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Left to Right: Jim Kozimor, Bill Romanowski, and Tony Bruno host Raiders Postgame Live on CSN California
(Ryan.L.Leong/Examiner.com)
Raiders Postgame Live, an hour long show that airs on Comcast SportsNet California, is dedicated to in depth coverage and analysis following every Oakland Raiders game.
Hosted by veteran sportscaster Jim Kozimor and joined by former four time Super Bowl Champion linebacker Bill Romanowski and popular sports talk show personality Tony Bruno, Raiders Postgame Live is THE place for fans of the Raider Nation and a forum where they can express their views via email and phone calls to the hosts.
One big hurdle that both Raiders and 49ers Postgame Live face is the inability to use highlights on their shows. But the Raiders show seems to be geared more towards the hard-core fan. If you don't know your Football 101, you might need to brush up on Football for Dummies because Romanowski doesn't use casual terms, he is all about x's and o's and uses terminology reserved for coaches, players, and die hard fans.
But that shouldn't scare viewers away either. Like the organization, Raiders Postgame Live prides itself on its renegade approach. Their job is twice is hard as the 49ers crew because so many Raider games fail to sell out.
"They're the 49ers, they're the chosen one, they're the golden boys and we're just in here trying to report what we see. Me, Jim, and Bruno just try to get it done," Romanowski said.
It could also be an advantage since fans know there are no highlights, it allows for the hosts to really be the stars of the show.
"It's challenging but I think we can still have fun," Kozimor said. "I mean I'm lucky enough to sit there with two guys who are pretty large personalities and Romo knows the game so well.
"We feel we can still teach without the benefit of having to have that video and Tony's got such great emotion about sports in general so we work around it by talking about football situations and I still think it does work. Everyone's advantage would be to have highlights but without having it, I think we have the best possible scenario."
And Kozimor went on to mention today's fan is more tuned in than ever thanks to the internet following it through blogs and on the radio so the fans aren't as blind as they might think and that Comcast SportsNet viewers find ways around the restrictions to stay current.
"I think the show is good," Bruno adds. "I've seen other ones around the country. I think we have as much fun as anybody else does, I think we break it down as well as anyone else does, our credibility is good. If the team gets better, more people will watch. I know that we have fun and we're doing a good job so that's all you can do is do the best you can."
Also unique to Raiders Postgame Live is the use of props. One week during a commercial break, Romanowski says the Raiders who weren't playing well needing something to get them going. The set had a pair of helmets used for aesthetics and after the break, both Kozimor and Bruno looked silly wearing the helmets but it made for great television.
On the week I observed the bunch after the Raiders-Chargers game, Kozimor wore a referee shirt and both Romo and Bruno tossed flags for their "Brumo" award picks.
Although Romanowski is a former Raider and wants to see the team do well, he does not hold back his criticism of the team and is disappointed in their lack of "commitment to excellence" to use the famed Raiders slogan.
That candor plus his intensity is what endears him not only to Raider fans, but makes him a valuable asset to the program.
"I think a lot of people with the way I played the game and then when I got out here, it was the last time the Raiders went to the Super Bowl. I resonated with the Raiders fans, they liked the way I played and I went out there and did whatever I could do to help the team win"
But Romanowski is quick to point out how much he still bleeds Silver and Black.
"It is hard and you want to see them do well. At the end of the day I want to see the Raiders play well," Romanowski said. "I want to see good, competitive football games. At the end of the day, you're judged by winning and losing. Good performances don't mean anything, only wins do. And they don't have enough of those wins this year. And they've had a lot of poor performances that you would love to see them play better."
And Bruno, one of the most recognized sports radio personalities in the country adds his spin to the program as well flying up from Los Angeles to be in studio for each and every installment.
"It's fun. It's great I mean I love football," Bruno said. "I'm not a Raider fan before (this show) but its fun to do it, to work with Romo and Koz and to do some TV stuff, it's a lot of fun.
We're not lap dogs for the team, everything is blue skies...we tell it like it is but we have fun doing it. We see the same thing people see, we just get to go on TV and talk about it afterwards."
The program airs immediately following every Raiders game. Besides the banter in studio, press conferences with Coach Tom Cable and players are aired live in their entirety plus exclusive interviews with players conducted by Jaymee Sire.
In addition, an exclusive internet streamling Halftime live show is broadcast during the intermission of the game in progress.
CSN California is also proud to telecast coach Tom Cable's weekly presser on Raiders Press Conference Live from the team's permanent facility in Alameda, hosted by Damon Andrews with insights from Romanowski and an interview with a Raiders beat writer plus calls from viewers.
On Comcast you can find Raiders Postgame Live on Channel 721 in High Definition and Ch. 89 for standard digital cable.
For more info: http://www.csncalifornia.com/pages/raiders_pgl
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