The '7-F' BS That Failed KGO's PD Mike Anthony; Cumulus CEO Berner To SF MM Harvill: 'Make Changes'; Lee Hammer Says 'Yes' But What Now? Bearman on Short Leash; Copeland Might Be Back; Rothmann/Thurston Probable Keepers; Franklin Iffy; 415 Media Inside Story Monday

OUT at KGO and KSFO: Mike Anthony

NO MORE "7F" BS; hallelujah --maybe there is a god.

When Mike Anthony took over KGO Radio two and a half years ago, the station was in its latest doldrums; thinking forward, Anthony did one better: his first major move was to, a ha, change the format (again) back to talk from news; not the old KGO form of news-talk, but his version which amounted to lifestyle crap that never caught on and was the forefront of KGO's latest downfall. Yes, it was already in a tailspin with marginal ratings and severe reduction in advertising revenue, only Anthony seem destined to burn the corpse.

That he did. And now, finally, he's gone.

Here comes new MM, Doug Harvill, making his first significant move but the move was really made a few weeks back when I reported Cumulus CEO, Mary Berner said changes were coming to the once-powerhouse 810 AM.

Doug Harvill

Anthony, who had little PD experience and came from a small-budget San Jose station was never able to make KGO relevant. His managerial style was to try old has-been ideas only none of them worked and the few remaining people at the station weren't excited; his revamped morning slew of talkers were essentially old, tired, retreads who never registered with listeners. Rumors of Anthony's demise began percolating; once Harville was hired and got a directive to make changes from Berner, Anthony was gone.

So now KGO again is about to undergo another iteration under Lee Hammer, the veteran programmer who ran KNBR and will now run KGO and KSFO, although KSFO is actually a profitable operation despite its impish local morning show run by clowns who cherish the ultra-right. Its temporary fixture as a Bay Area conservative outpost keeps it going so Hammer will leave it alone until he doesn't.

KGO? Cumulus, and by extension, Harville, have to decide if its middle-dial station is worth the effort in dwindling terrestrial AM radio. The Bay Area has always been a news-talk bastion and even with KGO muddled in programming abyss, there is a market, still, for news and talk. Like, say, "newstalk radio." Anthony slaughtered that idea with his foolish lifestyle brand that sounded positively ridiculous especially when major news broke and a host would be talking about his favorite breakfast cereal. Seriously now, how does a programming director get away with that...especially in these uncharted times when there's a new story almost every hour with a Trump in the White House.

The real embarrassment en fuego took place at night, where, unbelievably, Anthony ran a taped, earlier-in-the-day catastrophe called the Ethan Bearman Show --mind you if a big news event broke out, how lovely to turn on KGO and listen to a guy talking about lasagna recipes. DISASTER. Anthony was trying to score points for tight-fisted Cumulus by this moronic move (to save money) but it only hastened his demise.

Mary Berner

Thank God.

I don't know what the immediate KGO plan is; I don't think they do either but probably new and fresher voices. A weekend ensemble probably mixed with the dreaded taped financial crap but maybe something bold too. We'll have to wait and see. (I know, I'm dreaming.)

Bearman, who has zero ratings and no following is probably on a short leash. There is no way he keeps the 10-12 PM timeslot unless Hammer is completely brain dead because Hammer knows Bearman has no chance.

I'm not a Brian Copeland fan but if the rumor mill has it he might be coming back, he's better than Bearman (which is not saying much)

Chip Franklin has a contract but he could be bought out because his show is "7F" nirvana and that's not in play.

Lee Hammer

Hammer likes John Rothmann, a lot. I would love to see Rothmann have a gig, say 7-10 PM weeknights or at least his own show on the weekend. With politics and Trump in the forefront this would seem to be an easy call for Hammer.

Pat Thurston figures to be a keeper. Michael Finney's consumer show is a ratings draw and will stay aboard.

I'm sure there's a lot on the plate and changes are coming but if you read me you already know that.

#doublebasta
#415Media

KNBR Talker Tom Tolbert Is Irate Over Station Promo That Insults His Athletic Prowess; Confronts PD/Opps Mgr Lee Hammer and Sales Dept; 415 Media Exclusive

  KNBR/TOLBERT PROMO FROM HELL!






Tom Tolbert

KNBR land has been universally swell and positive; the Warriors just won the NBA Championship and KNBR has been raking in millions and has another World Champion to add to its partnership--until now.


415 Media has been privy to a recent STATION PROMO: Apparently the great sales people at KNBR sold a new segment called {"Tolbert's Takes" } to a local Honda dealership which began sometime during the Warriors playoff run.  It was an easy sell because many advertisers wanted to take advantage of Tolbert's high profile and great relationship with the Warriors, which is understandable. After all, Tolbert is close to Head Coach Steve Kerr, his college buddy mate at Arizona.


What transpired next is the start of the problem. Station PD and Opps MGR, Lee Hammer and the sales people signed off on promo copy that read "...lets hear it from the guy who never got off the bench...Tom Tolbert!" (or something to that affect). A station source heard it once and was quite surprised.  It has since been changed, but of course KNBR has no accessible archive.


