KFAN's New Look

[Unregistered User]

What do you expect from Clear Channel after they pull stunts like this?

This is not to be used as a basis for pro or con of the politics, just the fact that Clear Channel has been using paid actors to call in to their radio shows.

Makes me believe those jack-holes are even bigger puppets than I thought.

 

[Rosemountian]

How do you explain away his bashing of Mason when he was a coach vs his treatment of him now??

Because Mason is a good source of some insight for him now and he was also a good source of Insight Bowls when he was the coach?

 

[ruralgopher]

Exactly my point, it is all about what is best for barero.

 

[Stan The Caddy]

Barriero's show is good. I like it a lot, and i don't think he's been a phony in regard to Gopher football. I don't think the station's Viking coverage has anything to do with how he feels about Gopher football. The program has been a joke for a long time, unless you count a few of the Mason years as respectable. He's treated them accordingly. Brewster rubbed him the wrong way, and in the end all of the criticisms turned out to be on the money. Brewster was a phony and a joke. All hype but no results.

Since Coach Kill has been hired he's been on with Barriero a few times and the conversations have been great. Everything he's said about Coach Kill & his program has been positive.

Most of you are way off target in your Barriero bashing.

I could not agree more. Those of you posting that Barriero has some sort of agenda against Gopher Football are just paranoid and wrong. Also, if you think Barriero is suddenly being "nice" to Gopher Football and Kill, because management told him to, you would be wrong again.

If Kill makes poor dscisions and the team is undiciplined next year, I bet Danny B will be critical.

I am with the posters who support this move and think it is great for the program. It will create greater exposure to a much younger demographic who did not care about Gopher Football in the past.

I also think this was a strategic move by KFAN on the very slight chance there is no NFL next year. They will have football on the air regardless.

It will be interesting to see what their programming is on Saturday mornings. Fantasy Football Weekly has been a long standing and wildly popular show from 10-12 on Saturdays. That cannot happen anymore. Look for Charch and the boys to move to 8am, hour pregame at 10 for the 11am kickoffs.

 

[scools12]

Because Mason is a good source of some insight for him now and he was also a good source of Insight Bowls when he was the coach?

this is pretty fuuny.

 

[Lakeville Goldy]

I think the best thing to come out of this move is that the Gophers are on dedicated sports networks. This means all day every day they have incentive to talk about the Gophers, rather than during the limited sports programming on 'CCO. I have no ill will toward 'CCO (don't think most people do), but I really think where the program is, where the radio stations involved are, and where everyone wants to go, this was the best move.

 

[MaxyJR1]

I also think this was a strategic move by KFAN on the very slight chance there is no NFL next year. They will have football on the air regardless.

This could be true, but I think it has to do more with there being two all sports stations in town and competition. I believe that ESPN1500 has been destroying KFAN since the change in format.

 

[GoAUpher]

I also think this was a strategic move by KFAN on the very slight chance there is no NFL next year. They will have football on the air regardless.

And if the NFL sticks around they've made themselves into the weekend football station.

 

[MaxyJR1]

Barreiro Eating it up.

Last Tweet. "If Kill were coaching basketball Gophs, they'd be up 15 by now. #strokethepost"

 

[tpbeight]

"That would be your opinion." quoted by Station19


And his opinion just happens to be wrong.

I used to like Danny B. when it came to non-sports related topics. When it came to sports, he always relied on shtick and not substance. The shtick for The Gophers was to rip without any real knowledge behind it. So little knowledge that he ended-up saying things that weren't remotely true. When questioned or ripped, he got defensive and childish.


The rest of the on-air staff at the fan aren't even worth my time caring about anymore. The only time I really listen to sports talk is the Travis Rodgers show on 690 a.m. That guy is good.

I like the Travis Rodgers show, too. The little bit i've heard has been great.

As for Gopher-bashing.......they've been bashable on almost every level for years and years now. Barriero just happens to have a radio show. I assure you he wasn't the only one. How much does he have to know about the program to bash it? Their dismal record usually told you all you had to know about the season, the talent of the players and the coaches. You don't need to be an insider to see the repeated failures.

I'm a Gopher fan and i don't like to hear the program bashed any more than you do, but it's been warranted and i can't pretend it hasn't been. Just because i love the team doesn't mean they haven't sucked over and over with very few positives mixed in.

