Bill Romanowski Tweet about Cam Newton 'Boy' is Ignored by Bay Area Sports Media; Only Chronicle Reports; KNBR MIA, So Too 'The Game'

You probably saw news (albeit scarce) about the controversial Bill Romanowski tweet about Cam Newton.

This post is not about whether Romanowski's tweet was OK (it's since been deleted) For the record, the former 49ers' and Raiders' player who is now a commentator on CSNBA called Newton a "boy."

Romanowski apologized and said the "boy" reference was taken out of context, which I believe is the case; I'm not much a fan of Romanowski but I don't think he meant anything more onerous other than calling out Newton for his shitty post-game Super Bowl press conference.

What I will call out is the fact that beyond the Chronicle, no one in the Bay Area sports media has reported on the story, most notably Comcast Sports Net Bay Area, which employs Romo. Not a peep.

Of course, KNBR didn't say a word either; so to 95.7 FM "All Sports" The Game. (Damon Bruce did a couple of segments on BR but they were fairly short and innocuous)--  I'm not shocked these radio miscreants didn't say a word because real-world issues is a foreign subject matter at KNBR and The Game, pretty much the same. Unless the world were to explode, don't look for any non-sports reportage at either of the outlets although The Game is better here than KNBR. That's not saying much.

The bigger deal here is by refusing to even acknowledge what's been reported on the news domain reinforces the image of Bay Area sports media protecting its own. It's a bad look. It also assumes the Bay Area sports fans are a bunch of ill-informed mutants who don't care about anything other than box scores and tailgate parties.

Time will tell.

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Sure, KPIX Milked Super Bowl 50 But They Had No Choice; No-Win Situation; Michael Savage 'Adulation'? He's No Poser; Tolbert is Killing Damon Bruce; Chip Franklin is a Whore; KTVU and FOX Factoids; Smile, Peggy Bunker; Ronn's EGO is 'Yuge'; Thursday 415 Media Nuggets and Truth Bullets

 SURE, KPIX MILKED ITS SUPERBOWL 50 COVERAGE--I've read all your e-mail and understand those of you frustrated that PIX went way overboard and basically became a shill for CBS and the game.

Well, for starters, CBS owns KPIX, an O and O (owned and operated station)--they damn well can do what they please.

That's not an excuse for the excess coverage, it's just a fact. PIX was caught in a no-win situation: too much SB 50 coverage, they're screwed. Too little and then it's, "hey, where are you? Asleep at the wheel?"

The fact is, KPIX, did what it had to do and based on early numbers, they made a shitload of money for themselves and took advantage of the BIGGEST spectacle in American Sports. The Super Bowl is BIG, gigantically BIG and this year's rendition, the 50th, took place in the Bay Area. It was a SUPER, glorious week, culminating a super, glorious day. The weather was spectacular and the eye candy was out of sight. And I'm not even talking about Beyoncé at halftime. So, I have plenty of issues with PIX but THIS isn't one of them.

STOP the PRESSES.

*Speaking of e-mail: "Rich, why all the 'Michael Savage' adulation?" It's simple, I've said repeatedly that I'm a fan. Have you seen or listened to the dreck out there? Michael Savage is NO POSER. He moves the needle like no one else. He clearly has the most ENTERTAINING, LISTENABLE and PROVOCATIVE program on radio. Nobody does a show like Savage. And for good reason: Savage is the kingmaker, the provocateur. You may have contempt and disdain over his style but admit that he hooks you. He's NOT a POSER like the rest of you guys. If I sound like a shill, sue me. It's called pointing out a unique and lavish radio spread. Savage goes overboard, of course HE DOES! That's why we all listen. You want vanilla and wonder bread, listen to the gadget man on KGO, Mr. Softie, the guy that sells mattresses and talks about his gadgets.

*Speaking of KGO Radio, hey, I hear Jason Middleton, the "tech and business reporter" is a nooner kind of guy with a fondness for certain morning TV personalities.

*The KGO Morning News gigglers --"JJ and Bristow": I haven't heard more cackling since I was at a Bobby Slayton gig at the Punchline.

*John Lobertini: the most egotistical, obnoxious, sexist, asswipe on local radio. He reminds me of me.

*Chef Ryan Scott: Ronnnnnnnn's food bitch and second-place runner-up to the KGO brown toilet paper society. Multiple first place candidates including the guy who fills in for Ronnnnnnnnnnn and defended Cosby early on so he could keep his opener gig for Mr. Suxtable. Not a genuine funny man.

*The grand experiment of competition between "The Game's" PM Sports driver, Damon Bruce and KNBR's Tom Tolbert is no contest. Tolbert is DESTROYING Bruce. Yeah, Bruce has some sellable demos. Tolbert has more listeners. And if you could take away some of the 3000 minutes of commercials from Tolbert's show, you'd have a sports audio nirvana.

