Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Montemayor Leaves KGO/KNBR For Utah, (Thank God); Annoying Commercials; Pious Kate Scott and More Amy G; KNBR Overloads Spots on Tolbert show; Kuiper Hype for HOF While Bill King Ignored Embarrassing; Wednesday Notes



*Tim Montemayor, quite possibly the worst radio talk host in this city has moved on to Utah where he will be a PD and host at KFAN. The "Monty Show" had a piousness that would have made Bob Costas proud. The pregnant pauses, the smarmy self-righteousness of wretched excess. Have fun in Utah.

*A new contender for the worst radio commercial on the radio dial: The god-awful California Lottery spot with the Mamas and the Papa's "All the Leaves are Brown" jingle. Gag me, close my ears and get me out of the room and car when I hear that obnoxious audio train wreck. Makes the "You don't want to be a termite" dreck sound like a John Williams score.

*Not to be outdone, Allison Janney's continued carping for Kaiser is PC run amok. Her nasal, white, bitchy, middle-aged voiceovers is more reason enough to bash Kaiser. Every time I hear Janney and her manipulative bullshit, I cringe.

*More on Amy G which seems to have touched a nerve: she's a nice woman. It's not personal. Her style is just plain horrific and her voice would play a lot better in Bakersfield as opposed to SF. Granted, she's not a correspondent for 60 Minutes but the fact that Comcast would not read the room and see how much negative press she brings is revealing. Moreover, many of her most vocal critics are women.

*Speaking of Comcast, its new Yahoo Sports Live talk show has generated little if any news. Notice the various sports media people on the show say absolutely nothing? That, apparently, is the Comcast edict --don't rattle any feathers and piss off the clients. For once, I would just love to hear our local scribblers and sports stenographers and tonsils say something of substance that elicits reaction. Fat chance.

*Lots of style and absolutely zero substance: Knibber's Kate Scott. Says nothing. We're supposed to be enlightened by Ms. Scott's ability to rip off Radnich's nobody cares and be titillated by her frequent sexual orientation references. I couldn't care less about Scott's personal life. I'm not impressed with her work. It's an opinion. And oh, btw, Kate, just because some people like me don't care for you, we're not haters as you have labeled us on Twitter. Try critics.

*The 1050 AM guy from Noon-3 thinks his shit doesn't stink. I reminded him that it does. And while I still enjoy most of his work even though he's a prime primadonna with an ego the size of his Indiana roots, it's far better just to be better rather than telling everyone on the planet how great you are. You're not. 'Nuff said.

*Embarrassing: The Giants and KNBR hyping Duane Kuiper for the broadcast wing of the Baseball HOF while Bill King isn't in Cooperstown. Utter travesty.

*Why people turn away from local radio even when the show is good: Hour 1 of the Tolbert show on Knibber Monday: 4:01 to 4: 22: content. After that, the following: 4: 23: Four minutes of commercials. 4: 27: 10 seconds of content followed by MORE commercials from 27 after until 37 after. Ten minutes of contents followed by 10 more minutes of, yes, commercials. Almost half the show was devoted to spots. Thanks FCC.

Great for the 2 AE's left in the sales office but disaster for listeners who regularly e-mail about how they turn away from the station because of the overuse of spots. Greed is a nasty virtue, even in the radio biz.

*Follow me on Twitter

102 comments:

  1. Rich - I like Damon but he's feeling himself a little too much. I get it, he's the best in what shouldn't be, but is an incredibly shallow talent pool. Him and Jim Rome, the only guys I might listen to on terrestrial radio anymore. The rest are just hacks. But I get your point of view - Damon thinks highly of himself but it has less to do with him being a prick and more to do with him realizing that he's the best talent in a major market. What he needs to make note of is just how anemic the talent he's competing against.

    What drove me to comment is your mention of the inundation of commercials. This issue led me to drop traditional radio altogether and go satellite. Yes, there are still commercials but nothing like regular radio. I was actually offended by how irresponsible KNBR is with all of its commercials. I felt like shit was being shoved down my throat as I sat in traffic - wanting some type of sports conversation but instead was being blasted with bullshit ads. That was the last straw.

    Anyways - people blast you and I think you go overboard more than is necessary but whatever. I think you should pullback though. You make a lot of good points but when you're constantly hammering away on insignificant people like Montemayor or Kate Scott lol, it makes your more relevant rants just seem like babble.

    Word to the wise...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Unfortunately King covered small market teams with few listeners compared to the other markets AND did little nationally if at all.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. The Bay Area (meaning Oakland/SF/South Bay) is one of the biggest markets in the country. (SF and Oakland are the same market, remember.)