 

[Unregistered User]

I'm a Gopher fan and i don't like to hear the program bashed any more than you do, but it's been warranted and i can't pretend it hasn't been.

Read Phil Miller. He will criticize the football team when warranted. The difference, and it is a monumental difference, is that he provides INFORMED opinions. The jack-holes at KFAN have never spent the time to know anything about the Gophers.

Now they will be forced to, and they'll put on their Clear Channel issued knee-pads. But they will not have me listening to their disingenuous drivel.

 

[Silvio]

This could be true, but I think it has to do more with there being two all sports stations in town and competition. I believe that ESPN1500 has been destroying KFAN since the change in format.

Depends on the season.

 

[Silvio]

Read Phil Miller. He will criticize the football team when warranted. The difference, and it is a monumental difference, is that he provides INFORMED opinions. The jack-holes at KFAN have never spent the time to know anything about the Gophers.

Now they will be forced to, and they'll put on their Clear Channel issued knee-pads. But they will not have me listening to their disingenuous drivel.

False, one person is paid to cover the gophers as a reporter/journalist. The other are columnists/talk show personalities. You understand the difference between a talk show host/ columnist and beat reporter? The latter has an opinion based on the overall state of the program (recent history, etc.) they don't need to know the team is bad because the LT is consistently beaten like a rented mule on third and long.

 

[ruralgopher]

Silvio hit it on the head as to why I don't like the move to KFAN. They, when I used to listen, were much more interested in being the Howard Sterns of local sports than actually covering them. Maybe they are better now, I don't know.

 

[Iceland12]

Silvio hit it on the head as to why I don't like the move to KFAN. They, when I used to listen, were much more interested in being the Howard Sterns of local sports than actually covering them. Maybe they are better now, I don't know.

There might actually be a little hope for the *$^&$&^$# over there, more so then their defenders over here. Look at the T-Wolves the last couple of years. The are a major laughingstock across the nation. You can't hear or read any praise for Love that doesn't include thought of WHEN he leaves the Wolves. As bad as Brewster's tenure turned out to be they were 7-6 in 2008 and 6-7 in 2009. Winning percentages of 54 and 46% and they made the "playoffs" both years.

During those same seasons the Wolves went 24-58 and 15-67. Winning percentages of 29 and 23%. Even the Gophers 3-8 season this year was a 25% clip.

Heck the last time the Wolves made the playoffs was 5 years ago and yet on KFAN the Gophers are the main punching bag.

Does anybody who rejects the "it's not the critiques, it's the snark" argument honestly think that if the Wolves weren't on KFAN and/or owned by Taylor they wouldn't be getting hammered more then the Gophers?

See rural, there may be hope.

 

[Silvio]

There might actually be a little hope for the *$^&$&^$# over there, more so then their defenders over here. Look at the T-Wolves the last couple of years. The are a major laughingstock across the nation. You can't hear or read any praise for Love that doesn't include thought of WHEN he leaves the Wolves. As bad as Brewster's tenure turned out to be they were 7-6 in 2008 and 6-7 in 2009. Winning percentages of 54 and 46% and they made the playoffs both years.

During those same seasons the Wolves went 24-58 and 15-67. Winning percentages of 29 and 23%. Even the Gophers 3-8 season this year was a 25% clip.

Heck the last time the Wolves made the playoffs was 5 years ago and yet on KFAN the Gophers are the main punching bag.

Does anybody who rejects the "it's not the critiques, it's the snark" argument honestly think that if the Wolves weren't on KFAN and/or owned by Taylor they wouldn't be getting hammered more then the Gophers?

See rural, there may be hope.

I think that they gophers still got hammered more than the T-wolves even when the NBA team was on Bob for a season or two. It was easier for the "talent" at kfan to take shots at the gophers as they didn't follow them closely, but more importantly, neither did the majority of their listeners.

That last part is what the U is trying to change. IIRC in the last year or two KFAN tried to do a call in show after gopher games, but it did not work. Gopher sports used to get decent coverage on KFAN (depending on the show) before Dubay got a drug problem (or fired for a drug problem).

 

[Unregistered User]

False, one person is paid to cover the gophers as a reporter/journalist. The other are columnists/talk show personalities. You understand the difference between a talk show host/ columnist and beat reporter? The latter has an opinion based on the overall state of the program (recent history, etc.) they don't need to know the team is bad because the LT is consistently beaten like a rented mule on third and long.