*Then there's the morning putz on KNBR, Raddy, who EVERY DAY talks about "you know, you have to have a wife and kids, show some responsibility , BLAH, BLAH, BLAH....Yeah, Gary, just stay the hell out of the Tenderloin and not cheat on your first wife too.

*"Hi, I'm Chip Franklin: I'm an alleged radio host who sells fungus care, toilet paper, financial data, teeth whiteners, toenail cutters, pink pillows, ass cleansers, corn dog mix and oh yeah, rich uncles too--if you have a product, I'll whore it. I don't care. Thanks, I'm Chip Franklin."

*If Mike Pechner and Brian Sussman (weather minions extraordinaire) say Steve Paulson is really good, then KTVU better pay up soon or they might have to call Hackney. He does not talk like a pirate.

*KTVU mantra: We talk. We talk a lot now. (Thanks FOX, for fucking up the BEST station ever) We will talk even if it means talking about nothing and talking out loud because we just have to TALK now, its in our DNA. WE WILL TALK UNTIL IT's TIME.

*Ross Palombo: KRON's disinfectant for KTVU. Added benefit: he loved talking like a pirate. AhRRR!

*Today on his Facebook page, Frank Somerville will talk about the time he was choked up when he saw a picture of a little Italian man with diapers on who played the cello. Frank is in tears.

*Mark Ibanez: "I never met a blond with heels in the parking lot I didn't like."

*BREAKING NEWS: No Pat McCormick death reports.

*Roberta Gonzales: "Margaritas for everyone!--Hey barkeep, leave the bottle!"

*Another peculiar phenomena at KTVU, (I'm being serious for a change) is the TREMENDOUS disconnect between the GM and ND and some news people in the building. The only people he (Kelly) and she (Hahn) talk to are the ass kissers (like Somerville) who only talk because they fear for their job. Really, they now know they can be REPLACED in a minute. Fox doesn't value talent like COX did even though Cox has some issues of its own. But Cox would have never tolerated the CRAP that comes out of KTVU these days. Had they been aware of the "Pirate" shit and other anal warts HEADS WOULD HAVE ROLLED.

A majority of the KTVU people are fine folks just trying to make a living; some of them are great reporters and anchors who've been caught up in an ownership typhoon. They manage to keep their class and dignity and not SELL OUT like certain anchors in the sports department and a guy with hair plugs.

*John Madden missed the Super Bowl on KCBS. That's troubling.

*Peggy Bunker has early signs of early Claudine Wong disease: Peg, you need to smile again. C'mon, you can do it.

*When a Domestic Violence case involving two morning TV anchors who are married and sex and affairs are a part of the story, sorry, it's fair game. And a part of the story too because one of the parties who was so consumed with POWER that, in her quest to be on top (no pun) she went to all means to keep her gig, no matter what.

Court appearance, Feb. 22. Even if the Mercury News or Chronicle won't cover it, I WILL.

*Mark Matthews: Did you not forget to send Kevin Keeshan a Christmas card?

*Ronn's ego is so huge that he uses his proxies like Middleton and Scott as temporary feel-good players. The instant second that they do him no good is the instant second he drops them. Ronn is in it for Ronn period. That's enabled him to buy used Mercedes for his wife.

*That new sports guy on KRON has been MIA but nobody cares. Maybe Radnich thought he was a secret agent from Columbus and buried him in the back of the Bentley.

*Mike Amatori: "Even though Ronnnnn screwed me, I'm still gonna kiss his ass because he's Ronnnnnnnn."

*The very best political TV reporter is this town, Mark Curtis, formerly of KTVU, (and now reporting in West Virginia); don't ever invite Curtis to Dave Clark's birthday party. Ever.

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Michael Savage Interview with Donald Trump Makes KGO's Ronn Owens Go Ballistic

Ronn Owens

 When he heard that Michael Savage scored an interview with Donald Trump, KGO Radio's morning tonsil, Ronn Owens, went uber-ballistic, according to a well-placed broadcast source. "He hit the wall, he was like, incredulous that Savage would be able to score Trump and he (Owens) would be denied."

First off, Savage, who was just voted the #1-rated talker from TSL, has interviewed Trump several times. Owens apparently didn't get the memo.

Michael Savage

Secondly, Owens is supremely jealous of Savage's reach and place. Yes, there's history here.

Owens' lamenting the fact that Savage has interviewed Trump (and other notables) extends to past rants from Owens and his various producers; at one point, Owens put out a mantra that if you did someone else's show first, you would NEVER be on Ronn's show, period.

