Saturday Night Radio Comfort Food: Marty Lurie and Bruce Jenkins Schmooze Baseball on KNBR --When We Really Need It

Marty Lurie

YOU KNOW I LIKE MARTY LURIE, the Bay Area's "Mr. Baseball", here's proof.

Baseball is a joy, much like it's a joy for some of you. Many of you in fact and now that baseball is MIA, due to the Coronavirus pandemic,  it's a lonely summer --among other things.

Which brings me back to Lurie and his fantastic show on Saturday night on KNBR; you don't have to love baseball to love this program. It's more than just baseball but yeah, baseball is its zeitgeist --and that's more than OK with me.

Lurie loves to schmooze. He has a virtual rolodex of friends and celebrities on his show which usually runs pre-game but since there's no baseball, Lurie's been broadcasting a five-hour marathon from 6-11 PM. His interviews are stellar. He can walk the walk and talk the talk. He's buddy, buddy with Willie Mays. That's pretty cool. He gets good interviews and knows how to ask great questions.

One of my favorite segments involves Marty's weekly schmooze with Chronicle Sports columnist, Bruce Jenkins. It's usually about a half hour long, and 99 percent of the time, a half-hour too short. Jenkins, who does a master job writing about baseball and NBA basketball, is a great storyteller; moreover, he's terrific interacting with Lurie. Two guys in a bar talking sports devoid of artificial sound; just intelligent conversation and a good vibe sounds almost like a cliché but it absolutely fits Jenkins and Lurie.

It's just the right ingredient to an old-fashioned virtue: sincerity and genuine laughter on a Saturday night works well. And it especially works well when the two men sound like they're having fun.Like Jenkins and Mr. Baseball.

Checkmate.

Bruce Jenkins/SF Chronicle photo

Get out the pizza and beer and listen up because if you don't, you're wasting an otherwise boring weekend night.

415 Media Extra Monday; KNBR/Cumulus Asks Hosts to take 15-20 Percent Pay Cuts; Murphy/Mac Neutralized; Tolbert Miffed; Baer/Giants Tension; PD Crowe Mighty Target; Stress Level is High at The 'Sports Leader'

KNBR HOSTS MAKING THE BIG BUCKS: The Brian Murphys; the Paulie Macs; the Tom Tolberts and John Lunds; all of whom make more than $200K (and even more) have been asked by Cumulus, which owns KNBR, to take 15 percent salary cuts. For a guy like Murphy, who was pulling in around $300K a year, that's significant. Tom Tolbert too, (who is the highest paid Knibber host at nearly $400K a year)

The salary cuts mandate are just part of the story here; as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic affecting all radio, TV and newspaper budgets, advertising at KNBR is down a whopping 60to 70 % and with no viable end in sight, the usual fluid revenue stream at KNBR has left the station in financial purgatory. Furloughs are on the horizon too with most of KNBR's hosts working mandatory shifts --like three weeks and then suddenly disappearing off the air because of economic reality --there's simply NO MORE MONEY on the docket.

The quagmire has left both KNBR and Cumulus in a very difficult dilemma with its main cash cow, the SF Giants --no baseball on the horizon and no baseball to promote unless you consider pie-in-sky trial balloons, is a difficult challenge for all parties involved.

It's all about the money, of course it is. KNBR can't lick its main client's boot straps all the time. It has to improvise because for the time being, there's literally nothing on the docket to promote nor highlight. It could all crash soon too because so many dollars, so many egos, so many gigantic personal and business matters are at stake too. Ego and finances make for unflattering encounters, like I discovered recently.

Murphy and Mac, who are so ingrained and integrated in the Giants' hierarchy, had to cancel a Giants' PR event (for season ticket holders) for an on-line chat about the upcoming season (if there is one); seems the duo thought their PR pedigree would make the event a sellout even if baseball was in such a precarious situation. Guess what? Nobody was interested. ZERO. There was no event. Everyone was stymied but that's the state of business now; more importantly, the morning show got first-hand evidence of their current worth.

