More KNBR carnage: Bob Fitzgerald also out?
Maybe KNBR-680 should consider changing its nickname from the “Sports Leader” to the “Sports Slayer.”
A seismic makeover at the Bay Area radio station continues as Bob Fitzgerald reportedly joins Gary Radnich in the exit lane.
According to a post in The Athletic today, Fitzgerald appeared on the air with his longtime partner Rod Brooks for the last time on Friday. Fitzgerald, who is also the Warriors’ television play-by-play man, was the second-longest tenured host at KNBR-680 (AM) behind Radnich, who announced his retirement on Saturday in a short and vague tweet.
Plan was to retire at the end of the year but with my 70th birthday ahead it makes sense now. Thank you audience for 36 years of TV-Radio!
— Gary Radnich (@GaryRadnich) June 22, 2019
Radnich’s tweet made it sound like his retirement — or ouster — was immediate. But he posted a follow-up today, in which he reported that he will have a farewell show on KNBR this week:
Looking forward to my final #KNBR show this week with my family and the people who helped me. Thank you for all the kind responses. pic.twitter.com/bnJcpU5qbi
— Gary Radnich (@GaryRadnich) June 23, 2019
A call to Radnich has not been returned.
Radnich and Fitzgerald depart KNBR as Greg Papa apparently gets set to arrive. Papa, formerly of 95.7-FM “The Game” (KGMZ), will reportedly headline a talk show on KNBR, as well as serve as the 49ers play-by-play man for the station.
Fitzgerald was not available for comment, but it’s telling that the KNBR website now only features a listing for “The Rod Brooks Show,” instead of “Fitz and Brooks.”
According to The Athletic, the new KNBR sports-talk lineup will continue to lead off with a morning show headlined by Brian Murphy and Paul McCaffrey.
What follows, however, will be some dramatic changes with Papa teaming up with John Lund from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., after which Tom Tolbert will join Rod Brooks and Larry Krueger from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. in an odd three-man format.
In an intriguing twist, Fitzgerald has become the odd man out at KNBR as Papa moves in. Longtime followers of the Bay Area sports media scene will recall that, in 1997, Fitzgerald replaced Papa on the Warriors telecasts. At the time, it was a controversial — and acrimonious — changeover that left Papa furious with both the Warriors (then owned by Chris Cohan) and Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald joined KNBR in 1991, rising to prominence in the 7-10 p.m. slot. He began a multiyear absence from the station after resigning in 2001.
If Fitzgerald continues on as the Warriors’ play-by-play man for NBC Bay Area, it stands to reason that he could change his radio home to 95.7, which carries Warriors games.