      No broadcaster's voice has been featured on NFL Films more than Bill's, except for John Facenda and Harry Kalas -- and they narrated for NFL Films.

      And how many local broadcasters do you know who had their own feature story in Sports Illustrated? (1975)

      -- Gaga V

      Delete
    2. The SI article was mainly about his quirky lifestyle, not his skills as a broadcaster. I remember there was more ink given to the description of his boat, cars and travel than to his work.
      That said, a darn good football and basketball play by play man.

      Delete
    3. King was offered national TV work in basketball, but refused to shave. Amongst some network types was the feeling that King and his goatee resembled the devil. If you watched "Damn Yankees" during that period, Ray Walston's goatee resembled that of Bill King.

      Delete
    4. Bill King was by far the very best NBA broadcaster I ever heard. With all due respect to Chick Hearn, if Bill King had been the voice of the Lakers the would have put his name up on the hill below the "Hollywood" sign.

      Delete
  3. Rich I agree with you on the Kaiser commercial but the all time worst is "Kars for Kids" with the "Geico Moneyclip," "Fireworks" or and other inanimate object that wants to shake you hand, buy you something or take you someplace a close second.

    As for Mr. T on KNBR I also agree. I used to listen when Ralph was on and he often drove me nuts but I always listened. So much has changed there. Tom and Ray can be good but there are so many commercials now and all these very short filler spots where there is no time to discuss anything of interest so they resort to inane yada yada to fill the few minutes before another useless sports update that tells us the same thing which is not new that they have been updating since the AM. That is followed by 8-9 minutes of commercials. I can't take it anymore!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're correct, the Kars for Kids spot is the absolute worst and the jazzed up version no better than the original. Any station that runs it immediately loses me as a listener. I wouldn't donate a flat tire to that organization. What an annoyance!

      Delete
  4. Bill King definitely belongs in Cooperstown, and he was an even better football and basketball announcer.

    Holy Toledo, I miss that guy!

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  5. Pretty cyclical with the usual suspects on here...one month Rich is antagonizing/"fair criticizing" someone, this gets amped up for awhile, then some huge summit/Twitter hug it out and makes nicey-nice, a few compliments, then a lull, then back to anatagonizing/"fair criticism" and the cycle commences again...

    "Will it go 'round in circles, oh yeahhhhh"

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  6. "*Embarrassing: The Giants and KNBR hyping Duane Kuiper for the broadcast wing of the Baseball HOF while Bill King isn't in Cooperstown. Utter travesty."

    THIS IS A FUCKING JOKE!

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  7. Monty and Utah are made for each other; good riddance...Bakersfield and Amy G? What did Bakersfield ever do to you? If we can get Sherman off of Mr. Peabody, he could set the way-back machine to 1982, Sherman Oaks for the cable access "Amy G. Oh Muh Gawwwd Hour w/ special guest Moon Zappa'

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  8. Wow great post today rich! Where to start....

    Never really listen to Tolbert anymore since Ralph left altho I do like Ray Ratto. Tolbert just seems too bland for me. Typical spots, typical responses, I don't know...just don't enjoy him.

    You are so correct about the spots on KGO. Same thing on Ronn's show. Talk for 5 minutes followed by 5 to 10 minutes of commercials. Rinse repeat. I think his 5 minutes of talk at a time is far worse.

    I agree with what you said about Damon. I turn him on, really start enjoying his show (especially over what KNBR is playing at that time, Rod and Bob), but he always says something that just annoys me so much that I turn the station. I remember one time he was ripping people who didn't have college degree's. That's probably 3/4 of your audience there Damon.

    Agreed on the commercial spots.

    Monty has started to grow on me. I'll somewhat miss him. Good luck in Utah.

    ReplyDelete
  9. It's Women Bashing Wednesday!

    also, blame the game for not doing more to promote Bill King and not KNBR. KNBR is the Giants station of course they are going to want to promote Kuiper. They get him in the hall, they have two HOF broadcasters in the booth.

    The flagship station of the A's is terrible in promoting their own. KNBR gets Duane and Mike on daily while Korach is doing KNBR hits. It's kind of funny that both PDs (Hammer and Barrett) will yell at staff if they talk about the A's too much

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    Replies
    1. Don't blame the "The Game" blame the A's. This A's ownership group has never been great at the PR game. You know why Lon Simmons is in the HOF? Because the Giants pushed for it. Bill King should be in the HOF, that's a no brainer. The A's need to understand that in this day and age, you have to promote the hell out of your brand. If you don't, you're not getting the attention you deserve.

