A 2012 Wrap and Ramblings from the Neurotic 415 Jewish Blogger

   

No, I'm not scaling back on radio. In fact, in a few short days, I will make an announcement that might thrill a few of you, perhaps nauseate the rest, nonetheless, I'm happy to say you will be hearing more of me in a better, primetime slot on radio.
Stay tuned.

*As for the blog, 415 Media remains my constant, my go-to, my cyber buddy where I hope to give you news and information the rest of the market ignores or just refuses to cover. I'm not perfect, but the cover charge is minimal and in this day and age, that's a bargain.

*New Years: So much to say, but I'm tired. Literally and figuratively. The Barbieri interview was just fine until the end when the radio gods; having spared me any more neurosis the past few weeks decided to come back at the last minute. Sorry for the bizarro at the end. Probably a Cumulus hit job, (that was a joke but even if it wasn't, it wasn't funny)....Are any of you going out tonight? New Years Eve, even in its heyday, wasn't much of a favorite. Only time I got into it was when I was dating this NY lady back in '95 who ended up leaving me for a podiatrist. Go figure. And here I am paying a 100 bucks for this cheap champagne which gave me headaches anyway. She got the foot doctor--I got headaches. I'll stick with a quiet dinner and Anderson Cooper having to share 90 minutes of that yenta, Kathy Griffin.

2012: Ralph canned. Angela happy. So too the Giants and KNBR--part of the Cumulus manifesto, whatever that is--maybe people in the business of making other people miserable, but that's what corporate radio has evolved into; a series of big, monstrosity companies that have largely taken over the industry that was, at one time, an industry that didn't insult its audience, that didn't downsize its work force, that didn't dumb down the people--all those elements now that have taken a back seat to corporate greed. Heard of that? Radio used to be genuine, sacred, almost a member of the family that you could turn to in crisis, in exhaust, sort of like this blog post. Now, radio is merely a part of the overstock puzzle with millions and millions of tentacles, almost all lost and going nowhere fast.

The broader sense of the local market, the consensus really, is that Cumulus is running things down the drain. Its bread and butter, KNBR, is all well and OK so as long as the Giants are well and OK and on its dial. They are....KGO? What else can one say? They generally are so off the radar who gives a damn anymore. Ronn will, apparently, continue on because Ronn needs his gadgets and even at less than a third of what he was getting up until Tuesday, he wants to talk on the radio and sell mattresses. It still beats working and where else do you get a free parking space in Downtown SF?

*TV: KTVU continues to dominate at night, but early evening struggles has the big boys feeling anxious. Watch out, guys, for meetings and the consultants...KPIX has lots of mangers and little reporters and a few anchors left. Dana King said goodbye to the teleprompter and hello to clay, about a year too early, but god bless her, at least she doesn't have to kowtow to a news director that might be updating the resume. Good job, Dano...the new weather guy from Seattle? Great personality--sort of a beige wallpaper with a tinge of white. He'll fit in nice. And the Roberta move was just brilliant. What's next? Bastida doing daily live shots from the Walnut Creek water fountain...KRON suddenly became relevant. Breaking News. Sure, they still sell furniture and have funny ads and reporter names, but by golly, they decided to get serious about news. Maybe there's hope after all. Do this, guys: Keep Catherine Heenan happy. Throw her an extra bone or two because she's still damn good and at your place, that's important. Ditto Pam Moore. ...KNTV? Still can't decide whether it's SF or Silicon Valley brand. Make up your mind. And just report the news. Quit the over-bearing "Investigative Unit". If they just conduct their job and get to the nitty-gritty, then you don't need to spend the extra $10 million bucks to advertise them. We get it. They're special. And NBC is too. And Comcast makes it even better. In other words, just get down to basics. That's in the handbook too.


*New Years Eve. Hello 2013. Should be just one fine more year.

*Follow me on Twitter