Thursday, November 3, 2011

Monte Poole no longer doing local radio; 'It's a compensation issue'


Monte Poole, respected, veteran Oakland Trib  columnist and Comcast SportsNet Bay Area contributor, is no longer doing local sports radio shows.

Why? It's all about the money. Fairness too.

"I'm only doing out-of-town shows and Gary Radnich on KRON, (TV)--that's it, " he told me.

Seems Poole was miffed that while many Bay Area writers were being paid, (either on KNBR or 95.7 FM--"The Game"), others, including Poole were not being compensated, thus Poole decided to stop doing shows.

"What's fair is fair and that's why I'm doing what I'm doing. It's not a big deal--I just thought if other people are getting paid, so should I."

Indeed, local sports outlets like 95.7 and KNBR pay some local writers, (commonly known as "Insiders"). Most writers who do get paid receive relatively low stipends, anywhere from $50 to $100 per show appearance, depending on name.

Few writers, if any, get anything significantly higher. There's only one John Madden.

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15 comments:

  1. Radnich explanation was so convoluted and mumbled on the radio it wasn't clear what he meant. He couldn't just say,"My show will pay Bruce Jenkins,and not Monte". You can figure why a Lee Hammer run station for the Dickheads might discriminate.And why Raddy is fine with that.
    Yes,I know Monte says he will do KRON for free,because Radnich is always playing his race card of "I married a black woman" to African Americans. If they ever asked him about his politics,they would know he's no bro.

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  2. Monte is a solid, steady, unspectacular journalist who has lasted 25 years in the bay area because he knows how to do his job well.
    I'm not saying anything negative about some of the other guys, but the thing I like about Monte perhaps most is that he doesn't have the ego that so many of these other 'insiders' seem to have. He's a secure guy, not always having to wave his arms around and yell: "HEY LOOK AT ME, THIS IS WHAT I KNOW...I'M THE ALL-KNOWING SPORTS GUY!"

    Monte also has a good sense of humor and one gets the feeling that he might have actually played some sports fairly well when he was younger.

    Not saying you have to be an ex-jock to be a good sports writer or broadcaster, but understanding the athlete's mentality from a
    first-hand experience doesn't hurt, especially
    when you're having to go talk to these guys in the clubhouses and lockerooms after tough losses.
    And I don't blame the guy for not wanting to contribute to a radio station if they're going to pay his fellow writers but not compensate him. No one should work for free unless you're volunteering to help someone or something (you kid's school, a charitable foundation, etc)

    Keep up the good work Mr Poole! A longtime Oakland Trib reader.

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  3. Monte seems like a cool dude from what I can tell, and he's an excellent columnist too. I would rather listen to him talk with Tolbert for three hours a day than to have to endure more Ralph B. When Monte is on Chronicle Live he's always got great takes. Bummer to hear that he's not being treated as fairly as the other writers who do segments on the local radio programs.

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  4. @6:08

    Hey numbnuts, politics got nothing to do with race.

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  5. lol @ 6:08...
    funny shit
    anyways, love monte poole. need to get that dude on twitter though!

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  6. I don't blame Monte for telling them go to stack bbs. I wouldn't appear for free either. I don't know what the hell these people in corporate America want. . . for everyone to work for free? Joke. And Good for Monte. F*ck em.

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  7. Asians and blacks will not be paid, so what's new?

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  8. I wonder if Monte ever has the guts to wonder why Radnich calls him "His favorite columnist"..and It's Jenkins and Ostler he pays,but not Monte? Hmm,I do think that there are NO local paid black writers that are on Gary's show. Goodby MT2 too....

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  9. Good for Monte, he's is one of the best sports journalists, not performer, journalists in this area. I'm sorry I won't be able to hear more his well thought out comments. Instead, I'll get a complete Kardashian breakdown from some middle aged clown with his cap on backwards.

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  10. Good for Monte Poole. That man has courage and guts.

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  11. 9:09 excellent comment.
    The numbskull on KNBR from 9-noon is another dolt who spends countless hours disucssing latest Hollywood starlet.
    I often wonder why HE doesn't just give up sports and start his own Entertainment Tonight program for raido listeners.
    He certainly has no interest in SPORTS.

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  12. The blogger has a screw lose.

    Oh what do we do no Monte Pool?.

    If he was into self-preservation

    he would realize his guests call

    in slots promote the Monte Pool brand.

    Don't see any billboards or tv flights

    promoting his column, not like people

    are running out to buy a paper due to

    his column either. If he was bringing

    value to the table believe me they would

    pay him. He's a good not great columnist.

    Also not all "insiders" are equal. A good

    insider should bring advertiser interest.

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  13. I agree with 9:09 and 12:15; Gary should be the next Mary Hart .. and he's got the "gams" to prove it!

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  14. I was listening to Damon Bruce the Monday after Handshake Gate and he let loose with a rant on the whole local 'paid insiders' fiasco.

    His point was on the day after the biggest win for the 49ers in the last 10 years, he could not get a local rag writer on the to discuss because they were all butt hurt at not being paid. He called them out by name: "I know your listening Kawakami", he called out Cohn also. Best line: "hey were paying Ratto as an 'insider' and we can't even find him" (pretty sure he sleeps them off until at least noon).

    What I find amusing is as we witness the dying end of print media, here are these clowns crying over the guy with the free pressbox ticket next to their free ticket getting an extra 50 bucks.

    Here's whats going to happen to you Poole, Cohn, Timmy: the national guys (Mike Sando, Clayton, Silver) will just take your slot and smartly promote their sports presence to the 20,000 listeners while you slip back to obscurity.

    Been nice hearing you... Better re-up that real estate license.

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  15. "Courage and guts" ? More like simplistic thinking and stupidity. As 9:04 pointed out it's a dying business. Now Poole just cut off one easy way to promote his column. It's called survival.

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