Take care 2009; don't let the door hit you on the way out; Bay Area news media notes and comments

NEWS, NOTES, and COMMENTS from a year that can't go away any faster; take care 2009 and have a nice day.

**KGO Radio said adios to news director Paul Hosley, anchor Greg Jarrett, reporter Greg Edmunds and weather minion, Leo Celino. Not to be outdone on the air, they also axed longtime exec producer, Trish Robbins. All of this BEFORE its corporate parent, Citadel, went BK. Should be a swell 2010 at Mickey's mouth club.

**KNBR's corporate yutz dept, Cumulus, decided it had enough of GM Tony Salvadore, and gave him a nice "you're outta here" after nearly thirty years at the company. Salvadore's ouster left knibber and the other alleged Cumulus radio outlets, (KNBR 1050, 107.7 The Bone, KFOG) to the hands of Lee Hammer. That's like having your Lexus serviced at a Ford dealer. Good luck Lee and say hi to the sales dept.

**KCBS continued, beyond all reasonable doubt and problems from corporate, to do what it does best: give us news, sports, even traffic and weather together, without the slightest gimmicks. The station said goodbye to longtime business reporter, Bob Price and Dave McQueen, but continues onward with the likes of Bob Melrose, Barbara Taylor, Stan Bunger and Susan Leigh Taylor.

**After 20 years of describing the action of the 49ers, Joe Starkey retired, (some say he was pushed out) by Ted Robinson. Either way, both Starkey and Robinson are class acts in a business that could use some class.

**Gary Radnich, according to multiple sources, re-signed at both KNBR, (reasonable) and KRON4, (huh?) Good for Gary, nice that he got a deal inked at knibber, and even though his deal at KRON was reportedly for nickels on the dollar, maintains more "Garyness" for those of you who like a guy that talks more about Frank Sinatra than Frank Gore, but hey, the guy's got overhead. Good for you, Gary, no seriously, even though you don't read my "little blog", but refer to it every other week, I'm happy for you. I am.

**Speaking of KRON, and just who couldn't, somehow the little engine that could, still managed to put out a few newscasts, albeit with more tension and angst in a newsroom. The atmosphere inside 1001 Van Ness made Gitmo seem like the set for Mary Poppins. Between the stories of "who's screwing whom" and "he slept with her", I couldn't figure out if KRON were a TV station or General Hospital. Of course, at General Hospital, last I checked, they don't sell lawn furniture.

**Quickies: Jan Wahl? Why? Henry Tennanbaum? Why and How? Amy Guiterrez, (Amy G) Why, How and how many pictures do you have?

**Comcast Sportsnet Bay Area began its signature "Chronicle Live" in April, hosted by the talented Greg Papa, under the stewardship of GM Ted Griggs, a very capable and decent man. Good show and great set, in spite of one particular producer who has more vermin than Karl Rove's bathroom.

**KGO's morning news team of Ed Baxter and Jennifer Jones, all solid for the most part, got a year-log case of the giggles, led mostly by the maddeningly annoying Jones, uh, excuse me, Jones-Lee, who got married recently. Yo guys and girls, you can be funny and conversational without cackling every other five minutes.

**KQED FM's Michael Krasny: good, solid, steady and pleasantly non-invasive, until it comes to interviews. And since when has a Bay Area radio station attract the likes of Phillip Roth and Robert Redford.

**Ted Robinson: a nice guy? Yes. Broadcaster? Even better and steady Teddy tells it like it is. Trust me.

**Dan Dibley, KNBR: a good guy with marginal bordering on truly decent radio content who REFUSES to get caught up in petty personal battles. You're better than me Dan. One day soon, you just may want to get the full info.

**Damon Bruce, KNBR: Good. Not as good as you think you are, Mr. pound it, pound it. But better than most on that Titanic, which has become the sports and betting leader. Bet on it. Memo to DBruce: they need you more than you need them, so don't muzzle up just yet. I mean, if you're going to kiss some major A, at least use it for something more important than the Cumulus clan.

**Brian Copeland, KGO: Copeland defied the odds and has now become a certified must-listen on the Bay Area's airwaves. He's funny, (duh!) isn't afraid to delve into unpopular topics that none of his colleagues would dare enter and managed to become one of KGO's major aces. Keep it going, Copie.

**Ronn Owens: KGO's talk-show emeritus and royalty supremo is still #1, even though his vaction weeks have entered into the Carsonesque era. Then again, Ronn beat Mickey and that alone is good enough for me.

**Michael Savage: Not really as bad as you think he is, but yo, Mike, if you offer dinner, (on the air, no less) and weasel out, that ain't nice. So the KNEW ouster? Karma.

**KNBR "producers": how's the after-dinner mints?

**Frank Somerville, Ken Bastida, Dan Noyes, Wayne Freedman, Mark Ibanez, Diane Dwyer, Tom Sinkovitz, Jessica Aguirre, Don Sanchez, Vernon Glenn, Rita Williams, Ann Notarangelo, Bill Martin, Lawrence Karnow: Good people, great journalists. All solid professionals.

**Special thanks: Doug Harvill, VP CBS and Kevin Barrett, Extra Sports 860

**The huh dept? SF Examiner (how too)

**Still around and making waves: SF Chronicle and SFGate.

**Too good to be true: Drew Remenda, Randy Hahn, Dan Rusanowsky and the San Jose Sharks PR dept.

**Thank You: Raiders chief exec, Amy Trask and PR head, Mike Taylor. John Herrera too. And the Warriors great Raymond Ridder and A's Bob Rose.

**Thumbs down: a truly horrible man, 49ers "PR" director, Bob Lange. This first-year Philly putz from Philly should be forced to sit in a room and watch The View for a year. And then, after that, he should be punished.

**Drinks on me: SFist' Brock Keeling and Baynewser's Jason Turbow. Eve Batey from SF Appeal for good measure.

**And the Oscar goes to: Lowell Cohen, Art Spander, Mark Purdy, and Matt Maiocco. Hooray for Matt Steinmetz too.

HAPPY NEW YEAR--Follow me on Twitter

Spokesman: Rush Limbaugh "resting comfortably" in Hawaii hospital

Looks as if Rush Limabugh is doing better.

Limbaugh UPDATE: Exclu: Condition: 'Serious/Critical'

Rush Limbaugh's condition has worsened to "serious-'critical," according to a Honolulu hospital spokesperson. His vital signs are negative, but his official status has worsened.

His publicist is at the hospital in Hawaii.

UPDATE: 8:42: 12

Hospital source: "Friends and close associates" of Limbaugh at the Honalulu Hospital "deeply concerned" about his condition.



Developing story...

Limbaugh in 'serious condition; taken to hospital in Hawaii

KHON2 has learned that conservative radio host, Rush Limbaugh was taken from the Kahala Hotel in an ambulance just after 2:40 p.m. Wednesday.


Sources say the 58 year old was suffering chest pains before the ambulance arrived.


EMS confirms a male was taken from the hotel in serious condition.


He is a guest at the Kahala Hotel and Resort.


The Hawaii republican party says Limbaugh was in Kona on the Big Island two days ago.

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Why its easy to pick on KNBR; Comcast SportsBay Area; Wednesday 415 media pulse

As we close out the new year and navigate quickly to 2010, a few answers to questions I invariably get from the folks who read "my little blog."

**Rich, why do you have such an anti-KNBR fetish? Let it go. Did they not hire you? We'll, first off, I have never wanted nor applied for a gig at KNBR. Check the records. The truth is KNBR is a joke and if not for carrying the 49ers, Giants and Warriors, they'd be toast. Maybe Barbieri and Tolbert too, but that's about it. The nighttime guy has some talent too, but apparently he's been told to muzzle up. This is a radio station that uses interns to do updates. This is a radio station that buckled under the Larry Baer gun to use a house voice from the Giants to do their post-game shows at AT&T. This is a radio station that puts Vegas tip-sheet guys, (four of 'em) on their air as "guests", without telling the peeps that such guests are paid advertisers. This is a radio station whose noon-3 "talent" has more cackling and giggling than a Hillary Clinton birthday party..."America's #1 Sports radio station?", sez who? The tooth fairy? I hope the Cumulus Xmas party was swell; heard quite a few stories from some of your sales guys who aren't so happy. Wonder why.

