Saturday, February 15, 2014

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!

*Follow me on Twitter


15 comments:

  1. You are right, that was a ridiculous move. Good job listeners, for picking up your phones and putting some "shots on goal" at KNBR!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Let us not forget they gotta pay the Radman salary from 9 to noon the blow hard needs his benjis...Talk about somebody just taking the money now what a joke:(

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wasn't this about 6-7am on a Saturday morning? Doubtful many people were listening to hockey on the radio at that time. Anyone who was that interested was watching on TV.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Do you believe in morons? Yes, and many of them work at KNBR. I can't stand the cast of self aggrandizing hosts that engage in the endless ball washing of all things Giants. And I am a freaking Giants fan. I am sure Mr. Hammer would state he is contractually obligated to air certain programming. But only an idiot would not have enough foresight to have a Plan B when such an important event runs over the estimated time. The only programming I can stomach is Giants games and 49ers games on KNBR. And as much as I like Jon Miller he makes errors on almost every game I listen to him broadcast.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anyone interested in hockey at that hour watched it.

    That said, the station need be better. Lee Hammer does nothing.

    The fact Ratto is still on the air should tell you enough.

    ReplyDelete
  6. There are some good hosts, but often they are paired with bores. It's a tough listen with all those commercial blocks. That's what off button is for! Just come back for what's interesting.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Lee Hammer is clueless. His two sons are big hockey fans and I hope they give their brain dead old man the business. Who the hell cares about "Hooked on Golf?" If you miss one week of a two-hour show centered on how to hit a little white ball, chase it, buy expensive clubs so you can pretend your Tiger Woods and find the latest and greatest places to put yourself to sleep, you won't die.

    KNBR is nothing but a shrill for the Giants. Everything else is just filler. Too bad. This radio station doesn't serve the public's best interests.

    However, most of the listeners are brain dead, so why am I wasting my time beating a dead horse?

    ReplyDelete
  8. KNBR is now just an infomercial. Hammer is the cockroach who is still there under the moldy woodwork.
    Its going to take a big fumigation to change KNBR.
    I still can't believe that Larry Baer has locked out African Americans,Latins, from the Giants broadcasting booth. He's a closet roach.

    ReplyDelete
  9. If you're expecting the same guy who handled the Damon Bruce situation to do something intelligent with regard to programming, keep dreaming.

    I am sure a lot of people woke up at 4:30 AM to watch that game, but even if that's true it only goes to show how interested people are in the game. "Do You Believe in Miracles?!?!" is an iconic moment, and this is the BIGGEST event in the Winter Olympics. People that don't even like hockey are interested in this Cold War moment, regardless. Anyone listening to KNBR at that hour was devastated by the game cutting away, I guarantee it.

    This is a near fire-able offense because it shows a lack of concern regarding your station, and the sports world in general. Terrible.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Must have been something to do with Russians and CONELRAD. After all, they are on 640. Google it. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hammer is nothing but a Cumulus tool who does whatever Atlanta and the Dickhead brothers tell him to do. It's amazing he got that job at KNBR to begin with.

    ReplyDelete
  12. i bet the USA - RUSSIA network feed went down unexpectedly and KNBR had to cut to Hooked on Golf. Just like the Flemming's call of #715. Damn technical problems! Hammer-time!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Why couldn't KNBR shift the Hockey broadcast to 1050 AM?

    ReplyDelete
  14. Lee Hammer can add that to his resume along with the missing Barry Bonds 600hr ? when he was the engineer in the booth.

    ReplyDelete
  15. "The mike just cut out," program director Lee Hammer said, noting he couldn't pinpoint what went wrong. on bonds 715 call

    http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2461761

    ReplyDelete