*You can thank FCC deregulation for the nauseating overload of commercials in Bay Area morning radio, (it's especially bad on the Cumulus stations). Programmers don't give a crap anymore because the bottom line is the listeners have no leverage and are pretty much held hostage. The only way you have a shot at stopping this crap is to stop listening and let the advertisers know but that'll happen when Barry Bonds is elected into the HOF.
*Hey, NBC Bay Area 'Investigative Unit." I'm not bashing you guys but the problem is that you don't break a lot of stories and your supposed inside work hasn't ever moved the needle. Give us all a good story. Dig a little deeper. Look for some hard-earned corruption and delve into city halls in San Jose, Oakland, perhaps even SF--it's not sexy TV, but at least it might produce some heavy-duty basic REAL investigative reporting that requires a bit of heavy lifting.
*KTVU's mind-numbing "New at 2", "In 10 Minutes", "Only on 2" and so on is further proof that the station has lost its soul, its brand, its heart as it navigates into that vagabond of just another TV station. The production is still quality. The people who work there, by and large, do good work, but the real genesis of this once-mighty station is gone: its passion, its trademark. And that's pretty damn sad. Wonder what Fred Zehnder would think.
*Someone asked me what my favorite FM station was. I don't listen to much of SF FM Radio because they all sound alike, the music stations that is. Sure, there's exceptions but the personalities are just vapid as best. I do like Jack Culp and get as much of KCSM as possible.
*KSFO's Katie Green: Quit stop saying, "Thank you for listening." It's about as sanguine as a hooker in the Tenderloin telling her john thank you for contributing.
*Hey, KCBS: If you continue to REPEAT the SAME story 14 times a day on the weekend I'm going to call you out, again, REPEAT, I'm going to call you out, REPEAT, I'm going to call you out, REPEAT, I'm going to call you out.
*Then again at least you're not "Secret Asian Man" on KGOne.
*Follow me on Twitter
SO much for those "Pam Moore is back on Monday" posters. I figure she's in Thailand or someplace for a month. If it was anything less then a vacation,Radnich would have let it out by now with "Lets pray for Pam". It would make him look good. And he would never pass that up.
ReplyDeleteI think Pam's back tonight. [Wed] I expected her back Tuesday, not Monday. CH told me Monday was her last day.
Delete"Quit stop saying?" What do you want her to do exactly?
ReplyDeleteRadio stations play the same material over and over because audiences only listen for about 10-20 minutes a day. Everything should be played within 20 minutes. They don't create the news where there is none, so if they're running a story 14 times a day it's actually not really that much, even on the weekend. Come on Rich, this is Radio 101. Thought you were the professor...
14 times a day is only a little over once per hour. no problem with that, only listen for 30 minutes max anyway.
DeleteAmen on the commercials Rich. Every morning I hear Ronn say, "Just 1 more, I promise".
ReplyDeleteKTVU lost its mystique? I haven't tuned into that channel in years. I found it a little ridiculous when they dropped Doug and Maggi and went the route of "1 of every nationality". Total pandering. Fyi....those nationalities watch their own language channels.
KTVU investigative unit...here's an idea for a story....with social security going bankrupt why not investigate how thousands of local (millions nationwide) immigrants who weren't born here, never worked a day here, are able to pull social security benefits monthly. In my own little world I know of a few elderly Chinese women that get a check monthly....never even worked here in the country. No wonder it's going broke (no comments about the trust fund that was raided, this alone might make it solvent).
why bring race into it?
Deleteya, those old chinese women are so useless, aren't they? Why are they even aloud to breathe the same air that we earned with actual work?
Delete@3:54 exactly. At least you get it. Some of those liberal idiots might try to spin it into something its not but we're all glad you and 1:44 get it.
Delete10:29, I think *you're* the one who's confused. The Investigate Unit we're talking about is in San Jose, KNTV, and that's also where Doug and Maggi are from. And KNTV never had any "mystique." They've always resembled a station in Fresno.
Delete>why bring race into it?
DeleteBecause " never even worked here in the country". 10:29 could have used to term foreigner but that would probably make you equally tense.
Always funny to watch a lib try to justify their give aways. If things seem unfair, voluntarily give up YOUR and only YOUR benefits or pay taxes above and beyond YOUR requirement. That way you can feel good about yourself without burdening the majority of Americans.
You folks make the right wingers look smart.
2:07, actually dumbass, if 10:29 had just said "people" instead of "elderly Chinese women" they would have made the same point without appearing racist. Pull your head out of your ass.
Delete@2:07 gets it.
Delete> he opened a bottle of whiskey and did shots during the 5 am broadcast.
ReplyDeleteDAMN, that never happened when I worked there.
> [KTVU] The production is still quality.
What planet are you living on? Every night there are numerous errors on the supers and full-screens. Over-the-shoulder boxes don't match the story. Teases don't match the story. The other night they did a whole report about why white people are fleeing Hayward that literally made no sense. They started with a premise, contradicted it a few moments later, then said something different, then admitted they really don't know why.