That is laughable now as Owens' ratings are tanking and Savage is more popular than ever. No wonder El Lowenstein had a it-fit over learning of Trump's latest twenty minutes with the Savage Nation.

Oh well, Mr. Softie can always do another gadget show. He's real good at that.

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Savage to Trump on KSFO: 'Don't Go Soft, Stay Strong'; Wednesday Opener

 DONALD TRUMP's big win on Tuesday night in the New Hampshire primary was predicted by virtually all the polls; that said, Trump seemed rather muted for most of the week and that was brought forth by SF-based, national radio talker, Michael Savage, who told The Donald, directly, on his KSFO radio show "Do Go Soft, Stay Stronger."

This might have been the most unusual, and frankly, entertaining interview Savage has conducted. And yes, Savage has been unabashed in his support of Trump and has formally endorsed him.

Listen to Trump's response and how he reacts to Savage's missive--it's great radio; HERE'S THE FULL INTERVIEW.


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KPIX 'Kills' in Bay Area Super Bowl Coverage; CBS-SF O and O Delivers Record Number; Station Staff Elated; Boffo 5,6 and 11 PM

 THIS IS NOT ENTIRELY SHOCKING NEWS BUT KPIX HAD A RECORD-SETTING WEEK AS ITS CBS TV STATION/ HOST STATUS FOR SUPERBOWL 50 BAY AREA DELIVERED RECORD NUMBERS...

*February Sweeps add to solid numbers

*6PM --doubled its previous numbers from 2/15-- Firm #1 over KGO, KTVU, and KNTV

*5PM --A total "kill" as a news staffer put it.

*11 PM: Dominant numbers slaughter KGO and KNTV

*Game Day/Feb. 7: This goes without saying but KPIX ruled the day from about 11 AM until the end of the game, but contrary to national numbers (when many viewers skipped the game out of disinterest) here, locally, KPIX commanded the Bay Area night right to the end of its post-game summary. The numbers, even with SB assistance, are astounding. Maybe the highest numbers in PIX/CBS-SF history.


We don't have the entire breakdown --(we'll know more specifics soon enough); suffice to say, PIX did more than they had to do and quite unexpectedly, did a whole lot better.

Bruno Cohen (GM) and Dan Rosenheim (ND/VP) are chugging a lot of champagne.

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Monday Recovery; The Day After; CBS Coverage; NBC Choice; South Bay Domestic Violence TV Power Couple Update; ABC News Interested in KTVU's Paulson

 MONDAY RECOVERY

I assume all of you made it out alive, well, and kicking. The city is still in recovery mode; take a look at the long faces at the Embarcadero Bart station. Too many beers of course and not enough chicken wings, which I always thought were overrated to begin win; I stuck to supreme nachos with enough Velveeta to impress Herb Caen.

*CBS did a pretty good job with the game, broadcast and all, but I'm an NBC guy. The peacock network always seems to bring forth a more crisper show with better camera angles, better cameras period and on the field plus, I like Al Michaels and Chris Collinsworth. Jim Nantz is OK and decent but his occasional "this is bigger than life" moments reap a certain phoniness --he's probably a Republican. Phil Simms is just OK too and he talks way too much. So does Collinsworth but he's smart enough and I'm interested. Simms is Joe Theismann without the smarminess.

*Pete Rozell, the late, former NFL commissioner, used to joke (correctly) that God was an NFL fan because "it never rains on Super Bowl Sunday." Well, Rozell was right. Yeah, it rained in Miami a few years back but that's it.

It's been raining like hell here for the past month and suddenly, February feels like Palm Springs, to hell with El Nino. CBS and NFL execs, while taking a break from cocktails and hookers, had to be elated --so too, the city of Santa Clara.

*Contrary to popular opinion not everyone was thrilled with SB50. Boulevard restaurant on the Embarcadero was a virtual ghost town for most of the week but I'm never going to feel sorry for Nancy Oakes and her overrated, over-priced pork chops. Pass the shot of 1800.

*ABC News is really interested in KTVU weather guy, Steve Paulson, to the point where an offer will soon be on the table. Then again, Paulson, a Bay Area guy, seems comfortable in Oakland and better yet, doesn't talk like a pirate.

*The latest on the South Bay TV couple --he's being charged with a Domestic Violence hit (in court, Feb. 22) and she's wanting to nail him to the poor farm. His bank and checking accounts were raided. In the meantime, she was so determined to keep her power and position at the station to the point where she was having an affair with a married man who worked as the Interactive Media mgr and is now, too, a prominent radio guy for a SF radio station.

Denver 24 Carolina 10

Not the greatest Super Bowl. #DUH