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KTRB R.I.P.

D

dialspinner

The once mighty Pappas empire is one step closer to oblivion.

Word from a totally reliable source in Fresno says KTRB 860 will be off the air sometime today or tonight for good.

The bankers have stopped the cash flow, the staff has been terminated.

KMPH 840 was silence a few weeks ago.

Who if anyone will buy this troubled stick??
 
Dialspinner, knowing you personally and trusting you and your source implicitely, I still find it hard to believe that Lew Wolff and the A's wouldn't throw some cash at this to keep KTRB on until the season ends.
 
I'll correct my correction above -- the KTRB860.com website was off from 3:45 until 4 PM.

And where's Savage today? They're running Ron Barr and Sports Byline USA.
 
Savage's show is on today with a guest host ... the network is carrying it, but KTRB isn't, and they're not running spots for the Savage show either.

Which is weird, because 99% of their ads are for Savage, it seems.
 
Chris Townsend just mentioned on the A's postgame show that Michael Savage would no longer be on 860. He also said that these changes would 'be good for the station'.

Who knows what will happen in the long term, but at least they're still on the air as of 10:45pm tonight.
 
Rich Lieberman has updated his blog:

There is more on the front: I'm being told that Michael Savage is done.

I'm also hearing from multiple independent sources that Ken Dito and Chris Townsend are safe (which is good news), but that programming genius Kevin Barrett, who built both KTRB and KMPH into the juggernauts they are today, was asked to return his copy of [INFLAMMATORY COMMENT] before heading out of Pappas Radio World Headquarters for the last time. Funny. I honestly thought that lackluster fourth-tier sports programming would do so much better than fifth-tier talk programs...

Or not. :D
 
If KTRB is really shutting down, then I guess my prediction was right. I won't be surprised either way, you might as well kill off a station that is very unreliable during A's games. I doubt a new format would even work, this signal must be cursed! :eek:
 
musicman3355 said:
If KTRB is really shutting down, then I guess my prediction was right.
Click to expand...

KTRB is not shutting down.
 
Is PEAK broadcasting that owns KMJ in Fresno going to buy KTRB. just saw the Peak logo on KTRBs website.
 
From the Oakland Tribune Argus Daily Review Contra Costa Times Mercury News:

KTRB, owned by Harry and Jim Pappas, went into receivership to Comerica Bank on Friday and some personnel were subsequently terminated, including the station's program director. Syndicated talk-show host Michael Savage also was dropped.

But as far as the A's are concerned, the only change is that postgame talk-show host Chris Townsend will be employed by the club instead of the station.

"The bank will continue to run the station as is and is honoring the (team's) contract," said Ken Pries.

http://www.insidebayarea.com/sports/ci_16046667

Read the article in full, if only for Ken Pries' interesting take on why he knows the station will stay on the air -- because the chief engineer told him so!
 
kenrayc said:
Is PEAK broadcasting that owns KMJ in Fresno going to buy KTRB. just saw the Peak logo on KTRBs website.
Click to expand...

No, you saw the Peak Management logo in an advertisement for a real estate show on the KTRB website. That's not the same company as Peak Broadcasting.
 
BossRadioDJ said:
KTRB is not shutting down.
Click to expand...

I guess there's always brokered religion. If KDIA/KDYA can do it with minimal power, KTRB can do it with 50kw. It doesn't seem to matter whether people can actually hear a station because the ministers tend to buy on power, and they know that 50kw is high power.

In fact, it wouldn't matter much if KTRB shut down at night because most of the money made in brokered time is daytime anyway.
 
BossRadioDJ said:
From the Oakland Tribune Argus Daily Review Contra Costa Times Mercury News:

KTRB, owned by Harry and Jim Pappas, went into receivership to Comerica Bank on Friday
<snippage>
Read the article in full, if only for Ken Pries' interesting take on why he knows the station will stay on the air -- because the chief engineer told him so!
Click to expand...


I don't know if that's at poke me and/or Ken Pries, or just a reaction to an awkwardly structured sentence. What Ken said is an honest reaction to a very difficult situation. I have limited funds ($0), and limited personnel (me) to keep four locations functioning. There will be some rough edges for a while, but over the next couple of weeks I will try to make the on-air product as professional as possible. There won't be anything new or exciting, but I think we can all agree that taking the shackles off our ankles has to be a good thing. I will now go back to lurking in the shadows. -- John
 
Former KTRB owner, Pete Pappas must really be turning over in his grave. A very sad situation. KTRB's downward spiral started back on November 1, 1993, when they dropped its longtime Country Music format in favor of "Radio Labidos" Spanish Talk. Then in 1995, after a dispute with Radio Labidos, KTRB switched to Regional Mexican. In 1998, Harry Pappas took over KTRB and it esentially became a 24 hour simulcast of a Fresno News/Talk Station, KMPH-FM 107.5. Then Pappas pulled the plug in 2006 to move KTRB to San Francisco and the rest is history, so to speak.
 
SCV_Ears said:
I think if I'm the A's, though, I'm on the prowl for yet another on-air home next season.
Click to expand...

It's timing that is keeping KTRB on the air.

The A's have to be desperately trying to find another radio partner as we speak, and will make a move to break the KTRB contract right after the final play is made. In fact, if it weren't for the fact that at least three weeks of regular season games remain, that contract would likely have been ripped to shreds immediately.

That's likely why Ken Dito wasn't thrown out Friday, and will last until the final game. And because that isn't far away, Dito can afford to still work (and from what I've read, Dito's likely working for FREE!) while his resume can be updated and polished.

Once all that happens, Comerica Bank can finally pull the plug on the transmitter and, well... "86" ol' 860 for good. (Like they would want to pay for the constant transfer of propane; the bank can file a temporary "silent" notice with the FCC and save a few bucks.)
 
Maybe this would be a good oppurtunity for Live 105 to pick up the A's and flip sports. The only stations I could think of other than that, maybe KNBR 1050?
 
JKBurger said:
I don't know if that's at poke me and/or Ken Pries, or just a reaction to an awkwardly structured sentence.
Click to expand...

John, it's certainly not a poke at you -- you're one of the best in the business, period.

My comment was in regard to Ken's comment. KTRB isn't going to remain on the air because of your good work or because you said you'd keep KTRB running. It's going to remain on because the court-appointed receiver is overseeing it and reportedly will have the funds to keep it on the air until new owners take over.
 
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