For content they're a notch above PIX. KGO and even KRON beats them most of the time. For breakers they have better resources, so with something like the Asiana crash they can beat the competition. But then even there poor human judgment prevails, and they make asses of themselves. That station is a laughingstock.
Thank you. Production at KTVU is full of mistakes, daily. That story on the I-880 corridor demo was an unmitigated, embarrassing, incomprehensible mess.
DeleteMy favorite misspell was the annual holiday story of the store bell ringers with the red pots. They interviewed a guy and the identifying crawl said "Major Tom Smith- Salivation Army"
DeleteAgreed about the Hayward/I-880 story. My wife and I awaited it with interest. When it finished, we turned to each other and simultaneously said, "That made *no* sense." The next morning they repeated it, without any edits to correct the mess, if it could even be corrected.
DeleteI understand from an acquaintance that used to work there that time was they had editors who'd question your every sentence, your every assertion, really grill you, make you prove your facts. Those days are long gone. Funny how so many people who tout themselves as "media observers" can't see it.
> My favorite misspell was the annual holiday story of the store bell ringers
Delete> with the red pots. They interviewed a guy and the identifying crawl said
> "Major Tom Smith- Salivation Army"
Most common misspell is simply misspelling "San Francisco" in a reporter's live shot: San Fransisci, San Francico, San Francicso, San Francicco, et many a cetra. Nobody ever seems to catch this, not even the next morning when they rebroadcast it.
@10:35 AM -- I watched that same Hayward story. Listening to that half-wit sociology professor made me long for the wisdom and clarity of Professor Irwin Corey.
Delete> half-wit sociology professor
DeleteIsn't that a redundancy?
KTVU has become the classic top down station. Everything that corporate says they should do they will do it without any thought. Guarantee you if you look at other stations under the same ownership you will see nearly the indentical product because what works in Altoona will surely work in San Francisco!
ReplyDeleteIt is my understanding that the newsroom has "lost" 9 people this year. It used to take a decade for that many people to leave KTVU. There's only one 2? Not any more.
Today's "riveting" radio Promo for We Investigate. San Jose Police say Gang crime is down, but rank and file cops say the numbers are different. Really? That's the best they can come up with during November sweeps? BFD.
ReplyDeleteAt least it wasn't "Supermarket scanners are overcharging customers."
Delete91.1 KCSM is a heaven's send after a long hard days work, regardless of the line of work.
ReplyDeleteHere's the secret with listening to KCBS: 1 hour a day. If I happen to tune in during the :45 sportscast, the next :45 sportscast is when I turn off the radio.
ReplyDeleteOr I switch over to the GREAT Jazz 91 - KCSM!
10:29--
ReplyDeleteDoug Moore & Maggi Scura worked for KNTV Channel 11....down in San Jose...pre-NBC days.
I should know: I worked with them.
I worked in TV news for 25-years. "Mags" was one of the best anchors I ever worked with. She was actually one of the best PEOPLE I've ever worked with.
^That was when that KNTV was "really" good, when Doug, & Maggi were the Anchors!
Delete"Look for some hard-earned corruption and delve into city halls in San Jose, Oakland, perhaps even SF"
ReplyDeleteI can't speak for folks in San Jose or Oakland but I would LOVE to see a news team - any news team - take a hard look at the doings at City hall in San Francisco. The problem is that I'm probably in the minority. When I went to vote yesterday all three offices up for election in my district had candidates running unopposed. Unopposed?!? In San Francisco where every fringe group and insignificant cause has large, loyal and vocal supporters there was no choice at the ballot box. With most San Franciscans fleeing the City it's become a wide open town for corruption and back room deals - it would be a coup for a good reporter. Of course it comes down to ad dollars and ratings. Would a hard hitting investigative reporter/unit looking into City Hall scare off advertisers who may or may not have their own deals? Also would anybody care? The techie yuppies the have infiltrated SF seem to get their "news" from Facebook and Twitter and it's only "news" if it concerns them personally. I hope we see some real challengers to the liar Ed Lee and the other puppets manufactured by the Brown/Pak toy company. I don't think I'm asking too much.
> Of course it comes down to ad dollars and ratings.
DeletePartly that, but also it's about accessibility.
Everyone wants access to the pols. If you do a bad story on them, no access in the future and then your rival can say, "We have an EXCLUSIVE interview with so-and-so you'll see ONLY ON K-blah-blah-blah."
Exclusives gives news directors and general managers big erections. Well, as big as they can get, anyway.
I'm probably only the 888th person to bring this up but Stanley Roberts sing-song -smug vocal delivery drives me absolutely Batty! That must have been how everyone was taught back when he was trained. I'll bet he no longer even realize he does it.
