Brewster bans KFAN interviews for Players and Coaches

The Koko reference

I used to listen to the Koko (PA show) and he always is giving himself nicknames. So he gets that name from the Seinfeld episode where George is giving himself the nickname T-bone, but all of his co-workers nickname him Koko after the talking monkey.
 

It is definitely not constant negativity. I listen to the Fan all the time and they have just as much good press as bad press.


I'll have to take your word for it, but the prevailing subjects on this board have been that the Fan is still terrible for Gopher sports. The only anomaly that I saw was the last couple of threads, and there was some upbeat points about the stadium and the experience being said.
 

If this is in fact true, it is very unfortunate regardless of how we might feel about KFAN. This sounds like a Mason move. I have always felt that Brewster was above that. Brewster is a PR guy, why would he do this to spite his face? Something beyond our knowledge must have happened. This is very uncharacteristic of Brewster.
 

It's not as bad as it used to be, but just don't listen to Barreiro and you'll be pretty much okay. Chad Hartman was another one but he's out the door.
 

Wonder what Doogie thinks, or if he has any inside knowledge.
 


Who is saying this is fact? PA come on the air today and say something?

The facts are PA is basically on the Vikings payrolll...he has to kiss ass. Which is terrible because he thinks he knows so much about football its funny. Please stop making a 2 yard gain on first down sound like it was the greatest play in the world...you have been doing this long enough to fine tune your enthusiasm for actually getting this job.

Second...when doesn't KFAN rip on basically every Minnesota team? They are basically 60% negative 40% positive. It is much much easier to fill airtime with criticism than it is to do your homework and actually know what you are talking about. The only time there is ANY substance on the air is when they get beat writers and guests on the show. That should tell you something.

Third, I have a hard time believing Brewster would do this. If the U wants attention from KFAN they need to tear up their contract with WCCO and get their games on 1130am. Until then why would KFAN give a decent amount of air?

Right now the Vikings, Gophers, Twins, Wild, and soon to be Wolves and Gopher hoops are all in the news. The Vikes and Twins (as long as they are in the hunt) will get majority of the airtime. That is fact.
 

People here gripe all the time about the program not getting enough exposure. Whether you like KFAN or not, it has a sizeable listening audience and to suddenly shut down exposure from them, will only create negative publicity.

Huge buzzkill by Brewster right after a big victory and all the good pub about the new stadium. What's next, pulling the press passes from the Strib because they employ Reusse?
 

I used to listen to the Koko (PA show) and he always is giving himself nicknames. So he gets that name from the Seinfeld episode where George is giving himself the nickname T-bone, but all of his co-workers nickname him Koko after the talking monkey.
Right, Koko. That chimp's alright. High Five.
 

I have no problem with this.
There have been media outlets out there that have been 100% negative on the Gophers for years (Reusse and KFAN in particular), so why be complicit in degrading your own team by participating with them?
 



This is just too bad. I will agree that KFAN can get annoying, but the fact is they are huge radio station. PA has not stopped talking about this now for an hour. People are calling in and saying they don't like it. This just isn't the pub we want. I just think this was a bad move.
 


I have no problem with this.
There have been media outlets out there that have been 100% negative on the Gophers for years (Reusse and KFAN in particular), so why be complicit in degrading your own team by participating with them?

Because you've just upped the negativity 200 percent. If Cosgrove goes on with PA today, it will be a positive segment...guaranteed. If Decker goes on at any point this season, it will be positive....guaranteed.

Why not counter program their own negativity?
 

I have no problem with this.
There have been media outlets out there that have been 100% negative on the Gophers for years (Reusse and KFAN in particular), so why be complicit in degrading your own team by participating with them?

Uhhh, perhaps to give another perspective. This is a horrible and extrememly short sighted move....if true...which I hope it is not.
 



This is just too bad. I will agree that KFAN can get annoying, but the fact is they are huge radio station. PA has not stopped talking about this now for an hour. People are calling in and saying they don't like it. This just isn't the pub we want. I just think this was a bad move.



