Monday, August 27, 2012

The Love Connection at KRON; Local Media gets too Giddy over Petaluma LL Story; Monday Media Notes

 
A few of my KRON moles have said the big rumor is that the morning diva known for her special attributes has moved into a house with the news director.

That's not a good omen according to one of the more name talents who says the natives have already started grumbling. Something about favoritism I hear and have heard in the past. This is not good, but the lovebirds are veterans and here's hoping their love connection bears, uh, fruit.

*The Petaluma little-leaguers was a feel-good story until a few of the local news people here got a little too gooey and went overboard in their on-line glee. Look, it's great that the kids provided a much-needed jolt of good news for the little town up north off 101. That's all well and good. But call me a grouch--I'm not at all giddy over newspeople acting as cheerleaders who used the Petaluma kids and their Little-league triumphs as a personal chest-thumping. It's called the epitome of disingenuousness and they need to be called out. The operative word is "phony."

*95.7 FM, 'The Game', has reshuffled its midday line-up, and while the product is far superior over Knibber's, there's nothing there yet to really shake things up. For that to happen, the station has to move its signal to a place where it can be heard throughout the Bay Area, otherwise, good luck.

*Gene Burns is recovering from his health woes and doing about as well as expected, but not expected to be back on radio anytime soon.

*The "Breaking News" salvo is not just a KGO-TV issue, but indeed almost all the other local stations are just as guilty. The sad thing is when there is legitimate breaking news, nobody watching really cares unless its big stuff. It's like a car alarm that goes off but nobody cares because how many car alarms go off and people call the cops? Exactly.

*Yes, let's 86 the ridiculous, "team coverage." It's an overblown phrase that should be banned from the airwaves. How about, "we have 'comprehensive coverage'"? Or we have "multiple reporters on scene?" --Team Coverage should be moved to the sports dept.

*Dear Gil Gross: Leave your wife off the air. It's a bit that doesn't work and that's not just me but a few thousand others too.

*Tom Tolbert and Ray Ratto on KNBR is fairly funny, informative and decent radio. Like many other of you folks, I too listened a few weeks back and enjoyed their banter. It was a far cry from Tolbert and Red-Bull lungs himself, the thoroughly awful and banal Eric Byrnes who somehow can't shut the heck up and thinks his shtick is funny.

*I'm a big fan of KCBS reporter, Doug Sovern. I've said so repeatedly. But trying to make news by playing some dumb remark by NJ Gov, the insufferable, so-called, "wise guy", Chris Christie, who said some dumb things about Jerry Brown at the GOP condo in Tampa is simply a waste of time. In the mean time, why is Sovern in Tampa to begin with? Uh, talk about a waste of money.

*The new Pac-12 TV Network has a few union issues to be resolved before the party can get started and in this town you don't want your coming-out affair to be tainted by screwing with the union. Trust me.


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56 comments:

  1. Correct regarding the Little League/Petaluma story. It led for nearly 10 minutes, and the earthquakes in socal got about 45 seconds. Just not priority driven, feel good driven. Wishing Gene Burns a good recovery. Yes, too, to Gil's wife. Not working.

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  2. I have to disagree about Gil's wife Rhoda. It works for me!

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  3. I agree about the Little League coverage...WAY over the top. I am all for honoring those kids, but a "miracle comeback" is not when you get beat 24-16.

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  4. Rhoda adds NOTHING! Last week I tuned in and she was flabbergasted that some women ”hook up” in college, in other words she is not a fan of loose women. Any little edge Gil has on his show, he loses when Rhoda is on. What is the point of bringing in her on?

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  5. re: Daria That's OLD NEWS.... It's been going on for YEARS....

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  6. Rich, you are a grouch.

    Maybe the local media overdid it a little with Petaluma Little League but at this point you've become a predictable contrarian. Whatever the popular media reports it's either too little or too much.

