When you break a 0.8 in RATINGS, I'll give a damn. Now? I don't want to help prop up your current bread crumbs and that's exactly what you got: a few bread crumbs propped up by an Audacy corporate glob. Game, you are NOT RELEVANT, you never have been. The SF School district continues to KILL YOU in terms of numbers and ratings. Keep re-arranging the furniture and replace the plastic around grandma's couch.
And the addition of a Mark Willard, who is nothing more than a new batch of toilet paper, will MAKE NO DIFFERENCE. When you keep shuffling the deck, it doesn't matter. IT NEVER HAS, IT NEVER WILL.
It's not the lack of talent there. It's their reach.
ReplyDeleteIt's both, along with a mandate to not take callers, to beat the same topics into the ground, and to only talk about the Giants, 49ers, and W's.
DeleteCompletely agree. 95.7 comes in very poorly in the South Bay (which 1/3 of the Bay Area market). With KNBR you have the am option when 104.5 fades in/out. Their one advantage (which is also a huge disadvantage) is not being tied to the Giants or 49ers. It's allows them to be critical (which KNBR seldom does). On the other hand...the game leads ins for KNBR are a tremendous advantage that 95.7 just can't compete with...no matter who is hosting.
DeleteThe reality is that you can only Barf at sports for so long. It gets stale very quickly and you are preaching to the choir.
ReplyDeletePeople are knowledgeable. Your 15 minutes in the sun is done in 3.
Fire these clowns.
Matt nahigan immediately blocks anyone who says even a tiny thing critical about their station, as do several of their other on air "talent"
ReplyDeleteRich ... I understand your antipathy for 95.7. All valid. On the positive side of thing however, what Bay Area radio programming (not only sports) do you listen and enjoy the most? Do you have some listening secrets? We blog readers will likely give it a try. My favorite listening secret is Sunday 4-5 pm on KQED, a sort of game program about the meaning of words.
ReplyDeleteThe new weekday lineup for 95.7 will take some time to get used to. I'm happy that Bonta and Butcher Boy didn't get broken up, but it's unfortunate they will be on for 3 hrs instead of 4. At least Bonta will get more rest as the Warriors season is coming up and he will be having a lot of late nights doing Warriors TV pre and postgame.
ReplyDeleteWillard and Dibley could be interesting. We'll see how that show goes.... Guru and Steinmetz are back to doing a 2-man show. I just hope they don't choke each other out, but they've hosted a 2-man show together before back when they were on from 10-Noon so they should be ok I guess. I would've broken up Steinmetz and Guru, but in a way they can work well together despite them both getting into it with each other at times.
For Damon and Ratto, I wonder how much they paid Damon to agree to host a 2-man show with Ratto, as Ratto can be a headache at times with his schtick. I wish they could've put Covay to co-host with Damon instead.... As far as the night show with Matt Kolsky, we'll see how long that will last. It might be quirky, but it doesn't really make sense to let go of Covay for Kolsky to have his own show at night. They probably could've put Kolsky in another timeslot or just kept him with Damon and Ratto. That was probably the weirdest development with this new weekday lineup with all due respect to Matt Kolsky.
But yes, overall, it could take some getting used to this new lineup but it will probably be ok. I'm happy they went back to the 2-person shows as opposed to a 3-person show, and went back to the regular hours; 6-9 AM, 9-Noon, Noon-3, etc.
Even though Rich is pessimistic about this, and even though not many on social media were happy with this new weekday lineup for 95.7, we'll see what comes of this new weekday lineup. They could change the weekday lineup again next year at some point, but hopefully they keep this lineup for a while and maintain some consistency.
If you like sports you listen to pass the time. None of these shows are appointment radio right now. Bonta could be, but he's miscast. All told the Bay Area sports programming really died when Ralph was off air, despite his shortcomings.
DeleteMatt koski is absolutely the slowest,tedious,boringest person I have ever heard, but the warriors will pre empt many of his 4 hour snoozefests
DeleteI would say the morning show is, and maybe Damon's show. Damon's show was much better when he was solo though. Yeah, the rest of these shows would be shows to have on in the background at home or at work or if you're in the car running errands.