      Delete
  10. Everyone who is a fan of John Rothmann e-mail, twitter whatever KGO and ask to have him back, in Montemayor's spot. Please

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    Replies
    1. I think there's a chance of that...not a big chance, but a chance!

      Delete
    2. John Rothmann is average at best. Hopefully the pd can develop something new. That's his job, right?

      Delete
    3. No John Rothmann is not average, he is way above average. He does not appeal to the masses, because he is extremely intelligent, can engage caller, does not yell and scream, most likely you are average, or you don't agree with him and don't like to hear another point of view, if John Rothmann is average, what in your opinion does that make Montemayor?

      Delete
  11. I would rather be stuck in Hell with stone temple pilots sour girl On auto play for ever. Than listen to one more Kaiser commercial. The only thing worse is KCBS Rhino Shield.

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    Replies
    1. You may not like the Kaiser ad campaign, but it's just not fair to beat up on Alison Janney for it. She didn't write the copy, she didn't design the campaign. She just got hired as a voice actor, and she's doing what she's paid for. It's not the same as Amy G. or Kate Scott, who are being a version of themselves on air. Janney is just reading someone else's words.

      Delete
    2. Plus she gets a pass from me for her brilliant work on West Wing!
      tom in sac

      Delete
    3. I'm laughing here about the Rhino Shield comment from 10:47. The guy they feature uses some unique grammar, that's for sure: "We could go around the building and stuck our fingers right through." Try "We could go around the building and stick our fingers right through." That and his other double-negative comment about the micro cracks that Rhino shield doesn't have that the competitors apparently also don't have. Nice double negative. In English grammar, as in math, two negatives create a positive, thereby making the competitor's product equivalent to Rhino Shield, rather than inferior to it.

      It's as bad as the product testimonial ads where someone is clearly reading printed copy, as they use long-A pronunciations that make them sound like country bumpkins, rather than someone speaking colloquial English. Nice. Makes me wonder what box of Cracker Jacks the spot's producer found his credentials in.

      Delete
  12. Thank f'ing God The "Monty" is gone. While running errands on the weekends, I couldn't turn my radio off fast enough at 10:00. Boy how I miss Gene Burns at that time.

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    Replies
    1. SOOOOOOO miss Gene Burns and ALL the programs he did. Always interesting. Always. (How can one cookie be made to sound so interesting??? Or one ingredient? You other fans know what I mean.) No body like him.

      Delete
  13. For an annoying voice, how about Jennifer Jones Lee on the KGO morning news. Sounds like it's an effort to talk and she's about to choke. So nice this week when she was not there as it has become difficult to listen to her croaking the news.

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  14. Hmmm...not sure Kuiper or King belong in Cooperstown. Kuiper is the no. 2 man in the booth to Miller. King, on the other hand, was tremendous for the Raiders and Warriors, but a bit grating doing A's Baseball. The constant desimination of facts, criticism of the umpires did not make for a leisurely Baseball listen. His rapid-fire, staccato approach worked really well in the fast-paced football and basketball broadcasts. Despite King's insistence that Baseball was his favorite, most people who listened to him agreed that basketball and football were his best. King belongs in Canton or Springfield, but not Cooperstown.

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    1. Agree completely. I grew up with Bill King on the radio- still consider him the best, most descriptive football announcer I've ever heard. On basketball, it seemed to me that he lost a bit later on as the NBA game began moving faster. On baseball, a little too much with the stats and the umpire bashing. I don't want this to sound like a slam job, as overall he was the best announcer I ever heard. If football and basketball had announcing Halls of Fame, Bill King should be the first inductee...

      Delete
    2. I agree regarding Bill King and baseball. He pontificated way too much on minutiae. He was great in basketball and football, but not in baseball.

      I'm not sure there needs to be a Ford Frick nominee each year. Maybe there aren't that many worthy candidates.

      Delete
  15. If Bill King had been the voice of the Niners or the Giants instead of the A's or Raiders, and if NBA basketball was as popular back in the 60s and 70s as it is today, King would be in some broadcast Hall of Fame other than just the one here in the Bay Area.

    But Bill King could have cared less for such accolades. He never hung on to or even listened to any of the highlights of games he broadcast unless someone gave him the tape, and he wasn't in the profession to massage his ego or make a fast buck.

    Bill was a true wordsmith, an artist, and an enthusiast of sport. He once said: "The day my shadow darkens the door of another radio station, that will be the day I get out of broadcasting."