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  7. Rich, the little league story offered something positive...no murder, no mayhem, just bunch of kids exceeding their expectations, and those of the parents they took along for the ride. I did not see the local coverage this weekend. Cannot comment on that. But I hope you're not bashing ABC7 for photographer Michael Clark and me to Williamsport, Pa. We didn't wear Petaluma hats on the air. We did celebrate and document an event that may be the best in American sports. Two dollar hot dogs. Free seating. Kids juiced on Orange juice, cranberry juice, apple juice...know what I mean? It's a wonderful contrast against the backdrop of professional sports. And, it is the most entertaining baseball anywhere.

    Wayne Freedman

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    1. you are so right Mr Freedman...
      it's a great local story!

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    2. Yes Wayne ...like 40's baseball used to be. None of those minority's "those people" knew their place back then. And we liked it like that before the Jewish agitators came around to stir things up.
      Thank god we have Golf and Hockey still almost all to us. And swimming..."them people" sink.

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  8. breaking news equates to the boy crying wolf... the towns people aren't responding any more.

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    1. When ABC7 ran "Breaking News: People Camping Out for Free Chick-Fil-A in San Jose" last week, I did a facepalm. I feel like putting on a cow costume and standing outside 900 Front wearing a sign that says "REPORT MOR NUWZ."

      When everything's important, nothing is.

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  9. another point to think about. No one cares who you live with until it effects you and in this case your work environment. So one needs to be talk to about this or possibly be fired.

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  10. I wish Darya would move in with me.

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    Replies
    1. You must be 80 cause she is at least in her 60s.

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  11. btw...anybody hear about the hurricane...uh...I mean, tropical storm, that is in Florida and headed for Louisiana? I heard that the sky was falling!!

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  12. You are right....Gil's wife so not working.

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  13. Am not a big Gil fan but sometimes tune in, and adding wife Rhoda makes me more inclined to turn the radio off cuz there's nothing else out there.

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  14. The Game is starting to take phone calls. Trying a different strategy? They do need a signal though

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  15. The Pac 12 has a much bigger issue in front of it than their "union issues," it's called a deal with DirecTV. Without DirecTV they are not being shown through more than half the country. Plus DirecTV has the 20 million viwers that Pac12 Nets needs not to mention DirecTV has almost every sports bar/sports book in the country. You need those eyeballs before you can call the channel any sort of a success.

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  16. I'm glad you are a fan of Doug Sovern, because I am too, but what do you mean why is he in Tampa? All the Bay Area media are there. They should stop covering these conventions? He's been covering them for years, we need more information not less. You're wrong on this one.

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  17. Without Radnich and his red nose and seltzer bottle,Krueger sounds almost normal. I never would have guessed that. The last I saw of Radnich...I was sure he was going to step out from the anchor desk and with giant clown feet spray Pam with said Seltzer. And Pam would have laughed..as she puts up her RADDY invisible defense shield. She has too,to survive.
    Ask her..she would agree.

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    1. Your confusion about too and to may explain your inability to understand Radnich's feigned hostility. Pam and Gary are actually good friends.

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    2. Your confused if you think I think he's hostile to Moore. Its his ignoramus sense of humor that he drops on her night after night..and why he also seems to be obsessed with her doing FB while he reads sports. She's bored by him is why. The new sports guy in less then a year?..she's more relaxed talking to him then her "good friend" of 20 something years.

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  18. It's been a good couple of weeks on KNBR mid-mornings without the constant interruptions, non-sequiturs, and near hallucinations of Ratso Radnich...in particular the Rumors section can actually be done without the virtual harrasment that the guy is normally subjected to, and callers get to say what's on their mind rather than Ratso talking over them and asking them questions that seem funny to him but have no relation to what the caller is prepared to talk about..."Danny, dhab dhab dhab, I know you called about Harbaugh but your thoughts on oil change places that try and up-sell you headlight replacements?"


    Also nice to not hear him disparaging Krueger for being informed and an expert on many sports topics..."Well, dhab dhab dhab I was never a scout but it looks to me like Alex Smith is playing pretty well!" Incisive break downs!

    Stay on vacay, brah! Addition by subtraction

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  19. Krueger, as a foil to Rad, is insufferable. You are right though, he has been decent solo the last week and today. He handled Bill Lee really well. I have never been a Krueger fan, but he is a better alternative alone than the ridiculous "Gary and Larry" pairing.