DeleteAs far as Bonta, I think he's proven he can lead a successful show. He held his own with Greg Papa when they were paired up, despite the controversy that surrounded Greg Papa leaving 95.7 and his show with Bonta. Bonta wouldn't be bad as the second host of a show, and he kind of was that when he was on with Greg Papa despite Bonta leading the show. Just curious, in what ways do you feel he's miscast?
Bonta sucks. His nose is plugged and the IQ is loooow.
DeleteGuru and Steiny rock.
I’m getting tired of the annual shuffling at The Game!
ReplyDeleteI actually enjoyed the former lineups!In fact I was actually glad when Kate Scott left the Morning Roast because there was just no chemistry between her & the fanboys Shasky & Bonta.
The trios during the mid-day and afternoon drive were entertaining and hilarious at times IMO.
The banter between Steiny & Dan Dibley as well as Ratto & Bruce were amusing.
I mean I basically LOATHE radio PD’s because they think that they know what the audience wants based on “market research” yet ratings NEVER improve!
Showing up again! Rich is still pumping it out!
ReplyDeleteLetting go of Covay was a mistake but I'm sure he wasn't making any money. The station has no money. But to be clear, Ryan Covay is talented and it takes a lot for me to say that because when I was on KGO I thought he was a wreck. He was hurried, his jokes didn't hit, he was anxious, nothing made sense with him. In fact, I even told the Program Director, Matt Nahigian, that Covay was a non-factor when Nahigian was moving from Philly to SF and looking to staff up.
I was wrong.
Covay found his stride and became a completely different host. And if we're talking just straight up, one man doing a show, Covay can hold it down better than all of them. And that's the mark of being a good host - entertaining the audience.
Imo, Covay should have been in mornings with both an unhinged fan like Butcher and a third person, or someone funny. But that didn't happen.
When they hired Kate Scott I told nahigian it was a huge mistake, and it would be terrible. Well, you heard it...it was arguably the worst sports show I've ever heard. Bonta and Butcher must have been beside themselves with in her in the room. She's not a bad broadcaster in her role, but she SUCKED as a morning host. It was like she was interviewing them every day, always killing vibe. Ray Charles saw that coming before Nahigian.
Then we have Ray Ratto. Does that guy even like sports? WTF is he doing in Afternoon drive? Making Damon go even slower? Yeah, that's a great call. Ray's no idiot but everything about him screams print. Where does he hide the photos? I mean, how does this guy keep landing RADIO jobs? Nails on the Chalkboard is the Encore at a Ratto performance.
Happy for Kolsky to be able to spread his wings. He has to forge his own path and then get the fuck outta that place.
Willard I don't even know other than 5 minutes I've heard and was bored. Sounds like a guy who's pretending to really like whatever he's told to like.
Dibley I like a lot but they can't seem to figure him out. I actually think Dibley and Covay would have been comical in mornings, and a great fit. Mornings are for sports and laughs. Those guys could deliver that.
The rest of them, they're just kind of there. Like someone said they should be there and they're there. That's that.
All told the PD doesn't have a clue. Didn't have a clue in Philly. Doesn't have a clue in San Francisco. That's just the reality of it. Ask yourself, all these changes and to what end? What was changed? What would actually AFFECT RATINGS?
Truth is all these PDs are just people who are willing to live in expensive areas for low pay, be it in the Bay Area or NY. You either have family money, the spouses makes money, or something else because at this point who is willing to even take these jobs?
What talent has Matt Nahigian developed since arriving in the Bay Area? Name ONE PERSON?
All told, Audacy doesn't care as long as someone takes the job...and directions. They're now an arm of a gambling company, and they're literally having host seminars about how to promote gambling on the air. It's embarrassing. But it is what it is.
Gambling is worse than drugs, but all you hear is these stations pumping it because they have no real revenue. And that's because they had shit programming.
Joe Fortenbaugh was the smartest guy in the place - he got the fuck out. Covay is probably the second smartest, assuming it was his choice.