**Comcast Sportsnet Bay Area: Nice people over there. A few too nice and even one who was cool enough to massage a whack job like me when the earth was caving in. Figuratively-speaking...The good stuff: coverage on A's/Giants/Warriors terrific, with nice HD touch. Lavish sets, the 1200 bank of monitors and the high-tech look is all splendid. I'd like to see more of a variety of non-sports teams' programming. "Chronicle Live" is fairly standard, coffee-table fare and no, its not just because some little dweeby producer won't put me on; howz about more OPINIONATED, more VISUAL, more OPINION-variety writers/guests who will actually SAY SOMETHING that elicits traction and generates a bit of buzz, and no, I'm not talking about Willie Brown and Rado on the 49ers post game show. Willie, as I've said 20x over is loathed in the suburbs and an instant turn-the-channel figure...on the other hand, Tony Bruno and Bill Romonowski are quite watchable even if the Raiders are struggling...as for the other talent: Greg Papa? check. Scott Reiss? say something Scott; we like the anchor look, but please, say something...Damon Andrews? Humn...Eric Davis? Tremendous; give him more time...Dave Benz? Funny and sorta-different and I can't explain why...OK, the 'youthful talent, (read what you want into that, I suppose if you really want to work in this town, we'll...)

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Stanford, San Bruno File Program Access Complaint Against Comcast

Cite move of Oakland A's and San Jose Sharks games from San Francisco RSN to Sacramento RSN

From Broadcasting and cable--

A pair of small cable operators, Stanford University and the City of San Bruno, have teamed up to file a program access complaint at the Federal Communications Commission against Comcast, citing its move of games of Major League Baseball's Oakland A's and the National Hockey League's San Jose Sharks from its San Francisco regional sports network (CSN Bay Area) to its Sacramento RSN (CSN California).

In the complaint filed Dec. 23, the parties, including WaveDivision and Horizon Cable TV, say Comcast state that engaged in unfair competition and unfair and deceptive acts, the upshot of which has been price and term discrimination in the delivery of the must-have sports programming (Comcast also has systems serving both markets).

The American Cable Association, which represents small and medium-sized cable operators, including the two who joined in the complaint, was solidly behind the petition.

"The complaint highlights the need for additional safeguards and remedies to prevent Comcast Corp. from abusing its market power to harm consumers, competitors, and the public interest in the distribution of 'must have' regional sports networks under its control," said American Cable Association President Matt Polka in a statement.

Polka also used the opportunity to relate it to Comcast's proposed joint venture with NBC Universal.

"Regulators must be certain that if Comcast takes control of NBC Universal, it can't engage in unfair methods of competition and deceptive practices when competitors seek access to NBC broadcast signals, Comcast-NBCU national cable networks, and various Internet-content services, such as live streaming of the Olympics," said Polka.

WaveDivision, Horizon Cable TV, Stanford and San Bruno argue that the move of the teams by Comcast "artificialy linked" the San Francisco and Sacramento DMAs, which required the operators to buy both RSNs to maintain the previous access to the teams.

The parties aver that Comcast raised the price of Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, without replacing it with "reasonably equivalent" marquee sports programming, and charged more for CSN California to reflect the addition of the games. The petitioners claim this was equivalent to a dramatic price increase to the operators and customers.

They also took issue with the way Comcast structured the high-definition and standard definition feeds of the channels, including moving some content to the enhanced signals that cost the operators more to carry.

The complaint asks the FCC to sanction Comcast, grant the petitioners relief, and award damages, while noting that arbitration would be an insufficient remedy. That relief, according to the complaint, should include:

"1. Restoration of the major league team content of the RSNs as it was prior to the May 10, 2009 realignment;
2. Refund of all surcharge fees paid by Petitioners through the date of the Commission's order and elimination;
3. Require alignment of standard-definition and high-definition content on each SanFrancisco RSN and Sacramento RSN;
4. Require greater availability (geographically) of the HD terrestrial feed or require distribution via satellite;
5. Prohibit future movement of major league sports teams from an in-market (DMA) RSN to an out-of-market RSN or any combinations of RSNs or RSN carriage obligations that would have a similar effect; and
6. Award to Petitioners all costs, fees and expenses incurred in connection with the investigation and prosecution of this complaint."

KSFO's Rodgers calls Obama that 'pro-Muslim--'anti-American crackpot' on morning show

Mr. Warmth, better known as KSFO morning host, Lee Rodgers, went on an anti-Obama tirade in Tuesday morning's 5 AM hour. Its nothing new for Rodgers; that's what his listeners expect, but even the most ardently right-wing peeps may agree that Rodgers hateful rail on Tuesday was way out of line even by KSFO standards.

Referring to the presidents' response to the airline terror incident in Detroit, Rodgers called Mr. Obama a "pro-'Muuuslim--anti-American crackpot'." Twice. His more tepid description? A "pro-Muuuslim--anti-American President."

The identification "Muslim" was repeatedly pronounced as "Muuuuslim", so Rodgers not only managed to insult the president, (which is his right as a private person) but an entire religion. Nice touch, angry man.

The attack on Obama is standard Rodgers shtick. Nothing new. But this rant was particularly personal and hateful. Even most Bush-bashers would never have stooped to Rodgers hate-filled radio buffet.

Gives new meaning to the line by an ex-radio observer: "KSFO is really 'KKKSFO.'"

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Triple shooting at Sinbad's brings out curious coverage from Bay media; Monday pulse

Funny what happens when an innocuous little triple-shooting at a local waterfront restaurant brings out the best, worst and curious in Bay Area media.

First off, the worst AND curious: the shooting happened at 10: 30 Saturday night. All the local TV stations and both KGO and KCBS radio mentioned the Sinbad's shooting on their top/bottom hour updates; amazingly enough, in a case of "someone clearly screwed up", SFGate missed the story entirely and ran it as a "breaking news" entry at 3: 46 PM Sunday. That's right, a mere 17 hours after the initial shooting. Looks as if a holiday staff was manning the gate.

On the other hand, props to Brock Keeling at SFist, who was first on the web; Keeling and crew ran it 10 the very next morning and even managed to get a quote from a Sinbad's employee. (Disclaimer: The SFist link on this site is NOT paid for; its run as a local news url for my legion of minions, so, no, there is no conflicto of interesto.)

The curious? The local media going ga-ga over the fact that there, WTF!!?, a shooting on the SF waterfront? As if that never happens in the city, and as if violence never occurs in the 415. Yeah, just check out nearby North Beach on the weekends> Have you ever seen the spate of yellow police tape lately? There's been several shootings and multiple homicides near the Broadway/Columbus corridor; so much, in fact, that a good many peeps have begun cancelling their dinner plans in that neck of the woods. Ask the locals.

And the Saturday night shootings provided the inevitable avalanche of racist "comments" on SFGate. "'They, (the shooter and victims) must have been from Oakland.'" was the common theme on the thread. Shocking.

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CNN still basking in Northwest Airline terror incident coverage; FNC, MSNBC aim for cover

As the other networks and cablers latch on the big story out of Detroit regarding the Nigerian national who tried to blow up a Northwest airliner, CNN is still basking as the ONLY major news network that covered the story live.

CNN's Ali Velshi, along with various correspondents and terrorism analysts, began its coverage early Christmas night and signed off at 11 PM EST. While the story gained traction, Fox News channel was airing Bill O'Reilly re-runs and MSNBC went with canned Christmas programming. Only later did Fox provide an update in its news cluster well into the evening.

Eyewitness accounts direct from passengers on the airbus 330 began in earnest on CNN; only now are the other cable outlets, and networks, both radio and TV, covering the incident in more detail.

