Tuesday, July 3, 2012

More KGOne Minutiae; Resident Comedian/Producer Dave Weintraub; Tuesday Tune Up and Ramblings from Hawthorne Center


Dear Dave Weintraub: KGO "producer", radio giver: thanks for providing unintentional comedy relief. If a quarter of what you say is actually true, I'd say that doesn't bode well for you and/or your employer. And I hope you rent.

Oh, and just to set the record straight: I have never spoken to you. You are not a source, keep dreaming. You do say a lot, but please, don't flatter yourself. And keep on writing, you're damn entertaining.

*Weintraub's rants: if this is intentionally leaking, then, KGO, you have, uh, issues. And admitting you tanked a show? Good honesty. You're right. You suck, but you suck, good. (Insert: sound effect).

*Then again, we have the old usual suspects--like the boy wonder who has a title and an office and supposedly runs the place, the assist. PD? Try this story that was verified by at least two staffers. Before the December coup, JareHead was asked, politely, by then talk host, Gene Burns, if he could close a window in the KGO offices. The response? "Get a blanket!" That should tell you a lot about the guy that produces the morning host's program. Your "esteemed"colleague , Ronnie. Stay silent and thirsty, my friend.

*Most of the KGO Radio vets know I have no beef with them. Even my most hardened critics--reporters, news writers, anchors, et al, understand that my venom is directed at the Atlanta dickheads. They have now completely run to the ground the station into a bottomless pit. And they're not done yet.

*Classy, Hosely: Blow out a longtime traffic reporter with a bs memo that "you do not fit into the new KGO business model." I'm para-phrasing, but the gist is right. These are evil people. Get that in your head. EVIL.

*Even more embarrassing at KGOne is the over-usage of KGO-TV air talent; Mike Nico's weather reports in the mornign and Sandhya Patel, (who I like, in the PM); reporters, Leslie Brinkley, Wayne Freedman. That's just plain sad. KCBS does equal sharing, but not to the extent of KGOne. Consolidation rules the day.

*Weintraub and Jared Hart: Further proof that Darwin was wrong.

*That was a real in-depth "interview" by the moring news dynamic duo, Tuesday. A hard-hitting 10 minutes with Oakland mayor, Jean Quan. What did the listeners, all 10 of 'em, learn? Food trucks hit the Hawthorne street entrance around 11: 30. Great, thanks for the info.

*Wonder if the taco truck takes SweetJack coupons.

*Ronn topics pre-holiday: how to get a new gadget financed; should you use your cell phone while on the toilet and where the best manicures can be had on Union street.

*Ronn, I know you have issues. We all do. But damn, your act is so transparent. And it ain't just me, ask around the bar at North Beach restaurant.

*Glad to hear Officer Vic, (Tom Benner), has become traffic updater at 910 AM's, Armstrong and Getty.

*Entercom has closed the deal on purchasing the old KBLX.

*Congrats to KGO afternoon anchor, AP anchor winner, Brett Burkhart. Good work.

*Ronn's having CBS local financial reporter and his social buddy, Brian Banmiller on today, (Tuesday), at 11: AM. Lorenzo, make sure to close down the back room. Those two egos might very well suffocate the prociutto.

*Follow me on Twitter

27 comments:

  1. Yes, nice to hear Tom Benner landed somewhere. I hope he's earning enough to pay the bills.

    Heard one of his reports on 910, he sounds like he's not smiling. I hope they treat him well. He's actually a nice guy, not much ego.

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    1. It pleases me everytime 910 or another local station hires someone that was fired from KGO/KSFO, I think that really sticks it to Cumulus. I don't care if the person is liberal or conservative, I thought Officer Vic was funny, although I rarely agreed with him. I just hope that, if or should I say when, Brian Sussman is fired he does not end up on 910, other than that the more KGO people who end up there the better. I wouldn't make such a quick judgement about Benner not smiling, it is a new gig for him, also on KSFO he was a traffic reporter and sidekick on the morning show, sounds like his role on 910 is more confined.

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    2. Brian Sussman is too stupid to end up at a legitimate station, and 910 is still a legit station.

      As a person who is considered conservative by my friends and family, I shudder when I realize that Sussman and Melanie Morgan are the faces of contemporary conservative "thought" and radio, along with hateful Savage, pervert Rush, nutso Beck, etc.

      I guess I wasn't in line when they handed out the conservative wacko pills.

      Brian believes that even when he makes fact errors, if he stirs controversy that results in "hits" and listenerhip, then he's "done his job."

      He often touts his Christian faith, calling Islam all kinds of names, yet his war-mongering and hatefulness are not attributes Jesus Christ was known for.