    Like Hank Greenwald, Jon Miller and Lon Simmons, Bill preferred being 'where the action was,' not sitting in some dark studio staring vapidly at some blinking screen and taking callers like 'Joe' from Livermore who want to fire the Head Coach for some minor indiscretion.

    One of the best things about Bill, (and this is true about most P B P radio voices), is that he wasn't a cynic. We have WAAAY too many of those types on our airwaves already. They're usually bitter, sarcastic, unhappy people who like to sneer and complain and take issue with anything they disagree with. Just listen to the blather on so many of the radio or TV talk shows these days and you'll understand. Why anyone bothers listening to that tripe in the first place is one of life's great mysteries!

    Bill was a true sports announcer and will always be at the head of the list in the minds of the hard cores who understand the true meaning of sport and love listening to the accounts of the games on the radio. We miss you Bill!

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  16. I think Jack Nicholson would be a better choice for Kaiser. "You know, the healthcare is nothing special but some of those nurses, in their tight little uniforms and white stockings, are pretty damned hot pieces of ass. I mean, I almost want to get sick just so one of them will prod and poke me, because at 75 that's about all I'm getting nowadays..."

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    Replies
    1. I like this idea!

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    2. LOL... I can imagine Jack Nicholson's voice, mouthing the words you entered above. Now THAT would be a funny spot!

      Delete
  17. Two things: First; Kuip is damned good. He deserves to be in the HOF. And one of the few guys to transition from a player to play by play. Most go on to color commentary. Agree on Bill King-that's a travesty.. Second; what's all the hate for Ami? She is REAL, attractive and knows baseball well enough to handle that gig. I'd rather watch Ami than 90% of the plastic women they throw at us for similar..

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    Replies
    1. If Ami knows baseball, they should hire her and get rid of that Amy character.

      Delete
    2. Wrong on all counts 12:33. The closest Kuip will get to the Hall is a visit. He is nowhere near that level. King should be in the Hoops HOF in Springfield only. Amy G is a zero. She
      adds nothing to those broadcasts.

      Delete
  18. "It's not personal."

    You may be the biggest hypocrite on the planet, Rich. Someone disagrees with your opinion, and you fly into a rage and block them on twitter. You cuss people out because they simply disagree with you. It's never professional with you, it's always personal. And we all know you won't have the guts to publish this since you fear posting any opinion that differs from yours.. If you actually do publish it, I'm sure it we be followed by one of your patented, sarcastic, profanity filled tirades that ends with "Sincerely, "

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  19. Once again, those spin doctors are working OT for the Giants. Kuiper for the HOF? Seriously? How many years has he been making us cringe with his, "He hits it high! He hits it deep!" He doesn't have the pedigree that many others who've been in the business for a long time have. Shoot, if he goes into the HOF, why not Ray Fosse? He deserves it more.

    Bill King should be there. Period. But then again, he's not hot and cool right now. Well, he is cool, but that's what happens when you're not part of the living.

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    Replies
    1. Good points at 1:24pm.
      You should have heard them (the KNBR Circus) this past weekend.
      Sickning.

      Delete
    2. Marty Lurie is losing ALL credibility if he is pimping Kuiper for the HOF. Kuiper is simply not that good and he has gotten
      lazy in recent years with his mispronunciations of players' names. King was a basketball guy -- the best of all time IMHO, but he doesn't deserve the Baseball HOF. I can see him being considered, however, whereas it's ridiculous to mention
      Kuiper in this regard.

      Delete
    3. OK 6:35pm.
      I will grant you your evaluation of King and his baseball work.
      Maybe not on the level of Lon Simmons or Vin Scully.
      But I am just annoyed to no end to think that he is being judged next to an ex-baseball player.
      In his play by play work in football and basketball, Bill King was one of the best.

      Delete
  20. Monty is a much better fit for Utah! yay! Now PLEASE get someone good for that spot: Christine Craft, John Rothmann, Stacy Taylor. Any of those three will please me immensely.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. At least someone in the Bay Area still remembers what a good, or rather excellent talk show host sounds like.
      I'm rooting for the same as you except my preference is John Rothman, Stacy Taylor and Christine Craft in that order, however either one of those 3 will be a HUGE improvement over Montemayor. Keep your fingers crossed.

      Delete
  21. Tim the screamer finally gone thank you Jesus

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  22. Rich, why is it when you attack people you always say it's not personal. Do you think that lets you off the hook?

    Of course it's personal.