The Game is not a platform that's going to get anyone far. It better be your alternate source of income.
Miss your late night shows on KGO. I'd get home, hit the sack, and turn on your show until I zzz. Entertaining they were. You turned me on to War on Drugs(!). Those were heady days. Take care.
DeleteCheck out
DeleteDeep Sea Diver
Impossible Weight
It’s amazing
Thanks
Wow, thanks for sharing with us your conversations with Nahigian.
DeleteRegarding Kate, I thought she wasn't bad with Butcher Boy and Bonta, but I agree that she did kill their vibe at times. When Butcher Boy and Bonta were on fire and having a good back and forth on the Giants, Warriors, or Niners, sometimes Kate would temper their enthusiasm or try to calm them down. I also felt Kate tried to make them more sappy if that makes sense as far as Bonta mentioning his baby daughter quite a bit and Butcher Boy admitting to women's sports games that he's watched. I mean, there's nothing wrong with those things but it almost felt like they had to do that to appease Kate, or have Kate feel more included. You notice now Butcher Boy mentions nothing about women's sports games that he watched and Bonta does bring up his baby daughter some, but not as much as he did when Kate was on the show. Then they tried that getting Kate to watch an older movie segment. Yeah, it was hilarious but in the back of your mind it was like, c'mon Kate, you did't watch any of these movies? How could she not watch the original Friday movie by now? I know she's been busy, but you got to have some time to watch movies, especially since a lot of older movies are on cable like TBS, TNT, stations like those.
I'm guessing she tried it out and maybe she realized that she didn't fit in anymore, as Butcher Boy and Bonta were blowing up when she left for the Olympics. Plus, you could tell she had her heart set on doing play-by-play.
Regarding Covay, that's interesting. He has grown over the years. It was unfortunate he was let go/left 95.7. I agree that they probably could've put him on the morning show. I think his energy matches Butcher Boy and Bonta and he could keep up with them. Plus, he's worked with both of them before, so the chemistry would've been there. Looking back, I do enjoy Bonta and Butcher Boy in the mornings, but if 95.7 was going to change their weekday lineup anyway, maybe they could've looked into adding Ryan Covay to the morning show?
DeleteDibley, yeah, he probably would've been better in the mornings or maybe put him on with Steinmetz? The other day he said he's been friends with Willard so we'll see how that show goes. It feels like a weird/random pairing, but we'll see how it goes.
Your last statement on 95.7 is telling. In a way that could explain why hosts like Townsend and Fortenbaugh left that station, and some of the behind the scenes people who used to do the sports updates like Gianna, Anna, and "the Button Vixen" as Damon Bruce used to call her (I forgot her name. She had a Russian name I think), left the station. As much as I like the station and enjoy listening to the station, working there might not be worth it for some of the hosts or behind the scenes people who aren't really getting paid, especially since a lot of them have families and/or a significant other to support.
I guess it's almost like those of us with regular jobs. If we're not happy with the job or with the pay that we receive at said job, we eventually leave that job for another job or something else.
But yes, thanks again for sharing.
Covay? You must be a friend of his because he is the worst on air in bay area history.. hands down a complete failure
DeleteTownsend left because he got a full time job with the A's. The other people behind the scenes people were probably just the typical comings and goings in the radio industry..I dont know why they weeded out Tittle,most likely he was associated with the east bay/A's/raiders and since he was only a weekend part time it was easy to replace him with a sf person
Delete@12:13- I don't know Covay personally but I'm friends with him on Facebook. He seems like a good dude overall, and appreciates people who have listened to him on the air over the years.
DeleteWorst on air in Bay Area history? I wouldn't put Covay on that list. Covay is not the best, but he's not the worst either.
@unknown stuntman- Yes, Townsend got a full-time jon with the A's which was understandable with as close he is to the A's organization. Sounds like it was a dream job for him.
DeleteAs far as the rest of the people, you're right about that. It seems like every few months or so, they have new people behind the scenes like producers, board ops, etc. You hear new people's names and as a listener you're like, who the heck is that? Where did the other person go? LOL.
