Janelle Wang has left KGO-TV. It's official. And she'll be heading to NBC Bay Area in August, (KNTV)
Wang confirmed to me, via phone, that she has left 900 Front, but would not make any further comment.
Here's the story: KGO begins its post/Oprah 4 PM newscast on Wednesday with Larry Beil and Carolyn Johnson. Sources close to KGO told me that Wang wanted the co-anchor gig at 4, but that the station did not want her to be part of the show. Only a limited role, "anchor-lite" as a person pointed out to me.
Said a station source: "They, (KGO news brass) did a focus group and (Janelle) came up just short and Carolyn, (Johnson) was the top pick."
Johnson has been at KGO for nearly twenty years.
Bottom line: Wang wanted the 4PM gig; management offered her a smaller role for the 4 and she was clearly not interested. Combine that with a few offers from other outlets, one of which was KNTV.
Wang jumped at the chance. She wouldn't confirm the new gig and she made it clear that she didn't want to ruffle any feathers.
Because of a non-competing clause in her soon-expiring contract, Wang can't begin her new duties at NBC until August.
CLARIFICATION/CORRECTION: In this post, I mistakenly referred to Janelle Wang as "Janelle Yang." Long day, but no excuses. My regrets to Ms. Wang. Corrections made.
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There are a lot of jobless broadcasters in our SF bay area media pool and SHE gets scooped up? Makes no sense to me. I'm not a Janelle hater, just wondering what she's got that the rest don't. You mention working cheap as a prerequisite to getting hired; my guess is she's not.
ReplyDeleteYang,,,Wang...whatever...
ReplyDeleteNot going to help NBC 11's ratings, just lower their bottom line.
ReplyDeleteYang? YANG?
ReplyDeleteRich
ReplyDeleteJust when NBC11 SF does something right (Kessler) they blow it with Yang! Again this is what makes them so dang charming.....ugh....
408er
Who will be the bigger airhead - Laura Garcia-Cannon or Janelle Wang?
ReplyDeleteI like Janelle...I noticed that her little chit chats with co anchors seemed more real,and she's modest. I'm not sure why she looked down so often at her script..I thought they all read off a teleprompter under the camera?
ReplyDeleteAnd she did return a phone call didn't she Rich? How many people you have be critical with have done that? Again,she's real.
Yang??
ReplyDeleteWang, Yang...tomatoes, tamatoes....
ReplyDeleteWow...KGO moves fast...bio's already stripped from the website.
ReplyDeleteGiven what's going on with KNTV in the AM and the Cannon's being split up with Laura in the morning and her hubby on at 7pm...you have to figure both Kessler and Yang are headed to the morning slot. I feel sorry for John. Yang is going to be drain on that show...her delivery and body language is all wrong for an anchor position, particularly how she always ends whatever she's saying by tilting her head forward and down which causes her to deliver this glare like expression at the camera. Maybe she thinks that makes her look more serious. It doesn't. It makes her look goofy.
Dammit Rich...now you've got ME doing it. I meant Wang not Yang. No excuses though...
ReplyDeleteI think Janelle Wang was disappointed that her gig with "A View From The Bay" did not work out...You could see it all over her face, when she was Co-Anchoring in the wee-hours in the morning.
ReplyDeleteI think Janelle and Larry Beil would have made a good team. She knows how to ad-lib. not so scripted. What KGO should have done was can Cheryl Jennings. She's OLD and clueless. painful to watch.
ReplyDeleteCheryl Jennings's face looks so tight. It looks like a wax figure.
ReplyDelete