Agreed x10. A lot of the dislike of KFAN here comes from the fact they constantly overlook the Gophers. I'm no PR expert, but you don't get people talking about you by hiding from them. I love Brew, but unless I'm missing something, this is a horrible call.

Is there a specific incident that this would be a reaction to?
 

If this is in fact true, it is very unfortunate regardless of how we might feel about KFAN. This sounds like a Mason move. I have always felt that Brewster was above that. Brewster is a PR guy, why would he do this to spite his face? Something beyond our knowledge must have happened. This is very uncharacteristic of Brewster.


It knew it was only a matter of time until someone was able to spin Mason into the situation.

For the doubters, what reasons would PA have to lie? He just woke up this morning and said, "How can I piss off Brewster? Let's make up a big fat lie that Brewster's banning all players and coaches to speak to KFAN." What would he get out of it? Absolutely nothing. PA is a member of the media and to produce a lie like this would cause him to lose his journalistic credibility (I know, I know, there's not much there to begin with). But he would be in far hotter water with his station execs if it's a lie, so why would he?

For all the apologists on these boards (and there are plenty), it is what it is. Quit trying to spin everything into Brewster positivity.
 

Win, and this doesn't matter. Since when does having KFAN on your side lead to instant credibility and fan base?
 

oh god and they're having a field day with it. this is like kfan programming gold. the on-air talent loves to go off when they feel the station is being slighted or they can turn up heat on what they see as pompous or holier than thou attitude on the part of the local sports teams.
 

If a KFAN host is talking and nobody is listening do they make a sound?
 

It knew it was only a matter of time until someone was able to spin Mason into the situation.

For the doubters, what reasons would PA have to lie? He just woke up this morning and said, "How can I piss off Brewster? Let's make up a big fat lie that Brewster's banning all players and coaches to speak to KFAN." What would he get out of it? Absolutely nothing. PA is a member of the media and to produce a lie like this would cause him to lose his journalistic credibility (I know, I know, there's not much there to begin with). But he would be in far hotter water with his station execs if it's a lie, so why would he?

For all the apologists on these boards (and there are plenty), it is what it is. Quit trying to spin everything into Brewster positivity.

I don't think it was PA exclusively, but don't be surprised if some sources in between kinda fudged things up. I doubt PA called the Gophers offices directly and they said "No, you can't talk to anyone here cause we're mad at KFAN, goodbye".
 

Win, and this doesn't matter. Since when does having KFAN on your side lead to instant credibility and fan base?

You are correct that it doesn't. However until we start winning consistently and gaining the national headlines it is nice to be able to show highly sought after recruits that we have some media support here in the community and that they will get their press if they perform well. Getting free press may also help attract some new casual fans to the gophers. The free press cannot hurt but if you think that KFAN was unfair before, they will put it into overdrive now.
 

KFAN has become a joke. I honestly don't think anyone who lives outside the metro ever listens to them (partly because they don't reach very far.) I don't even think most metro 'casual' sports fans listen to much KFAN. It's basically for hard-core sports radio fans and Viking fans.

All that said, 'banning' your team from talking to any particular media entity is pretty classless. Bad move, Brew.
 

I'm sure the kiddies are all over the AM radio scene :rolleyes:. They know the media coverage will come if they win, and the top dog and probably the only one that matters in most of their eyes is ESPN. Sucks, but true.
 

You are correct that it doesn't. However until we start winning consistently and gaining the national headlines it is nice to be able to show highly sought after recruits that we have some media support here in the community and that they will get their press if they perform well.


Not just highly sought after recruits, but the casual fan base.
 

I should see PA in a couple hours at Vikings practice, so will pick his brain if I do...I know Brewster has had issues with Hartman & Barreiro in the past, but don't understand the whole station idea...PA is generally positive...he loves Decker (the interview recently with Decker was all positive)...having Cosgrove on would've been nothing but a verbal blow***...and for good reason...the defense has been amazing...best trio of LBs since the mid 80's...

