The Latest on KGO Morning Diva Natasha Zouves; Recovering from Hair Mousse Fall and Contemplating Legal Action Against KGO/Disney; Castro MIA Probably $-Related; Deanno Talks at KPIX Still On-Going; He Wants More Dough; Darya Folsom Still Embarrassing KRON; Papa Will Make Adjustment to New Niners Gig; Rothmann/Owens Spiral Down at KGO Radio; Hot Rumor: 'Toonces, The Driving Cat' New PD? Friday Feast

Natasha Zouves

I WAS THE FIRST to tell you what went down with Natasha Zouves at KGO-TV. She's been home recovering from her hair goo slippage and planning a return to her Southern California roots. She's still on the mend and playing footsy about her status.

I e-mailed her and asked what was happening (giving her a chance to formally respond) and she said virtually nothing. I expected that. Remember, she might not be ready for primetime. Furthermore, she's no favorite in the newsroom either.

Here's another whammy: while she's essentially gone from KGO she has pondered a worker's comp suit against Circle7 and ABC; that would complicate her next gig in LA but don't rule out anything.

CASTRO MIA BUT...

Meanwhile, Jessica Castro, who's been filling in for Zouves has not been on the air since January 10 and no one at KGO seems to know why.

Jessica Castro

I have a source who speculates that Castro is pissed off at her paltry salary compensation (low six figures) and placement in the KGO morning presence. Castro can pout all she wants; she doesn't have any leverage and she knew full well that Disney (which owns ABC) doesn't pay their 4th-tier anchors any decent money. So too Zouves which might explain why she's considering suing the company.

DEANNO TALKS CONTINUE

My report about KPIX wanting to try weather guy, Paul Deanno in a hybrid news/weather gig is still in talks stage but if that venture would to emerge, Deanno wants to be paid more money. It figures that CBS would take care of Deanno if he performed both as a news anchor and weather talent. Especially if that were to include his presence in the evening.

Brian Hackney does the same job but on the weekend and doesn't get any added money. Then again, Hackney is way down the totem pole at PIX working on the cheap and has been downgraded for years. He might be viewed as bright and engaging but he's a virtual retread at 855 Battery.

Paul Deanno

Deanno is seen as an emerging presence on news; if that's the case (and I agree) then why not just 86 him from weather and make him a full-time anchor on news alone. Which seems to be what Deanno might be inferring --here's a rumor: Deanno replaces the forever bitter-beer-face-looking, Alan Martin.

*IT HAS BEEN SAID TIME AND TIME AGAIN, but bears repeating every so often: Darya Folsom continues to EMBARRASS KRON. Sure, KRON has a lot to be embarrassed about but Folsom's continuing circus show in the morning is a sad ass spectacle; she has no shame; she doesn't give a damn about what almost everyone else thinks and she KILLS whatever credibility KRON has by her BS presence on its morning news.

Darya Folsom performing journalism on KRON morning

If KRON brass thinks she helps the ratings, they're sadly mistaken. She's in actuality a detriment to the operation and nobody looks at her anymore nor takes her seriously. She's a nothing; a nobody and her boobs have been a non-story for years. The only BOOB that thinks she still got it is her boyfriend/slave master/schophant, Aaron Pero, the News Director that keeps  job because he possesses state secrets and has compromising pictures in a local bank safe. I'm joking on the latter but who knows.

THIS AND THAT

*New 49ers PBP broadcaster, Greg Papa, is great on radio and I like his 95.7FM 'The Game' takes, but it's questionable he'll stay on that show once football season starts; I can't imagine The Game allowing a rival (KNBR) talent on their air but it's just a guess.

Greg Papa

An analysis on Papa doing 49ers: the professional and talented Papa will make the adjustment to broadcasting Niners' football and easy one. Over the years, I've been critical of Papa but I've never questioned his broadcast ability and football acumen. He's damn good. His pivot to the 49ers from twenty years with the Raiders will be unusual and jarring at first but eventually people will get used to his play-by-play. Probably more an adjustment for Niners' fans then Raiders' rooters.