Had the story taken a more tragic turn, conventional wisdom among industry observers, was that Fox, MSNBC and the other over-the-air networks would have called in their ace anchors and reporters, but late into the night on Christmas, who was around? Nobody.

Fortunately, for CNN and its viewers, both nationally and internationally, Velshi and a small production staff were able to get the story out; remarkably, in addition to the passenger accounts, CNN had correspondents in both London, (where it was in the wee hours) and Washington that provided details about the suspect and his status on the national terror 'watch list.'

Given the recent ratings and its plunge into the third-rated cabler, this momentary coup couldn't have come at a better time for the embattled network, but what took place on Christmas demonstrates CNN's chief major asset: even at the most inopportune time; on a day and early evening when most people were still celebrating the holiday, CNN was on top of a major story. Alone.

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CNN on top of Northwest Airline Terrorist story; FNC and MSNBC asleep at the wheel

CNN, and most notably, anchor Ali Velshi, were all over the Christmas evening Northwest Airliner terrorist story emanating out of Detroit.

Velshi, who is CNN's business reporter, found himself at the forefront of the events in Detroit; in fact, while reporting the goings-on regarding the would-be terrorist incident aboard the airbus 330, both cablers Fox News Channel and MSNBC were nowhere to be found. FNC was replaying a Bill O'Reilly show and MSNBC was running non-news programming.

Velshi, to his credit and CNN producers working on Christmas night, provided up-to-the-minute details, including the very first eye-witness account of what took place on the Northwest plane en route from Amsterdam to Detroit.

Velshi interviewed NY Congressman, Peter King, who is the ranking member of the congressional homeland security panel, along with correspondent Jean Meserve at the State department. King provided the name of the Nigerian national who allegedly tried to blow up the jetliner on its approach to Detroit Metro airport.

Footage of the plane was repeatedly shown and passengers who were on the flight described in detail how the man was subdued. Velshi interviewed one man who sat a mere three rows from where the suspect was sitting and said an extreme panic permeated the airliner.

All the while, as it became evident that the events in Detroit appeared to be a would-be terrorist attack, (a senior Obama White House adviser called it that) CNN continued to be the lone news network covering the story. Only hours later did FNC provide an update on its 11 PM news spot; MSNBC stuck to its regularly scheduled Christmas programming, and over-the-air nets ABC, CBS and NBC had no coverage of the incident.

The Detroit Northwest Airlines incident turned out to be a happy ending as the suspect was taken into custody and none of the 278 passengers were harmed, but had the story become more dire, many cable news execs would have had red faces. To some degree, they may have anyway.

This was a major story that had national and international implacations. Amazingly enough, in a post-911 world, only CNN was the network that covered it while the others, apperently, continued their Christmas celebrations.

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Ho, Ho, Ho

The day you've all been waiting for. And do have a good one.

Xmas stocking stuffers for Bay Area media types; the Thursday pulse

WE BRING TO YOU THE 2009 "Vinnies"--our holiday stocking stuffers of cracked crab, a nice pinot, and about 10 shamwows for our elite friends in the SF-Oakland Bay Area media.

**TED ROBINSON: steady, polished, and undeniably one of the best and nicest guys in the business. Robinson does it all, from the radio play-by-play for the 49ers, to Wimbledon for NBC. (As an aside, it's also nice to hear a guy on KNBR who's knowledgeable, interesting, and doesn't insult his listeners with dumb sound effects and hollow gimmicks)

**FRANK SOMERVILLE: The Bay Area's best anchor on perennial classy, #1-rated KTVU's "10 o'clock News." Somerville has provided a smooth transition at the Fox outlet, since taking over for retired Dennis Richmond. He is first-rate in delivery, epitomizes the KTVU "no-nonsense" approach, and wears some of the nicest Armani suits in the business.

**MARK IBANEZ: Channel 2's three-decade-tenured weeknight sports anchor with a solid performance on the KTVU news shows. Ibanez is a terrific writer, provides unusual, often provocative opinions from time to time and is not afraid to take an unpopular stand, most evident during his post-game analysis on the 49ers "Playbook" show.

**RITA WILLIAMS: If it appears this is woody for KTVU, no, it isn't; its just that the FOX2 affiliate in Oakland has some of the best reporters in the business, and Williams is one of them. Tenacious, fair, tough and innately credible, Williams astute street reporting is network quality; I'd love to see thirty minutes with her and Gavin Newsom, unedited.

**DIANE DWYER: NBC Bay Area Weekend anchor/reporter is a solid newswoman who has become adept at the art of keeping it simple, yet refreshingly interesting. And yes, sorry, but she's nice to look at too, which is always helpful, thank you very much.

**KEN BASTIDA: Its not that easy to go from radio to TV and become as good as Bastida, but the Bay Area native, who used to tonsil for both KCBS and KFRC, has managed to excel in the main chair for CBS5. Bastida also has some of the best pipes in the local TV biz. Ho. Ho. Ho.

**RONN OWENS: Owens is still king of the morning AM radio talk-show circuit and KGO radio's dean of hosts. Hard to believe that Owens has been at the mike for over 34 years. He still does the best interview in local media, and can yak the yak from politics to sports, and yes, even rock trivia in between.

**STAN BUNGER: KCBS' informative, smart and peripatetic morning news anchor is still strong and versatile after nearly 30 years of announcing the news from the early days in Sacramento to his home base in SF. Bunger is consistent with a capital "C", and his weekly chat with DC political analyst, Marc Sandalow, is required listening.

**BOB MELROSE: Simply put, the BEST radio street reporter in the SF market. If there's a five-alarm fire on Market St, expect to hear Melrose down at the scene. If he isn't, someone start an investigation. KCBS has many of these talented reporters; Barbara Taylor at SF City Hall, Mike Colgan in the San Jose bureau, and Doug Sovern, but Melrose is in a class by himself.

**JOHN ROTHMANN: KGO radio's 10PM- 1AM talker knows more about the history of all 44 US Presidents than anyone on the planet; has a great knack of making politics interesting to all, and yes, also some great pipes himself. And if you dare want to enter into anything about the Middle East debate, listen to Rothmann, whose knowledge of the subject is second to none.

**KEN KORACH: The Oakland A's radio play-by-play man is one of the most underrated announcers in the Bay Area and beyond. Korach's style is crisp, clear, and critical, when necessary. He's also one of the few guys that remembered the age-old line, "You can never give the score too often." I forget who said that, but fortunately Korach hasn't.

**TONY BRUNO: The syndicated radio talk-show host is funny, knowledgeable, and can pound away any subject matter from Philly sports to Rachel Ray on the Food Channel. His nightly show on KNBR 1050 is a must-listen and yes, "Send it in, Jerome!"

**DAMON BRUCE: KNBR's nighttime voice has often biting commentary and isn't a tedious homer, particularly when it comes to critiquing the 49ers, Warriors and Giants, all of whom, by the way, appear on the station. In fact, it was the Giants that were so annoyed with Bruce' spot-on takes, that they were instrumental in banning him from doing the post-game shows at Giants' home games. Honesty is no virtue for Larry Baer and company.

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Source: Radnich re-signs; XMAS Bay media relief; Wednesday pulse

A good source told me that Gary Radnich has re-upped with both KNBR and KRON4. Terms of his deal are not known, but industry peeps have told me the financial break-down is nowhere near as lucrative as Radnich' last contract, believed to be in the 'high six figures at KRON alone; obviously, given the financial state of Young broadcasting, KRON's corporate parent, and to a much lesser extent, KNBR and its owner, Cumulus.

Check this space for more updated info and the details. Radnich is on vacation from both his TV and radio duties. Ted Robinson is substituting for him at KNBR and Vern Glenn is working KRON duties.

**Bay Area media types are gone en mass for the Christmas holiday, with many second-tier talent at the anchor desk on radio and TV.

KGO radio begins its annual Christmas barrage of 24-hour yuletide music, (not to be scrooge, but is this an appropriate deal for a news-talk station?) KCBS will stick with regularly scheduled news and sports, albeit with less on-station personnel.