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  20. Get a life Rich, I assume you have no kids. This is a remarkable story for these 12 years old kids. They are the 3rd best team in the WORLD and no 1 in Calif. We may never see this kind of story in our life time again. I was hoping you take another day off today no such luck

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    1. Just curious, if you were hoping Rich would take another day off why are you on here reading his blog?

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  21. "while the product is far superior over Knibber"

    Are you serious? Morning radio is shtick and evening radio is hardly heard when games are on. That leaves midday and afternoon. Damon Bruce is leaps and bounds better than John Lund and whatever goofball is co-hosting that day. As for the afternoon, Brandon Tierney has easily walked away with the "most boring radio host ever" award a long time ago. I expect Tolbert to wipe the ratings floor with the guy.

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    1. When does your KNBR internship end?

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    2. KNBR internship comments must have been amusing a long time ago but they've gotten a little old.

      Considering that KNBR is the predominant sports radio station and I assume most powerful radio signal in the area, can't someone make a non-derogatory statement about the station without being accused of being a KNBR intern?

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  22. Petaluma Little League-great heart-warming story; but to Rich L, the Skip Bayless of the Bay, its horrendous!

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  23. I liked the little league coverage and I didn't think that it was "way over the top," because these kind of 'feel-good' stories involving local kids don't take place very often.

    But I think a lot of people were 'jumping on the bandwagon' a bit too much. I mean really, what was their vested rooting interest in
    these kids from Petaluma, other than their friends and family?

    And I really got tired of hearing the news anchors at KGO and KCBS go into sports with 'GO PETALUMA!" That was really diengenuous.

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  24. Gil's wife,brings the show to a level of banality! As a matter of fact I've stopped listening to Gil Gross. He's been watered down since moving. Maybe,he was traumatized in the firing. The wifey (and throw in the son, and any other member of his family) have got to go!

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  25. The Petaluma LL story is good and deserved news, but hopefully people aren't taking to them because they're "kids." Many people (media, pro and college team sports athletes...and those high-tech companies) get all goo-goo about doing stuff for kids because it's the right thing to do. And it is, but don't use the kids to set yourself up as a goody-too-shoes or to get sponsorship dollars. Be humble and sincere about it. You don't need to draw attention to what you're doing for Good Tidings or whatever the flavor of the day is. Just do it because you want to and feel it's right. You don't need the publicity for it. So self-serving. But then again, that's what we've become. A bunch of self-servers. Yup, it's all about the money, honey.

    As for KRON, The Diver (not Diva) seems to pout when she has to turn the camera over to Justine Waldman -- who's solid as a rock. Hey Missy, you ain't the bees knees. No one is that good. Button the blouse and do your job or send your DVD to Miami where they love your shtick.

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  26. Diver?

    Wow. And people say I've made controversial comments.

    (Elaborate please?)

    -- Gaga V

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  27. Chris Christie for President! A conservative you can trust!!!

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    1. >48% BMIs for everybody!!

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    2. there is a betting line that christie will infarct before our very eyes tonight!

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    3. Thank you 7;45am post. Good comment.
      Christie is the best. No Bull.
      He knows how to shut-up a vocal liberal.

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    4. Too bad he can't say no to seconds, thirds and fourths servings. Michael Savage talked about guys who abuse the all you can eat buffet. Christie comes to mind,as the kind of guy who eats 10lbs of food for $8.95. A guy with lack of self control can not be trusted with the nuclear button

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    5. Can't you just picture that 2 ton loud mouth with a triple scoop Ben and Jerry's smeared all over this face? Hopefully the Dem's will have a little fun with him at the convention. They ought to give Jerry Brown equal time.

      I'd like to see Christine Craft interview Chris Christy. No doubt she has the chops to cut that thug down to size.

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  28. As a former Little League All Star. New Jersey State Champs, it's a great story, but the out by out twitter post from ABC7 was over the top! Report a sporting event in the 3 minute sports segment, it's not breaking news!

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  29. I find it hard to support a president that fat. Yep. Someone who can't control what they eat is, and looks like that, is not someone I would want representing this country. It's a sign that he has no self control.

