When CBS' '60 Minutes' Examined KGO's News --'If It Bleeds It Leads'

The above video is from 1974; in it, Mike Wallace from '60 Minutes',  has some interesting takes on KGO's TV News dominance in the 70's; a dominance based on the birthplace of 'Happy Talk' and KGO's infamous tagline: "If It Leads, It Bleeds'"


Wallace's quips with Russ Coughlin, the GM at KGO at the time and legendary Circle7 news anchor, Van Amburg are well worth watching.

The Coolest Of Them All: KTVU's Legendary Gary Park; Sunday Memory

GARY PARK: Coolest of them all

I get asked all the time who was my favorite all-time Bay Area anchor: easy call. Gary Park from the old days at KTVU.

Hard to believe it's been ten years since Park's death.

Park did both news and sports at KTVU but he was best known as a sports anchor and TV play-by-play broadcaster for the Giants.

When I think cool, I think Gary Park. Some people were put off by Park's standoffish image but it was just that, an image. Gary was as nice and gracious as possible. If you knew him, he made his way to be engaging and personable. Sure, there were always moments where if he sensed you to be a phony, he would stay clear.

I still regard Park as one of the best writers in Bay Area TV News and Sports broadcast lore. His sports reports on the "10 O'clock News" were tight and crisp. He could make a simple baseball game interesting and unique, his writing was so good. And an oldie but good: Park's signature ending on the anchor desk each night: the feature race at Golden Gate Fields.

Cool was Gary Park. The man could dress well. He was quiet and polite. In the 70's growing up in Oakland, I got to meet Gary at a place he frequented many times --always by himself dining in Chinatown at the Lantern restaurant. He would leave the restaurant and then head down the street to KTVU's studios in Jack London Square to prepare for his 10 PM sportscast.

We will probably never see a Gary Park-type broadcaster again here in the Bay Area. Sign of the times. A different era. A different blend. Brash and loud, I don't cherish. Gary Park: classy and cool.

Coolest ever.

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Adachi Autopsy Results Prove Suspicion--Where Was SF Press?

I WAS always suspicious about the Jeff Adachi death--I was astounded how little information was released to the public and how many twists and turns their existed and how little investigation took place by the SF press considering Adachi's past and the circumstances surrounding his death.

Today, we got the autopsy results and I felt a bit of vindication.

I'm in no way gloating. I would have preferred we'd get the information we deserve and then some. We still don't know that much beyond a cause of death.

Who was the mysterious woman with Adachi the night of his death? Why do we not know her name? Why do I know she was from South America and apparently a young, beautiful woman not Adachi's wife? Did she play a part in his death which the autopsy shows that drugs were in his system which accelerated his demise.

I'm still waiting/ You too.
And that's why 415 Media is here.

Bay Area Media (And National Too) React to Mueller Report Release; Local TV Interupts; KCBS; KGO Go WTW; Rothmann Show Must Listen Tonight; Friday PM 415 Media

SO, AFTER ALMOST TWO YEARS, IT'S OUT. Special Prosecutor Bob Mueller has finished his probe into, among other things, did the Trump administration collude with the Russian govt. in the 2016 Election?

Maybe not, maybe. We don't know much.

Scant info and that's not fair.

At least the main guy, the president himself, according to the early spin, won't be indicted (although you can't indict a sitting POTUS unless he shoots someone to death on 5th Avenue in NY)

Reaction began immediately over the local airwaves--all the local TV News stations; KTVU; KPIX; KGO-TV;KRON all broke into scheduled programming. The networks too. Of course the cable universe soon followed. Spin reared its ugly head early as the usual "Dems, good, Repubs, bad and vice versa" were soon saying all they could say without even reading the report itself which isn't public yet but why let facts get in the way.

On Radio, KGO and KCBS soon went all-t-wall --as they probably should --although it being a Friday night (and I'm sure the report was purposely let out as to not affect the market) the slim-pickings staff are on hand. That's OK, Anderson Cooper, CNN's movie star was nowhere to be seen; (although he did finally come on after 5 PDT)-- Don Lemon too; Sean Hannity on Fox News is busy preparing his saluto message to Mueller thank-
king him for the process; the same process his buddy, Donald Trump, had called a witch hunt the past two years. (When it looks like you got cleared, everything is rosy now; a Trump specialty)

On Friday night, I'm going to listen to John Rothmann on KGO who will have an interesting three hours, I'm sure. As much as Rothmann is a center-left political host, he's also far more objective than most of the pundits, at least that's how I see it.

Please, I know many of you have takes on what transpired --this is a media blog, so try to give me your thoughts on media coverage today and what you expect moving forward. And hey, try to be civil.

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PLEASE SUPPORT MY 415 MEDIA: We rely solely on reader donations to provide honest and edgy Bay Area media information, scoops, commentary and strive hard for entertaining the masses who come here regularly.