*Speaking of the Raiders while the world awaits their home (before Vegas) next year, where will they be on radio? Hardly a word. They will NOT be on KCBS that's for sure.

*Internal issues galore and a plethora of turmoil inside their respective newsrooms: KTVU and KGO-TV.

*If and when KGO Radio has a new/latest 2019 iteration, both John Rothmann and hanger-on, Ronn Owens will not have any role. Owens has been drifting away on the horrifically awful, "Ronn Owens Report" and Rothmann, whose stock has continued a steady spiral downward has been told he'll have no position there, only as a perpetual fill-in, if at all.

Meanwhile, a HOT RUMOR!! New KGO Radio PD? Hard to believe but word on the street is the PD will be Toonces, The Driving Cat! Wow, now that's some extraordinary depth by the fearless kitty!

Toonces the Driving Cat

How Mark Davis Screwed Over Greg Papa with $500K Raiders' Broadcast Gig; Papa 'Lifer' Position with Al Davis Ultimately 86ed; Musburger Hire Ultimate Middle Finger to Eastbay Fans; 415 Media Broadcast Inside Analysis

Mark Davis

NOW EX-RAIDERS BROADCASTER, Greg Papa --replaced by the young and ebullient  79 year-old Brent Musburger-- was aced out of his gig by Mark Davis, the imbecile managing partner who's been battling Papa for over a decade.

As I reported here, Papa was beloved by the late Al Davis; Mark's father had a quasi "Raider lifer" arrangement with Papa that was essentially broken by the petulant younger son.

Papa was so close to Al that at one point senior Davis had considered giving him a non-broadcast, football-oriented job to Papa because he thought highly of Pop's football intellect. It never materialized because Papa was clearly not qualified.

The broadcast booth was another story. Papa thought all along that once the team was headed to Vegas he would have the green light to join them even though he'd been battling several personal issues of late including a divorce, a case of severe vertigo and his ongoing argument with Mark Davis. Papa didn't really want Vegas; sure, like Bill King, the late, great Eastbay broadcaster, took the LA gig because, like Vegas, it's only an hour plane ride from the Bay Area, and he could still handle his A's duties and be near the Raiders. Of course Al Davis was alive back then and like Papa, loved Bill King and wanted him to remain with the organization.

Greg Papa

Mark Davis and Greg Papa were another story. Mark had no love for Papa; hated him. Papa didn't have any respect and detested the younger Davis. In fact, Papa used to tell Raiders' officials behind the scenes that Mark was an unintelligent fool. I'm paraphrasing but it was, and is, the truth.

And now with the hiring of Musburger Davis has effectively won the power play over Papa. And now Papa is out; how big a gig? Papa was paid nearly $500,000 a year to broadcast Raiders' games. For a guy like Papa with a lot of overhead that's a lot of money to suddenly kiss goodbye.

Brent Musburger

So now Davis has once again given a middle finger to Oakland fans with the hiring of the antiseptic and old Musburger and the heave-ho of one of the team's most legendary broadcasters. The Black Hole and Eastbay broadcast scene is mourning and Greg Papa is no longer a "Raider lifer." Mark Davis ultimately sacked the last remnant of authentic, Oakland Raider radio.

Oakland Raiders' Great Marv Hubbard Passes; 'Old Mother Hubbard'; John Madden Comments

 Marv Hubbard defined the Raiders of the 70's. He was mean, tenacious, rugged and fierce. Funny too. A real character. He didn't have the perfect football body but just gritty and big enough to play running back.


They called him "Old Mother Hubbard." Hubbard had the definitive spike, the closest thing to the real deal when diving into the end zone.


Hubbard died on Monday just a few days short of his 69th birthday.


John Madden talks about Marv Hubbard. (From KCBS)


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Oakland Gets Special Treatment When It's Rioting Time in Bay Area; SF Less Sexy; KTVU Worst Offender; Annie Anderson KRON Update; CSNBA's Wofford, Romanowski, and Neal are Blunt Raiders Readers; Monday Starter

 MONDAY STARTER

A reader here constantly asks me why is it that when violent protests take place in the city, those protests are given scant coverage, yet when same protests are in Oakland, the local stations always seem to highlight Oakland.

