As reported here first, Bob Melrose of KCBS, one of the best street reporters in the radio biz, has retired after 36 years on the beat.
Most of his glowing articles, justifiably, have centered on his longevity, almost unheard of in this new broadcasting landscape.
What really made Melrose stand out was his relentless pursuit of a story, any story. His signature work, to me at least, was his tenacious, fearless live reports from the Caldecott Tunnel fire in April of 1982.
Melrose was the very first and one of the few on-scene reporters that was there to capture the horrifiness of the tragedy. I remember that night well, as I was sitting in the press box at the Oakland A's home opener with Melrose himself, who was there to get post-game actuality. Little did we know in the wee hours later on, that a major calamity would take place half a city away. I'll never forget hearing Melrose's chilling reports describing the burnt-out utility truck, (and other vehicles), inside the tunnel. To this day, I don't think Bob got any sleep that night and into the morning. But that was Melrose, vintage "Mel" in his element.
While most seasoned reporters dreadcovering fires and crime stories, that was Bob's forte. And he literally covered anything. Even in retirement, Melrose is sure to check out the latest police and news blotter. Frankly, I don't know anyone out there that comes remotely close to the talent of Bob Melrose.
And I can't imagine listening to KCBS without his repertoire.
*I also can't imagine Gene Burns coming back to the local airwaves anytime soon. I wish the respected broadcast veteran all the best of health and I'm hearing he's doing much better after his latest medical setback, a stroke that I first reported about here.
Burns myriad of health issues makes the likelihood of his return to local radio remote at best.
*Nobody, of course, will go on the record, but a few sources close to the dismissed KGO Radio hosts, tells me that a potential age discrimination lawsuit might be in the offing against Cumulus. To which I say, hooray.
Keep in mind that every fired host let go were all over the age of 60. KGO and Cumulus, we were told, raided out the hosts and went to an all-news format to improve declining ratings and lost market share. We all know now how swell that's been.
A newsroom in dire straits; complete chaos, low morale, over-worked staffers and a paranoid sales dept, are just a few morsels on the KGOne menu. Other than that, everything's fine.
*Ralph Barbieri and his lawyer, Angela Alioto have yet to file the actual suit against KNBR and Cumulus. They're gathering up the evidence and laying out a case based upon wrongful termination. Expect some surprise announcement soon.
*Had to laugh when it was brought to my attention that the 9-Nooner guy on Knibber was saying "I'm not going anyway--I signed a three-year deal at the TV station and here." What he didn't mention: "contracts" are worthless unless they have specific language in them, (see Ronnnn Owens); in essence, yes, just a piece of paper. So yeah, you got a contract, so what, they can still fire your tuchas and in time, they probably will.
*KFOG: add them to the entirely useless dept. An FM powerhouse that once had huge cachet here and outside the industry, cumulized to the hilt and on a life-support system, another relic gone bad by the Atlanta a-holes.
*I'm sorry, Alison Janney might be one pretty actress, but the relentless Kaiser propaganda spots are so darn annoying and downright insufferable. Needs a mercy killing.
*Interesting to hear the mattress man do a live read of his mattress company shilling with excitement and glee while his "the fire down the street in the neighborhood" plug for KGOne has all the excitement of a Book Notes rerun on CSPAN3.
*'7Live' death post-mortem: Anybody gonna lose any sleep? Nope.
*Follow me on Twitter
As someone who is paying more than $600 per month for really lousy Kaiser coverage, whenever I hear those Kaiser commercials I feel sick to my stomach. If they took even half of them off the air I'm sure my premiums would drop 80%.
ReplyDeleteI don't know the actress but I hate her voice and her smug-assed attitude in those stupid commercials! Who hasn't heard of Kaiser in California?
Ditto for lousy coverage.
DeleteMy Kaiser doctor couldn't care less whether I live or die, much less "thrive."
Every single time I catch one of those Kaiser commercials, I reply to it as it ends..."Yeah right". My primary doc is great, but what I pay for coverage is insane. Everyone's monthly premium could probably come down 100 bucks a month if they knocked off all this advertising.
DeleteOn TV,which is worse-Aamco and the over the top mugging-and is the tall black guy Ru Paul? adding even more insanity?,or the Geico pig wee-wee commercial that doesn't even make sense?..both are instant, hit mute button ads.
ReplyDeleteAnd so is the sleep train shoes for foster kids ad. And I don't believe that foster kids never get new shoes. Shoes aren't a major expense. Using those kids' voices to get sympathy rubs me wrong.