TO CONTRIBUTE:


Scroll down the right side of the blog to the "Pay Pal" "Donate" button; click on it and follow the prompters--it takes only a minute and you don't have to have a pay pal account to donate. All contributions are 100 percent confidential and safe and secure.
I will personally call you/e-mail you thanking you for your contribution

Some Top Bay Area 2019 Media Salaries (Revised)

Top Bay Area Media Celebrities 2019 Salaries

BAY AREA MEDIA CELEBRITIES TOP EARNERS 2019 bREVISED)

*KGO-TV (ABC7)
Dan Ashley: $600,950
Michael Finney: $550,000
Ama Daetz: $400,000
Larry Beil: $400,000
Kristen Sze: $350,000
Spencer Christain: $300,000
Eric Thomas: $279,000
Wayne Freedman: $275,500
Vic Lee: $250,000
Lyanne Melendez: $250,000








*KPIX-TV (KPIX5/CBS)
Ken Bastida: $500,000
Allen Martin: $300,000
Elizabeth Cook: $300,000
Veronica De La Cruz: $300,000
Paul Deanno: $295,868

Dennis O'Donnell: $275,000

Brian Hackney: $260,000

Juliette Goodrich: $200.000

                                                                                        

                                                                                        

                                                                                     

*KNTV( NBC Bay Area)
Raj Mathai: $400,550
Janelle Wang: $300,000
Jessica Aguirre: $250,000
Terry McSweeney: $246,666



KTVU (Fox2)
Frank Somerville: $630,000
Julie Haener: $600,000
Heather Holmes: $400,000
Claudine Wong: $400,000
Bill Martin: $340,255
Mark Ibanez: $336,000
Sal Castaneda: $300,000
Tom Vacar: $200,000
Rob Roth: $200,000
Amber Lee: $150,000

Joe Fonzi: $150,000


KRON
Pam Moore: $300,000
Ken Wayne: $175,000
Vickie Liviakis: $120,400
Lawrence Karnow: 100,000

KNBR RADIO:
Gary Radnich: $400,000
Tom Tolbert: $350,000
Jon Lund: $300,000
 Mark Willard: $225,777              
Larry Krueger: $200,000
Brian Murphy: $200,000
Paul McCaffrey: $200,000
Bonnie Jill-Laughlin: $75,000
Adam Copeland: $50,000



KCBS RADIO
Stan Bunger: $335,000
Susan Leigh Taylor: $275,000
Rebecca Corral: $250,000
Jeff Bell: $225,877
Patty Reising: $225,000
Jeffrey Schaub: $175,000

Doug Sovern: $174,500

 *Salary numbers obtained by Bay Area media industry analysts

As CBS Cuts a Hundred Mill from its Budget, KPIX Staffers More Nervous Than Ever; Possible Targets include Bastida; Martin and Hackney Too; 415 Media Thursday Open

   AT ALL CBS PROPERTIES THERE ARE NERVOUS PEOPLE.

WHY?

Try this on for size.

Rumors have been rampant that not only will CBS cut over $100 Million but that the bulk of the cuts will hit its O an O stations, including its Bay Area outlet, KPIX.

Which is got PIX staffers flooding the region with resumes and well-known anchors and reporters in the twilight of their career looking at being forced out or offered buyouts that has become the norm in an industry where the bottom line, like others, is at the forefront.

I talked to a PIX staffer who was blunt:
"We're feeling it here, totally and it's been this way for the past few weeks; it's not a matter of if, it's a matter of who and when."

And who might be on the list?

*It's a longshot but not out of the question: Ken Bastida. Bastida is making close to $500K and although the face of the station, his Q rating has eroded; his performance is teetering and his newscast are no longer watchable. Bastida could be told to go and "retire" with a nice buyout, we'll see, but his leaving isn't such a longshot anymore.

*Allen Martin: another fairly high-paid anchor (but nowhere near Bastida) who doesn't move the meter nor make any waves while on the air. Martin gets about $300K annually and isn't considered anything even remotely valuable. A younger, cheaper, guy (or woman) from Fresno would be far more prudent if CBS had its way.

*Brian Hackney: Hackney has never been a favorite of mine but he still has fans. At nearly $300K a year the Bay Area TV News veteran is nearing middle age and might be too expensive for Black Rock accountants and again, like Bastida, I wouldn't be shocked if he was sent packing.

*We'll be monitoring as always.

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PLEASE SUPPORT MY 415 MEDIA: We rely solely on reader donations to provide honest and edgy Bay Area media information, scoops, commentary and strive hard for entertaining the masses who come here regularly.

TO CONTRIBUTE:


Scroll down the right side of the blog to the "Pay Pal" "Donate" button; click on it and follow the prompters--it takes only a minute and you don't have to have a pay pal account to donate. All contributions are 100 percent confidential and safe and secure.
I will personally call you/e-mail you thanking you for your contribution.

KGO Goes To Cumulus Boss to Get Cash for its Latest News-Talk Iteration

The SF BRASS that run KGO radio went directly to Cumulus Boss, Mary Berner, for the cash infusion that is the source for the Bay Area News-Talk Radio station that began its latest format revamp a week ago Monday.

Cumulus reported a modest 5.2 percent uptake in revenue in the 4th quarter. Its overall revenue growth continues to be stagnant and despite future political ads stemming from an election next year, there is little hope the Cloud Company has long term financial health..