Feel bad for the poor producer guy though . They might not have been great , but better than anyone on KNBR , they were at least OK.
ReplyDeleteI think it was Ryan Covay who said when he was doing sports talk at KNBR, he was making minimum wage.
DeleteHe probably said he was making minimum *scale*. Big difference. Minimum wage used to be something like $7.25 an hour (it's now $15). Minimum scale would be the lowest rate (hourly or per shift) that KNBR's contract with AFTRA required. Nobody in their right mind is working on the air at a major market 50KW flamethrower for what is, after taxes, $5 an hour.
DeleteMurph wrote the note above. M&M suck! Dibs is a low-paid hack quack.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that guys such as Paulie Mac, Dibs, ‘Copes.’ Lund and Willard are anywhere near a mic shows you the sorry state of local sports talk radio. Back in the day before the Game came along, KNBR had an impressive lineup of entertainers such as Frank Dill, Gary Radnich and Ralph Barbieri plus seasoned broadcasting pros John Shrader, Kevin Radich and Bruce Magowan. But that was a long time ago.
ReplyDeleteSince moving out of the Bay Area a year ago, I no longer get the Game or for that matter Bay Area News as I'm closer to Sacramento, which I don't think I'm missing much. I thought Bruce was ok, but the two things I didnot like was his stupid Lowell Cohn imitation which was quite bad,not funny and I thought it was classless when he did get a contract renewal a few years ago, he kept going on and on, just poor taste, the listeners don't need to hear it over and over. Ray Ratto knows his sports but he sounded like he was constipated 24/7 and seem like he dreaded the job.
ReplyDeleteLooks like I'm late to the Emma Goss comment party, but I'll say this..
ReplyDeleteSomeone above mentioned Goss' reputation has spread across the Bay Area, to stations she hasn't even worked for. I work at one of those stations (behind the scenes) and that statement is completely accurate. I was recently talking to one of our anchors and Goss' name came up. This anchor (who is plugged into the politics and decision making of the station) told me I have a better chance of winning the Powerball twice in a week than Goss does of getting a job here.
Simply put, this anchor told me 'it'll never happen' and then went on to share some anecdotes they've heard about Goss from other industry contacts.