Same goes in the midday and afternoon time slot where Giants-related news and activity has been altered --much to the chagrin of all involved--simply because there is NO viable news to talk about or even comprehend. Team CEO and front man, Larry Baer, is in an unenviable position: who can I not crush? Truth is, the normally mass influential Baer is powerless here because his main PR engine, KNBR, is floating in the wind. Baer can only manage the tentacles so much but the octopus is on life support.

KNBR PD, Jerimiah Crowe, even in good times, is supposed to be a "major pain in the ass" to deal with; several of KNBR's air and non-air talents have privately told me dealing with Crowe is a  tough road. "He has no people skills", said one person in particular who asked me not to name his/her ID.

Crowe himself will take a pay cut, because, well, he has to. His relationship with other major Cumulus suits is neutral at best. One big exec who has a major, local influence at the SF cluster, has TOTAL DISDAIN for Crowe, so much so that there's a massive friction when the two see face to face.

Meanwhile, the usually rosy atmosphere at the broadcast center is zombie-like now. The hosts are at home broadcasting from a distance due to virus-related caution. That's probably good for the major reason --it allows them not to have to look at Crowe and vice-versa and given the pay-cut and mandatory furloughs, tension is high for everyone involved.

Murphy's total, "KISS ASS" rep (to management)is a continued talking point among rank and file. In spite of the fractured atmosphere, 'Murph tries his best to curry favor with Baer and other higher-ups within the Giants and Cumulus organization. I guess living in Marin is an expensive proposition, you have to pay the bills.

We're entering a significant period now as the "Sports Leader" will be tested with all the current state-of-affairs; the virus isn't going away anytime soon; the normally potent Giants-KNBR alliance, even if the team is lousy, plays such a vital force together--when there's this much commotion and fracture within, and boy is there ever, it'll be quite a show to see who emerges as the victor. Right now, that's a difficult proposition to decipher.

*415 MEDIA EXCLUSIVE

Believe It or Not: I'm Hooked on 'Hooked on Golf'; Abendroth and Juricich Drive Golf Show on KNBR

I KNOW GOLF LIKE YOU KNOW RUBIK'S CUBE --which means I'm scrambled. Well, duh

THIS, I do know.

I know authenticity and realness. I love sincerity even when it involves something I have zero knowledge of which involves, again, golf. In this instance, golf on the radio. Or a couple guys talking golf on a weekend morning.

Welcome to Hooked on Golf on KNBR. More to the point.

 John Abendroth and Mitch Juricich are the men behind the golf program on Knibber. Just a few ordinary guys who make me laugh, sometimes uncontrollably and on point. I don't know why I like these guys but they sound cool and funny. The coffee tastes better when I'm hearing their show, I just wish I knew golf and especially how to hit it straight. But see, that's the point. Listening to the duo without puts knowledge means quite a bit to me and adds to my glowing review of this show.

Lately, "Hooked" hasn't been on the KNBR show schedule which is too bad but another ruin courtesy the Coronavirus pandemic --a shame for a show that's been on the air for 26 years and a Saturday/Sunday staple.

I've learned through the radar the show is due back once the virus crisis settles. Good. Because it wreaks of audio chicken soup, a reassuring program of two guys talking shop in a coffee shop and that's real delightful in a time when reassurance is a virtue.

So, yeah, I'm an advocate of Hooked now if only I understood golf.

415 Media Extra Saturday: Cumulus Asks Its Hosts To Consider 'Furloughs and/or Pay Cuts) As a Result of Coronavirus Pandemic Effect on Advertising; KGO/KNBR Hosts Among Local Stations Involved; Advertising Down Whopping 75-90 Percent

CUMULUS officially went into furlough mode on Friday--like other businesses, particularly radio, that have been ravished, financially, by the Coronavirus pandemic, Cumulus/ SF asked its hosts from virtually all its Bay Area radio stations, including KGO and KNBR, to consider "pay cuts and/or furloughs" They were asked to respond in a week.

KGO host, John Rothmann, mentioned the policy shortly before signing off his KGO show (6-9PM) last night (Friday).