      Current conservatives like Sussman ~ many of them "Christian" ~ no more represent Christianity than the radical Muslims they hate and then use that hate to slime all the good, decent Muslims in the world.

      Anyway, I realize that isn't the topic here, but you brought up Sussman.

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    3. I appreciate your input, always glad to hear from a conservative that dosen't go along with the nutjob's talking points. Although I'm a liberal or at best middle of the road democrat, I can think of several conservatives I like, Tom Sullivan (although when he goes off on Obama he looses me, or when a caller called the president a thug and he didn't call him on it) I like Armstrong and Getty, they are funny and for the most part independent thinkers, which seem to be far and few in between these days.

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    4. he "looses" you? Have you tried a diarrhea remedy?

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    5. So I make spelling mistakes once in awhile, english is my second language, only had a 1 and 1/2 of english before I came to the States, had some schooling here, but not a lot. This blog does not have spellcheck, and even if I wrote in my native language I would most likely make a mistake now and then or a typo, now that you pointed it out I can see the mistake I made. Also I'm not writing a college paper or a business proposal so I'm not as careful as I could be.

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  2. "Brian Banmiller on today, (Tuesday), at 11: AM. Lorenzo, make sure to close down the back room. Those two egos might very well suffocate the prociutto."
    Haha great line! I can picture both of those egomaniacs sitting side by side getting pedicures on Union discussing gadgets and cool financial apps

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  3. You know,after Ralph was fired? I liked the Radnich demeanor...calmer,no pulling his pants down and saying look at my wee-wee. Too bad that didn't last. When he's adult..he makes sense.

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  4. Do you ever tire of writing vile, hateful and juvenile nonsense? You are a very pathetic.

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    1. I don't think he makes this stuff up, so the vile, hateful and juvenile nonsense comes from the consolidated industry.

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    2. It's called opinion.

      As for what Carnival Cumulus does to real people's lives, now that is vile, hateful and, yes, juvenile, but very REAL.

      Like losing a house because you lost your job. I'd be more concerned about corporate raiders like Cumulus than Rich's opinions. He hasn't fired anyone.

      He didn't treat Gene Burns like dirt.

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    3. What's juvenile are the lackeys from Cumulus continuing to bad-mouth this blog.

      What's vile is the behavior of the likes of Bungeroth and the Dickeys

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    4. Nice try Jared.

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  5. All the traffic reporters except Stan were on the Clear Channel payroll, so Paul Hosley would not have written a memo dismissing any of them. With Cumulus breaking ties with Clear Channel Traffic, KGO has no obligation to any of the former Clear Channel traffic reporters.

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  6. http://www.linkedin.com/pub/clark-reid/8/823/722

    Looks like KGO hired Clark Reid?????? Does this mean he no longer is heard all over the dial -- NPR, 910, and wherever else -- doing news?

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  7. Good wrap, Rich. Have a good Independence Day.

    So much for your blog being "irrelevant."

    Weintrub's rants are classic.

    I wonder if he knows you can tell who he is by the IP (and other ways).

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  8. Actually no, your comments Rich are not always aimed at the Atlanta "dickheads" you have in fact been an ass many times with the "hardworking writers, reporters, etc." of the KGO newsroom. Your blog has a history, you can't rewrite it.

    Look, there is certainly some legit criticism about the new direction of the station. Cumulus has made numerous quick changes, from moving to a new building, to starting our own traffic service just two weeks later. We are in fact very frustrated with all the technical fixes that have yet to be down and it is frustrating. However our local management has a hell of a lot on their plate and we in the newsroom are certainly upset when we hear a simple technical mistake make us sound bad, but we are doing what we can to fix the problems. So some of your posts have been at least partially on target recently.

    However, you NEVER correct some of the more spurious and stupid "hunches" you have about what's going on in the broadcast business. I've spoken with friends from other outlets who say you routinely block their corrections to stories you've done on their organization. I'd hope your audience would occasionally notice and take you to task, but no such luck.

    Congratulations however on recreating the FOX cable news style of just making shit up and never bothering to correct it.

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    1. I've seen several corrections Rich has written, and I've yet to hear one from KGO about fact errors in your run-of-the-mill stories that no one notices except other media professionals.

      And, don't call our Rich, KGO hack, when KGO has violated one of the basic fundamentals of any type of journalism, including your overblown radio "journalis," which is a joke most of the time: report the facts.

      See, KGO didn't report the FACTS concerning its purge. If this purge had occurred at City Hall, KGO would have had live remotes.

      When it's KGO that purges, KGO buried the story.