    As for 95.7 The Game's lineup being "far superior." That's a joke. Their afternoon show is nearly unlistenable, and outside of Townsend, the station is pretty poor.

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    1. America is not ready for a fat slob as president. How can such a lardy guy ask the government to cut spending when he can't stop himself at the all you can eat buffet?

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  30. I agree that Gil's wife doesn't work well on his program. Radio is such a personal one-to-one media that anyone who comes between the host and the listener is a barrier to the fantasy that you are being talked to one-on-one, a suspension of disbelief. It doesn't help that Rhoda is primarily reactive, laughing at Gil's jokes or being shocked.

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    1. Rhoda might as well be a laugh track. Even if she is not shocked or laughing I don't give a damn what her opinion is about anything. Get her off the show Gil, come on man. If you need a sidekick then at least get a pro. I must believe Rhoda is forcing Gil to be on the show.

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    2. Gil is not the only host to bring family member on his show. John Rothman and Bernie use to bring their kids on the old KGO at special occasions (xmas, halloween etc.) I wasen't always interested, but realize it might appeal to people with kids, and it is a good way to get younger listeners interested in radio. I didn't mind when Gil had has son on, but I don't care for Rhoda, and I don't think it is a good idea to have her on all the time, perhaps once in awhile would work. You can't please all the people all the time.

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    3. If she was on once every few weeks it would be fine. However, she is on every Friday. If Gil insists on bringing on the wife on Fridays then just step aside and give the slot to Baxter and Allen on that day. At least they make a good team. Gil, the fact you married Rhoda does not mean together you guys make good radio. You don't. Seriously? Yes seriously.

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  31. Agree with your assessement on the Petaluma LL Story.
    In three words Over-The-Top.
    Reminds me of the over the top cheer leading you see at ATT Park.
    Speaking of which, what became of the Melk Men?
    Did they go back to their haunts in Larkspur?

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  32. YA know,if the Transamerica building were green,it would look much more like a giant Redwood tree,then a pyramid.

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  33. WHO CARES ABOUT A BUNCH OF 12 AND 13 YEAR OLD LITTLE LEAGUE PLAYERS BESIDES THE PARENTS AND FRIENDS OF THE KIDS INVOLVED? THE LL WORLD SERIES SHOULDN'T BE ON TV, AT LEAST NOT NATIONAL TV. IT'S ABSURD TO PUT THAT KIND OF THING ON THE TV, IF FOR NO OTHER REASON THAN IT PUTS MORE PRESSURE ON THE KIDS AND TAKES AWAY THE PURITY AND COMMERCIALIZES WHAT SHOULD BE A SPECIAL TIME FOR KIDS. JUST BECAUSE THEY'RE PLAYING AT A HIGH LEVEL DOESN'T MEAN THEY SHOULD BE THROWN IN FRONT OF EVERYONE. IT'S OVEREXPOSURE AND ALSO CREATES IN THE MINDS OF THE KIDS, A BAD SITUATION. INSTEAD OF JUST ENJOYING WHAT THEY'RE DOING, THEY HAVE (BECAUSE OF THEIR YOUNG AGE AND MATURITY) THEIR PRESPECTIVES SKEWED BY THIS KIND OF EXPOSURE. SHAME ON THE NETWORKS, ESPECIALLY ESPN FOR THIS SHAMELESS PIMPING OF KIDS PLAYING A SIMPLE BALL GAME!

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    1. Hurray! Finally a comment I can agree with! How many of these kids are obsessed with the dream of someday becoming a superstar? What kind of misdirected pressures are many of them enduring from their parents? Isn't school already in session? Didn't we learn from Penn State that it's not a good idea to put athletics above academics?

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  34. What over the top cheer leading at ATT Park?

    I've often been there and to other MLB baseball parks never noticed any cheer leaders at ATT or felt that ATT is any different than any other baseball stadium. Maybe you just don't enjoy baseball or other people having fun!

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    1. ATT Park is a homer's paradise.
      Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Giants we love you.

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  35. I love Damon Bruce! I hope he becomes the next Jim Rome!

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