New One-Hour Weekday Bay Area Sports Discussion & Opinion Show
Premieres Monday, April 10 at 5:30 PM
“The Happy Hour” Available Across NBC Sports Bay Area’s Multiple Platforms
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SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – March 29, 2017 – NBC Sports Bay Area today announced the launch of The Happy Hour, a new, live hour-long conversational program – hosted by iconic Bay Area sports media personalities Greg Papa and Ray Ratto, along with Emmy Award-winning broadcaster Kelli Johnson – premiering Monday, April 10 at 5:30 PM. following the San Francisco Giants-Arizona Diamondbacks game and Giants Postgame Live. After the debut, The Happy Hour will regularly air weekdays from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM PT.
The Happy Hour will showcase the distinctive voices and wit of Papa, Ratto and Johnson sharing their unfiltered spirited commentary, hot takes with heavy debate, and lively conversation on the day’s trending sports headlines and other provocative stories. In addition, the show will welcome sports insiders and newsmakers from coast to coast to present an insightful and entertaining take on topics and issues meaningful to local sports fans.
The Happy Hour will be available across NBC Sports Bay Area’s multiple platforms:
- Live on NBC Sports Bay Area
- Streaming live on the NBC Sports App
- Live audio streaming via NBCSportsBayArea.com
- Archived podcasts available on NBCSportsBayArea.com
“The Happy Hour is a bold step forward in NBC Sports Bay Area’s evolution to provide Northern California sports fans with entertaining and thought-provoking content on multiple platforms,” said Tom Stathakes, Senior Vice President and General Manager of NBC Sports Bay Area and NBC Sports California. “We’re excited to showcase the dynamic chemistry between Greg Papa, Ray Ratto and Kelli Johnson and their lively commentary, uniquely different opinions and fresh takes on the day’s trending sports news.”
“We’re thrilled to combine three of the Bay Area’s top talents on one drive-time show,” said David Koppett, Vice President of Content Strategy for NBC Sports Bay Area and NBC Sports California. “Greg, Ray and Kelli will have the last word on the biggest topics in sports."
The show’s hosts will also be heavily engaged in social media with timely posts, interactive questions and behind-the-scenes content. Fans can follow along and interact with the hosts through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Facebook: Facebook.com/NBCSAuthentic
Twitter: @NBCSAuthentic
Instagram: @NBCSAuthentic
(Beginning April 2)
Papa, a three-time winner of the California Sportscaster of the Year Award, is one the most accomplished and versatile announcers in sports broadcasting. He was the television play-by-play voice for the Oakland A’s, San Francisco Giants, and Golden State Warriors and is currently the radio play-by-play announcer for the Oakland Raiders. Papa was also on the San Antonio Spurs and Indiana Pacers broadcast teams. In addition to his duties on The Happy Hour, Papa will continue to anchor NBC Sports Bay Area’s Warriors Pregame Live and Warriors Postgame Live. He also hosts The Afternoon Delight with Greg Papa, a weekday radio show on 95.7 The Game.
Ratto, regarded as one of the nation’s premier multi-platform sports journalists, joined NBC Sports Bay Area and NBC Sports California (formerly CSN) in 2010 as a Senior Insider contributing to the network’s websites and signature studio shows. He has been a fixture in the Bay Area sports pages for over three decades, most notably with the San Francisco Chronicle and San Francisco Examiner. Ratto has also written national columns for NBCSports.com, CBSSports.com and ESPN.com and is a frequent guest on national radio and television sports programs. Ratto was also a host with Tom Tolbert on KNBR 680’s afternoon drive show.
Johnson, a two-time Emmy Award winner, joined the network in 2014 as an anchor and reporter for SportsNet Central, Pregame Live, Postgame Live and other studio shows. Previously, she was an anchor and reporter for CSN Houston covering the Astros and Rockets. Additionally, Johnson hosted the inaugural season of 3 & Out, a half-hour football analysis and debate program which airs across NBC Sports Regional Networks. Before Houston, she was CSN Mid-Atlantic’s Washington Redskins beat reporter, where she provided daily coverage of the team and contributed to the network’s Redskins pregame and postgame shows, Redskins Kickoff and Redskins Postgame Live. During her tenure at CSN Mid-Atlantic, she won two Emmy Awards in 2009, one for Best Sports Reporter and one for Sports/Regularly Scheduled Weekly Program for Redskins Kickoff. A graduate of the University of Idaho, Johnson was a four-year starter on the women's basketball team and earned All-Conference academic honors each season.
NBC Sports Bay Area and NBC Sports California, both part of NBC Sports Regional Networks, serve more than four million households in Northern California, Nevada, Southern Oregon and Hawaii. NBC Sports Bay Area, the television home of MLB’s San Francisco Giants, NBA’s Golden State Warriors, and the official regional sports network of the San Francisco 49ers, also features a robust lineup of Emmy Award-winning news, analysis and original programming. NBC Sports California offers live coverage of MLB’s Oakland Athletics, NBA’s Sacramento Kings, NHL’s San Jose Sharks, MLS’s San Jose Earthquakes and is the official regional sports network of the Oakland Raiders. Collectively, these networks deliver more than 600 live game broadcasts per year.
NBC Sports Regional Networks is NBC Sports Group’s portfolio of nine regional networks that delivers more than 2,200 live sporting events and original content to more than 43 million homes. Aligned within Eastern and Western Divisions, the NBC Sports Regional Networks are: CSN New England, CSN Philadelphia, TCN, CSN Mid-Atlantic and SNY; and NBC Sports Bay Area, NBC Sports California, CSN Chicago and CSN Northwest. For additional information, visit comcastsportsnet.com. For more information on NBC Sports Group properties, including press releases, photos, talent and executive bios, headshots and logos, please visit NBCSportsGroupPressBox.com.
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