Cumulus isn't alone.

I LEARNED, through a well-positioned broadcast source here, that the policy on local show hosts will commence April 20 and that, "no one, no department, is immune" from the policy.

INITIALLY, I'm not surprised by any of this. I heard advertising is down anywhere from 75-90 percent, a whopping hit on the local radio broadcast domain (and in all other markets, big and small); it's completely devastating and while it hurts all of us consumers, it is killing radio companies too and as long as the situation gets worse, (economically) before it improves, you can expect severe cuts (pay) and wholesale furloughs across the board.

MORE LATER

REACTION (INSIDE)

415 MEDIA Analysis

LATER Saturday

415 Media Exclusive: KNBR/Cumulus on Hook for $13M to SF Giants --No ''Act-of-God' Clause in '18 Broadcast Deal

415 MEDIA EXCLU--KNBR ON HOOK FOR $13 MILLION!

In 2018, then Cumulus bigwig, Dave Milner negotiated a contract extension with the SF Giants and KNBR.

It extended an already solid, wildly successful relationship between the franchise and its flagship station, including streaming its broadcasts.

But, as 415 Media has learned, the contract failed to include an "Act-of-God" clause, typically something in the contract, any business contract, for that matter, that would affect the broadcasts, in this situation.

The Coronavirus crisis has curtailed all the four North American sports, including baseball.

With baseball not being played and MLB in hiatus, Giants' games on KNBR are non-existent and now, KNBR is on the hook for $13 Million to the team. So unless the Giants want to play nice, KNBR/Cumulus will have to pay the team the money.

That's a lot of money to sniff at; it comes at a time when there's a lot of nasty economics at the 50K-watt AM all-sports outlet. This development won't help matters.

I'm making calls around the city and following up; I will update any new information obtained. Suffice to say, this is one for the ages.

Stay tuned.

415 Media Extra: While 49ers Nation/KNBR Exults, Giants and Larry Baer Fuming Over Lack of Air Time; Meeting of the Minds; Egos Bruised; Talk of Inner Turmoil; 415 Media Exclusive

GIANTS BROADCAST BRASS FUMES OVER LACK OF KNBR BUZZ 

Historically, the Giants, most notably, Larry Baer, still its front man (although quietly) rely on their broadcast (radio) partner, KNBR to be a part of their PR blitz during the hot stove league, you know when it's winter time and baseball news is in the backdrop of football season.

No more.

In fact, KNBR has been all-out 49ers and that makes sense, right? After all, the SF 49ers are two wins away from the Super Bowl and the Niners are the talk of the local sports scene --national too. That may sit well with the 415, 510, 408 and 925 but it has the Giants' hierarchy FUMING! Like really and royally TICKED OFF!

I've learned the Giants' brass--again, namely Larry Baer, is quietly telling KNBR and Cumulus market honchos here their utter displeasure over their flagship station barely sniffing out the name, "G-i-a-n-t-s," let alone even benign mentions. This is not the booster club, mind you, but the team's front office and its main money men including its main front men and investors. And while it's been relatively contained, at least internally, the effect of KNBR cutting off the PR machine of its chief sports partner, has resulted in turmoil and friction over air time and PR nirvana drying up. The Giants really could care less about the 49ers' fortunes --in Larry Baer world, they never heard of the SF 49ers--it's 24/7 Giants and even a blip of anything else is off the radar.

The 49ers success wasn't considered in the 2019 blueprint by KNBR brass. The idea that the football team would hog the airwaves wasn't even a figure point in the sales office. In fact, just now the marketing people are scurrying to sell advertising should the Niners make it to Miami and Super Bowl Sunday. It's a financial goldmine if it occurs but that doesn't move the needle for the bosses at Willie Mays plaza. In the meantime, several egos have to be massaged. 

The Giants still have their annual "Fan Fest " scheduled for the Saturday after the Super Bowl and KNBR will still probably go all out to place its various talk hosts en mass at the ballpark for whatever that's worth--mind you it hasn't been a very popular off-season for the baseball team and not just on the field, but off too. 