Delete"I got noo soos!"
Meh, Unless some high paid talent under age 60 were allowed to keep their jobs I doubt they have a case. Except for Tolbert (I believe he earned the same as Barbieri did on his last contract) they are all paid much less and showed up to work on time.
ReplyDeleteKudos again to Bob Melrose. He thoroughly enjoyed broadcasting, loved covering events live, and always had respect for the craft of radio and the integrity of journalism. A good guy, but an even better news reporter. Enjoy your free time Bob...you've certainly earned it!
ReplyDeleteI don't see how it could be age discrimination. Most all of them were old. If they were going to fire a bunch of people it makes sense that most of them would be old.
ReplyDeleteCumulized is the best word to describe that monster!
ReplyDeleteRich keep it up, thoroughly enjoyed the coverage of the cumulus beheading of great local talent. You perspective is refreshing and genuine as a 5 th generation sf native who used to love the local media now it's full of Kim koyles and Amy g talentless hacks who fill demographics and wage grades. Keep it up thanks
i agree with john...why wouldn't you fire the old people? what are they going to do about it? old people need medication just to get laid. unless the court has an early bird special, i don't even see them remembering to show up for hearing.
ReplyDeleteSomeday you, too, will be 60, believe it or not, and you may want to continue working (especially since the social security fund may be gone by then). Your attitude will change, hopefully, and you'll find you still have a memory, don't need as much sleep as you did when you were younger. Who will support your parents if they lose their jobs when they turn 60 -- you???
DeleteI hope your post was tongue-in-cheek.
Is it me or has every move that has been made since Mickey Luckoff left has caused KGOne's ratings to fall?
ReplyDeleteI hope all the old hosts get a large settlement from the Dickhead brothers.
Slam dunk case for the former KGO Allstars. Everyone who was fired was a fulltime employee over the age of sixty, now look at who they kept, part timers on the younger side (except Thurston and Craft) who work cheap. Can't wait for Barbieri to file his suit. Should be great theatre
ReplyDeleteIf they had kept a full time young person they might have a case, but they didn't. Youngest part-timer is Karel who is in his late 40's.
DeleteThurston (50's) and Craft(pushing 70) and Copeland (guessing 50) aren't spring chickens or "all stars".
They dumped the high paid talent (except Owens). Purely an economic matter.
I'm 67. Federal age discrimination statutes protect you from firing based on age if you are between the ages of 40 and 70. The difficulty is proving that your age is the reason you were canned. In other words, if your ratings weren't stellar and you are a geezer, you will have a difficult time proving your case. One of the reasons I went to law school was to have a profession I could practice until I dropped. Many Americans are doing the calculus now and understand they'll have to work well past 65 just to stay alive. It is good to note that some of the most successful American citizens working at the moment are in their late sixties. Diane Sawyer(anchor ABC nightly news) Hillary Clinton(Sec'y of State),Geraldo Rivera,and some of the most popular music acts in the world..to wit, my friend Joe Walsh of the Eagles.etc. I think Arbitron may have to rethink its ratings model. With the aging of working America, the consumption of goods and services is no longer the exclusive domain of younger folk.
DeleteMelrose is the bomb. I don't work cheaply, but I sometimes work for free(Doris Day Animal League). This upcoming sat night/sun morn(midnight)..Ross Mirkarimi will be my guest. I am utterly biased in his favor. Callers will be welcome.
Best news I've heard in a while. Christine will be on this weekend! The abomination from NY keeps rising on Sunday nights like a bad Friday the 13th sequel. Look forward to late weekend newstalk w Ms. Craft!
DeleteYoungest part-timer is in fact Brian Copeland, I believe. Also, the old folks fired were not all full timers. Joanie Greggains only worked one shift on Saturdays, same as Brian C. who works one shift on Sundays. Dr. Bill worked two 3-hour shifts on weekends, same as Karel and now Pat and Monty etc. At the time of the firings, Len Tillem was only on for 5 hours per week with reruns on Sunday. Also, Christine was only a substitute, not a regular.
DeleteIn other news did anyone hear Giggles aka Fitz make the statement, "I'm a firm believer in what goes around, comes around, on the way you make it to the top"....maybe not those exact words but basically the same meaning. I had to laugh after reading here on Rich's blog a few times of how Fitz came to have the job with the Warriors he currently has. Any comment Rich?
