KFOG Morning Guy Pinfield Off the Air and Into Rehab - Again

Highly hyped KFOG morning guy (and former MTV '120 Minutes' host) Matt Pinfield is taking a leave of absence.

http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/a...pinfield-to-take-leave-of-absence-at-kfog-san

Kinda surprised this hasn't made the message board yet. But then maybe nobody's been listening. It's probably hard to cultivate a fanbase when one is not showing up for work.

This is not the first time by any means. But I think Pinfield made it more than just eight months doing mornings in New York; I can't be sure.

From 2009: https://stupidcelebrities.net/2009/05/former-mtv-host-matt-pinfield-going-to-rehab-photos/

Sad.

NoMoreLurking said:

Kinda surprised this hasn't made the message board yet.

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He just announced it today. My view is waking up for morning radio would drive me to drink.

Also, this is a format steeped in over-indulgence, drugs, and alcohol. He's just living the lyrics of the music he plays. Give him a break.

TheBigA said:

...waking up for morning radio would drive me to drink.

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Doing morning radio? Listening to it? Both?

Cumulus-SF sure knows how to make some great hires. DreX has just started at KGO before he took several months off for medical issues, eventually leaving. Now KFOG's morning show blows up.

One has to wonder if working for Cumulus-SF is harmful to one's health.

First, Kevin Metheney passes away from a massive heart attack, followed by the aforementioned medical issues with DreX. Now this.

KFOG is a disaster that needs to be put out to pasture. The station hasn't been relevant in many years.

107.7 the Bone could use a reboot as well. Their playlist is just AWFUL. Would be nice to see an update/modernization of the playlist, not unlike what KLOS in Los Angeles has done in recent months.

MarkW said:

One has to wonder if working for Cumulus-SF is harmful to one's health.

First, Kevin Metheney passes away from a massive heart attack, followed by the aforementioned medical issues with DreX. Now this.

KFOG is a disaster that needs to be put out to pasture. The station hasn't been relevant in many years.

107.7 the Bone could use a reboot as well. Their playlist is just AWFUL. Would be nice to see an update/modernization of the playlist, not unlike what KLOS in Los Angeles has done in recent months.

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It would be nice if KFOG could revert to something eclectic (mix of radio friendly favorites that they play, occasional old '60s, '70s chestnuts, and a mix of deep album cuts) and challenging to the audience...the way 'free form' or the original 'AOR' formats used to be. I still maintain such a format could work in San Francisco (probably not anywhere else). It would require knowledgeable DJs would have flexibility to sometimes play what they want. These formats seem to work in retirement communities (Mendocino, Cape Cod etc.). Given how bad KFOG is doing now, why not take a chance on something like that. The current format is going nowhere fast. Every time I tune in, it's the same overplayed stuff from the '90s that has been played to death. I find myself back at Live 105, which at least plays some newer and interesting stuff.

adradio said:

occasional old '60s, '70s chestnuts, and a mix of deep album cuts) and challenging to the audience...the way 'free form' or the original 'AOR' formats used to be.

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"Free form" or the original AOR would NEVER play 40 or 50 year old songs. Could you imagine KMPX or the old KSAN playing Fred Astaire or Glen Miller? That's what you're asking for.

Pinfield IS a "knowledgeable DJ" with strong credibility in this format. I don't think it matters.

MarkW said:

107.7 the Bone could use a reboot as well. Their playlist is just AWFUL. Would be nice to see an update/modernization of the playlist, not unlike what KLOS in Los Angeles has done in recent months.

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I haven't listened to The Bone in a couple of years, but even then, they seemed to be confused about what they wanted to be. For awhile it seemed they'd try to go more in a more hard rock direction, including more current or recent stuff. Then they'd go to pretty much a standard "Classic Rock" format. And back and forth. I never understood why in the late 80's/early 90's rock stations started going "Classic Rock" and completely ignoring new music even from the same artists they played in heavy rotation. Rock was probably going to fade in popularity anyways but these stations sped up the process.

