95.7 FM ‘The Game’ names permanent co-host for Matt Steinmetz

Bay Area Sports Guy February 08, 2013

O’Connell is on the right – photo courtesy Deseret News

I received this release via email from 95.7 FM “The Game” while I was at San Francisco Giants media day:

95.7 The GAME (KGMZ-FM), The Bay Area’s New Sound for Sports, announced the addition of Sean O’Connell, who will join Matt Steinmetz for a new Mid-Morning Show, heard weekdays from 10:00am-12:00pm, effective February 21, 2013.

O’Connell, an accomplished MMA Fighter with a 13-4 career record, is a die-hard Bay Area sports fan who joins 95.7 The GAME from 1320 KFAN-AM in Salt Lake City, where he hosted Morning Drive & Midday shows. Prior to his radio career, O’Connell played NCAA College Football at the University of Utah, where he was a teammate of San Francisco 49ers QB Alex Smith and was coached by Urban Meyer (now with Ohio State). He was part of the undefeated 2004 team, which won the Fiesta Bowl and finished the season ranked #4 overall.

After finishing his playing days, O’Connell began competing in MMA and is no stranger to television, having been part of the cast of the UFC’s “Ultimate Fighter” Season 8 on Spike TV.

“To say that Sean O’Connell is a unique talent would be a tremendous understatement,” said Jason Barrett, 95.7 The GAME Program Director. “Bay Area sports fans are going to love his passion, plus, now we also have a guaranteed bodyguard at future events, which will come in handy since our hosts have a tendency to fire up the fan base.”

“Having grown up following Bay Area sports teams, it goes without saying that the Bay Area is one of the truly great American sports markets,” said O’Connell. “I’m ecstatic to work with a pro like Matt Steinmetz and look forward to getting in the ring with the new sound for sports at 95.7 The GAME.”

From what I noticed, Roxy Bernstein seemed to be Steinmetz’s co-host fairly often after Chris Townsend replaced Brandon Tierney for the FM station’s 3-7 pm show with Ric Bucher. In short, I don’t have a lot of information on this hire. I don’t think I’ve heard O’Connell before, but maybe he was one of the co-hosts I heard with Steinmetz on some January morning and I didn’t know who he was.

So I’ll turn to the “experts” when it comes to sports talk: the audience. Have any of you heard Sean O’Connell on the air. Or, heard of him … period? He played linebacker and fullback in college, and his fight nickname was “The Real OC.” That’s about the extent of what I was able to find out.

It sounds like this latest addition may mean more in the way of MMA content on the FM station, which is a niche KNBR hasn’t really focused on all that much. I guess we’ll just have to ~~see~~ hear.

One last thing: it appears The Game has done away with “The Pulse” as the name for their 10-to-noon show.

About the Author

Otherwise known as Steve Berman (no, not the guy from the Eminem skits), BASG started Bay Area Sports Guy in January of 2008 with the help of his then-girlfriend (now wife). Since then he's covered college football for CSN Bay Area, gained media access to the Giants, Warriors and 49ers, and built Bay Area Sports Guy into the No. 1 independent Bay Area sports blog. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook.

26 comments

Newest | Oldest

Ken

He was on a station doing a nothing show for 1280 the zone in salt lake. The jazz bought the station and he was canned. Then KFAN picked him up and he has a midday show for about 3 months before cumulus media yanked it off. He then went to doing updates in the morning.

southbay

The state of sports talk radio sure hit new lows the return of byrnes,mma person,try out for sports talk show host and rod brooks.Wish fox,espn,cbs even yahoo had a 24/7 station here beats what passes for sports talk even the ads are better beats KNBR whiney girl car dealership; kars for kids or the PSA about cyber bullying where a girl calls another girl a "Freak".

Slam

The Game is going for YOUNG viewers and this hire makes the ave age about 7.

957exlover

Jason B "the pimp" loves to hire "his boys." So unless you met him in a past life or won a stupid contest, good luck getting on air. This hire was just to get some MMA listeners to try to come and listen, but guarantee you (so much so that I'd put money on it) they will NOT talk MMA. Why? As Jason B said, there's not enough fans to connect with MMA and it is still small in the world. So get ready for this random to discuss your bay area sports. As much of a joke as Eric Davis talking anything but NFL it just doesn't seem right. And I love ED as he is great on NFL AM, because that is is speed and his forte.

sotuhbay

I bet they did not break the bank with this hire.Another hire that does not create any exictement. Another ex jock on the air one is more than enought tolbert.