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Bay Area's #1 Weatherman; KTVU's Martin shines; CBS5's Karnow close second

KTVU/Fox2's Bill Martin is the dean of Bay Area TV weathermen and also is the best weather predictor in the local market, with a 1A nudge to KPIX/CBS5's Lawrence Karnow.

Martin is steady, fairly accurate, and, keeping to the Channel 2 model, unassuming and modest to the max. That's a commodity in local TV news where it seems every other weather minion tries to ham it up with the anchorman, (as if required)

Martin's style is simple, straight-forward and informational. He doesn't annoy you and looks as if he takes his viewers seriously; not that other don't, but there are many a precipers who think they're on the Tonight Show.

Karnow is a bit more high-maintenance, but you like it and he seems to know what he's talking about. His performance is more technical than practical, but generally he gets it right.

Let's face it: getting it right in the TV weather biz is not the main reason we're watching. We do want a bit of pizazz, but Karnow and Martin's no-nonsense approach is far more watchable.

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Jed York's Oakland flirtation not that far-fetched; right-hand man Dolich key 510 op

Jed York's "Oakland is an option" in case Santa Clara is dead word to Matier and Ross was read in many avenues, (including mine) as a negotiating ploy for his proposed new digs in the South Bay and perhaps, a subtle message to SF that he wanted no part of a planned stadium in the Hunters Point naval shipyards.

As has been said in this space, the York's have no allegiance to San Francisco and have a deep disconnect with the powers-that-be, which includes Mayor Gavin Newsom and by extension, Newsom's front man for the SF stadium, ex-49ers prez, Carmen Policy.

Keep in mind that Policy was a key figure for Eddie DeBartolo, his mother's sister; coincidence? There's a lot more to the story here, but that's for another post.

York and current 49ers officials want no SF stadium deal. Its either Santa Clara or bust, and that's where Oakland comes into the equation.

York's right-hand man on the stadium deal is COO Andy Dolich, who many years ago ran the business enterprises of the Oakland A's. It was Dolich who turned the Oakland Coliseum into the baseball wonderment for the Hass family and made it the go-to place in the 80's and 90's.

Dolich has a strong connection to Oakland sports/business/interests. He's also very familiar with the political figures in the Eastbay and no doubt has fed York with the idea and concept of an "Oakland option."

Combine that with the Raiders Amy Trask recent statement that the best location of a stadium was the existing Oakland Coliseum, which sits next to Highway 880 and both BART and Amtrak.

Trask was also subtly receptive to the concept of a shared-stadium, in which BOTH the Raiders and 49ers would play in a new football palace that would be jointly financed by both teams. Its a idea that is also favored by the NFL.

One thing's for sure. The Niners are racing against time. They are clearly impatient about the on-going stadium happenings in Santa Clara. They want desperately out of aged and dilapidated Candlestick Park. They want a new stadium by 2014, and by all accounts, SF doesn't fit into their long-term business model.

The Oakland pitch by York could be seen merely as a last-ditch negotiating ploy by observers; partly, yes, but don't underestimate it by any means. If Santa Clara is a no-go; be it voted down by Santa Clara residents, or if the Great America owners throw a bunch of lawsuits at the proposal; whatever, York and company see the Coliseum site as a viable option if Santa Clara bails.

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49ers in Oakland? York playing the 510 card; ploy of ploys, (but it makes sense)

"49ers consider Oakland."

The headline in Sunday's 'Matier and Ross' report in the Chronicle looks real sexy until you realize that Jed York is going to the '510 option early.

Can you spell "P-L-O-Y?"

Although, ironically, the idea of a shared stadium in the existing Oakland Coliseum, (with about $200 million of improvements) makes a lot of sense, particularly if the A's get a new ballpark in downtown Oakland.

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Citadel to file bankruptcy as soon as Sunday: UPDATE; BK filing in NY

Citadel Broadcasting Corp (CTDB.OB), the third largest U.S. radio broadcaster, plans to file for bankruptcy as soon as Sunday, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday.

Locally, both KGO radio and KSFO are owned by Citadel.

Citadel is expected to file in a deal supported by many lenders collectively owed $2 billion, known as a "prearranged" deal, the newspaper said, citing people familiar with the matter that it did not identify.

Those lenders plan to swap a big portion of their debt for equity in a reorganized Citadel, effectively handing them control, the Journal said.

Citadel officials could not be reached to comment.

The deal would reduce Citadel's debt load to about $762.5 million, the Journal said, citing the sources. The company will need to solicit more creditor support in court to get its reorganization plan approved by a judge.

Citadel's board approved the filing in recent days, the newspaper said.

Citadel CEO Farid Suleman will likely remain in charge after the company leaves Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the sources told the Journal.

UPDATE------------UPDATE: Citadel has formally filed for BK.

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Chronicle's mysterious 'LA 49er' header; The Saturday pulse

A few Fridays ago, the SF Chronicle ran an attention-grabbing headline called "LA 49ers?" The ad, which only ran in the print edition, said to check out the Sunday edition for more details.

Being curious about this subject, I picked up the early Sunday paper on Saturday morning at my local drug store and searched for the piece. Nothing. Checked SF Gate too. Nada. Waited for Sunday and again, no 49Er's--LA material.

Searched the gate again and there wasn't anything. Did someone in marketing screw up or am I the only one out there who noticed? Whatever...

**Mychal Urban has left MLB.com to head over to Comcast Sportsnet Bay Area to work baseball in the cabler's sports and news shows.

**Tom Arnold made a media run through KNBR's morning show and sister FM station, 107.7 FM "The Bone" Friday. Arnold, (remember him? Roseanne's ex and comedian/actor) is playing San Jose's Improv this weekend.

**Nice piece about John Madden in Thursday's NY Times by sports media writer Richard Sandomir. Madden is enjoying life in Pleasanton and continues to enhance his checking account. He also likes schmoozing with Stan Bunger and Susan Leigh-Taylor on KCBS every weekday. I like Madden too. (Yo coach, can I have the bus?)

**Damon Bruce will be filling in for Gary Radnich as the great Radu enjoys the holidays.

**This just in: Steve Moskowitz is looking at the possibility of taking over KRON just so he can do your taxes non-stop 24/7.

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In the booth with Randy, Drew and Dan; SJ Sharks broadcast crew among Bay Area elite

SAN JOSE, CA
12-18-'09
12: 34 AM PST

Rarely has yours truly looked forward to covering a freaking hockey game, high up in the catwalks of the HP Pavilion in downtown San Jose, only this time it would be different. Far-out freakin' different.

I'm more an NBA/NFL, college football sorta-guy, but I've managed to get unexpectedly hooked, (no pun) to the San Jose Sharks for a variety of reasons, but the biggie for me, is their dynamic broadcast trifecta of Randy Hahn, Drew Remenda and Dan Rusanowsky.

Along with Ted Robinson, Greg Papa, and Jon Miller, the Sharks brilliant broadcast contingent are some of the best tonsils in town, not to mention the fact that all are very nice people. And ever so accommodating.

A few weeks back, I thought about the idea of actually sitting in the booth with the guys and writing a first-hand account of their duties. A part of me hinted that maybe these broadcasters were indeed good, (and they are) but would I get a dose of their real personality OFF the air?

As good, focused and tactically supreme as Hahn and Remenda, a great majority of their appeal comes from their likability factor. Walking though the stands with Hahn, shouts of "Hey Randy!" permeated the arena. Remenda is a bona-fide rock star in San Jose and could probably be the mayor if he wanted the job.

As I arrived at the building and schmoozed with a few media wags in the press lounge, Hahn quickly noticed my mug and we jettisoned up, I mean, way, way up, into the stratosphere of HP Pavilion. Soon after, Remenda joined us and we had our initial run-through.

