95.7 The Game is making a big change to its weekday lineup. The San Francisco sports station is moving from four daily shows to three, and as a result, two veteran on-air talents are left on the outside looking in.
The two hosts left without a show are Damon Bruce and Ray Ratto. The two men had worked together in afternoons since September 2019. Bruce had been featured in PM drive on The Game even longer, joining the station originally in March 2014.
With Damon and Ratto out, The Game will move its midday team of Mark Willard and Dan Dibley to afternoons. Willard & Dibs are expected to move to 2p-6p starting Monday. Their exit from middays gives Matt Steinmetz and Daryle ‘The Guru’ Johnson an extra hour for their show. Steiny and Guru will expand their program to 10a-2p. The morning team of Bonta Hill and Joe Shasky will also add an hour, extending their program from 6a-10a.
The decision to shift from four shows to three is something Audacy has done in other markets. Whether the move was financially motivated or based on another factor is unclear.
What is strange is Damon and Ratto finished ahead of KNBR in the ratings in afternoon drive in the fall book. Willard and Dibs were the lone show on The Game to not win its head to head matchup for the quarter.
With the schedule change, Mark and Dan will now go head to head with KNBR’s Tom Tolbert and Adam Copeland. How they perform moving forward will be of great interest to many inside and outside of the company. Meanwhile, Bruce and Ratto will soon have a chance to consider new opportunities both locally and elsewhere.
Jason Barrett is the President and Founder of Barrett Media since the company was created in September 2015. Prior to its arrival, JB served as a sports radio programmer, launching brands such as 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He also spent time programming SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY. Jason also worked on-air and behind the scenes in local radio at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years on the national stage, producing radio shows for ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT. Among them included the Dan Patrick Show, and GameNight.
You can find JB on Twitter @SportsRadioPD. He’s also reachable by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
Ratto so horrible to listen to he such a liberal jerk with a horrible voice he has no new opinions and I hope is not back on local radio