Baer might be in a position of no-leverage, because, frankly, the Giants haven't competed in recent years  and the 49ers are looking to take over the Bay Area in a region that is a BIG NFL market anyway. 

That said, KNBR is in a pickle not of its own making nevertheless responsible for appeasing the ego of its historical cash cow, the SF Giants. As usual, meetings of utmost importance will commence at Knibber's will and ultimately, both sides will kiss and play nice. They have to. They both sort of need each other and have to get along. That's the rational thinking, right? Wrong.

The Giants big suits will remind the KNBR/Cumulus gang it is they that have the control and pay the bills and even a George Kittle TD run will never change that --unless there's a victory parade down Market Street and Kyle Shanahan and Jed York are kissing babies in the crowd come early February. Then what happens?

Oh, Nellie.

#415 Media Exclusive

#415 Media Extra

Why Greg Papa's 49ers' Touchdown Call Really, Truly, Sucks

Greg Papa (left) with Tim Ryan

YOU WANT BLATANT INSINCERITY? Try Greg Papa's touchdown call on 49ers' broadcasts. It's a wholly inappropriate, out-of-moment call that lacks realness and identity. Papa is lucky the 49ers are great this year (not withstanding Sunday's blip on the radar) because truly his call is, well, ridiculous at best.

I've always liked Papa on the substance meter and thought he was always terrific on the mechanics. He knows his pro football and his knowledge of players and teams is not questioned here. There's no argument on his fundamentally sound broadcasts but there's a lot to chew on his style and that's where he's a ZERO. Let me explain why.

LISTEN TO HIS CALL.

Papa doesn't know the meeting of the moment. That was week one in Tampa --his first 49ers' broadcast. Repeat: first. You come from twenty years of broadcasting Raiders' games so you have NO credit built up with the 49ers' Faithfull. You're a rookie in a new uniform. Therefore, what the hell with the truly out-of-place, "SAN-FRAN-CISCO!" It sounds phony. It has no rhyme or reason. It's also clear Papa doesn't know anything about his past identity which makes his call all the more disingenuous. I speak for those out of the booster club and fat white guys who wear Ronnie Lott's jersey.

Papa's call doesn't register any emotion other than severe ridicule. He hasn't built up any good will with 49ers' fans, the listening audience on KNBR, or those few objective fans who actually listen to the broadcast and that's not Papa's fault; he's in essence, a guest invited to the VIP party trying to establish himself in the Scarlet and Gold fraternity. Therefore he has to establish good will. After twenty years of Raiders broadcasts that takes time. So really, his touchdown call reeks baseless. It's like I said, out of place. If I were a 49ers fan, I'd be repulsed. Papa's lucky the team is winning because that saves more ridicule.

I want to repeat: I have no issues with Papa's technique. It's always crisp and clear. I'm sure, I know in fact, he prepares and studies his games like no one else. There's no debate about any of that but his call needs a massive amount of identity and structure --oh, and time too.

The Best Show on KNBR And You Won't Believe I Love It. Marty Lurie My Chicken Soup For Recovery

YOU READ ME A LOT. You have a hunch of my tendencies. What I like and dislike. You know I'm a sucker for originality and creativity --genuine people, even those I may disagree with on style or substance, I applaud because at least they're sincere.

WHICH BRINGS ME to

Marty Lurie

Many of you assume I dislike Marty's performance and whose show on KNBR is a hodgepodge of audio Giants minutiae run amok that I would despise --you're wrong on both counts.

Lurie makes me laugh and gives me unexpected pleasure. His radio show is a NY-flavored tapestry (big words) a table full of bagels and cream cheese --lox and red onions --the only thing missing is the Joe Franklin Show. If you ever went to NY or are an east-coast transplant you know the Joe Franklin show which today remains one of the very best and funny shows ever.

Marty is my Joe Franklin and I can't get enough of him.

You thought I was an Oakland/Eastbay fan and everything Giants was against my religion and you thought wrong.

Again.