One thing sticks out right away: both Hahn and Remenda are anal about preparation. Ditto radio broadcaster, Rusanowsky, whose vivid description is a virtual audio hockey ballet. Sure, you say, everyone prepares. True, to a point, but these guys are beyond the scale. I never saw more notes and data cards perched near the booth, as I did with Drew and Randy. God only knows how they're able to pull off the info wonderland in the two and a half hours of broadcast time, but remarkably, they do.

--20 minutes to game time---We're up in the booth. I meet a Bette Midler/Joy Behar look-a-like named Janice Baker-Kinney. Baker-Kinney acts as the director of the show, but that would be cutting her short. She zips out funny one-liners, does a literal pre-game dance in front of the boys and provides me detailed gossip about her life in Bay Area sports TV production.

Baker-Kinney has seen it all; she used to work for the Giants and A's broadcasts and had some hilarious stories about various Bay Area athletes and play-by-play men. Between her pointed banter and NY persona, I might as well have been at the nearby comedy club Improv.

Beyond the usual, don't do this and you can do that's, Baker-Kinney primed the guys ready for action as we neared the drop of the opening puck. The arena quickly filled up with the masses, 17,000-plus and hated Anaheim was the opponent. Remember, these are the guys that upset the Sharks just a year ago in the opening round of the NHL playoffs, but frankly, that's hockey minutiae to me; I'm here to hang with Randy, Drew and Dan--let's get on with the show, shall we?

We're back up in the sky-high broadcast booth, after Hahn and Remenda do their pre-game intro downstairs in the auxiliary booth. A humongous bank of high-def monitors are everywhere. Three alone for Remenda, including a personalized telestrator gizmo that would have impressed Captain Kirk.

Remenda and Hahn sit side-by-side, with stat man, John Bonasera in the next seat, separated by radio guy Rusanowsky I was in the back row sitting directly over, with a headset and mike. Had I had any real gusto in me, I almost could have offered up a quick take on the action, but I thought better. Hell, I've sat in the green room at the Ed Sullivan Theatre in NY for about ten Letterman shows and the same with Larry King in LA. This was 10x better.

Hockey is a great game on TV, but even better in person when you actually see it. Now I know what they all are talking about; even the uniforms look cool and the fans have a sort of roguish way about them, but that's another story.

THE GAME--The action starts and the play is fierce. Even without any scoring, the sheer athletic prowess is evident and both Hahn and Remenda are at their usual spot-on delivery. Having worked together for a number of years, (Hahn just finished his 1000Th Sharks broadcast--Remenda is a vet himself and former coach) both know how to pace and conduct the broadcast. Its evident in the first few moments.

Remenda carries a distinct red sharpie pen and likes to gesture a lot. Having coached and been an NHL disciple, its as if he takes the Sharks performance personally, and boy does he ever. In fact, what makes Remenda stand out is his unbridled ability to critique; not to rip for ripping sake, but you get a sense that you're not listening to the company line.

Sure, Hahn and Remenda want the Sharks to do well because it's good for the broadcast, but the pair have the creative freedom and are quite willing to dole out some negatives if the situation merits. Its refreshing and it speaks volumes about how serious these guys are about the show. Amen to that.

Fortunately, everything I hoped for was evident. The guys were nice and thoroughly cool; not to suggest if they happened to be un-cool, I would have wrote anything different. They are, in fact, total professionals. They laugh, giggle, and make little cracks here and there--everything you see and hear is 100% genuine. It helps that their crew is nice too.

On this night, the very talented Jamie Baker is working as extra color man on the ice. Baker is also an ex-player and knows the ins and outs of NHL hockey. Usually, he only works on radio, but tonight he's working TV. Every thing's fluid.

The Sharks would win 4-1 and star player Joe Thornton is the hero. I joke to one of the audio guys that I'm a good-luck charm; previously, the Sharkies had lost five straight at home. Score one for the Big Vinny factor.

**I don't normally root hard in this business; but as a kid growing up in Oakland, my team was and will always be the Raiders. To a lesser extent, the A's and Warriors too.

Now I'm rooting for another team: your 2009 San Jose Sharks. Quality organization. Great facility. Excellent PR dept--the works.

But beyond anything else, the Sharks broadcasters are in an elite class of broadcasters. This area is known for that, with the late, great Bill King. And Lon Simmons and Hank Greenwald. Jon Miller too and even the A's massively talented Ken Korach.

In that exclusive club, I would add Remenda, Hahn and Rusanowsky to the mix. We are lucky to have them here in the Bay Area and they are a delight to listen to and watch.

Go Sharks!

(photo courtesy of Ryan Leong)

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Dennis Herrera and the A's; Guilfoyle on Fox; KNBR: your sports and betting service leader

SF DA Dennis Herrera's letter to Major League Baseball threatening litigation if the A's go ahead with their feeble plans to move to San Jose, is more window-dressing, but the mere act itself demonstrates the hoard of hurdles facing A's front man Lew Wolff as he pursues the South Bay.

A few factors: **Herrera is running for Mayor of SF and giving the Giants owners some legal love and maneuvering is a great way to raise some cash for his campaign.

**Although sketchy in details, (how shocking) Oakland's announcement of four possible downtown/Jack London Square sites for a new A's home, semi-pushes Wolff into a corner. It also helps that the leader of the campaign is developer Doug Boxer, son of Senator Barbara Boxer, who lives in Jack London Square.

Senator Boxer and powerful Oakland Congresswoman, Barbara Lee, (head of the Congressional Black caucus) have subtly threatened MLB's coveted anti-trust exemption, should the A's be allowed to leave Oakland, in spite of the cities pitch to Wolff.

All of these latest developments can only further muddle and delay any remote chance that San Jose could get the A's in the next five years. Litigation, local SJ voter/residential stadium opposition, combined with financing and infrastructure issues are only a smidgen of the hurdles.

My prediction, as always, is the A's will stay in Oakland for at least the next five years and/or Lew Wolff will either sell the team to a local owner, or, worst-case scenario, the A's will move out of the Bay Area, but A. where? and B. why would they? (even with their old, dank Oakland Coliseum, they made millions last year)

**Fox News channel emperor Bill O'Reilly did a detailed segment the other night on SF's notorious MS-13 gang member, Edwin Ramos, who is charged with the murders of Tony Bologna, 48, and his two sons.

O'Reilly mocked the cities "sanctuary-status" law, which is a haven for illegal aliens. Ramos is an illegal alien.

On the segment, ex-SF deputy DA, and now Fox legal diva, Kimberly Guilfoyle offered contempt for the sanctuary law and defended Mayor Gavin Newsom's opposition to the statute, and ripping hard into the Board of Supervisors. At one point, Guilfoyle said, "that's one of the reasons I left SF and 'moved here to NY.'"

Incredibly, during the ten-minute segment, neither Guilfoyle nor O'Reilly mentioned that the ex-DA was once married to Newsom. Even by Fox News and O'Reilly's standards, that's pretty inexcusable.

**KNBR is now running not less than four Vegas betting services spots on both their AM 680 and sister-station 1050 AM. No big deal, but at least three of the sponsors have appeared on their morning, mid-day, and afternoon shows, without a disclaimer that the "guests" are buying time on the station.

I reported this item a few weeks back. At the time, only two tout-sheet guys were on, but now its enlarged to four. Me thinks an FCC inquiry might be forthcoming; bet on it.

**NEWS, NOTES and COMMENT: KCBS has added Jason Brooks to its financial line-up...KSFO's insufferable Brian Sussman has been filling in for Lee Rodgers this week; Sussman's righteous act and pro-birther blather makes Rodgers sound like Keith Olbermann...Congratulations to Gary Radnich for 25 years in the SF market; side note: was it really necessary for radio side-kick, Dan Dibley, to do an interview? I mean, we'll, I won't go there...Ex-Oak Trib and Examiner media writer, Bill Mann, has a hilarious daily blog, which is required reading if you want to enjoy beltway-NY--LA satire at its best...Funniest three hours on nightly local radio: ex-Foxer Alan Colmes on Green 960 at 10 PM. Colmes runs a fast-paced, funny, lucid and often hysterical amalgam of lunatic, right-wing callers, some of whom are unintentionally funny. Gotta give a listen...Didn't think it could happen, but I've warmed to Pat Thurston on KGO radio from 1 AM-5AM Friday and Saturday nights.

