Bonta Hill is exiting The Morning Roast on 95.7 The Game. Hill has been with The Game for eight years, teaming with Joe Shasky in morning drive since October 2020. Outside of his work with the station, he also serves as the pregame and postgame show host for broadcasts of Golden State Warriors basketball on NBC Sports Bay Area & California. Hill will assume a larger role as a full-time multiplatform host with NBC Sports Bay Area which includes programming involvement with the Warriors, San Francisco Giants and San Francisco 49ers.
Shasky will be joined in mornings by Joe Spadoni, producer and current host of The Pregame Show as the station deliberates its next move. Hill addressed the audience regarding his departure from the morning program during the Friday edition of the show.
“Burning the midnight oil at both ends – I’ve done it for over four-and-a-half years – and it got to me,” Hill said. “It got to me, and so these hours were tough. Family, first and foremost, my health, the lack of sleep that I was getting, I want to leave like you Shasky until 100. I want to be able to tell stories with you at a coffee shop in West Sunset or West Portal or in the Fillmore District about the times we pissed off Philadelphia or the times we hailed Trey Lance as the next great thing in San Francisco, so I had to take that into consideration.”
Hired by program director Don Kollins, Hill joined 95.7 The Game as a co-host of the midday show alongside Greg Papa. After three years on the air together, Papa abruptly left to become the radio play-by-play voice for the San Francisco 49ers, which left his future with the outlet in jeopardy. Matt Nahigian, who took over as program director in 2017, assigned Hill to be part of the new midday show with Matt Steinmetz and Daryle ‘The Guru’ Johnson. When Joe Fortenbaugh left to work for ESPN, the station revamped its lineup and moved Hill to mornings with Shasky and Kate Scott.
“It’s one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make in my life, definitely in my career, because I’m walking away from not only this great station, these great fans, but I’m walking away a brother in Joe Shasky, the butcher, who, if it wasn’t for you, I don’t think I would have regained my love for radio back in 2019, when we started doing 49ers pre and postgame shows,” Hill said. “I’ll never forget that Pittsburgh [game] after Week 3 when I felt like I had the juice back because I was working with somebody who was the same age as me, who had the same passion as me and nothing else mattered except putting on a kick-ass show.”
Bonta’s departure takes place at a time when sports talk radio in the San Francisco Bay Area is undergoing a significant shift with its on-air personalities and executives. The Game parted ways with its afternoon drive duo of Damon Bruce and Ray Ratto in 2023. Across town, KNBR let go of Tom Tolbert and John Lund as part of staffing cuts last fall, which was preceded by layoffs that resulted in the departures of Paul McCaffrey and F.P. Santangelo. A few years earlier, KNBR also cut ties with Larry Krueger and Rod Brooks, although Krueger returned to the station last August.
Additionally, KNBR went through two program director changes with Kevin Graham leaving in August 2023 due to health reasons, and Adam Copeland being promoted. Copeland’s run was brief though, and Mike Hohler assumed the role in July 2024. 95.7 The Game, which is owned by Audacy, also experienced local management changes. Kieran Geffert was elevated to SVP/Market Manager in November 2024 following the exit of Stacey Kauffman.
Hill’s expanded role with NBC Sports includes responsibilities hosting a podcast surrounding the Warriors and continuing his hosting responsibilities surrounding live game broadcasts. Additionally, he will contribute to Giants and 49ers gameday coverage on the sports network as well.
“Bonta is a knowledgeable, passionate and entertaining professional who has been embedded in Bay Area sports media for years, including the last four with NBC Sports Bay Area, where he has made a tremendous impact,” Matt Murphy, president and general manager of NBC Sports Bay Area and NBC Sports California, said in a statement. “We are excited for him to join us full-time and extend his contributions across our platforms and coverage.”
The remainder of the lineup for 95.7 The Game remains in tact, although it remains unknown if Spadoni will continue his responsibilities as host of The Pregame Show. Hill is expected to continue a part-time relationship with 95.7 The Game. Details of his future involvement are unclear at this time.
“I’ll still be part of this station,” Hill said. “I’m not going anywhere because I truly care about this station, and I truly care about this show. Everywhere we’ve gone, Shasky, whether it’s high school, grammar school, whatever, you want to see that place left in a good space. I feel like The Morning Roast is at a very good spot right now, and with the offseason about to happen, the trade deadline, Brock Purdy’s contract, this show’s going to be firing on all cylinders – all cylinders.”
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