Marty Lurie was my chicken soup for recovery shortly after mom passed.  I don't want this to be a downer because it isn't. I rip a lot of people on here and you often complain I'm never positive. I'm about to break one of my edicts because I'm about to stray to sunshine. Cloudy days are abated.

Lurie's brand of radio show is my cup of coffee --ok, so four hours of coffee, (sometimes) is not quite healthy but listening to Marty in the backyard is healthy for the heart. It's all baseball and Giants and while, yes, the calls can be long and laborious, they are funny and often entertaining and again, remember this word, "sincere." (For the most part) Because Marty Lurie is sincere.

Joe Franklin 

The best thing about Marty is he reminds me of my late Uncle Duddy. Duddy had a charm of being sort of negative but engaging. He would take modern day life and its jaded tones and somehow convey a sense of comfort and realness. Duddy cracked me up just like Marty does but in a nice way. Taught me a lot about life.

I know I'm being sort of coded here because I haven't even mentioned much that Marty mostly talks about baseball and the Giants --two things I don't really care for but Lurie's chicken soup supersedes both of those subjects. I'd call it comfort food radio --macaroni and cheese and a slice of meatloaf if you get my drift.

Marty is real and passionate. Which makes listening to him all the more pleasurable because he seems very happy in his element. I don't have to love the Giants but I do love listening to Marty Lurie.

Stunned, Shocked Anger at KNBR: Hosts Don't Get a Blue Box And They're Steamed!

LOTS ...and I do mean LOTS of STUNNED and SHOCKED KNBR Radio hosts over near the Battery/Broadway gulch and WHY?

The famous BLUE BOX is back. You know what I mean, right? We've been down this road before just a few blocks down at KGO-TV.

Forget about why this Blue Box is so important and powerful? Well, make good of this deal at Knibber.

"Murph and Mac" didn't get one and are ROYALLY PISSED OFF! So too Tom Tolbert and John Lund--both of who didn't get one and were flabbergasted. It's hard to make Tolbert incredulous in light of recent past history. .

Gary Radnich and Larry Krueger didn't get the blue box and Radnich was so ticked off he stayed at the station last week and met with PD, Jerimiah Crowe. The young buck programmer at Cumulus SF had no word for a semi-screaming Radnich who, in addition to being snubbed on the Blue Box deal, has been stalled (intentionally) on contract negotiations. Meanwhile, Krueger, was simply unable to say anything. Not.a.word. How this affects current programming is anyone's guess. My prediction? Business as usual on the air but off the air? Whoa!

Why is this Blue Box so important and why are middle-aged men working at a sports radio station so perturbed at not getting one? Just wait and soon you'll discover how this blue box made all these white guys just beyond themselves.

415 Media Exclusive: How the Papa/49ers Deal Went Down; Inside Story; When Papa Became Available, 49ers' Sargent Began Pursuit; Tells 415 Media 'Historic Move'; Decision Needed York and Guido OK

Ted Robinson (l) and Greg Papa -NBCSBA photo

49ERS MOVED ON 'FREE AGENT PAPA'; NO REPUDIATION OF ROBINSON; ACCELURATED MOVE ON EX-RAIDERS PBP --415 MEDIA EXCLUSIVE INSIDE STORY ON 'SHOCKING MOVE'

*ABOUT SIX MONTHS AGO when Raiders veteran PBP broadcaster Greg Papa was summarily dumped by the Silver and Black (namely, Mark Davis) 49ers broadcasting boss, Bob Sargent, who knew Papa well and regarded him as a play-by-play, sporting icon, immediately went into high gear and on a mission: to seize the opportunity to pounce on Papa and bring him into the 49ers' broadcast booth with Tim Ryan.

Mission accomplished.

On Wednesday, it was announced that Papa would replace Robinson and become the new 49ers' radio broadcaster. Or, as one sports radio observer commented to me, "a shocking move, bold and audacious too."

Sargent, in a lengthy phone conversation with me, insisted that the move to replace Robinson was by no means a repudiation of 'Teddy Ballgame' as he is known charmingly around Bay Area broadcast circles.