What are you talking about? And thanks for the lesson on the difference between media roles, I really had no idea. You don't have to be at a B10 coaches level of football knowledge to familiarize yourself with the team. I doubt anyone on that station could name 5 football players today.

 

[e.bigelow]

Yeah, it feels a bit strange for the U to be leaving 'CCO. The Gophers and WCCO have gone hand in hand for years.

But I will try to explain my stance since I am one of those hypocritical people who slammed KFAN and is happy that the U has switched over. First and foremost, more than anything, I support the Gopher football team and anything that I think is good for the Gophs, I am all on board.
Second, I still don't think PA knows a single thing about college football, I still think Danny B overplays his contrarian bit so much that it loses its luster, and I still find it odd that Guard poses as a Gopher and Iowa fan (how odd is that?). However, despite that, the Fan now has a vested interest in Gopher football. They will very likely have many more Gopher football segments and guests who know a ton about Gopher football. That is really the big deal to me, we get to hear more people talk abotu the Gophers and the mere fact that they have a vested interest, we will see more interviews with coaches/players and guests who really do bleed maroon and gold.

Well put, Bob. I agree with everything you are saying here. WCCO represented a very old generation in Minnesota. I would have been happier to see ESPN 1500 do the gopher coverage, but this will do.

My main concern is, who will be the Gopher affliates in out-state Minnesota. With not been @ the U for school anymore, I am now living closer to my hometown in very west-central minnesota. Needless to say, Gopher coverage out in this neck of the woods can be non-existent at times. Kind of frustrating.

 

[Silvio]

What are you talking about? And thanks for the lesson on the difference between media roles, I really had no idea. You don't have to be at a B10 coaches level of football knowledge to familiarize yourself with the team. I doubt anyone on that station could name 5 football players today.

I would bet that their are several people at that station that can name five players. The gophers have been a bad (below average) football team for a while in the big ten. As fans of the program we rely on hope and optimism that the program will turn the corner but for various reason each of the recent coaches haven't been able to do that. From a non fan perspective all you need to be familiar with is that the gophers would beat the cupcakes on the their schedule, play tough competitive games with the lesser teams in the BigTen, and get blown out by the elite teams in the BigTen. Except for a couple of rare occasions that has been the pattern of gopher football for as long as I can remember. When the majority of your listeners are casual fans of the program (gophers football) you don't need to have much more of a perspective than that.

Hopefully with the hiring of Kill and move to KFAN that will change.

 

[Silvio]

Well put, Bob. I agree with everything you are saying here. WCCO represented a very old generation in Minnesota. I would have been happier to see ESPN 1500 do the gopher coverage, but this will do.

My main concern is, who will be the Gopher affiliates in out-state Minnesota. With not been @ the U for school anymore, I am now living closer to my hometown in very west-central Minnesota. Needless to say, Gopher coverage out in this neck of the woods can be non-existent at times. Kind of frustrating.

Where the gopher sports ended up shows how poor the WCCO offer must have been (or how desperate the U was to move). KSTP couldn't handle gopher football primarily due to the Twins while KFAN couldn't handle B-Ball and Hockey due to the T-wolves.

 

[Unregistered User]

Hopefully with the hiring of Kill and move to KFAN that will change.

I can only hope that KFAN steps up their game with this change. One of my big problems with KFAN is just what you were referring to when you mentioned the casual fan. When they tune into KFAN and the Gopher teams are dismissed without any real attempt to educate the casual fan, they are left to think that the team is not worth paying attention to because these "professional sports guys" see no reason to pay attention to the team. Like it or not, the casual fan will pay attention to what their trusted voices/columnists tell them to watch. So, I imagine that the dictum coming down from Clear Channel to direct more resources to the Gophers will show itself in a product that is more informed about the Gophs.

 

[Silvio]

I can only hope that KFAN steps up their game with this change. One of my big problems with KFAN is just what you were referring to when you mentioned the casual fan. When they tune into KFAN and the Gopher teams are dismissed without any real attempt to educate the casual fan, they are left to think that the team is not worth paying attention to because these "professional sports guys" see no reason to pay attention to the team. Like it or not, the casual fan will pay attention to what their trusted voices/columnists tell them to watch. So, I imagine that the dictum coming down from Clear Channel to direct more resources to the Gophers will show itself in a product that is more informed about the Gophs.