Tittle, I'm not sure. That could be the case. All of a sudden he was gone. Him and Mychael Urban were mainstays on the weekends on 95.7 a few years back, but I think 95.7 wanted to go in a different direction. Plus sometimes Tittle would get kind of boring and would ramble on sometimes, even though at times he was kind of funny.
Mychael Urban was good during baseball season. It was weird hearing him talk other sports when baseball really is his wheelhouse.
I do like what they're doing on weekends now with Shomari Block, Dan Devone, Jason Dumas (the guy from KRON) and to some extent Whitey Gleason even though Gleason is kind of goofy. I don't really care for Kozimor but that might be the best role to put him in. I guess I wouldn't mind if they brought back Urban or Tittle on the weekends and replaced Kozimor with one of them. We already see/hear Kozimor enough on TV.
I like Kozimor and Whitey together as the Scrubs. Steiny and JD were also a good team. But there's only so much talent to go around. KNBR has a couple of good alternatives with Kerry Crowley and Dieter Kurtenbach. Did Dave Flemming fill in after Giants games at one time?
Delete@11:16- Yeah, Kozimor and Whitey do have chemistry on Scrub Saturday/Sunday. Whitey has also developed a good rapport with Shomari Block as well. 95.7 does overall have a good/consistent weekend mix right now.
DeleteI agree on Steinmetz and JD. It feels like JD was/is the host that Steinmetz gets along with the best and when they both talk basketball with their basketball knowledge, it can be an informative show. Too bad they took them off the NBA/Warriors this week show, even though I wonder if JD will be back doing that show now that they took him off the night time show and he's back to fill-in/super sub duty.
I'm not as familiar with Kerry Crowley and Dieter Kurtenbach, even though I think I may have caught them on KNBR a few times. Marty Lurie usually takes over weekends on KNBR along with Bill Laskey during baseball season. It would be kind of cool if KNBR could bring Covay back to do some weekend/fill-in work after baseball season.
@11:16- Regarding Dave Flemming, he did. I remember back in 2009 he did Sportsphone after Giants home games. That was around the time when the Giants were mad at Damon Bruce for being critical of the team at the time after games, so they basically just had Damon Bruce doing Sportsphone after Giants road games that season and Dave Flemming do Sportsphone after Giants homes games that season. The Giants were more petty back then, even though a lot of teams don't want sports radio talk show hosts on their flagship station to be critical of their team on air which is kind of unfortunate.
DeleteShortly after that, Damon was demoted in a sense to 1050 which looking back, was probably the best thing for him at the time considering where he is now. KNBR never put him back on 680, except for the failed pairing when he was paired up with Gary for a few weeks, but other than that, KNBR wasn't going to put Damon on the main station. He formed more of a name for himself on 1050 and then eventually went to 95.7.
But yes, regarding Dave Flemming, yeah, he did do Giants postgame in 2009. I remember how uncomfortable he sounded and how he didn't want to say anything bad about the Giants, even after games that they lost in excruciating fashion where back then, that unfortunately happened quite a bit. I just remember that doing postgame shows wasn't really his thing, but I also understand, you don't want to bite the hand that feeds you either, and he was still a younger broadcaster at the time before he blew up doing ESPN games as well. But yes, long story short, yes, Dave Flemming did do Giants postgame after Giants home games for one season.
Guru and Steinmetz. Wow. I used to think that Steinmetz was creditable and reasonable. Then on a show a certain movie came up in the conversation. Steinmetz remarked that it was a "great" movie. After coming up empty on the actors and plot, he admitted that he actually never saw the movie. There goes credibility.
ReplyDeleteGuru is just there to fill air. For me, he is unlistenable. Last NBA season, during a good stretch of games by Brooklyn, he said that they might be the best NBA team ever. Yes, he said "EVER! "
Steinmetz can act so stern and then when he's called out on something he's wrong on, he then backs down and not act as tough. I keep mentioning it but I don't like how he gets on Guru. Dibley being there, and this is one of things I will miss about Dibley being on this show is, sometimes he would call Steinmetz out on his crap, and not be afraid to do it. At times Steinmetz can be a punk and Dibley wasn't afraid to call him out on something that he did wrong or was wrong about. Dibley would call Steinmetz on the carpet for how he runs a show. It was hilarious, but at the same time it was like dang, Steinmetz can't really run a show. Guru sometimes does calls out Steinmetz on his crap, but I think he's afraid to because of the backlash he would get from Steinmetz.