"When 'Greg {Papa} became available I immediately began discussions with him because I regard him as one of the best {if not thee best] in the business. NFL people place him in the top three category} Nothing against Ted more really I just wanted to bring Greg to the 49ers," said Sargent.

How bold a move? Enough to require a boatload of hurdles to overcome in addition to the move of acquiring Papa to be OKed by not just the Niners' broadcast hierarchy but all the way up the food channel including team president, Al Guido and owner, Jed York, who has always been a loyal Robinson advocate.

Industry people I talked to concurred. They repeatedly told me that it wasn't so much a blow to Ted Robinson (although it probably is) more a determined effort on Sargent's part to get Papa and Ryan together to form one of the best NFL Radio play-by-play tandems in the business.

I'll say this about the move: while I have my issues with Papa on a personal level, I've never doubted his professional credentials as a seasoned pro-football broadcaster. His Raiders' work by and large was as close to the real deal, late Bill King demonstrated in his multi-decade work with the Raiders.

The new questions on the table: Will Papa have to leave his 95.7 FM 'The Game' radio talk show? Probably. I don't envision KNBR (which is the 49ers' flagship station) allowing Papa to stay on its rival Bay Area station, but that's just a guess. Sargent told me he doesn't care one way or the other because as far as he's concerned, he got his prized pupil and long-term broadcast duo for the future.

And that's the genesis of this story laid out to me. Sargent regards Papa as the gold standard. His (Sargent) close relationship with Robinson on both a personal and professional level is a lengthy bond and might be compromised. Sargent told me in spite of that, "I wanted to make this move."

And so he did.

Bill Martin Days Numbered at KTVU After Grogan Hire; Low Ball Offer to Sam Mohr Doesn't Help; Sal Castaneda Wants More Money; The 'Gaas' New Haircut; Rothmann Demanding Wife Impedes KGO Progress; KNBR: Too Many Black Crows Not Enuf Bald Eagles; Fong-Torres Kiss Ass to Cumulus SF Boss Harvill; NBC Bay Area Blew It with Christina Loren Canning; HBO Doc on Sandra Bland Worth Watching; Hey, Brighten Up 415 Media With Holiday Donation; Rich Loves Turkey and Happiness; Thursday Nosh

Bill Martin

THURSDAY MEDIA NOSH

KTVU has 4; Four! Weather yellers; the latest hire, Kyla Grogan, (lots of teeth and mileage) so my spies say someone might be needing to update the resume. That individual? Veteran Bill Martin who only a few years back was a mainstay.

Martin now continues to mumble more frequently and he isn't slowing down in that department; making matters worse: he isn't blond, female and possess big boobs so he doesn't fit Fox-like elements: my prediction and others: his days are numbered. Calling on Fresno!

*Had KTVU not low-balled former KPIX weather countess Samantha Mohr, they'd have scored something far more unique and compelling: a very smart, sexy, attractive, engaging, mature weather woman with flair and attitude to boot not to mention more eyes and ears.

Samantha Mohr

Yes, Sam is older but so what! She's incredibly easy on the eyes and has far more weather moxie then the latest yenta KTVU hired, more because she's willing to work for far less dough then Mohr who stated flatly to station brass that in order to pay for living in the Bay Area, you'd better pay. They did not. DUMMIES!

*Meanwhile in the morning grind at KTVU 'MO2' veteran traffic guy, Sal Castaneda, is complaining about his $400,000 yearly salary. A source: Sal seems to think for all he does at the station (not just the traffic) he should get a lot more moolah.

Some background: Sal is part of ball and chain he being more ball and his demanding wife almost all chain. Add a growing family and you get that he wants and needs more toys for the clan.

That said, asking for Somerville-like money you need leverage: NOT!

My feelings are that Sal has to work with chirpy, chatty, Gasia Mikaelian and on that basis alone he should be given more gelt.

Frank Somerville and THE GAAS

THIS IS BIG NEWS: The Gaas has a new haircut and supposedly has asked every KTVU employee including the janitor how it looks. A new haircut? Gaas might be auditioning for a future LA gig as is the chore for many FOX female anchors just be prepared for her eternal chirpiness and out-of-toon giggles and cackles.

