Remember the days when KRON was a major force in SF television? Driving down Van Ness, it was impossible not to notice the singular KRON building down the street from Tommys Joynt, near the old Cathedral Hill Hotel, which once was the Jack Tar.
KRON once boasted a news staff of some of the cities best and most storied reporters and anchors; talent like the late Pete Wilson, former ABC 'Nightline correspondent, Sylvia Chase, ace reporters Vic Lee and Linda Yee, and noted weather forecaster/personality, Mark Thompson.
Now, KRON, owned by Young Broadcasting, has sunk to its lowest depth. It still commands prime dial position; (Channel 4) and has kept some core air talent-- (anchor Pam Moore, sports anchor Gary Radnich, and weekend veteran anchor Ysabel Duron, to name a few.
But that's the exception. The bulk of KRON's news staff--its reporters, editors, news writers, on-air talent--have either left, resigned, been let go, or simply disappeared into other markets or navigated out of the business.
Those that remain are either trapped or resigned to the present dire straits of the local TV news business. Fewer and fewer options make it difficult for many. And many of KRON's dilapidated news personnel are quite professional and good. They somehow put out capable content, in spite of a near-universal loathing for both the management and Young ownership. Nowhere is that more prevalent inside the newsroom, particularly the news director and his assistant, (Aaron Pero and Stacey Baier)
To its defense, KRON's dismal state can be traced back to 2000, when NBC foolishly played hardball with its dominant SF affiliate. The ensuing news was Youngs' $823 million purchase of KRON, (a record) and the subsequent loss two years later, of NBC programming to KNTV, (now NBC Bay Area.)
Thus began the evolution of KRON's downfall.
As a dominant independent, KRON and its core news programming was still relevant and remained amongst the local TV news operations, one of the most respected organizations in the biz. Its newscasts were first-rate and its staple of reporters and editors, the talk of the industry. Like rival, KTVU, Channel 4 developed a loyal Bay Area audience and delivered a solid product.
But as the years progressed; particularly post-2002 when they lost NBC's affiliated programming, and the economy began to tank, combined with mind-numbing mismanagement both in and out of the newsroom, KRON sank into its present abyss.
Today, the general morale among the news staff is tense. There is rancor and angst between rank and file and management. The station has used interns on-air to predict the weather. Infomercials comprise virtually half, if not more, of KRON's limited programming.
And now comes news that Young has been negotiating with NBC to implement a shared-services arrangement. Like everything else, the reason involves reducing costs and saving money. Should it pass to fruition, several more news staff will be out of work at KRON.
Its sad to see how such a landmark local TV station; as much a part of SF lore as Fisherman's Wharf and the late Herb Caen, has fallen so fast.
The fall of KRON has been nothing but stunning. It's difficult for people to remember how they were THE television station of the Bay Area. Even BayTV was awesome for a really long time. Everything they did was the envy of KGO, KPIX, and even KTVU (which for a lot of years was a local TV backwater, until FOX came along).
ReplyDeleteKRON was on top of the world and had everything. And now.... they are just so pathetic as a station. It's embarrassing to watch it now.
It just goes to show that people who have a LOT of money can make some really awful, awful decisions with it. As soon as the Young's stroked that check for it, you knew it was going to end badly. You didn't need to work in the TV biz to know that they had made an awful, awful deal and it would do nothing but crash later.