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Sal Capaccio

R

Rob Piotrowski

He does a decent job as the Bills sideline reporter - but how in the world did this guy get a talk show.

First of all his voice sounds like nails on a chalkboard. During short reports it's tolerable but not on a talk show. Plus he ALWAYS sounds mad even when he's not. Then he cuts off callers who don't agree with his homer take on the team.

Maybe they should move Beamer to cover his slot. That would be an upgrade.
 
Is he a Bills Employee or an Entercom staffer? Either way, he is awful. Even sports fans must find it unlistenable. Sounds like bad High School radio. His price must be right for Entercom...
 
Capaccio sounds like a regular guy who follows sports and knows what he's talking about. Years ago some people people questioned Howard Simon's voice, passion and delivery because he didn't sound like Van Miller, Stan Baron or Dick Rifenberg. Simon is now considered a legacy. If there's any issue with Capaccio it's that he sometimes calls himself "Coach Sal" which makes it sound like he had a college or pro coaching gig. It also recalls the memory of an old angry guy called "coach." Word is Capaccio is an Entercom employee.
 
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I'd rather listen to Capaccio than Stat-boy and Doofus in the afternoon on GR-55 who spend more time on fantasy sports than they do on real sports. Phil Rizzuto wasn't exactly the smoothest voice in the booth, but he sure painted a picture. I'll take Capaccio's content over uniformed opinion anytime.
 
Doofus must be the guy who sounds like Sylvester the Cat (Sufferin' Succotash). The ratings for WGR drop dramatically when the football season ends. People who listen to this station are there to rehash, dissect, and complain about the games. The ratings history indicates that coverage of the team is the draw(not the hosts). If the Bills left Buffalo, WGR would be a 1 share station...
 
TheBigA said:
Doesn't say much for the town's support of its hockey team.
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When the Sabres were on 107.7 FM, that Empire sports format had a 1 share. Hockey is popular in Buffalo (and other North East Cities), but that does not translate into ratings. The NFL dwarfs the NHL in popularity...
 
Rob Piotrowski said:
Before Entercom broke the bank to buy 107.7 it was a sports station owned by John Rigas.
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Yes I know, before that it was a fairly successful country station. I know WNUC very well. So what? 107.7 is what's off topic.

Still, the ratings there have nothing to do with WGR or my question about WGR making money with hockey.

Back to the thread, a sports talk station is more than play by play. There are many hours when ESPN doesn't have a game to show, so they bring people in to talk about sports. You either like it or you don't. But that's what the format is. What do you expect them to do?
 
tbolt909 said:
When the Sabres were on 107.7 FM, that Empire sports format had a 1 share. Hockey is popular in Buffalo (and other North East Cities), but that does not translate into ratings. The NFL dwarfs the NHL in popularity...
Click to expand...

Are low ratings of 107.7 proof of anything other than the fact that a crappy signal has trouble getting listeners no matter what you put on it?
 
TheBigA said:
Still, the ratings there have nothing to do with WGR or my question about WGR making money with hockey.
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WGR does make money with Sabres hockey, particularly if they make the playoffs. ETM management is probably more upset than the Sabres org. when they miss the post-season.
 
flybynight said:
So many to point to: WIP, WFAN, WEEI, WXVT, KNBR, KFXN, WSCR, KTCK.
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And not every host on those stations have award winning articulate hosts who analyze sports like Bob Costas.

The new afternoon drive host at WFAN used to be "Joe from Saddle River," a listener who called the station every day.
 
flybynight said:
WGR does make money with Sabres hockey, particularly if they make the playoffs. ETM management is probably more upset than the Sabres org. when they miss the post-season.
Click to expand...

The Sabres haven't been in the post season since 2011. That's a long time with no playoff revenue.

The original post of this thread was a complaint about a specific host. Complaints about the staff on WGR are common. My point is that if the Bills leave Buffalo, WGR will see their ratings tank. Women's volleyball gets higher ratings than hockey if much of the country...
 
tbolt909 said:
My point is that if the Bills leave Buffalo, WGR will see their ratings tank. Women's volleyball gets higher ratings than hockey if much of the country...
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You'd be surprised how many cities without NFL teams have active sports radio stations that make money. My bet is if the Bills left town, people would call and want to talk about it for at least five years, especially when the team is doing poorly in the new city. People love to gloat. That's what happened in Baltimore after the Colts left. People like to complain. especially old people. They'll complain about any subject you put in front of them, from talk show host to the football team. As evidenced by this board.
 
TheBigA said:
The new afternoon drive host at WFAN used to be "Joe from Saddle River," a listener who called the station every day.
Click to expand...

Funny, as we sit here I'm watching the Belk Bowl on ESPN, and their field reporter is Rocky Boiman, a former football player, who also works for WLW in Cincinnati where he does afternoon drive as part of the Eddie & Rocky show. How brilliant do you suppose that is?
 
1. The Sabres do just fine for WGR.
2. The Bills aren't likely to book as long as the Pegula Empire owns the team.
3. Capaccio must be doing what his bosses like.
4. Is it any wonder the mods shut down threads?
 
Hockey will help GR-55 do just fine after the Bills season ends. Buffalo fans support the Sabres as well as any NHL market around IF the Sabres give them a team worth supporting. The Pegulas rescued a team that was run on a shoestring after being saved from bankruptcy. They haven't had the same luck putting together a GM/coach combination that the Bills have. Maybe the current combination will be the one to turn their fortunes around. Maybe not.

The station could be better but they're following a formula that features "relatability", not expertise. It's hard to believe that ESPN was once interested in Stat-boy, or that Doofus was once a knowledgeable sports guy who benefitted from the tutelage of Pete Weber. Capaccio is a more credible sports guy than most of their hosts. In any event, they're doing well in their target audience and they're definitely making money as long as the Bills or Sabres are on.
 
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