    I agree about the annoying commercials, though.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Good points Rich. Monty was a know it all blowhard who seemed to think that he belonged in the bay area. The fact that he was able to get not one, but two different jobs here shows you how far the standards have fallen in broadcasting.

    I'll agree with you about Damon Bruce. He's another loud-mouth know it all who thinks he's the greatest gift to broadcasting since Edward R. Murrow, and again, he's lucky to be working in the bay area. But at least Damon Bruce understands radio and is entertaining to listen to. Monty was not entertaining and he'll be perfect for the unsophisticated, conservative audience that he will command in Utah.

    As far as Kate Scott goes, again, I agree with Rich. She's nothing special. Pleasant voice, pleasant personality but she adds zero to the morning show. The fact that KNBR has traffic reporters reading the sports updates, and then has the temerity to refer to itself as 'the sports leader,' is the ultimate in hypocrisy. Leader in what? Hiring cheap, loud mouthed talent?

    Finally, how can anyone defend that awful clucking, annoying hen known as 'Amy G?' No 12:33pm anon, she DOESN'T know baseball. If she did, she wouldn't continue to annoy and interrupt the Giants broadcasts with her silly little teenage sounding prattle that is a true embarrassment to not only the Giants TV broadcasts, but to Comcast. Have her host 'Romper Room' or some new version of 'baseball wives,' but please, get her annoying and amateurish personality off the screen.

    ReplyDelete
  24. King baseball HOF? Fuck no.
    Basketball yes, football maybe, but baseball? He had the wrong voice cadence.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank heavens, no more Monty... I don't care where he is going, just off the local airwaves. Of course he won't be replaced by anyone we want, but doubt it can get much worse unless they bring in the overnight comedian.

      I wish he'd take "Bill and Kathleen" to Utah with him. I have heard more than enough of their story and though I don't need windows, would call 777-1234 for my windows and throw a rock through theirs!

      Delete
  25. The Tolbert show is even worse than you say, when you consider that part of the "content" time is taken up with redundant sports score recaps and traffic reports. And as another commenter said, they often fill short bits of time with idle chatter. I enjoy Tolbert and Ratto, but it's become nearly pointless to tune in.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Yeah. I heard the same over the top drum beating for Duane Kuiper this weekend during Marty's show. Quite embarrassing.
    To think Bill King is being mentioned second to an ex-baseball player for the Hall of Fame?
    How do you spell HOMER? Easy. Anyone affilated with KNBR.

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    Replies
    1. LOVED your thoughts 3:48. Duane Kuiper should not be in this conversation, but I'm not sure Bill King deserves it either. He
      was A GREAT basketball announcer, a GOOD football announcer, and
      an AVERAGE baseball announcer. Put him in the Basketball HOF for sure, plus the versatility HOF, but he does not deserve Cooperstown. I hope they don't campaign for Kruk. If you look in the dictionary under the word "homer", his picture is there.

      Delete
    2. KNBR's conflict of interest with the Giants is unbelievable. They have an ownership stake in the team, so it's in their best interests to kiss Larry the Baer's ass every 10 minutes.

      The sad thing is the listening public sits on the edge of their seats waiting to hear what the experts have to say. Radnich = expert? The buffoon rarely, if ever, attends a game. However, people wait on his every word as if it's gospel.

      The same applies to the rest of the buttkissers on KNBR. The call screeners aren't supposed to allow negative calls on the Giants. This is America, isn't it? Land of the free, that is unless you piss on the Giants logo.

      And I can't wait for the interns to make their comebacks on the last graph. You pencildicks know what I'm talking about. I know you're trying to save your minimum wage, no benefit jobs by writing comebacks. If you want a job writing comebacks, go work for Jay Leno or David Letterman.

      Amy G is an airhead. She walks around with a painted smile on her face. She suffers from brain damage...like most of the on-air talent on KNBR.

      Just can't wait for the season to end so we don't have to listen to the circle-jerking about the Giants. It's sickening.

      Delete
  27. Monty is gone. We'll take that.
    No more of his 80-80-80-80-80-810.
    Monty a guy who never understood understated delivery.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Don't let the door hit you on your big ass on the way out Monte de Manure. Maybe his shallow right wing shouting will play better in Utah? My worst fear is the geniuses at KGO will give the spot to the "dude" David Weintraub or worse yet Spencer "me llamo Jose" Hughes.