*Another great Bay Area radio guy run shamelessly by his wife: KGO now and then political guru, John Rothmann.

His would-be rise at KGO would be significantly improved but Rothmann's power-driven wife gets in the way of those who want his career to once again shine and allow for his astute political analysis to be heard. Unfortunately, due to domestic reality, Rothmann's path has suddenly taken a off-road detour. Add to the fact that when you BLOW OFF a good friend when he's down and out, that portends negative things will happen. It's called karma.

Sal Castaneda: show me the money!

*KNBR is in the toilet the combination of no sports teams and emphasis on has-beens having to talk on the radio. KNBR has a lot of black crows in the studio and not enough bald eagles. They reek and smell like year-old cattle carcass. In fact, KNBR is so low now in the ratings they put the human waste machine on the air in the morning to fill in for one of the prime dudes. Leaving us entertained by Powlie Mac and some wasted LA chick that doesn't say a word but has nice gums and a great rack of lamb.

*THIS JUST IN! Hey, we found someone who likes Ben Fong-Torres. Or better know as Ben Press Release Torres.

Sad, really, Doug Harvill kowtowing to BFT who showed his incompetence by NOT asking DH about why Jack Swanson wasn't given any money to retune KGO.

Ben should write for Readers Digest --he'd be a great addition to the first wives club and bring in the Rossmoor crowd.

*MORE WEATHERING THE STORM; KNTV still hasn't gotten over dumping Christina Loren who was shown the door because she was caught sending resumes to other TV stations and reading my 415 MEDIA.

Loren was quite the package and then some but she emerged as a real, celebrated NBC Bay Area starlet. Problem is she should have been on at night because women don't watch nor like strippers in the morning it's an industry no-no but what do I know.

Christina Loren

*IF you didn't catch that HBO doc on the mysterious death of Black woman, Sandra Bland, you NEED to watch it.

Tense, powerful, chilling at times and infinitely watchable the Bland story is another reminder that America has a very deep disconnect with the African-American community and this doc is proof positive. I watched from beginning to end and had a chill up my spine; still do.

*IF YOU LIKE 415 MEDIA (and who doesn't) then please show me some love for the holiday (even if I can't enjoy this year) by making a donation to 415 MEDIA.

Go to the right side of the blog to the "Donate" button and CLICK ON IT and follow the prompters; it takes but less then a minute and you'll help me during the holidays and help sustain the Bay Area's most-read 24/7 media blog; I will e-mail and call you thanking you for your donation --any amount counts; those donations also help me pay my bills and eat turkey just like you and your family. Thanks to all of you.

Ray Woodson Leaves 'The Game' --95.7 FM Sports Talker Departs 'This Time Its My Decision'; 415 Media Exclusive

  Ray Woodson, the sports-talk radio veteran who spent the bulk of his Bay Area career at KNBR and most recently, 95. 7 FM "The Game" decided to bail out, suddenly and swiftly --with little notice.

"This time its my decision."

Just like that. 

Those of you that have lived a little know that radio has changed and that what little creative energy is left is expensive ...and many broadcast companies are either unable, or more likely, unwilling to pay the freight.

Therefore, you then have stagnant radio and talent-impaired talent.

I asked Woodson directly why he decided to leave the radio biz and his response was both expansive and telling:

Via text:

"It was a combination of factors, Rich. Family and professional. As you know the business has changed quite a bit. To me sports talk radio is an art, not a science but that’s not how this business is “trending.” Also, after what happened this year, I decided I want to be my own boss from now on. I figured after 40 years in broadcasting I’ve earned that. I will do podcasts, for one thing. Pretty soon I’ll write a book—maybe it won’t be of interest to the general public, but for my kids and grand kids. Everyone at The Game was great, by the way. This was just a personal and family decision about how I need to focus my energy at this point in my life, plus I am going to need recovery time from an upcoming surgery. Just as a postscript — I got REALLY tired of commuting into SF. One year, when I was working in Monterey and SF, I put 55K
miles on my truck. Between driving and BART, and the overcrowded conditions — as Sinatra once said —  “that’s enough.”