      That is UNETHICAL, UNPROFESSIONAL.

      I should know. I had to report on my ownership for months for an alleged illegal act, so take your shock and incorrect allegation and shove it, you hypocrite.

      And, KGO sounds worse than the tiny stations I grew up listening to several hundred miles from the Bay Area. You suck.

      See, when you are in a major, there are NO EXCUSES. There are excuses, maybe, for say, a radio station in a small market, but even there, people would not accept KGO's current incompetence.

      I had listened since I was 13. I'm in my 50s. I bought lots of Crane electronics. I no longer listen. I now have my iPad. I'll never buy Crane again. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has switched. you have lost your core and your soul.

      Next time, before you criticize someone on journalistic principles WITHOUT PROVIDING SPECIFICS, adhere to them yourself. OK? Hypocrite?

      I just provided you a specific UNETHICAL decision by KGO to not report on itself. What is your defense of that? That you don't adhere to a code of ethics?

      What J schools were you all graduated from? Or were you?

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    2. As bad as the local Bay Area journalism is, I'd say Rich doesn't criticize you all enough. The newspapers are horrid, with typos, etc. AP Style must be for us old folks.

      As for TV and radio news: the over-focus on bleed-if-it-leads is old. Show some advant garde that the Bay Area is known for and switch the template. It's old. I no longer watch TV news from the Bay Area. The crime, rape, murder, kidnap news is old school. You will continue to lose ratings (compared to the past not with one another) because you lack fresh ideas to bring real community news to the communities. That is what is wrong with regional consolidated news: local community news is lost.

      I say bring on more criticism, like a college adviser to the student newspaper because you, Bay Area media, with few exceptions, SUCK!

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    3. Friend this, KGO ignoramus: routinely, on TV and in radio, you guys and gals DO NOT correct your own fact errors. Routinely. Perhaps you don't have enough time. BUZZER WRONG ANSWER

      See, in J school, as you know, if you were graduated from one, as I was, with honors, among the top of my class at a very good and small J school, where pros taught us, not grad students, we were taught this little gem: If thou makes a fact error, thou shall correct such said fact error.

      It's a commandment I used to see (used to, because I refuse to watch the red meat of TV news that caters to the non-thinking masses) broken at least once a week, depending upon which TV train wreck I was watching.

      Now, I know the anchors may be good, or at least some, as Rich has noted. And they only read what they are programmed to read.

      That said, I guess money talks. Conscience doesn't.

      I don't share in the "be awed by how good the anchors" are. They couldn't make it in a print newsroom. Nor could most TV "journalists."

      I've turned to European media. Why watch/read American? I already know the front-page and lead stories: 1) homicide 2) homicide 3) homicide 4) all the rest of the crime news

      By the way, it's a jury is the only entity that can determine homicide is a murder, so TV news and some newspapers, stop using murder. Learn the diff between murder and homicide, or did ya all get a C in that media law and other J classes. Surprised most of you were graduated.

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    4. Uh, 9:19, WHAT? You graduated with "honors" from journalism school and slap a post riddled with so many errors? REALLY?

      And to preface your pearls of wisdom with, "Friend this, KGO ignoramus...." How very unprofessional.

      My eyes are blinded with your foolish lies and mistakes. Sit down and quit making an ass of yourself, dear.

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  9. Can someone elaborate on the Weintraub's comments?

    Did he say anything on his show or if there is a post, is there a link?

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    1. Go read them in Rich's previous post....the one with 86 comments...

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  10. re: 9:19 am's comment about journalism school: Sorry, you're showing your age here -- there is no longer any requirement that radio or tv people go to "journalism school." Can you read? Got deep pipes or big tits or something? Great! Will ya work cheep? Fabulous, you're hired. That's it, assuming you can shove past the crowd of thousands that also want that job, even if it does suck. And they do, and it does.

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    1. there never was a "requirement" that radio or tv people had to go to journalism school. A college degree always helped, but not a major in journalism. Talk hosts aren't doing journalism, even though lots have worked previously as journalists. Talk radio hosts do commentary, much as columnists do opinion pieces.

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  11. For 8:29...good post...I agree....however I am guessing that the news room people at KGO are creating their own universe in order to justify that their jobs have some value to the world...they have to work and radio work is hard to find....however, it's a lousy station these days...sad. Oh and I have no beef about Crane radio...in fact they are good purchases to get better reception for other stations.

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    1. And CCrane was one of the first to pull their advertisement from KGO and have kept it pulled, unlike zerorez, Pat Vitucci and some others who said they would, did for awhile, but went back to advertising on KGO.

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