FINALLY: Two key, intriguing developments to follow: Come January 1st, turn on KRON4 and see if there's anything but a test pattern...and watch for MAJOR personnel changes on local AM and FM stations, particularly at 680 and 810 AM.

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Time out

Taking a few days off.

RL

ESPN 'MNF' show loses cachet; crew good, but NFL staple just another game; Monday PM pulse

ESPN's signature NFL show, "Monday Night Football", makes a rare appearance in SF tonight as the 49ers play the Arizona Cardinals.

No longer the marquee, appointment-TV it used to command, MNF is now just another football game, albeit the only game on the schedule. While it still possesses a modicum of strong football-fan interest, it no longer has the buzz factor of the Sunday night game on NBC, and it long ago lost any semblance of the 70's, 80's, early-90's inertia of Cosell, Meredith and Gifford.

Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski and ex-Raiders/Tampa coach, Jon Gruden, are all adequate and competent broadcasters and ESPN has never seen higher ratings, but the game's nexus is still the game. There is no non-football histrionics and the only pop-culture smidgen of non-NFL minutiae consists of the Hank Williams Jr. opening theme song, which has become contrived itself. (You'd think Williams Jr. could compose something a bit more creative and different as opposed to highlighting the various NFL cities--bet he's got one shot of the GG Bride tonight)

Out of the three, Tirico is the best. His straight-forward play-by-play and strong command of the broadcast is usually very good and concise. On the negative side, Ron, "jaws" Jaworski is way too technical and inside-football, and new-comer Gruden, while obviously knowledgeable of players and the x's and o's, has a habit of over-talking and stating the obvious.

Too bad, also, ESPN lacks the production savvy of NBC's Sunday night game. Just take a look at the replays, the camera angles of the field and the crispness and visual clarity of their performance versus ESPN's. It's not even close, particularly when viewing the games in high-definition.

Nevertheless, the game itself still has a gridiron luster and the New England--New Orleans game a few weeks back drew one of the biggest cable audiences in history.

**ESPN Monday Night Football
5: 30 PST (Comcast Cable channel 38/KPIX-CBS5)
SF 49ers vs. Arizona Cardinals

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Mark Curtis; ex-KTVU newser to WLNE/ABC Providence

CURTIS TO PROVIDENCE
“Veteran Newsman, Author and National Political Commentator Joins WLNE/ABC6 News Team

**Veteran news anchor, journalist and author Mark Curtis is joining WLNE-TV/ABC6 in Providence. Beginning January 9th, Curtis will anchor ABC6 News Weekends and join the station’s respected Investigative and Political Unit. The announcement was made today in Providence by WLNE-TV/ABC6 Vice President and General Manager Steve Doerr. “Mark brings a lot of journalistic firepower to our team,” Doerr said. "We're delighted to add someone of Mark's skill level and experience to our organization."

“I have lived all over the United States, from Wisconsin, to Florida, Washington, DC, to California. But New England is where it all began, this magical democracy that is the greatest nation on Earth,” Curtis stated. “I am a political junkie by trade, and to be here in New England, which has produced its share of U.S. Presidents, is the place to be for any true political reporter.”

A seasoned anchor and reporter, his wide range of experience includes nearly a decade as morning news anchor at KTVU-TV, the Fox affiliate in Oakland/San Francisco. Before that, he covered Washington, D.C. as Capital Correspondent for Cox Television.

“Mark’s journalistic experience, anchoring and reporting skills, and his in-depth insider knowledge of the political scene make him a tremendous addition to our news department,” noted ABC6 News Director BJ Finnell. “He brings the station a competitive edge no other local station can offer.”

Curtis is looking forward to his move from the West Coast. “I fell in love with Rhode Island when I visited Providence on my book tour this past summer. I am excited to call Rhode Island my new home.” Mark covered the 2008 Presidential campaign, traveling the country with the leading candidates of both parties as a blogger and political analyst. His book, “Age of Obama: A Reporter’s Journey with Clinton, McCain and Obama in the Making of the President 2008” was released Inaugural week 2009 by Nimble Books, Inc.

His passion for politics began in the early 90’s when he spent time as a Congressional Fellow, working in the House Judiciary Subcommittee of Rep. Charles Schumer, (D) New York, as well as for Senator Herb Kohl, (D) Wisconsin. His duties included planning for Congressional hearings, budget and issue research, developing press contacts and legislative strategies.

Mark grew up in Milwaukee and graduated with a degree in Broadcast Communication from Marquette University. He received a Masters Degree, with honors, from the University of Florida in Gainesville and is working toward completing his Doctorate in Educational Leadership at St. Mary’s College of California, in Moraga, by fall of 2010.


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BEST SF bar for watching NFL; Oh, and yes, the women too, even if its a Cougar den

HERB CAEN swore by it; during its heyday of the 70's, 80's and 90's, it was the epicenter of SF's power elite--not to mention, arguably, the unofficially, most readily available watering hole to meet the girl of your dreams. Today, that might be a misnomer, as the Balboa cafe has transformed itself into a "cougar den" and, oh, don't forget about the fact that it serves a pretty decent burger.

Could the 49ers end up in LA? Never say never, and here's why

This was a column I wrote a few months ago while I was blogging for SFGate. I thought it would be appropriate to run it again in my domain.

49ERS EYE LA?-- DON'T RULE OUT ANYTHING

Let's speculate for a moment that the voters down in Santa Clara approve the 49Er's ballot initiative for the go-ahead in the team's plans for a new stadium.

Great, now the hard part.

Where's the financing? What about infrastructure costs and improvement? What about EIR reports, (environmental impact reports) and so on and so on. Did I even mention potential litigation from various residents to business owners? And what's the economy going to be like? Hell, forget the economy. What's the WORLD going to be like? We know life is different now; how things, all things, our livelihood, our homes, our pocketbook, our collective mass anxiety has been affected in the last few years. God only knows what the future holds five years from now. Which brings me back to the 49Er's and the stadium situation.

I was being optimistic about the ballot deal being approved. My gut says it won't because I believe stadia and stadiums are not priorities on any one's mind these days, given the uncertainty we're all experiencing, economically and otherwise. Even so-called "privately-funded" stadiums involve some sort of civic cost because inevitably, public money is always doled out, always, even in relatively suburban-friendly, business-savvy places like Santa Clara, CA.

Cut to the chase. See, I'm thinking chess-like even though I don't play chess, but me thinks Jed York wants some nice new digs, NOT in SF, but Santa Clara, and if somehow, Santa Clara folks give the thumbs-down to the Yorks, that the Yorks, (Jed and dad) explore "other options."

Like, oh yeah, the nation's second-biggest TV market still WITHOUT an NFL team. You say "no way the NFL wants to lose the 49Er's; the beloved, established, 5-time Super Bowl champs to LA?" I say, you're misinformed and a little naive.

Unlikely? Yes. Out of the question? No. On the table? For heavens sake, YES and let me tell you why. Where does one begin?

First, the Yorks have no allegiance to SF. None. They're from Ohio and the guy who runs the team, Jed, is a Notre Dame fellow.

Look, call me a cynic, but I think the Yorks want nothing to do with SF other than keeping the name, "SF" on the helmet and letterhead. I think it's Santa Clara or bust, and that's where LA comes into the equation.

Sooner or later, the NFL is going to take care of business in LA. The league, which is suddenly being affected, albeit slightly, by the recession, is more than likely a season away from a work stoppage, be it lockout or strike.

They are a multi-billion dollar business with declining revenues and LA represents a BILLION reasons why the league needs a team there. ASAP. An EXISTING team, (forget the word, expansion--not in LA), with a stadium problem, like oh, say the 49Er's. Maybe San Diego. Possibly Minnesota. The Raiders? I'm hearing that they're working hard to either build a new stadium on the Coliseum lot, or sprucing up the old place, assuming of course the A's get their little stadium issue resolved, but that's another story.