It's simple: Oakland is a convenient target --blue collar, (read Black); San Francisco is regal, high-tech, glamorous and beneath such activity, (read White).

Just this morning, KCBS' Susan Leigh Taylor asked Phil Matier,  "were you surprised the violent protests in Oakland crossed the bay over to SF?" As if the city weren't ever subject to the same mob scene like that in the Eastbay. How absurd.

KTVU is, hands down the worst in this department. KTVU typically leads with an anti-Oakland bias --not just Ferguson protests but murders too. Channel 2 consistently lead with the Oakland mayhem last week but was curiously low-key on the violence that took place in SF/Union Square Friday night. Maybe they don't want to piss off Macys or irritate the SF Chamber of Commerce. Those of you that watch Channel 2 know precisely the pattern. It's even more scathing when KTVU studios are in Jack London Square but you wouldn't know because KTVU never mentions that--they're too busy knocking the 510. But when it involves that Walnut Creek fountain, they're all over it.

*Sports took a back seat to real life and reality Sunday. Those players from the St. Louis Rams posed a "hands up--don't shoot" look before the game. CBS Television, to their credit, showed the entire episode and mentioned it again during the game.

Greg Papa, part of 95.7 FM, The Game's radio coverage, (they're the Raiders radio flagship here), never mentioned it, (I didn't hear it, maybe you did), even as protests took place mere miles from the stadium and extra police, the National Guard, and security lined the field.

*If Annie Andersen isn't a fake stage name I'm Ron Burgandy.

*KRON could embellish "People Behaving Badly" and have Stanley Roberts tail Annie Andersen incognito. (Hell, I'd watch).

*I predicted back in early November that a few good December storms would ease the drought a bit and everyone got all snippy --we'll, guess what--we have a storm door piled up in the Pacific and there was minor flooding in Marin on Sunday. So when you see those "Storm Watch" live shots, remember my words.

*Today is December --when holiday parties and the Christmas spirit permeate the local media...and when pink slips are given out. What classy operations.

*Nervous minds: KPIX, KGO-TV, KGO Radio especially.

*Post Raiders mayhem upside: The refreshing, candid, BLUNT conversation after the 52-0 debacle in St. Louis on CSNBA's Raiders Report. I've been overly critical of Henry Wofford but he, Bill Romanowski and Lorenzo Neal all were superb in their take-no-prisoners account of that dreadful exhibition. Romanowski didn't hide his disgust and called the Raiders "beyond embarrassing." Neal was just as emphatic and called out the players and said it was "time for major change." Wofford set the tone early by asking some uncomfortable questions that needed to be asked. It was nice to see this as opposed to some innocuous post-game nonsense that never seems to inject an ounce of reality.

*Annie Anderson of KRON wants to have dinner in bed with Peyton Manning; funny me, I was thinking she was a George Rask kind of guy.

*Liam Mayclem: My dream was to become a foodie chap.

*Narsai David: Screw you Mayclem, I got your foodie chap right here!

*Chef Ryan Scott: May a caramelized onion invade both your boxers!

*Foodie Wars.

*Rough week for Scott: he was preempted by Cal Football: word is he stuck an avocado in Oski's backside.

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The Five Highest-Paid Sports Broadcasters In The San Francisco Bay Area; Jon Miller, SFGiants PBP, Numero Uno

 TOP FIVE

1. Jon Miller: SF Giants-- $625,000

2. Mike Krukow/Duane Kuiper: SF Giants: SF Giants--$575,000 a piece.*

3. Greg Papa: Comcast, Entercom, Oakland Raiders: $529, 000

4. Gary Radnich: KNBR/KRON: $500,000

5. Ted Robinson: SF 49ers, assorted clients: $500,000

*Excluding Endorsements

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Bill King Doesn't Need The Hall of Fame For Affirmation

 Does Bill King belong in the HOF? Of course. But the thing is, were Bill alive today, he'd be laughing and saying, "enough, please, just enough," along with a few other coarse things not appropriate but we won't go there.