Which is a crying shame. Woodson was one of the few original sports-talk radio hosts who could spin a good tale or two and he was both informative, funny, and easy to listen to.

He didn't have to resort to cheap and disingenuous sound drops and bits that is a common nuisance in today's mostly banal, innocuous, talk-show code where there exists a whole lot of noise and very little substance not to mention extremely boring sports radio that neither enlightens nor entertains.

Woodson was one of the few KNBR hosts that I looked forward to listening to and was bummed when Cumulus gave him the boot. Why?

Because he was deemed too expensive by today's radio morsels and excavated out to pasture. He soon landed at "The Game" but was mostly doing fill-in. It's a shame someone of Woodson's talent won't be a part of the Bay Area radio landscape, but as he quoted Sinatra, "that's enough."

On his terms, that's good enough for Ray Woodson, which is good enough for me.

  

D Day at KNBR; Kolsky and Hughes Get Heave-Ho at KNBR; Wittmayer/Cumulus Cut Cut; Inside Story from 415 Media

Matt Kolsky speaking at Sag-Aftra rally last year

 

ALTHOUGH he made it clear he didn't think his pro-union speech at a Sag-Aftra -KNBR rally last year, was keynote in his firing, it certainly didn't help matters. In addition, Matt Kolsky's  colleague, Joe Hughes, also involved in a pro-union video was also fired by KNBR late Friday.

Ryan Covay, an evening talk host and producer at KNBR with less tenure and vocal union talk, was not terminated.

Coincidence? Perhaps, you be the judge.

Friday was a telling day at KNBR. Cumulus' cash cow sports station --one of the few successful stations it runs in SF, was its usual self, only management was about to slash and dash two daytime hosts and put an end altogether to sports updates, which were nothing more than more commercials.

The first host to get the heave-ho was Joe Hughes which caught many staffers off guard, including Gary Radnich and Larry Krueger; Hughes was their own update guy and took part in their morning show. Beyond that, Hughes's dad was friends with station Opps Mgr, Lee Hammer and his job seemed safe. Only, Hammer wasn't directly involved with Hughes's ouster. Cumulus' SF VP and Market manager, Justin Wittmayer, 86ed both Hughes and Kolsky.

The firings weren't that shocking and their unlucky recipients didn't involve anybody even remotely "special" at KNBR but they did surprise staff inside the building and almost immediately, rumors hit that more layoffs perhaps involving even "star" personnel were on the horizon.

KNBR is still rocking and rolling for the most part in its key demographic constituency: adult males between 18 and 49 who love sports, beer, and boobs. In addition, its own cash cow, the SF Giants baseball games were just around the corner and that's where KNBR makes the bulk of its money.

Yet, the dual canning exposed the non-harmonious atmosphere inside the studios where the hungry, ambitious "little people"; those producers, occasional hosts and go-to guys who do all the heavy lifting and coordinate a lot of the station's weaponry; a station that took in over $20 million in revenue the past few years, weren't immune from being axed by the notorious cloud company from Atlanta.

Welcome to the real world.

It's not a pretty picture at the Cloud Company SF Cluster.





 

Yeah, I heard Knibber is Making Changes; Next

 Over 30 minutes of commercials and updates disguised as news in an hour doesn't make me listen anymore other than if I'm bored or want to check on what the Southern boy racist is farting out.

Truly, they aren't worth the time anymore and a scheduling change doesn't alter my feelings; Smurph and Mac? Are you kidding? I'd rather be incarcerated in Corcoran for a week. That's enough punishment.

Next.

KSFO Morning Show Beats KNBR In The Morning Which Is Kind Of Remarkable

I begrudgingly report this: The KSFO Morning Show, so far in July, is beating KNBR from (5-9 AM) in the 25+ demo.

All the more remarkable given it's baseball season and the Giants are king. Winning too.

Oh, that Donald Trump.