SpartanSportsGuy

The Bay Area is a major hub for MMA, so it's not a bad idea to dedicate some air time to it out here. But I'm not sure the mid-morning timeslot with Matt Steinmetz is the time to do it.

Stan

What dos Henry Wolford have to do to get a full time job there? Sean'O Connell? There's Blood,Crips,and now Plaids? btw,Raddy is feuding now with Ted Robinson.

southbay

Whats the feud with robinson about?

Stan

Robinson was supposed to do a phone interview on some "exciting" 49er play he called...Radnich though kept him on wait far past the time Robinson was due. So,Ted hung up..and told the producer not to waste Robertson's time in so many words. Raddy heard that and began mocking Robinson's play call as over blown,and then repeated it with laughter over and over. I think Ted would say that's the jist of it.

650Athletics

I prefer to listen to Rick Tittle nowadays from 10-12. He does what 95.7 claims to do and that is talk all sports. He spent a decent amount of time talking about the USMNT recent WCQ loss, which never gets any air time on radio.

TommyJ

D'oh-meant Hoovers!

Joey McMurry

It's interesting 95.7 names him as a "die-hard Bay Area sports fan" in an official media release. To me, that screams super homer on the air, which isn't always a good thing.

TommyJ

Hopefully not Joey ; we have enough "hovers" in this market to open a vacuum store!

lime

In that photo of O'Connell, is that Bob Fitzgerald on the left?

Bay Area Cholo Guy

I worry a bit for guys like this guy and Haberman LEAVING a sure thing in a smaller pond for such a 'toss-up' opportunity here in the Bay Area.

Joey McMurry

That's the nature of the business, though. It's rare you find an opportunity in a large market that is a "sure-thing" right out of a smaller market. Gotta take risks to move up eventually.

John Sports

Never heard of the Guy, who knows he might be good.

B.A. Rich

Never heard of him but he seems like an interesting dude. I would at least check the show out.

Stan

Makes no sense. He must have been a Barret Buddie. Is that how you add diversity? Like Radnich said today "Old white men still do all the hiring". How true.

Ah... I see that the Game intern finally got this url of twitter... I was wondering how long it would take for them to get in and click thumbs down. Thumbs down this one too, intern.

Looks like he fought mostly local promotions kind of stuff: http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Sean-OConnell-33156. Being on the cast of The Ultimate Fighter probably meant that he lost the fight to get in the house and thus, wasn't on the show. I do wonder if they'll talk MMA. However, just because he's a fighter, doesn't mean he will be able to discuss it beyond a rah, rah kind of deal. Interested to hear how accepted he is.

God forbid they ever add anyone to the Game that knows hockey or soccer. I'll reserve judgment on the new guy, but I don't have a lot of hope.

Fitz's Future Unemployment Check

I just hope he isn't one of those mouth breather MMA types. You know the types, the ones that would bang their head against the wall just to prove how manly they are, and then follow it up by rocking a lame tap out tee and treating their gf like crap.

BASG

I don't think you have to worry about that last part, based on this article: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700022082/Mixed-martial-arts-Sean-OConnell-fighting-for-victims.html?pg=all "O'Connell, known in MMA as "The Real OC" spent six months in Zambia working with the Catholic Church. It was there he saw the kind of violence and degradation of women that shocked him into action. "I saw how often women were beaten, exploited and abused, and I just wanted to do something about it," he said. "When you do something like that, it changes the way you live your life. I am going back in September, and I hope to go back with a huge check." The Jordan High graduate is calling his fundraising drive for the City of Joy, a charity run by Catholic Charities, "Fight for What's Right." He asks fight fans to donate at least $10 to the City of Joy in hopes that eventually no woman will have to endure what he witnessed last year."

Otis Byrd III

Who?.... At least they're going to drop "The Pulse" name for this show.

It's about time they dropped that stupid Pulse name... especially since most of the time, it doesn't sound like Stienmetz has one. Anyway, I might give the new guy a listen... as long as he doesn't end up being the Game's version of Byrnes. Now, drop the whole Wheelhouse thing and dump all the gimmick segments.