 

The thing is ...BILL KING doesn't need the baseball HOF, or any hall for that matter. And Bill, again, would be the first to say that. Those of us who had the pleasure and honor of listening to the master for many of those years knew Bill was Bill and Bill doesn't need any damn affirmation to be the legend that he is and was. Damn the awards, the accolades, the fake, pimped-up, vote-stuffing, contests to get Bill in some kind of artificial contest.

 

I was fortunate to get to know Bill and beyond being just a great broadcaster, a real announcer, Bill King was one of nicest people in the business. He was gracious, kind, had an incredibly terrific sense of humor and was the consummate professional in and out of the booth. A gentleman.

 

Awards are great. But Bill King not being elected to be in the HOF doesn't mask the affinity nor diminish Bill's legacy in the history of the play-by-play business. All of us who listened to him courtside doing the Warriors; the Raiders, the A's, Bill being Bill was good enough for us. We don't need, nor did Bill, any superficial award--his work transcended any sort of award. Bill is up there in heaven looking down and laughing. I'm pretty damn sure.

 

The HOF needs Bill King more than Bill King needed the HOF.

 

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Tribute: Bill King Passing Eight Years Ago Today; The Greatest Ever; Holy Toledo

 I'm reminded it was eight years ago Friday of the passing of longtime Bay Area broadcaster, Bill King.

More than just the greatest broadcaster in Bay Area history, King was classy; the consummate professional; a master wordsmith who transcended sports and was a part of the Bay Area cultural landscape--oh, and a very nice gentleman too.

Miss you Bill King.

Holy Toledo!




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KRON And the Raiders Sunday Night Special Makes For Compelling Sports TV in Bay Area

  KRON went big-time Sunday night and for the most part, pulled it off. Like the good old days. If you like pro football, that is.

1001 Van Ness picked up the Raiders-San Diego Chargers game, (from the NFL Network), that began at the ungodly 8: 35 PM, (11: 35 on the East Coast). Granted, it was primetime but it was also a Sunday night. Don't tell that to KRON.

They pulled out the old guard. The star weeknight players, including Pam Moore, Gary Radnich, and suddenly-emerging Justine Waldman straight from the Coliseum mosh pit. (Waldman in black--hot!).

All of this, of course, had to do with the A's playoff schedule. The Raiders game was an original 1 PM starter but the late A's contest on Saturday necessitated the 8: 35 Raiders special. How many times have you seen this?

KRON began its Sunday night newscast at 8 as a prelude to the upcoming game and although it looked and sounded kind of loopy at the start, I commend KRON for making the most of it. I mean, when you have a piece of content that is the most valuable TV commodity in the biz, you might as well take advantage of it. I'm sure this oddity was KRON's biggest-watched event in its post-NBC-affiliate history.

Moore looked excited and carried the proceedings well. Radnich looked a bit annoyed but carried the ship. Even the weekday weather lady had a more noticeable bounce to her. My oh my.

Then there was the game --the Raiders looked so good and Terrelle Pryor so gargantuan that Twitter began begging for more Sunday night late NFL football games and the evolution of a strange alliance had its origin: the Raiders and KRON, (huh? --how unlikely and utterly giggly).

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Rating the 49ers and Raiders Radio Broadcasting Team; It's Time for Football; Ted Robinson and Eric Davis; Greg Papa and Tom Flores

    SF 49ers Radio: KNBR, KGO, The Bone
    Ted Robinson: Play-by-Play
    Eric Davis: commentary

    This is a very good team. Robinson's pin-point play-by-play is excellent and well-coordinated. Ted gets some heat from critics who say his style is stale and understated. That's his best asset. He is crisp and concise. He excites when he has to and doesn't go crazy and homer up if the situation isn't warranted. I appreciate Robinson's willingness to criticize the 49ers if they play crummy. The Bay Area has never warmed to homers.

Davis has become a lot more of an accomplished broadcaster. His ex-jock status gives listeners an inside look at particular plays, always welcome. On the other hand, ex-players tend to resist hardened criticism. Not so with Davis who has elevated his off-field game in the booth. Plus, as evident on 49ers broadcasts, he's developed a chemistry with Robinson that makes the two as good and fluid as ever.