ReplyDeleteDiscrimination would be hard to prove in KGO's case since the format was changed and these folks were not replaced with other talk show hosts. Radio stations generally have the right to dismiss anyone they don't think fits with their "new direction". It's pretty tough when you're talking about talent and personality that age was the factor. Being Cumulus, the real factor was $$$ anyway, not age. That said, I'd love to see how it plays out and wish these talented folks all the best.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting. Captain Sully, the pilot hero who saved an entire plane load of people when his plane landed in a river, once said (and I paraphrase), "This is one industry where grey hair is an ASSET."
ReplyDeleteToo bad today's radio corporations don't value experience and savvy the same way--Johnny Carson certainly got better with time! Dave Morey was great, and one of the last vestiges of smooth and seasoned talent on KFOG. After he retired, KFOG continued its way down the drain and I haven't listened since!
In answer to the folks who think the "over 60's" don't have a basis for age discrimination--think about, for example, how almost the ENTIRE afternoon at KGO was replaced by regurgitated news over and over....So many of these hosts may have a claim...we will see! And remember what happened to Doctor Dean a year before the Grand Bloodbath!
Wait, Pat Thurston is in her 50s? That means she had her triplets in her 40s - possible, but are you sure? I always thought she was younger than that.
ReplyDeleteYes, according to her facebook page, she graduated high school in 1973. She was very close to 50, if not 50, when she had her triplets. Remember the spot she used to do a couple of years ago for the fertility clinic that she used?
DeleteAh, okay. Wow, imagine young triplets in your 50s! She sounds like a great mom though, 50s or not ;)
DeleteCan someone explain to me why Ralph's reason for termination was because he was "late" and how Eric Byrnes hardly ever even shows up to his shift and still has a job. Since he has started he been off the air more days he has been on. It sounds the other way around, like it's the Ray Woodson show with Byrnes filling in on occasion. What a waste having a baseball recourse like that and he's only been on like twice since opening day.
ReplyDeleteWhen that Orwellian Kaiser voice comes on, I turn the channel or dial. Nothing against the woman doing the voicing, but it just drones on. If you want to torture terrorists, just have her read something to them and you'll break 'em quickly.
ReplyDeleteKGO went to a different format, but they still have talk radio, and added never heard before hosts like Montemayor, the Red Eye, the comedian from New York, if they had offered some of the fired hosts different time slots and less time, they might have taken it. I for one would try to tune in to John Rothman whenever possible, before streaming I somehow manage to wake up at 1 a.m. to listen to John, I might listen to the Monte show, but I won't make a special effort to do so. I'm not a lawyer, but I can see where the fired hosts might have a case, if they were not given the option of take fewer hours at different time slots. As far as I can tell the added hosts like Montemayor etc. are younger and nowhere nearly as talented and interesting as Gene, (hope he will be back)John and Gil.
ReplyDeleteActually I would much rather have these so-called, "Old People" on the air than some of the younger "mush mouths". It's amazing how the younger generation is unable to speak clearly. Most of them sound like they have a dozen marbles in their mouths.
ReplyDeleteAnyone know an e-mail for Christine Craft? I e-mailed her at KGO, but didn't get an answer,
ReplyDelete1) "horrifiness" ? Really, Rich? English has so many great words already, no need to create new ones. (I'm saying this as I'm laughing, because I'm joking, not meaning to be nasty!)
ReplyDelete2) Yeah, Christine! I've enjoyed listening to you for years and I even called you once. You don't sound a day over 45, by the way. I agree with you about a lot if not most issues, but you've got your work cut out for you re: Mirkarimi. But who knows? I'll listen and maybe you'll change my mind about him and that whole ugly situation.
3) I agree it sounds difficult to win this age discrimination suit, but I'd sure love to see Gene and the others try. At least cause the Cumulus goons some anxiety. I truly hope Gene recovers his former health and ability to discuss the issues of the day in his wonderful intelligent, engaging manner on Newstalk 910 soon. Even if he never is able to return, he will still be remembered as an all-star and one of the best of the biz.
4) Alison Janney. I wouldn't call her "pretty" but she is a handsome woman and I can't help but like her when I see her on the screen. But I LOVE her voice. It conveys such warmth and humor and charm, I could listen to her all day.
5) Kaiser. (this is off topic, but I read a few cheap shots directed at Kaiser above) Kaiser is a quality organization and the good folks who work there, for the most part, do care. Unfortunately, I find that often the doctors and nurses seem to care more about their patients' health than the patients do themselves!