ReplyDeleteAnon at 10:29...you sound really smart. Obviously your conclusion that "those people" watch their own stations anyway is backed no doubt by exhaustive research done by you. So angry uneducated bitter hill jacks watch the farm report in the Central Valley?
ReplyDeleteI'll bet the alky on KRON is Mark Danon. Just a guess. James Fletcher seems too button down. But then again, it's those unassuming-type guys you have to watch for.
ReplyDeleteYes, FM radio is chock full of commercials. The alternative? Satellite. Radio used to be great in the Bay Area. Now it's a joke. Don't expect Ben Fong to write anything negative in his fluff column for the Comical.
KTVU stinks. Same old crap. Different day.
In short, there's no creativity in anything anymore.
If you want to make an executive in a suit sweat, just say the word "creativity."
DeleteYou said it. People-- they're the worst!
DeleteI agree with you on "Bad Radio Green" It's like a caller thanking a host for letting them call in.
ReplyDeleteKRON - James Fletcher reminds me of the Character "Nelson Van Alden/George Mueller" via #BoardwalkEmpire or some what of a 'Lurch' from Adams Family. He's dry & stale, But in the last few monthes its like hes been injected with a Laughing Gas IV Live during broadcast, the smiles he makes seem so artificial. How ever Mark Danon. is easier to watch then James Fletcher. But both come off like a comedic Ralph Kramden & Barney Rubble Pair. I can see them Both being drunk during Early Morning news broadcast, But Mark Dannon more so.
ReplyDeleteU hit the "New on 2" about KTVU right on the Nail. I did notice about a week ago the promo push by KTVU of "Special Reports" during the 10pm News broadcast About a SF Sheriff who screws inmates, 880 Corridor Loosing its White Population & the Under staffing PD's in 2 Bay Area Cities. The Entire Push for these type of News stories comes off like a Soap Opera/TV Drama "Coming Soon on next week episode" type pitch. Then NBC 3 starts trying their own 'Investigative News' to combat KTVU. In general ABC7's "7 on ur side" isnt that bad and "CBS 5 Investigates" Has some good stories, But Lets just X out Police Investigators and the Judicial System and Replace them with Bay Area News Group Reporters and TV News Journalist staff. The Fine line between News Media & Law Enforcement in the SFBay Area is as Blurred as ever. Report the News..instead its who comes with it first..who breaks the story and who gets the award,medal for the reporting. KTVU has Frank Sommerville playing that Jeff Daniels type role from 'Speed' /Dumb &Dumber' But not "The Newsroom"
And then Some Nites While watching (first 15 minutes) of KTVU2 @ 10PM , and flipping thru NBC3 KRON4 CBS5 & ABC7 between 11pm-11:10pm its all the same news stories just stacked up different.The viewing Public gets a Rare Jewell when its a "Original Investigative" piece by any station. Some nites I can not tell Julie Haener or Heather Holmes apart. But Heather Holmes always has better hair. . John Fowler needs to be in a retirement home.
I want to rail on all the investigative crap being shoved down our throats. Aren't journalists supposed to be investigative by nature? When I think investigative I think something big. Kickbacks to politicians. No-bid contracts. Police misconduct and railroading defendants. The Bay Bridge fiasco. Legitimate scandals that take time to actually dig up. That is an investigation.
ReplyDeleteWhile I am at it enough with the term new at such and such. I don't watch TV 24/7. I am lucky if I get to watch an entire news show.
That's why KRON is called "Sodom and Gomorrah TV." Morning people sleeping with the director, 65 year old Ron Burgundy's drooling over the 60 year lonely blond who teases right back. Why not do the news like your shooting the shit with shots at sunrise?
ReplyDeleteIts count the advertiser dollars,nothing about scruples or ethics matters at KRON.
Bring back Doug Moore and Maggi Scura ! KNTV now is a looney tunes newscast.
ReplyDeleteDaffy, Tweety, ETC.
But it's funny when KGO radio plays news that's 3 days old already.
They never even covered the midnight BART strike announcements because they were playing Bloomburg Bull Shiit. So much for a news station. Shit content. haha
For some quality FM radio ?
Try www.1.fm
(80's channel) It takes an offshore internet radio station to get it right.
No sweetjack BS on that one. Thank God.
or that kars-for-kids jingle. No way Jose
Don't celebrate KCSM too much. It was a drain on the community college district until they sold KCSM-TV, and a movement by KCSM staff to make the radio station professional killed College of San Mateo's broadcasting, on-air, and journalism programs. Those programs have been replaced by a Digital Media program that's ten years behind the current trends thanks to its do-nothing professors. So, yeah, go KCSM...jazz killed the CSM broadcasting student.
ReplyDeleteIf those clowns at The Investigative Unit want to see what REAL investigative reporting looks like, they should follow Dan Noyes at KGO around for a bit.
ReplyDeleteSo Damon is mysogonistic YET YOU COMPARE KATIE GREENE TO A HOOKER? YOU'RE AN A$$HOLE RICH
ReplyDelete