A reader called it: when Ronn Owens retires from the KGO airwaves, Damon Bruce should be given the top morning slot at the news-talk Goliath.
Yes, that Damon Bruce.
Bruce, in just over six years here, has proven his mettle and broadcast fortitude. He has an edge. He's infinitely listenable and possesses a firm grasp of all the issues from sports to pop culture to, well, just about anything and everything.
While he no doubt would have to prep hard to tackle the Middle East and politics, I have no doubt he could more than handle the chore. He is a hard worker and firmly aware of any real challenge--you can hear it in his voice and show presentation.
While I have been an outspoken critic of his 'he does his Damon' off-mike, he grabs me back with passionate and often times, compelling radio. That element was on full display when he devoted a healthy portion of his show on KNBR to the ongoing Penn State scandal. While most "sports-talk hosts" only offered the peripheral aspects of the affair, Bruce went chock full of heavy-duty, insightful and often pronounced takes of the situation. It was passionate, it most certainly was genuine and if gravitated toward the listeners.
It's that type of passion that got the ear of the KGO news director, Paul Hosley, to warrant offering Bruce a tryout on Saturday afternoon, (1-4 PM 810 AM) to see him tackle the issues of the day. And while Bruce will undoubtedly talk about sports, I'm almost certain he may delve into news too. He is a master of the spoken word. He knows history, he has an ear to pop culture and music too. This shouldn't be a big deal, frankly, probably just another day at the office for Bruce.
Whether that translates, eventually, to weekdays, 9-Noon, nobody knows, but if I'm in KGO management, I'd seriously give him the opportunity. He is young, (hello A25-54 demo), he has an immense following, and he brings a lot of vigor to the table. More importantly, he's got drive and is one helluva interviewer to boot--what's not to like?
Sure, as indicated, he needs a little seasoning and probably loads of prep time. And yeah, would it be a gamble to hand him the mike? Indeed. But what does KGO have to lose? Its cachet has melted. It has an overabundance of middle-aged talk hosts who jumped the shark many moons ago. Only Ronn Owens and John Rothmann have any real traction over there. Owens' show makes a lot of money for the company, but most people acknowledge that Ronn is probably going to hang it up come January, 2013 when his contract is up. (Cumulus, which now owns KGO and a gazillion other stations most certainly will not pay him his seven-figure deal, and he'll be 67).
Which brings us back to Bruce. He's not the uber-nirvana candidate. He has a tendency to inflate his girth, (insert: ego) when he's off-mike, but last I checked, a boosted ego is probably mandatory for performing primetime, big-market, morning talk radio.
Bruce gets my vote.
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