    ReplyDelete
  29. LEAVE TIMOTHY MONTEMAYOR ALONE!! You people just love to tear folks apart, then wonder why some of the most creative talent retreats to obscurity, or leaves this provincial amberized DROP on the map. Tim was fun, Tim knew how to stir the pot and add a lift to the topic at hand. Tim had clear opinions, though not always as one might expect, given his background. Is this the Grass Is Always Greener Collition or what? When he had it 'goin on' I said 'Cool!, Let Tim be Tim". Now another creative has been chased out of the Bay Area, this fetid, fading jewel of a fool. Thanks!! not.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi TIMOTHY MONTEMAYOR Perhaps you can ride Frosty to UT

      Delete
    2. Don't agree. Glad he is leaving. Hooray!

      Delete
    3. Sorry, but "Tim Montemayor" and "talent" are mutually exclusive.

      He's an annoying douchebag, good riddance. Enjoy Utah, lol.

      Delete
    4. You must be lonely...

      Delete
    5. Thanks for checking in Tim. Enjoy the Great Salt Lake and as you pack, don't forget to retrieve the knives out of the backs of all the people whose jobs you went after while you were here. "Creative"?! Hahaha. Creative at schmoozing the bosses maybe.

      Delete
    6. I will say this about Tim: He was far better than listening to one more hour of the repetitive canned crap KGO calls "news"...Geez: hour after hour after hour of the SAME (taped) verbiage.

      Delete
    7. AnonymousSeptember 18, 2013 at 5:04 PM

      You're high. Step away from the crack pipe.

      .

      Delete
  30. The only thing "Monty" did well is to fill the airwaves. Even his promo is a repetitive waste of breath "I believe police are 99% good". 99% of police are good. In my opinion." Add pauses for more airtime.

    ReplyDelete
  31. 3:12 p.m. wrote: >>Finally, how can anyone defend that awful clucking, annoying hen known as 'Amy G?' No 12:33pm anon, she DOESN'T know baseball. If she did, she wouldn't continue to annoy and interrupt the Giants broadcasts with her silly little teenage sounding prattle that is a true embarrassment to not only the Giants TV broadcasts, but to Comcast. Have her host 'Romper Room' or some new version of 'baseball wives,' but please, get her annoying and amateurish personality off the screen<<

    What a condescending crock of shit.. Let her take her Emmy and shove it up your snobby ass..

    ReplyDelete
  32. Weren't there rumors Tim Montemayor was returning to Chicago last year to do a talkshow? Then the station changed formats and he was stuck at KGO.

    -David K.

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  33. The Lottery ad outdoes the Kaiser ad with the voice of "Big Brother."

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  34. Thanks Rich. Now I will have that Pacific Coast Termite jingle going through my head the rest of the evening.

    ReplyDelete
  35. "...some of the most creative talent retreats to obscurity..." I agree that is true, but Montremanure was NOT was one them.

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  36. Speaking of annoying, no talent, dysfunctional idiots on the radio, has anyone out there had the misfortune of listening to that wack-job 'P-Con' on KNBR on the weekends? What a joke!

    ReplyDelete
  37. Kars for Kids is hands-down the worst commercial of all time. I force myself to switch the station any time it comes on.

    Can't listen to the Allison Janney commercial without cringing every single time. I'm just reminded that she's a chain-smoker and that does it for me. I mean, c'mon, Kaiser, what's next, Sarah Palin for PETA?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The singing "kid" on the Kars for Kids ad sounds like he is ill. And I become ill every time I hear Janney.

      Delete
  38. Bill King: Hall of Famer at any sport he announced.

    Duane Kuiper: excellent non-pharmaceutical substitute for Ambien.

    THRIVE, Rich....

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  39. Is his new station a Cumulus station? How do you get to be program director? By being a good servant to the bosses?

    ReplyDelete
  40. Did Montemayor get fired or leave on his own? It is not that we love to tear folks apart, but when someone is in the public eye and on the public airwaves, they are fair game, although there is no need to be mean spirited or get personal. Montemayor was never creative, nor fun, nor very intelligent, he stirred the pot, because he was throw out some outlandish idea, and then back it up. The shows he did on the Bart strike was fairly good, but other than that he was neither fun nor creative. I'm hoping for John Rothmann, or Stacy Taylor back, in that order, after that Christine or Peter B Collins, don't have a preference there. In the past few years talks radio has gotten so bad, that it wouldn't be hard for KGO to find a decent host who will get good ratings. For awhile after most of the hosts on KGO was fired, it looked like KKSF 910 might fill some of their void, but they have failed miserable, by letting Ed Baxter and John Rothmann go, and then changing the format, also replacing Tom Sullivan with Frosty didn't add anything what so ever to their programming, and Gil has gone from being good to bad to worse.