As you 415 and 650 folks start huffing and puffing and think I'm smoking something, consider this juicy little news. The Yorks are fed up big time with Candlestick's broken elevators, its dilapidated interior, the weeds literally coming out of the concrete into the stands, the whole nine yards...and i haven't even mentioned the parking lot when it rains. And so on and so on.

They're also not particularly chummy with Gavin Newsom and the political peeps in SF. Remember, this was the franchise that cancelled its kickoff lunch a year ago over a certain incident a year earlier. So yes, there's no lovey-dovey here--like I said, the "SF" might as well be the "SF$" as far as the Yorks are concerned.

Five years is a long time away, but not too long to think like a chess player. Even if a stadium deal is approved, there's a myriad of variables that exist before ground is broke. And even in this economic turmoil, LA has the cash, the badge, the 'big money and Hollywood investors like Casey Wasserman and Steven Spielberg, who has a strong interest in investing in the sports world. (As opposed to a guy named Madoff)

Someday soon, a stadium will take form down south and don't be surprised if the Yorks were interested and wanted to play ball. And don't believe the NFL would stand in their way. Once again, like everything else in this world, it IS all about the money.

So yes, the Niners more than likely will stay in the Bay Area, but NOT in SF. If Santa Clara punts, LA is an option that can't be ruled out and won't.

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Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/lieberman/category?blogid=70&cat=2777#ixzz0ZWFtL1SG

Citadel Broadcasting prepares for BK filing; KGO radio and KSFO future unknown

Radio giant owns both KGO and KSFO; future of both stations unclear--

Citadel Broadcasting Corp., the third-largest radio broadcaster in the U.S., is preparing to file for bankruptcy by the end of the year, according to people familiar with the matter.

Citadel's long-expected move is yet another reminder of the travails facing media companies, which are up against stiff competition and shifts in consumer habits. Advertising revenues have plunged for newspapers, radio broadcasters and television stations.

For radio companies, overall ad revenue is expected to drop 19% this year, according to research firm BIA/Kelsey.

++Locally, both dominant KGO Radio and KSFO are owned by Citadel. For the short term, there will be no noticeable major change from an on-air talent standpoint, but industry observers expect an eventual overhaul, in areas of news personnel, sales dept. shake-ups and lower and mid-level management.

Although KGO is the Bay Area's dominant, perennial #1 radio station in the PPM's "overalls" (overalls 6+listeners) it lags far behind in the advertiser-coveted A25-54 demo. The story at right-wing/conservative "hot talk" KSFO is essentially the same.

Both stations have some of the highest-paid broadcasters in the SF market; KGO's Ronn Owens, who rules the overall ratings and has tonsiled at the station for over 34 years, commands a seven-figure salary. Owens is one of the few talents in the biz that possesses a "personal-services" contract. His agent is Don Buchward, who also represents Howard Stern.

Could Citadel's BK affect Owens' future at KGO? What about the money? Earlier this year, I e-mailed Owens about that very subject. He indicated that because he has a "PS" contract, he would be protected by any potential Citadel BK filing.

My best guess is that Owens will carry on, at least for the length of his contract. KGO may be forced to make significant cuts in its news and sports dept.

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TIME's Person of the Year Announced on 'Today' Show Wednesday

Beginning Monday, the "Today" will begin three days of "Person of the Year" coverage with Time magazine's announcement set for Wednesday's show.

Time managing editor Richard Stengel will discuss this year's top candidates and the selection process. On Wednesday, Stengel will reveal the 2009 Person of the Year.

My pick: The hot rumor is that Twitter will be named the "POTY". Who can argue otherwise?

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BARRY ZITO’S STRIKEOUTS FOR TROOPS TO BENEFIT FROM HOLIDAY CELEBRITY BASH ON DECEMBER 16

Sports Stars Team Together To Support Wounded U.S Troops and Their Families



San Francisco Giants pitcher Barry Zito’s Strikeouts For Troops™ will benefit from a sports-celebrity studded Holiday Celebrity Bash at the Hyatt at Fisherman’s Wharf/Knuckles at the Wharf in San Francisco on Wednesday, December 16 at 6:30 p.m.





The show will feature a lineup of sports celebrities – including Brian Wilson (San Francisco Giants), Ronnie Lott (San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders great, NFL Hall of Famer), Tony La Russa (St. Louis Cardinals), Rich Aurilia (former San Francisco Giant), Dallas Braden (Oakland Athletics), Tommy Everidge (Oakland Athletics), C.J. Wilson (Texas Rangers),Tyler Walker (Philadelphia Phillies) and Joe Cannon (San Jose Earthquakes) – meeting fans and serving as celebrity bartenders to honoring and supporting the true stars of the night, the troops themselves. Strikeouts For Troops is a national nonprofit program founded by Zito to help U.S. wounded service members and their families with "comforts of home" while lifting their spirits and morale during an often long recovery process.



Zito said, "I'm so excited to be able to host an event that's going to benefit my favorite cause, helping those who help us Americans most. I'm overwhelmed by the support we've gotten from other professional athletes as shown by them coming out for the event. It's going to be a great time for all, and the fans will get to interact with the athletes and maybe even see a couple of them sing some karaoke. I appreciate everyone who comes out to support our troops on December 16th. Now let's party!



KNBR 680 AM’s Brian Murphy and Paul McCaffrey will emcee the evening’s festivities. Comcast SportsNet will host a special Season of Giving edition of Chronicle Live beginning at 5 p.m. from the location. Tickets are available at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/90847 and include a buffet dinner and the chance to win door prizes. Tickets will be held at the door.

SF-Oak-SJ fantasy stadiums; Hahn&Remenda Sharks trip; Friday media pulse

FRIDAY PULSE

**Those sparkling new stadium renderings on the pages of the Oak Trib and SF Chronicle look awesome; too bad they're about as close to fruition as the Warriors hiring Rick Barry as their new coach.

I had to laugh (again) to the morning radio guys yakking endlessly about how the A's want to go to San Jose--theta's where the 'money is...and the 49ers want no part of SF--they're "destined" for Santa Clara. Yeah, right, and I'm destined for a night out with Angelina Jolie, (I have slightly better odds)

Want the truth? NOBODY and I do mean nobody is going ANYWHERE. At least for the foreseeable future, all that one hears is a lot of TALK. TALK is cheap. Action speaks louder than words and we're years and years away from any action, if at all.

A little logic is due.

--THE A'S: Yes, the Coliseum is outdated, old, and esthetically speaking, horrible. The "Mt. Davis" edifice wrecked the stadium. There's no doubt, but the subsequent tarping of the upper deck and Lew Wolff's continued anti-Oakland venom is ridiculous on several fronts, not the least of which involves alienating an entire fan base and systematically screwing up the entire Eastbay/CoCo/Oakland minions.

Wolff and John Fisher desperately want San Jose. We get it. We know guys, but at best, at best, that's at least five-six, maybe seven years away. AT BEST. If they broke ground tomorrow on a new A's yard in SJ, it would be 2013 before the SJ ballpark would be ready. Facts are a bitch.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, the corporate dough is in Silicon Valley, but corporate dough can't buy off MLB, the SF Giants territorial rights, voter/residential opposition, the works.

Ditto Oakland's PR campaign to offer a plan of three new locations to keep the A's in Oakland. They all look spectacular on paper, but get back to us when you have Lew Wolff's ear. Although the Oakland options, (particularly the existing parking lot at the current stadium) is far more practical and reasonable.

Everything else is fantasy and pipe-dreams. There's a good reason why its hard to build new stadiums in California. The Giants and Padres were the last to pull if off and even their yards were privately financed. Good luck in this climate building stadiums.

**49ERS/Santa Clara--SF: Again, real gorgeous to see that football stadium in Hunter's Point and Santa Clara's beautiful rendering in the parking lot at Great America. While you're at it, why not dub it the Taj Mahal.

