Audacy’s 95.7 The Game in San Francisco overhauled their afternoon show on Wednesday, letting go of longtime hosts Damon Bruce and Ray Ratto.
Steve Berman of The Athletic was first to report the news Wednesday night. Berman wrote that in addition to the departures of Bruce and Ratto, the Bay Area sports radio station was letting at least two other employees go as well. The surprising shake up comes after Bruce signed a multiyear extension with Audacy just last April.
A longtime Bay Area sports radio host, Bruce joined 95.7 The Game in 2014 after tenures with KNBR 680 and KNBR 1050. Bruce spent the first few years of his tenure at 95.7 as a solo host, with Ratto joining the afternoon show in 2019. Like Bruce, Ratto also had a stint at KNBR, hosting alongside Tom Tolbert until 2016.
According to The Athletic, 95.7’s new lineup will feature The Morning Roast with hosts Bonta Hill and Joe Shasky from 6 – 10am, followed by Matt Steinmetz and Daryle Johnson from 10am – 2pm, with Mark Willard and Dan Dibley taking over the afternoon slot from 2 – 6pm. Willard and Dibley previously hosted late mornings on 95.7, a timeslot that’s being eliminated by the decision to feature a three show lineup going forward.
For much of the last year, 95.7 The Game has been outperforming KNBR in the ratings battle, with Bruce and Ratto doing their part in afternoon drive. Despite the ratings success, The Game’s parent company, Audacy, has watched its stock price disintegrate.
Audacy has reportedly lost $1 billion since 2018. One year ago, its stock price was over $3.00, but it closed at just $0.16 on Wednesday. And last August, Audacy was warned by the New York Stock that it was in danger of being delisted. If Bruce and Ratto were ousted as a business decision because of Audacy’s financials, that might not bode well for the rest of the company’s 235 radio stations.