I hope so, but I don't think you will see a radical shift from the on air talent at KFAN. Maybe PA will make an attempt to become more knowledgeable, but the other people all pretty much rely on being negative. If KFAN can add someone who is more knowledgeable about the U sports that would be the move they need to make, but who would that person be for football? Double T would seem to be that guy for basketball.

 

[Unregistered User]

...but who would that person be for football?

My vote would be MV.

And I don't want someone on the air to just spew happy horsesh!t either. But I do want the on air talent to show the same level of knowledge that they have for the Wolves.

 

[disco]

My vote would be MV.

And I don't want someone on the air to just spew happy horsesh!t either.

And this is the main reasons I think the move is a good one. I'm sorry, but I'd rather listen to people who are willing to be critical and negative when it's warranted. The trio of Sid, Mona, and Mike Max on WCCO are the most pathetic bunch of homers on the planet. Barreiro and Reusse will at least tell it like it is.

 

[Kuato Lives!]

Reusse will at least tell it like it is.

I agree as Reusse's hard hitting in your face edge so sharp it'll slice yo mammy opinions on vintage snowmobiles have no equal in the TC sports market. The guy knows his vintage Arctic Cats. We should be fortunate as Minnesota sports fans that we have a guy like Reusse who is brave enough to step away from the flock and tell us the truth about how much of an overrated garbage player Kevin Love is.

 

[Zales04]

Travis Rodgers is ok, but all I hear is him trying to emulate his old boss - Jim Rome.

I've noticed Barrerio's tone towards football changing since Kill has come on. If I didn't know any better I'd say that Dan likes Kill a lot. I'm sure it has some to do with Kill's no BS attitude. I just can't forget how he used to rip on Mason quite a bit and now he is buddy-buddy with them.

I'm gonna take a wait and see approach on the move. We'll see if Learfield and KFAN can get something going here after all the history at 'CCO.

 

[MJGopher]

I think that they gophers still got hammered more than the T-wolves even when the NBA team was on Bob for a season or two. It was easier for the "talent" at kfan to take shots at the gophers as they didn't follow them closely, but more importantly, neither did the majority of their listeners.

That last part is what the U is trying to change. IIRC in the last year or two KFAN tried to do a call in show after gopher games, but it did not work. Gopher sports used to get decent coverage on KFAN (depending on the show) before Dubay got a drug problem (or fired for a drug problem).

Of course it didn't work. You can't spend the entire week, with every single one of your on-air personalities ripping a team and openly questioning how any fan could cheer for this team and then expect that after a game on a Saturday that those same fans will flip the station over and call in to a program to discuss the game.

I tuned in the day that the announcement was made, after not listening for quite a few weeks. It was pretty obvious that the tone around the Gopher football topic had changed. As a Gopher fan, it was very enjoyable to hear and I look forward to hearing more informed Gopher coverage.

However, as someone who had gotten to the point where I couldn't listen to a word Barreiro spoke, I definitely understand some of the disgust on this board. This is very similar to the change in opinion on Mason (which is still painful to listen to). The notion that he has more respect now for Coach Kill and that is changing his opinion is a fair one, and is probably part of the new attitude.

But I would say that based on my listening experiences with KFAN, what I heard this week was more than just some additional respect based on the new coach. I guess that is just my opinion though.

 

[Goldteam]

Barriero's show is good. I like it a lot, and i don't think he's been a phony in regard to Gopher football. I don't think the station's Viking coverage has anything to do with how he feels about Gopher football. The program has been a joke for a long time, unless you count a few of the Mason years as respectable. He's treated them accordingly. Brewster rubbed him the wrong way, and in the end all of the criticisms turned out to be on the money. Brewster was a phony and a joke. All hype but no results.

Since Coach Kill has been hired he's been on with Barriero a few times and the conversations have been great. Everything he's said about Coach Kill & his program has been positive.

Most of you are way off target in your Barriero bashing.

"penis head" bashed mason in the same way he bashed brewster......and now mason is a guest all the time and dan sucks him dry....he looks to mason for insights

it's pure comedy

barrerio is a pompous ass

 

[Goldteam]

And this is the main reasons I think the move is a good one. I'm sorry, but I'd rather listen to people who are willing to be critical and negative when it's warranted. The trio of Sid, Mona, and Mike Max on WCCO are the most pathetic bunch of homers on the planet. Barreiro and Reusse will at least tell it like it is.

the problem is you might have to 2 hours to get his opinion

there are snowstorms and politics to talk about first on the number one sports station