Point is, BOTH cities have more obstacles than the Obama health-care bill passing Congress this year. At best, 2014 before the Niners get a new home. Talk about a virtual rubic's cube of mess getting anything concrete on that quagmire.

From this angle, Candlestick is a certified dump; again, we all know that, but barring the Yorks rumored LA interests should they not get a new building agreement within the year, looks like Candlestick will be home for the 49Er's for at least five more years.

**SAN JOSE SHARKS....I'll be heading down to the Shark tank tonight to schmooze with Randy Hahn and Drew Remenda; take in the hockey Nirvana and sit with the guys in the broadcast booth high-atop the HP Pavilion to give you a first-hand account of what these two broadcast-Elvis' are really like. We all what to know and I'm here to tell ya. Its a rough life, but somebody has to live it.

Oakland officials identify four sites for new A’s Stadium

From the SF Business Journal--

OAKLAND--In the ongoing saga of trying to keep the A’s baseball team in Oakland, city officials have identified four sites, two of which had not been considered previously, that could accommodate a new stadium for the team.

The sites include the current Oakland Coliseum location and three sites near the Jack London Square waterfront: Howard Terminal in the Port of Oakland, another parcel at Jefferson and Market and a site called Victory Court between Oak Street and the Lake Merritt Channel.The last two are the new sites under consideration.


“We went to the MLB and said ‘We want the As in Oakland,’ and we’re comfortable with all of these sites,” said Eric Angstadt, director of planning for the city’s Community and Economic Development Agency.

City leaders have been working since March to find ways to keep the As in Oakland and sent a letter to Major League Baseball. A few weeks later, the league then created a three-member task force to revisit the team’s options to stay in Oakland. The league laid out criteria for a new site, including a size of at least 20 acres and proximity to amenities such as transportation and restaurants. Angstadt said the city added two new waterfront locations because most new baseball stadiums built in the last several years have been near waterfronts.

Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums, City Council President Jane Brunner, Vice Mayor Ignacio De La Fuente, Councilmember Larry Reid of District 7, Angstadt, Victoria Jones of Clorox and Douglas Boxer of Let’s Go Oakland, a non-profit, held a joint press conference Thursday to announced the sites.

Dellums said the city’s goal is to inform the team leadership and the MLB that there are viable sites for a new stadium in Oakland. The city, which faces a major budget deficit, cannot pay for the stadium, but would agree to support the effort with land, infrastructure and parking. Dellums emphasized that the process has not been a negotiation with MLB, but rather a "fact-finding mission."

"Right now baseball is the one controlling the timeline," Angstadt said. "We've done what we can at this point."

The announcement comes at a time when the team’s head representative, Lew Wolff has stated he wants the team to move to San Jose and that the team has already considered and rejected any options to stay in Oakland.

“Lew Wolff said he did due diligence in Oakland and found no sites and we have proved him wrong,” Reid said.

The A’s, which said a new stadium will generate more money, have played in Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum since 1968. The baseball team shares the facility with the Oakland Raiders. The A’s lease in the coliseum expires in 2010 with three, one-year options to extend.

Reid said if the As were to leave the Coliseum, the Raiders would continue to use the facility. The football team has also proposed a building a new stadium.

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Timing: Tiger/Obama on Jan. Golf Digest cover; Barry Bonds; new AOL. logo; Thursday pulse

TIMING is everything Dept.

**Tiger Woods and President Obama adorn the January cover of Golf Digest with a beautiful set of words, which could only mean to the GD editors: "Why us?" Then again, millions will probably buy it, cover title aside.

**Barry Bonds: Maybe the agent is utilizing the tactic that Bonds can't. Yes, Barry, it IS over. You reap what you sow. The real question is HOF-status and right now its no, rightly or wrongly.

**AOL unveiled its new logo, which is a tad crisper than the old, but who cares? I do...In spite of rancor in the newsroom over the firing of a popular exec producer, KTVU still had a great November and will probably have a great December too. It's just that several of their top on-air talent who've left lately may have stayed a year or two longer, but instead opted to leave because they saw the writing on the wall. Figure it out...Headline: "No Tiger ads in prime time since Thanksgiving." Shocking news. What next? "Security detail review at White House?"...ABC7/KGO's Dan Ashley is often over-looked as a steady local anchor because of his hair status; in any event, Ashley is good, as is CBS5's Ken Bastida and Channel 2's Frank Somerville. Yes, we have some good local TV news anchors and a few bad ones too...Comcast will NOT buy KRON from Young, which is the rumor of the month; the thinking in many quarters is that NBC screwed up a good thing when they bolted KRON for Channel 11 in San Jose. YES, they did, but the new Comcast/NBC arrangement will not scoop up KRON, trust me, for a variety of reasons...Speaking of ABC7, yes, BEST consumer reporter in the business? Michael Finney, who also does a weekly show on KGO Radio...KNBR's Ralph Barbieri repeated the Chris Rock great line, a la Tiger Woods: "A man is as good as his 'options.'" Indeed...Capable Brian Copeland is filling in for vacationing Ronn Owens during the 9-Noon slot on KGO...

FINALLY: Props to Comcast Sportsnet Bay Area producer Bruce Macgowan. Selfishly-speaking dept: In a moment of personal need, a dear friend helped out. I'll leave it at that. And no, it has nothing to do with "booking."

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Singletary vs Cable; One gets pass while other gets ridicule

As I have stated many times, the Bay Area sports media; the writers, radio/TV announcers, Internet bloggers, etc. are afraid of Mike Singletary. Not all of course, but a good majority are simply intimidated by the specter of ripping him. Why? I'll speculate in a moment.

I bring this up because in contrast to Raiders coach Tom Cable, who has been labeled as aloof, dysfunctional and a 'truck driver posing as a coach, Singletary's transgressions on the field, his overall say-nothings at press conferences, have been generally ignored. This is NOT to defend Cable as the second-coming of Vince Lombardi, nor to denigrate Singletary. I'm just pointing out what I perceive as unfair comparisons. Its jarring.

I have never met Singletary. He's a hall-of-fame linebacker and before getting the 49Er's gig, spent much of his coaching career as a defensive coordinator. He got the job with SF because he was able to go 5-3 last year and adequately replace ex-coach Mike Nolan, who was fired midway in 2008. The players seem to like him and play well for him, (save for the disaster in Seattle Sunday) Nevertheless, his record isn't that much better than Cable's. He has had problems with clock management and his time-out issues, among other things is quite apparent. Have these points been broght out? Yes, but just barely. Not exactly pronounced. Interesting.

So again, just WHY does big Mike get a pass and Cable gets roasted? Figure it out. Think PC. Think about an issue that nobody dares go down that road. The "that" is fairly obvious. Its so evident that I'll let you draw your own conclusion.

I'll expound further in a more detailed column soon.

**Lowell Cohn, a distinguished writer/blogger from the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat sent an interesting comment regarding my post...

Rich, this is something i've thought a lot about. I do not believe writers give Singletary a pass based on race. He is dignified and seemingly persuasive -- vs. Cable. I think writers react to that. And until the flop in Seattle the team seemed on the right path. I honestly don't believe race is a factor.



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Newsroom tension at KTVU; popular producer shown the door; staff outrage

THERE IS IMMENSE ANGER and outrage inside the newsroom at KTVU.

The perennial #1 Fox affiliate in Oakland just axed Claudia Lombana…the afternoon executive producer who just won the 5 and 6 pm news rating for the first time ever.

A former KTVU staffer says there is considerable dismay and outrage inside the news offices: "they're spinning it as: “we did not fire her, we just chose not to renew her contract!” What bullshit!"

Another source who knows the local TV news biz went further: "Ed Chapuis is the news director…I'm told he and Lombana had a shouting match in the newsroom, the day before she was “let go.” She had the balls to stand up to him, which won her a lot of points! She’s a tough lady and a good producer!"

Supposedly, Chapuis is known around Channel 2 as "Special Ed"; not a kind reference and universally hated at the Oakland station, according to the source.

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