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  41. @1:24 Agreed about Kuiper. When I first saw this story, I could only say "Really?" You're serious?" There's probably about 15 or 20 others that should be there first. And I agree with Rich that Bill King not being in the broadcast wing of the HOF IS a travesty. I take it the Giants will try to get Kuip in next year and then Kruk the year after.

    @5.04 Enjoy Utah Timmy boy.

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  42. There's a lot of jealousy in the words written throughout the comments section. That's as plain as day. My guess is there are a lot of Cumulus employees weighing in here. Shocked by how someone they dislike so much, be it Monty, Kate, etc, can be moving onward and upward, despite the pleas of the few of you.

    Maybe there's something to be said for hard work? Maybe there's something to be said for doing what your bosses ask? Maybe there are rewards for that, regardless of what you think of their individual talents?

    The consistent refrain of "bring back" is old. All of these replacement hosts for Monty, or the idea that KNBR needs to do something different, or cries from people who seemingly have no idea how all of this works. KNBR is doing just fine. The hosts you pine for are so talented they can't find work anywhere else.

    Stop being so angry already. If you don't like your lot, change it. But stop lashing out on message boards pretending that you're the expert, or that anyone is listening to you.

    Cheers.

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    1. Don't feel bad, however. The stations don't listen to ANYBODY. That's why they're where they are today.

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    2. If your "reward" is Salt Lake City from SF, then CONGRATULATIONS! I don't see any jealousy here at all. Just a lot of people who either worked with him and don't like him or listened to his show and didn't like him.

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    3. Becoming a PD and full time sports Host in a beautiful city that is larger than quite a few that have NFL teams is a step up from weekend host. Hate to break it to you.

      As for the pink slip comment Rich mentioned in the subsequent post, that could not be further from the truth. Why would Cumulus cut loose a guy who hosts a show, does reporting, and fills in admirably on the sports station? What would be the point of that?

      That's way off base, and without proof at all.

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    4. Good riddance Monty.

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    5. Monty did not write the above comment. I know this because I did. Regardless of what anyone thinks of Monty this is clearly a positive move for him. Monty isn't the most liked guy at 55 Hawthorne, and he is aware of this. He rubs people the wrong way all the time, and being a PD might be difficult for him. Yet there's a good chance that he got all of his bad shots out of him, and will go forward and be better. It's like a bad relationship - you learn from it and try not to make the same mistakes again.

      No one is going to deny that the Bay Area is arguably the best place in America to live, but it's also a very difficult place to live. It's not like there are many radio opportunities that provide solid pay, stability, and opportunity. Monty found one of them in a great city.

      Kudos to him for working hard and getting something.

      Doesn't mean I think he's a stellar talk host, but he's a good sports host.

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  43. Is Monty moving "onward and upward"? Utah up over Bay Area?
    I do not believe that those posting here with positive comments on Monty are Monty ....the English seems to be correct. I don't think he's capable of putting a sentence together correctly.

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    1. Very good point, I often hear Monty make grammatical mistakes. Every talk show host make a mistake now and then, even Gene Burns (RIP) but Monty would make several during his shows, he was a real simpleton, not very deep, an intellectual lightweight, and his command of the English language for a talk show host was pitiful. By the way English is my second language, although I have been in the US for more than 40 years.

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    2. Yeah, Monty is no genius, but that only makes the people who dislike him even angrier since he has found himself a good job, while many of them are toiling here in the Bay.

      Jealousy isn't pretty, and often obvious.

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    3. This has no relevance to anything about talk radio, are you talking about jobs in radio and the media or jobs in general? How can you make such an assumption, I don't care about what kind of job Monte gets, if it is better, better paid, more prestige whatever, as a listener and fan of the talk show format, I want a host, who is intelligent, thought provoking and entertaining, Monty is none of those, I don't hate him, I just don't like his show, so for that reason I'm glad he will be leaving. As for why and where he ends of and in what kind of job, doesn't make any difference to me.

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  44. Regarding Amy G. "Comcast would not read the room and see how much negative press she brings is revealing" just shows the weakness of Comcast SportsNet Bay Area's Ted Griggs as a TV executive. Talk about a guy who just failed upward when his former boss Jeff Krolik left for Fox Sports on the national level. Then Griggs just inherited a twice World Series champion Giants team to broadcast. Talk about cruise control.

