SAN FRANCISCO-OAKLAND-SAN JOSE
Bay Area TV viewers have always been regarded as an urbane, sophisticated, cosmopolitan audience; for good reason, as one of the most visited cities in the world, San Francisco continues to prosper, even in these days of economic turmoil.
A good portion of that Bay Area audience has been treated to one of the best local franchises in the nation, aired nightly from the studios of Jack London Square in Oakland, "The 10 o'clock News", KTVU, Channel 2, (Cox Communications).
It was only ten months ago that legendary anchor, Dennis Richmond, a 40-year veteran of the local news scene, retired, and settled into the twilight of a treasured career as one of the Bay Area's stellar news readers. Many observers, including me, were used to the "appointment TV news" and figured that KTVU's prized program of the day's events would be forever tainted without Richmond's guidance. The ebb and flow of the show would somehow be "different" and the unnecessary chit-chat that most anchors engage in, would commence on Channel 2.
Fortunately, we've been proven wrong.
KTVU Execs gave the prestigious anchor position to former "Mornings on Two" and occasional anchor, Frank Sommerville, a Bay Area native, who has quickly maintained his status as one of the Bay's best anchors, along with co-anchor Julie Haener. The "10 o'clock News" amazingly is still fresh, airy, breezy and quality local news programming that continues to produce one of the best hour news segments in the country.
Sommerville, a SF State alum, who dresses like an Armani rep, could be passed off as a "pretty boy" with the preppy 'tude, who merely "looks the part" as your typical news reader, but in fact, the talented journalist is a top newsman and his nightly presentation is top-grade and professional, which, having to follow in the footsteps of the much-admired Richmond, is a difficult task.
Sommerville, with the aide from equally talented Julie Haener, has managed to make the transition go about as smoothly as KTVU execs would have hoped. The show is so good, and Channel 2's stable of reporters and producers are so talented, even industry observers have marveled at the Oakland outlet's ability to remain the model franchise it's become.
The "10 o'clock News" is still consistently the ratings leader in it's time slot in Bay Area TV. There was a time when the show even beat the network shows on other local affiliates. In many cases, this remarkable feat is still repeated on any given night. Part of that is helped by the strong Fox network shows that precede the program, like "American Idol" and "24"; nevertheless, "10 o'clock News" is an amazingly well-produced, top-notch 60 minutes of local, national, and world events.
One of the most noticeable and much admired traits of the old show is still, thankfully, intact. Sommerville and Haener keep to the news in authentic and pristine style and presentation, without the idiotic, innane, schmaltzy chit-chat that unfortunately is a staple of most local and national newscasts.
That's been the model at KTVU over the years and in an industry known for condescending and occasionally banal behavior by talent, Channel 2's credo is "give the news" and "forget the talk". The focus is always the "news" and it's a delight to watch it nightly. It's also helpful that the product is enhanced by fellow sports anchor, Mark Ibanez, a thirty-year-plus veteran who worked with Richmond, and weatherman, Bill Martin, again, a solid pro who handles the weather minutia with the grace of a seasoned performer.
Another equally important and added benefit to the show is Channel 2's reporters. Like Ibanez, like Somerville, and a host of others, most have been at the station for over ten, and sometimes, in the case of crafty veteran, Rita Williams, twenty years. Williams is regarded as one of the best street reporters in the business. She's also, rightly so, one of the best paid, in a business where bottom line has become more important than quality of product.
Williams, who covers a lot of SF local civic leaders, is a first-rate interviewer and is never afraid to ask the tough question to, say, Mayor Gavin Newson. Her suaveness and journalistic reputation is held in high esteem in many Bay Area political circles. When she isn't quizzing the Mayor or covering a police investigation, ace Political editor, Randy Shandobil handles the reign's and gives supreme analysis on the regions goings-on in Sacramento and Washington.
Even the occasionally mundane and very ordinary story is given it's proper adieu; for example, Sal Castenada, the morning traffic anchor, and another ten-year-plus veteran, did a story about the Bay Bridge retrofit. Castenada's report would probably have never seen the light of day at any other station because, we'll, any other station would have probably been more interested in running a Paris Hilton filler, but at KTVU, news is news, and Castenada's tw0-minute piece with a quick interview of a Cal Trans official, was both informative and yes, even entertaining.
That's what makes KTVU stand out from the rest. They take their viewers very seriously, thus the content is always the highlight, NOT the person delivering it.
There's a story that the best officiating, at say, a baseball game, is when you don't notice the umpire, reason being is that if the ump was doing his job correctly, then therefore, nobody would notice and care, because he got it right.
At Channel 2, the NEWS is regarded as the same. Some may dismiss it as "boring" and "to the script"; others, particularly the nightly news connoisseurs in the 4TH biggest market in the country, enjoy and relish it's proper TV journalistic entity at it's best.
KTVU is not immune to the occasionally silly fluff piece that permeates the local TV landscape, but in a era when newspapers are dying and the Internet is king, it's nice to sit back and watch a local TV newscast that is honest to its audience, delivers quality content without any inane chatter, and first and foremost, provides one very good, concise newscast.
To that end, indeed, as befits it's slogan, "There's only 'one TWO".
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