'Free Form / AOR' was focused on rock music, so the Fred Astaire/Glenn Miller reference is not relevant. However, it does suggest that in the year 2017, the format would need to be contemporary. I've got news on this....there is contemporary, eclectic rock out there...check out KCRW in Santa Monica. For commercial purposes it would need to be a blend of familiar and the not familiar...but a format like that would be interesting to listen to (compared to what we get today at KFOG...a limited mix of top 40 style contemporary Soft Adult Alt. Rock 'hits' and overplayed stuff from the '90s). You could use that current time box premise, but rather than play the same 150 songs (egg. 'Closing Time', 'I Would Walk 500 Miles' over and over, you could introduce a mix of deeper album cuts...both from new stuff and 'old' ('90s, but maybe a '60s, '70s occasionally tossed in). Also, re-introduce the concept of radio personalities who could talk about the music. Matt Pinfield does this very well...but no one else is allowed to do this at the station. If you re-set salary expectations to today's radio reality, you could still get decent talent in there.

adradio said:

For commercial purposes it would need to be a blend of familiar and the not familiar...

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KCRW is a non-commercial station that attracts an older demographic. That's impractical in commercial radio. Reaching back to the 60s also pushes the audience age too high. That's why they play music from the 90s. Commercial radio is not going to attempt to become an eclectic AAA non-commercial format as long as advertisers are paying for it.

For the love of God, how did this get so off topic????

Either discuss Matt Pinfield or start a new subject/thread.

Since his return, Matt Pinfield is now third fiddle. It is now the KFOG Morning Show with Bryan, Alicia and Matt

..

1069_KIFR said:

Since his return, Matt Pinfield is now third fiddle. It is now the KFOG Morning Show with Bryan, Alicia and Matt

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He is also on in the evenings -- ! assume that's a replay of the syndicated Cumulus show he's been doing since last year, which KFOG originally declined to carry, and airs live to the East Coast in late afternoon Pacific time. Surely he's not doing a live 6a-10a show AND a live 7p-10p evening show? That'd be exhausting even for someone not straight outta rehab.

What a mess. Here's the latest:


https://www.allaccess.com/net-news/...pinfield-to-exit-kfog-san-francisco-to-concen

http://www.fmqb.com/article.asp?id=3027684

Apparently Pinfield will stay at Cumulus but this time only focuses on the national show.

After just over a year as the morning show host on legendary San Francisco rock radio station KFOG, radio and television personality and rock journalist Matt Pinfield will turn over the morning mic to focus on his two nationally syndicated radio shows, the weekly rock history show, “Flashback” and the nightly show, “Two Hours”. Both programs are syndicated by Westwood One, a Cumulus Media company.

Justin Wittmayer, Vice President/Market Manager, Cumulus Media-San Francisco, said: “We thank Matt for his contributions to KFOG and wish him all the best moving forward as he continues to entertain radio audiences through his two national radio shows.”

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Simulcast Lamont and Tonelli, as Pinfield continues his Sunday Night Show on The Bone.

How many bites at the apple do they give this rummy?

TeaPartyDude said:

How many bites at the apple do they give this rummy?

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I'm not sure how many "bites" he's had, but it's difficult in California to terminate somebody for substance abuse - particularly alcohol - even if it's on the job - unless it's "safety sensitive" (Bus Operator, Pilot, etc.) so the answer to the question is - at least a few bites of the apple. Harder if he hasn't been inebriated on air. I seem to remember that sad Darien O'Toole was terminated from her talk radio job the same day she was inebriated on air, and slurring her words.

Considering this is radio, where there is no job security, it's possible that it's harder to get rid of Pinfield now than if he had no SA problem - because it might look now like retaliation, they were violating his rights, etc.

TheBigA said:

"Free form" or the original AOR would NEVER play 40 or 50 year old songs. Could you imagine KMPX or the old KSAN playing Fred Astaire or Glen Miller? That's what you're asking for.

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I'll go a bit off topic here, but I've got a bunch of old, early KMPX and KSAN airchecks that have Gregorian chants and some ancient 1920s tunes on them. They played some bat-$hit crazy stuff back then!