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  45. Rich: Stay far, far away from the new CBS sitcom 'Mom' if the Kaiser commercials are that annoying. Might need to stay away from PIX if they chose to air the Kaiser ads more because of the 'Mom' angle.
    Also, as stated before, even many of my Giants fan friends can't stand Amy G. Too bad Griggs is considered among the most powerful sports figures in the Bay Area. Hence, between Griggs & Baer, we will unfortunately never get away from Amy G.

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  46. Amy G. got an Emmy? For what? That's a joke!

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  47. Have you eaten today? You sound grumpy Rich

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  48. More on annoying commercials--I can listen to the overplayed ad that has "Luisa" calling her niece...please! I think the intended target of this ad are people who are would never be listening to KGO (or KSFO) for that matter. The only way I can listen to Ronn or Barbara Simpson or Savage is to get the podcast later in the day (or the next day) and manually skip all of the commercials. BTW, what's the deal with the morning show on KSFO? I quit listening to it once Melanie left. I can't deal with the potty talk or the immaturity any more. It used to be a good show. (SIGH)

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  49. Okay, so here's the consensus of Rich's least favorite media folks: Amy G. P-Con, Monte-manure, Fatty Fitz, Kate Scott, Raddy, Mattress Man (Ronn Owens), Karel, and I'm sure there's many more but I'll let him or you fill in the blanks.

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    1. Let's simplify. Lieberman hates everyone who is popular.

      (oh the one exception is Fitz, he isn't popular and just plain deserves to be disliked just because)

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  50. "It's not personal"

    Lieberman must lack any self-awareness if he pretends that's true. In fact he's a lot like Barbieri in that respect. Both are thin-skinned guys pretending to be something else.

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  51. I had a great chortle when I read the response to someone who took issue with that post complaining about Amy G. I totally agree with the post that was ripping her. Sounds as if she was upset and wrote her own response. Here's some advice to you Amy: If you're going to be in front of the public, try to sound authoritative and take a course in public speaking. You sound like you're talking to a bunch of little kids in with that weak little-girl voice. That won't get you anything but negative notice, as sports fans don't want to hear someone who sounds like a teenager doing live cut-ins on the most popular local TV sports program. And also learn to realize that if you're not going to sound like a professional, you're going to be criticized from time to time. That's just the way it is in the radio-TV biz, so deal with it girl!

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  52. I'd nominate Amy G or Allison Janney for a HOF broadcasting award before I'd get around to Duane Kuiper.

    What's next, Krukow? (shudder)

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  53. Spoken like a true A's fan! You're bitter because the Giants, even though they've been out of it most of the year outdraw the Lou Wolff's lame duck 'Pathetics' 2 to one in terms of the number of fans buying tickets. And as far as interest in the region? I'd say that there are probably five times as many Giants fans in Nor-Cal than A's fans. Why you might ask? Better ballpark, the National League plays 'real baseball' (no ridiculous DH), and the Giants do a better job of promoting their product. Plus they were here ten years before the A's got here. Is that enough for you?

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  54. A sure sign that broadcasting how far broadcasting has fallen:
    We used to have great announcers such as Bill King and Lon Simmons, and sports anchors such as Wayne Walker and Bob Fouts. Now what is on the air to listen to? Kate Scott, a traffic reporter, doing updates on KNBR, 'Pee-Con' a dysfucntional idiot hosting his own show on that same station, and that blonde bimbo Amy G. doing live cut ins that are nothing more than an annoyance to Giants fans. At least Tim Monte-Manure left the market.

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  55. another thing about Comcast's Giants broadcasts...

    I watch regional baseball games from around the country and no one has their cameras scouring the fans in such a relentless, cornpone fashion as the Giants do, with the insufferable Kruk & Kuip offering their inane opinions on foul ball catching & hot dog eating.

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  56. And don't forget their ridiculous comments about 'Gamer Babes' plus Amy G's cut-ins where she titters and gushes over some irrelevant nonsense like some school girl. At least their miserable season is coming to an end and we won't have to suffer through that dreck anymore!

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  57. Duane Kuiper for the HOF? This is a joke, right?

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  58. I like Kuiper, but no way should he be nominated for the Hall of Fame for at least another ten years. If guys like Marty Brenneman and Bob Prince and Lon Simmons all had to wait well into their later years, Kuiper, who is not in their class, should also have to wait.

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  59. I'm starting a push for Amy G. for the bay area broadcasting hall of fame. Her terrific interviews in the dugout with the players, her insightful comments about the game, and her funny cut-ins with the folks who wear the panda and giraffe hats or with the Gamer Babes are all terrific!

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