After all, how often do patients ignore the best advice from their health care practitioners and refuse to exercise, lose weight, quit smoking, control their blood sugar, control their blood pressure, take their meds, etc etc.? It's called teamwork, and if the patient isn't part of the team, you can't blame Kaiser.
6) K gone's ratings. Well, Cumulus didn't appreciate my loyalty to the station and didn't care about the many hours a day of listening I put in. I suppose in my late 40s, I don't fit their demographic, despite the fact that I have lots of disposable income (I even bought a mattress from Sleep Train a few years ago).
Anyway, since they dumped the format I listened to and loved, I don't listen anymore (maybe a bit on the weekend. I like Pat T.
But I guess it's okay, because the slick, shiny new non-stop repeats, uhm, I mean news, has undoubtedly attracted two or three brand new 20-something listeners to take my place, right? Right?
It seems we live in a society that is becoming more marginalized every day. You're either living in a red or a blue state, you're a conservative or a liberal, a democrat or a republican, you're black or white, young or old, part of the establishment, or a rebel, and on an on.
ReplyDeleteI guess simplifying our personal characteristics makes it easier to label an individual, but it's really short-sided and also cheapens our country, which is still a pretty good place to live.
As far as the age thing goes....I understand why younger people take shots at older folks and vice-versa. Growing up in the 1960s the mantra I heard from many of my contemporaries was "Don't trust anyone over 30!"
And I believe that many of the boomers (and I am about to turn 60 myself) haven't really done a very good job of raising this new generation of young people.
When we were kids, many of us got to live high on the hog in the 1960s as the economy was booming and jobs were readily available. Our parents for the most part, (at least one of them) seemed to always be around to help us out. Education was still for the most part, relatively inexpensive, medical care was certainly available to almost anyone at a reasonable price, and companies were for the most part, loyal to their employees and invested in their futures.
This continued well into the late 90s and even early 21st century for many. But now, we have saddled our kids with a crushing debt, given them a society that is anything but stable, and many parents haven't made much of an effort to supervise or spend enough time with their children, (hiring nanniess or putting their kids into day care, believing that strangers can help raise them properly).
That's why it's better to wait until you really want kids and can afford to spend the time to give them the love and attention they need. And if you don't want them, or can't afford them then for crying out loud, use birth control or a condom!
It's not that difficult to do!
I don't blame today's young people for being so cynical and
upset about what's going on. Yes, some of them are doing very well and yes, there are certainly plenty of others who feel a sense of 'entitlement,' expecting to be given things that they haven't earned.
But who created this new generation and who is in charge of our society at the moment? Who run the companies that downsize their workforce and cheapen their products? Who are the people in Congress who cut bills that would better fund education? Most of the people in positions of power and influence in this country at at least age 40 and older. I rest my case
The Caldecott fire was in 1980 not 1982, right?
ReplyDeleteNo....it was in 1982. I remember because I had just returned to the bay area after seven years of living in others parts of the country.
ReplyDeleteIt was a horrifying story....the kind that radio and TV news reporters end up covering more than a few times in their career.
Melrose was terrific in his reports, but I'm sure it wasn't an easy thing, given the carnage involved. Reporters must steel themselves off from their emotions when covering these kind of events, and that's not easy to do because we're all human.
Melrose lived for his work....it was his life and he was good at it. Occasionally coming out to the park to get some sound from the A's or Giants games was a nice break in the routine for him, and he always enjoyed mixing with the rest of the radio and TV folks
(and there were many at the park in those days before all of these stations downsized their staffs or sent interns or producers out to cover the games.
One of the few good sports reporters in radio who is out at the park on a regular basis these days is John Dickinson of the 'Game.'
He cut his teeth at the all-sports station in Sacramento, and actually goes in to the locker room and clubhouse to talk with the athletes. John is hard working, conscientious, and above all, knows the games and the athletes. 'The Game' is lucky to have him.
Alison Janey, pretty? Nice actress, but a bigger dog would be difficult to spot in television. Absolutely hideous. Those Kaiser spots are awful
ReplyDeletei hope cumulus gets their asses sued and loses.
ReplyDeleteKGO officially sucks now. i was a daily listener.also with KNBR. well no more.its a shame how the conservatives screw most everything up in this country.
2012 is a pretty crappy year so far.
What no comments on ralph b tv interview on kpix sports with o'donnel calling a weasel to hammer?
ReplyDelete