Former KNBR talk show host FP Santangelo sent a social media message on X saying he was appreciative for the opportunity to work at KNBR. Santangelo was the 6-10pm talk show host and was replaced by John (JD) Dickinson in the 6-10pm slot. (photo from X.com)
KNBR Big Budget Cuts -Can Sportstalk Radio Survive?
That’s Amaury News and Commentary
By Amaury Pi-González
In this fast-moving social media world, sports on the radio, mostly AM radio, are limited to live broadcasts of games, which figure to be the most profitable and popular. KNBR has been the sports leader in San Francisco for over half a century. This week, San Francisco’s KNBR management announced that it will no longer have a 6-10 PM show. F.P Santangelo was hosting, but not anymore.
In a post at X (formerly Twitter), the ex-major league player, sports talk host, and baseball commentator said it was due “to budget cuts”. Sportstalk radio is not as popular anymore. The proliferation of Podcasting has become one of the biggest enemies of the “old school” sports talk radio show formats. In 2021, over 82 million people listened to podcasts; by next year, it will reach over 100 million listeners.
Some other names that were laid off with Santangelo, Paul McCaffrey morning co-host, Danny Emerman sports reporter, Lee Hammer former program director, and the digital team. It was reported that McCaffrey’s co-host Brian Murphy upon learning the news took Friday’s morning show off “to collect his thoughts of what just happened.”
John Dickinson who formerly worked at 95.7 the Game will now do the Golden State Warriors post game shows at KNBR. JD worked at the Game for 12 years and seven months and seven days. He started at KNBR this week.
The 100 million would be approximately one-third of the country. WFAN radio in New York City is still the king of sports talk, working in the number-one media market in the country, and there are some others in Boston, Atlanta, and other large to medium to small media markets, but they are not as dominant as they were in the 1980s or even the 1990s.
This should not surprise anybody; the world of communications is ever-changing. AI (Artificial Intelligence) is already here. Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines or software, as opposed to the intelligence of humans or animals.
It may also refer to the corresponding field of study, which develops and studies intelligent machines, or to the smart machines themselves. It is already a controversial topic, and yes, it will eliminate many jobs, but it will also open new horizons.
Can Sportstalk radio survive? The answer is Yes, but it is in Intensive Care..
Amaury Pi Gonzalez does News and Commentary podcasts Tuesdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com
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