Monday, July 22, 2013

KTVU: Thanks For Trusting Us to Cover Up


Dear KTVU:

You have now become a punchline. Instead of acting transparent you are now in the business of trying to cover up. That is not the way to run a business based on credibility with your viewers, your affiliates, your reporters and anchors, your entire staff inside the building.

Thanks for trusting us? Excuse me.

I'm not the only one who feels this way.

In case you haven't heard, you, KTVU, has managed to make this nightmarish gaffe even worse. Apologies can only go so far and in light of your behavior since the gaffe, more is needed. It all starts at the top. Who is to blame? Where's the managers? They aren't talking, not to me nor anyone else. That's hardly the act of contrition.

In light of the latest developments, someone needs to go. Yesterday.

This isn't some lame-brain piling on top of a train wreck SF blogger. Its traction is reaching epic proportions. Trust Us? Hell, why should we trust you when it's apparent all you've done is to run and hide.

That's not the KTVU I used to know.

*Follow me on Twitter

21 comments:

  1. Where's Tori? She was NOT on KTVU today???

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  2. It appeared that KTVU was taking the high road with Frank Sommerville's apology. Since then, it's been all down hill. Removing videos off YouTube claiming "copyright" is a joke and pretending it didn't happen is insulting. KTVU is just lucky that "Saturday Night Live" is on summer hiatus.

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  3. "copyright" actually isn't a joke.

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  4. It'd be nice to hear from Rosenthal, huh? He;'s the new kid on the bloc and can show leadership. So...where is he? Despite the hokey "thank you for trusting us" signoff, KTVU had great credibility as a no nonsense news program. I agree, Rich. There needs to be some transparency on KTVU's part to regain that credibility, as much of an anomaly as this incident was. Please keep up the pressure on KTVU. They weren't malicious, just very stupid. I do agree with Steve Mac from your KSCO broadcast: Campbell was probably midway through the last name before it dawned on her...The culprits, the idiots are the ones behind the camera who didn't vet. Still would like to know where within KTVU the joke originated with.

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  5. Isn't it time to give this a rest?

    It has reached the stage that Rich lambasts whatever KTVU does, doesn't do, is rumored to have done or not done.

    It was a colossal FXXX-UP but frankly, in spite of all the pretend outrage, there's really nothing that KTVU could have done afterward that would have pacified Lieberman.

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    1. Beg to differ 12:57. Rich does NOT "lambast whatever KTVU does..." etc. He was the FIRST to laud them for their reporting of the 777 tragedy, and praised them immensely.

      Rich's blog is intended to follow, in part, the inner workings of local media. As an outsider, I find it interesting.

      I think by Rich bringing such things to light, local media is not so quick to assume that "no one is paying attention."

      I applaud Rich for his continued diligence in this matter.

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    2. Could you please identify what specifically Rich has "brought to light" regarding this affair.

      All he does is serve up unconfirmed gossip about what's going on at KTVU and then heap on lot of opinion about how they've made terrible mistakes and have only made matters worse. He keeps repeating how they've made things worse.

      The sanctimonious outrage is all a bit too much when it's apparent to all how much Lieberman delighted in the initial screw-up. Rich spends his life complaining about how stupid local media is in covering the news and then something like this comes along and look at how sensationalistic and exploitative he becomes.

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    3. Continued diligence, LOL? That's like applauding the hogs for their diligence pigging out at the troug.

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    4. Well Auntie L and Randy S, there are a great number of us in Bay Area and across the nation that appreciates Rich's push for more action by KTVU on this matter. To you, this may be a simple matter. But for the masses of non racists and millions of Asian Americans around the country, this was a tremendous and INTENTIONAL insult that must be addressed. Don't come to his website if you don't like it.

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    5. 8:52, "Insult must be addressed," don't make me laugh. You don't think it's been addressed? What would make you happy, executions, jail sentences, what?

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    6. 8:52, your idiotic comment "Don't come to his website if you don't like it" evinces a small mind.

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    7. @9:55 NO, I don't think the matter has already been addressed. No, executions and jail sentences wouldn't make me happy because that's going TOO FAR, just like KTVU has done. However, firing the author/authors of the list sounds just about right to me. By the way, we know you're station management. Your own employees are already spilling the beans on you guys.

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    8. @11:43, "spilling the beans," What beans? Please explain what you think the beans are, what you think really happened. Do you think there was a deliberate, premeditated plan of some sort? I think some jackass (or jackasses) pulled a really idiotic prank. What is it you think happened?

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    9. 8:52 needs to find a humor free bubble to live in. The Korean race was not diminished one bit so quit whining.

      As a Caucasian American, I find nothing more funny than Dave Chappelle imitating white folks. Some things are just funny.

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  6. Aren't the KTVU viewers the "real" victims from the asiana crash? You'd think so if you based your opinion on this blog's comments.

    Go to YELP, leave an unfavorable review for Ch 2/the ND/Tori/Cox/etc, and move on with you lives people. Complaining about the quality of local newscasts seems petty to the problems the 3 victims and their families faced/are facing.

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  7. If Lee Rosenthal cared about the legacy of KTVU and the prominent reputation of Cox Communications, he would offer his resignation.

    Why spare the station/company any more humiliation?

    Cruise out and take a bullet.

    But he isn't. This is indicative of his character to blame others and take no responsibility for his arrogance that led to the worst screw up in television news history.

    Within three months, he destroyed the credibility of the number one station in the city.

    Humility. Honor. What happened to the virtues of a true journalist?

    We don't know. That's because he isn't one.

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    1. I agree, Lee Rosenthal, IF he is the author must resign. Whoever the author or authors were, must resign. This is the only way KTVU and COX Media will regain their credibility again.

      Wasn't it moves like this that got Lee fired from his previous employer?

      Can Rich shed some more light on that?

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    2. Author of what? You couldn't possible mean the names on the screen?

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  8. Authors? Lee Rosenthal made a mockery of a #1 television station in seven days.

    His over the top news release calling KTVU's coverage amazing and bashing KGO and its use of Channel 2's helicopter was the work of a crazy person.

    Then it bit him in the ass when his overzealous eagerness to foster getting things on the air first blew up in his face.

    His management led people within the newsroom, whether he authored anything, to act first and ask questions later.

    and now, he isn't saying anything, even before a so-called gag order was issued because he knew he blew it.

    I have no doubt. He will be gone and as a prior poster concluded, KTVU will have to erase the memory of having a juvenile at the helm of a respected station in a market that doesn't tolerate high school antics of self-promotion

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  9. I heaped praises on Rich's blog for KTVU's coverage of Asiana flight 214. I now must condemn KTVU's Soviet Union-era censorship under the guise of "copyright" protection.



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