DeleteGuru is good, but I think he needs to be on a show where he's not going to be picked on or made fun of. I know him and Steinmetz are tied at the hip, but I would've put Guru on another show, maybe the new 9-Noon show with Willard, and kept Dibley with Steinmetz since they're golfing buddies and Steinmetz doesn't get on Dibley as hard as he does Guru.
Yes, Guru does say outlandish things at times where you have to wonder what he was thinking, but at the same time, you got to like his passion and respect how he stands by his opinions, even if he may be wrong at times. I think Guru is needed on this station. He has grown over the years. I remember when he used to be on weekends with Zachariah which actually low key, wasn't a bad show at the time. Now look at where Guru is.
Yelling and acting a fool is NOT passion it is early 90's JT the brick wannabe crap thats why the LAME is zero point zero and always will be
DeleteDamon and Kolsky together would be awful. Although they have a slightly different perspective due to their age, they are basically the same type of person who talks at you instead of to you. They only care about their own opinion and really don't care what anybody else has to say. I think that is why on air they don't really seem to like each other. If they are paired up, they should call the show "The Blowhard and the Barista."
ReplyDeleteIt's kind of funny how some guests get them confused because they think Damon's and Kolsky's voices sound similar. LOL.
DeleteI think Damon cares about other people's opinions. He values the audience and he does generally take calls more consistently than some of the other shows on 95.7.
I think Damon and Kolsky seem cool on air together. They both like Chicago teams so there's similarities there. LOL. I think they could've gelled if Ratto was taken off the show and it was just Damon and Kolsky.
I think it's the other way around. I would say that Kolsky and Ratto don't like each other much which might/could explain why Kolsky was taken off Damon's show. For many times, especially when they were doing their shows from home during the height of the pandemic, Ratto and Kolsky would always interrupt each other or try to cut in at the same time. I think some of that was because Kolsky always had technical difficulties at home. Kolsky also disagrees with Ratto a lot. It just seemed off between the two of them at times, but Ratto appears hard to work with.
Z95.7FM! This frequency was never the same after they knocked off Z.
ReplyDeletehaha. I remember when it was Z95.7 in the late 90's, early 2000's. It was like KMEL and 94.9, but they mixed in music from other genres as well.
DeleteKolsky got his when show? Oh boy get ready for tons of off topic holier than thou rants. Like I said previously he's better of going to a community college and teaching college kids how to feel victimized by everything.
ReplyDeleteRatto is cool with me, he just states things factually and logically without all the stupid emotional hot takes.
Heard Willard a few times on the other station and he seems decent, but I won't listen to 95.7 The Lame ever again unless they stop sticking their noses up at A's fans. It's even more pathetic when you consider their rankings, you'd think they would welcome people who might actually listen to their non-relevant joke of a station.
haha, a community college teacher who sounds half asleep all the time.. looking at the twitter of joe the butcher, the one theme is its all about him..he makes sure plenty of photos of him and retweets of people telling him how great he sounds
Delete95.7 tried everything they could do with the A's. They used to do shows before A's home weekday afternoon games at the Coliseum. They used to have A's guests on weekly such as Billy Beane, David Forst, Bob Melvin, and even some A's players. Chris Townsend was on 95.7 for years with A's coverage, as well as Rick Tittle. Zachariah was an A's guy and I think they had him do some A's pre and postgame shows on weekends. He was basically the East Bay version of Butcher Boy.
DeleteI think 95.7 tried with A's coverage the first 3-4 yrs, but when 95.7 saw that it wasn't working and they weren't getting as much fan interaction as they probably anticipated, they had no choice but to talk more Giants baseball and have more Giants discussion and coverage.