Fanline last year with my GI guys, I thought, went very well...and we had access to players...Brewster came on my Saturday show a couple times as well in the offseason, so curious to know what caused this change...Dubay & I are gone, and we are more positive than negative, but also are realists, so will speak the truth when it's needed...but PA, Common, Rosen, & Fargo Flash are all still there...Morris and I watched the AF game (4th qtr) from the sideline together...he seems to be on board now...there's plenty of positive and well-balanced coverage to be had on KFAN...and I was fired from there, so you would think I would bash KFAN if given the opportunity, but can't on this one, and it's not close.

Bottom line: It's a bad P.R. move, and shouldn't Brewster be more concerned with Cal, NW, Wis, etc...?
 

I'm sure the kiddies are all over the AM radio scene :rolleyes:. They know the media coverage will come if they win, and the top dog and probably the only one that matters in most of their eyes is ESPN. Sucks, but true.

I think you hit the nail on the head. If the coaches don't want to take time off their schedules (and they should be really busy about now), that is fine. KFAN needs local sports more than local sports need KFAN.
 

I think it's a silly move by Brewster, but the fact is KFAN has always treated the U like 2nd class citzens. Just look at the breakdown on their message boards. The Twins, Vikes, Wild and Timberwolves all get their own message boards. All the Gophers programs are lumped into bulk "college" boards. If you want to talk Gopher hockey, it's on the same board as UND and SCSU. If you want to talk Gopher football, it's on the same board as Iowa, Florida and St. John's. Gopher hoops shares a board with NDSU, Virginia and Coppin St. They have separate boards for video games, hunting and fishing and soccer for crying out loud.
 

I should see PA in a couple hours at Vikings practice, so will pick his brain if I do...I know Brewster has had issues with Hartman & Barreiro in the past, but don't understand the whole station idea...PA is generally positive...he loves Decker (the interview recently with Decker was all positive)...having Cosgrove on would've been nothing but a verbal blow***...and for good reason...the defense has been amazing...best trio of LBs since the mid 80's...

Fanline last year with my GI guys, I thought, went very well...and we had access to players...Brewster came on my Saturday show a couple times as well in the offseason, so curious to know what caused this change...Dubay & I are gone, and we are more positive than negative, but also are realists, so will speak the truth when it's needed...but PA, Common, Rosen, & Fargo Flash are all still there...Morris and I watched the AF game 4th qtr from the sideline together...he seems to be on board now...there's plenty of positive and well-balanced coverage to be had on KFAN...and I was fired from there, so you would think I would bash KFAN if given the opportunity, but can't on this one, and it's not close.

Bottom line: It's a bad P.R. move, and shouldn't Brewster be more concerned with Cal, NW, Wis, etc...?

I am a Brew guy. Doesn't seem like something he would do. Obviously I (we) don't know all of the facts. We need all the PR we can get. So, from what I know I think it is a bad move.
 

I'm assuming this is true only b/c I don't think PA is stupid enough to make something like this up. This is a terrible PR move. Right now could be a 2nd honeymoon of sorts with the opening of the stadium and now there is an opening to focus on this nonsense instead of putting the focus on a nice upcoming matchup with Cal.
 

I think you hit the nail on the head. If the coaches don't want to take time off their schedules (and they should be really busy about now), that is fine. KFAN needs local sports more than local sports need KFAN.

That is flat-out wrong...please explain how KFAN needs local sports more than local sports needs KFAN? KFAN, and it's tough for me to opine fully on this because, even though moved on with many freelance jobs, including radio with KSTP a couple times, I am still upset/baffled by the decision they made to let me go, but local sports needs KFAN more...Why then did the Wolves have to buy airtime for their games? Why have teams in the past begged for KFAN to have on management types/players? Why has KFAN been a very profitable station for years when from 12p on it's maybe 50-percent sports...half the topics in those slots that generate the most revenue don't revolve around sports....the station works because it has the right mix of personalities.
 

Doogie,

Thanks for being on this site and giving us some inside information when you can. I'm looking forward to your post after you see PA and get the scoop.
 




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