The AM Radio Ads On KNBR And KGO Are Driving Away Listeners

 A radio listener wrote a letter to the editor in today's Sunday Pink section in the Chronicle complaining about the abundance of ads on KGO Radio. In particular, the Ronn Owens program. He laments the fact that after the deluge of ads, Owens himself continues the ad onslaught with endless mattress and hotel live reads. It's never-ending. Or so it appears.

KGO isn't alone--KNBR --the all-sports outlet, consistently runs well over thirty minutes of ads per hour on its morning shows and in the afternoon drive too. That doesn't include updates (from 24 hours earlier) and traffic.

The few people that actually listen to AM radio are becoming fewer. Talk radio, especially sports-talk radio still drives the AM listenership with heavy emphasis on local traffic but with the commercial blitzkrieg in full mode people are turning the dial--lots of people. Satellite radio and the Internet have seen dramatic upswings in listeners --as the economy gets better, satellite is more popular. There's a few ads on its platform but nowhere near the time allotted on commercial radio.

I told a KNBR host in a personal conversation that the endless ads might be a boom today for the sales department but that eventually people will turn away and some will do so permanently. There's simply too many alternatives out there. Cumulus, which owns KGO and KNBR (in addition to KFOG, KSFO, KNBR 1050, and The Bone--107.7 FM) seems not to care about its audience base. I mentioned fewer people are listening to radio. Advertisers know that. You 415 Media readers, tell me if the current deluge of ads has altered your listening habits.

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KNBR Seriously Thinking About Going All-Commercial Format; Secret Meeting At 55 Hawthorne; The Peacon Is 'Fired Up'

 KNBR, I have a sense, is going to change format: from all-sports to all-commercials.

With the exception of Giants, 49ers, and Warriors broadcasts, the venerable station will program commercial spots, 24/7 and only interrupt commercial with one to-two-minute bits from its various hosts as to now ruin the all-commercial format. When you have the momentum of  listening to entertaining commercials, according to the station's salespeople, why ruin it with oblique thoughts from innocuous talk guys.

This format, says an Insider, would be truly revolutionary. Imagine sitting in the car and being able to listen to all! 1-800-Kars-For-Kids jingles? Damn, for free too! And you won't just get the standard version but the country, pop-singing, and free-for-all too! Then wait, before you know it, endless Chilton Auto Body, Murph's Fremont BMW, Tolbert's awesome Comcast, SweetJack, hey, we're having a party now, it's orgasmic!

A 24/7 all-commercial, all-the-time format would provide for innovative programming; I'm told even Lee Hammer, the Opps Mgr at KNBR, is mulling it with a host of Cumulus high tops who have come from Atlanta to go over the possibly impending format change.

Waldus McFuckface, a Cumulus Senior Accounts Manager from Green Bay, Wisconsin, currently residing in the Fisherman's Wharf Holiday Inn expressed confidence that the new format could be instituted soon. "Look what we did to KGO, dude, you know what we could do to KNBR--I mean, this could develop into a 'mechanism for San Francisco and the Bay Area."

Indeed, KNBR's all-commercial format could become iconic. It would generate more cash for the station and provide more stability in programming, which currently is bogged down by air talent talking on aimlessly about sports teams and having kids to become full in life. Who wants that, who needs that, for the 99th time, who cares? Nobody cares.

The all-commercial format will include all your favorite spots, but will take breaks for traffic reports and five-second sports updates by Kate T. Scott, who reportedly insisted to management she be included in any such real content aside from the commercials. Ms. Scott sat in on a secret meeting last week with Hammer, Peacon Patrick Connor and Bart Butwick, better known as the Giants mascot, Lou Seal. All came away positive about the impending change. Said the Peacon: "Dude, I AM FIRED UP about this, WAR EAGLE!"

The all-commercial switch would have to get FCC approval but is considered all but done. Other talk show hosts at KNBR were unable to comment, but "Powlie Mac", the half part of "Murph and Mac" offered a musical reaction via Skype: "I Can't Go For That", howled Paulie, who hails from East Bedford, New Jersey and smokes some rockin' tunes.

Gary Rabainiwitch, the station's 9-Noon, co-host also was unable to comment as he was attending a family research seminar in the Tenderloin.

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KSFO Running Gun Ads On Radio; What's Wrong With This Picture? Sunday 415 Media Column

 

 The other morning surfing the AM radio dial I stopped and was amazed. Not amazed in a good way, more amazed in shock, resentment and then anger.

I should know better by now, it was KSFO, one of the once-legacy radio stations in SF decapitated by Cumulus media.

I was sitting down sipping coffee when I heard an ad being played. It was a local gun store hyping its "firearms and mass quantity of artillery." The female voice-over sounded methodical and chillingly stoic. Perfect tone really considering the fact that she was touting guns and ammo.

I know this is going to open up a can of worms about gun violence, gun control, et al. That's for another lounge, this is a media blog. And please, I don't need a lecture about the second amendment.

This is about a radio station airing gun ads. Given KSFO's white-male dominated limited audience, perhaps they don't care about ethics and are squarely trying to seize upon their target demo, pun intended. Even at that, I'm quite uneasy about Cumulus, which owns KSFO, doing anything for the almighty buck, even selling ads for gun stores. It just sounded, quite frankly, crazy, tacky too.

Furthermore, it speaks volumes about how Cumulus can't read the room. Have they forgot how many school or theatre shootings has occurred in this country? Have they ever heard of Gabby Giffords--do they recall Columbine, Virginia Tech or Newtown, Conn? Wait a minute, once again, I pause, it's Cumulus after all.

Sorry, but I find the ads offensive and inappropriate. I suppose the company that has on its website the image of its morning host aiming a firearm inappropriate too, especially in light of all the seemingly monthly mass shootings that has plagued this country and sent terror through all of our people, including the poor children in Newtown. Dummy me, I thought that would be the game-changer. And I didn't even mention that nine year-old girl in Las Vegas that accidently shot her shooting instructor to death with an Uzi --at a place called "Bullets and Burgers."

So, once again, if you listen to KSFO and hear those gun ads and don't feel a little uncomfortable, I would suggest that maybe you don't have a pulse. I listened and said there's something wrong here. Or just another example of the irresponsibility called Cumulus.

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KNBR Running More Than 30 Minutes of Commercial Spots Per Hour on Radnich Show; Could 'The Game' Benefit? Couldn't Hurt

9- 10 AM: "Gary and Larry Show"--KNBR /Monday


:01-05: Spots and update  {4}


:05-18: "Gary and Larry"


:18-28: Spots {10}


:28- 30: Brief "Gary and Larry:


:30-38: Spots {8}


:38-50: "Gary and Larry"


:51-56: Spots/Traffic {6}


:56-59: "Gary and Larry"


:59-04 Spots {5}


THE SKINNY: Cumulus/KNBR greed catch might be indirect benefit to The Game, (95.7), as listeners who are disgusted with barrage of commercial spots, switch to their channel.


A KNBR minion told me, "hey, they're risking it--they know 'Gary/Larry and Tolbert' are the only shows, (besides Giants, of course), they can make money--but they're milking it, way too many commercials."


One Smarty Pants: I'd rather hear the commercials than KNBR's non-Giants programming.




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