THE FIRESTORM BEGINS...Tolbert was completely insulted by the promo and immediately called Hammer to inquire as to what was going on.  Hammer, at first, completely denied knowing how something like this could happen, even though he personally signed off on it.  Rumor is he attempted to blame a part-time production staffer and not himself, or the sales people responsible for insulting the station's biggest name.  Imagine the head of the station blaming a low level employee for something he was responsible for?  If it weren't so serious and potentially devastating --involving the top station's TOP personality, it would be laughable. Only no one's laughing.

Rather than press the matter further, according to a 415 Media source, Tolbert decided to "let it go...because he just wants to come in and do radio.  But he was very upset."

Tolbert is very loyal and a good company man; it is rather surprising that something so juvenile, so arcane; something so important and potentially troublesome could be allowed to occur --yet occur it did, but moreover...

Sources tell me THIS is not the first time Tolbert has been insulted by Cumulus as the company told him last year he wouldn't be getting a raise, even though the station continues to be the only money maker for the entire SF cluster.  He was told "holding the line is this year's raise."    

Will heads roll? Will these clearly doofus sales people be fired?  Will Hammer, who is generally believed to be, at the very least, a competent if not occasionally clumsy, boss and manager, continue to remain untouched by such things?

I guess we'll have some idea of the answer if Cumulus starts running a 35th minute of commercial spots an hour asking the audience if they want a "great career in sales!" 

Better spot to run "Want to manage a station that practically runs itself?"

Lee Hammer

*Rich Lieberman 415 Media Exclusive

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Lee Hammer Temporarily Running KGO Radio; Damon Bruce and Gianna Suter-Franco Super 1-2 Punch At The Game; KQED Radio Power Trip; Thursday Breakfast Liners

 THURSDAY BREAKFAST LINERS

*KGO Radio is being temporarily run by KNBR top suit, Lee Hammer.

*The Game's, (All-Sports-95.7 FM ) PM talker, Damon Bruce and his news update woman and occasional sidekick, Gianna Suter-Franco, were a phenomenal 1-2 punch on the sports-talk radio scene on Wednesday. Topic one, of course, was the Raiders/49ers announcement of new coaches and if you listened, it was the very best and smartest act from the duo, including some of the funniest and more pointed phone calls from the lunatic fringe, the callers. Hail to the "Butcher Boy". (More on all of this in a later column).

*NBC Bay Area, (KNTV) Will Adams--a good guy in a tough business that doesn't get enough credit and should be acknowledged here--thus, he has.

*Mounting siege mentality at KQED Radio --between one of the hosts and a few people behind the glass. Sounds to me like a power trip run amok.

*If that local station that might be pursuing the local TV sports anchor really wants him, add a few zeros to the contract and you'll get him. Make that more than the usual.

*Speaking of KNTV, a big congrats to Laura Garcia-Cannon, morning news, for her 15th anniversary. Another classy dame is getting even better at NBC San Jose.

*Jason Barrett, PD at 'The Game': When the content and show is good, like Bruce's, then I'll say it so. You did good in PM Drive. So there.

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KNBR Leaves USA-Russia Olympics Hockey Game For Golf Show But You Shouldn't Be Shocked, Seriously

I'm supposed to be shocked by this Mr. Magoo of sports programming decisions but I'm not. You should see my e-mail box. Apparently, you are.


Let's cut to the chase: KNBR cut away from that puny little hockey game in Sochi this morning, you know, that game, Russia versus the United States, a thriller, great game, controversy and all. That game that had millions of people in North America waking up at the ungodly hour of 4: 30 AM...and why did KNBR cut away? To air "Hooked on Golf", I swear to God.

 Let's go over some background. KNBR is first and foremost, all about money. That's OK. If the Giants were playing an exhibition game against the Astros, I'll bet you good money they'd have switched from the hockey game too. Like I said, it's all about $$ at the leader--that's why they're running 30 minutes of commercials on some programs--the last thing they care about is their core audience, the listeners. But we digress.

This hockey game leave-beauty is ridiculous, even by KNBR standards. Even the "Hooked" guys were embarrassed. Apparently, the phone lines of infuriated people was off the chart. For good reason.

This dubious display of high dumbness is brought to you by Lee Hammer, the oft-mentioned Knibber Opps Mgr, who will no doubt get the riot act read to him by whomever calls the big calls over at the SF Cumulus cluster, perhaps Buster Bluto.

I'm giving a Hammer thought process seminar now.

** Perhaps Friday he didn't take into account that USA-Russia was running on his radio station, and thus, the idea of airing the regularly-scheduled program, "Hooked", never entered into his cranium.

** "Hooked on Golf", I'm guessing, is a brokered program. Or something like that. Where the time is bought and the guys get the cash or its traded out--something of a combination, either way, KNBR is getting paid. And that puny little hockey game in Sochi, as big as it is, doesn't put any money in the pocket of the Leader, therefore we get the Saturday morning golf show and its assorted guys in Lafayette working on their short-game, listeners.

An abomination? Sure but not surprising. Even the golf guy at the Chronicle was pissed.

Wonder what hockey nut, Ray Ratto, was feeling? Wait, he works at KNBR. Pass.

This much is sure--Hammer's inbox, come Monday, is sure to be filled if it isn't already. In the good old days of radio, something like this would have, could have, been the cause of one's demise. But KNBR is owned by Cumulus and The Power of Radio people have little regard for customer care and welfare, you stinkin' hockey puck!

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