RATING: A




Oakland Raiders Radio: 95.7 FM--The Game
Greg Papa: Play-by-Play
Tom Flores: Commentary

Greg Papa is the consummate professional. His broadcast style is neatly-paced and loaded with a lot of information, particularly when it comes to the players and plays themselves. I like Papa a lot. He has a tendency to get overly excited even if the Raiders are hopelessly behind, (that might be especially evident this year) and his signature "Touchdownnnnnnnnnn Raiders!" call is his staple. But when the home team is down, 23-0 in the 4th quarter, there's something wrong. On the other hand, Papa knows his game, has a steady, comfortable delivery and gives a quality broadcast.

Tom Flores, the former coach, is a puzzle. He obviously knows what he's talking about, but his constant "we" references are irritating and lend credence to his homer critics. In addition, Flores has a nasty habit of openly cheering on various plays. It's great for the booster club people but on a broadcast, it's deadly. I hope Flores tones that down and sticks to the basics. He can be happy and excited as long as it's measured and expected.

GRADE: B-

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Enlightenment, Gary Radnich Style; KNBR Host/Show Tackles Gay Rights and Depression but Whiffs

Gary Radnich pulled off a minor miracle on his KNBR sports chat show Monday. He actually brought some enlightenment to a show that could use a healthy dose from time to time.

But Radnich, ever so mindful of exerting his usual banal Garyisms, let dumbness carry over and reverted to basic Raddy formula.

Radnich, and partner, Larry Krueger, interviewed new Raiders punter, Chris Kluwe at the top of the 10 AM hour. Kluwe is not your typical jock-is-stupid principal. In fact, Kluew is an outspoken supporter of gay rights and possesses a relatively breath of fresh air in the professional athlete circuit. In addition, he has a good sense of humor and is a helluva punter too. He even said Ray Guy belongs in the NFL Hall of Fame. But that wasn't the gist of the interview nor should it have been.

Radnich and Krueger asked good, pointed questions. Radnich even told Kluwe that "you're too smart to be a football player." It was meant as a compliment and Kluwe reacted as much. In other words, Kluwe isn't this guy.

Shortly after talking about Kluwe's candidness and marveling about his adroitness, Radnich punted, metaphorically speaking,  and soon reminded us about the old Gare.

Out of nowhere, Radnich brought up Terry Bradshaw. Bradsahw, the Fox NFL analyst has suffered from clinical depression for many years and has talked about it openly. Radnich thought this wasn't good. "Why would he talk about this?" Why wouldn't he, Gare? Maybe it's his way of dealing with the disease. Radnich didn't back down. In fact he was incredulous. "How can this guy act like a goof on the air and then tell someone about his problems?" Uh, maybe Gare, you should read a little more about the subject matter. It's in the arena, you just didn't get the memo.

Radnich could draw from this severe lack of intelligence, sensitivity, and his own enlightenment by maybe exploring the issues. It's too bad too because this used to be one of the guy's forte--not now.  The guy who tells people that their not relevant unless they have a family and kids, is life-challenged. Even when he kills on operation doofus, he still manages to whiff.

Depression is no laughing matter. It requires thought and education, not laughter and belittlement. Simple common sense and reflection. Maybe actual real-life subject matter too far up over the KNBR/Radnich pay grade.


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Oakland Raiders have New Radio Partner; 95.7 FM 'The Game' new Flagship Station for Silver and Black

The Raiders have left the Death Valley of Radio and signed on with 'The Game', (95.7 FM), Entercom's All-Sports FM outlet. That's good news, although ironically the station, (which is also the flagship outlet of the A's), also has a poor signal that is hard to hear in many parts of the Bay Area.

Nevertheless, it's good that the Raiders have at least signed onto a station that has a sports brand; more importantly, local talk shows that can be utilized to talk pro football and the Raiders, in particular.

Greg Papa and Tom Flores will continue on as the broadcast team--Papa returning to do the play-by-play and Flores providing analysis.


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