QUICK BULLET POINTS:*Gary Radnich has no contract at KRON; he's being paid on an "at-will" basis, (essentially, scale +10%), and would love to get out of KRON. But there's several obstacles, even now that it's official that KRON is moving to KGO-TV in a would-be SSA.
*We're at least 6-8 months away from the actual KGO/KRON SSA. And keep in mind, it's not a merger, it's a shared-services agreement. And most personnel changes, at least at the outset would involve tech people.
*KGO primary sports anchor, Larry Beil would love to go back to his native Hawaii and work Honolulu TV, a "big fish in a little pond." But KGO runs a tight, scripted and formula sports report(s); Radnich's free-for-all, ad-libbed schtick is not formatted for KGO.
*Then again, down the road, a Radnich move to KGO isn't out of the question. Raddy could alter his 5-minute show and condense it down to a manageable 2+ minutes, with some quips for Dan Ashley and Carolyn Johnson. After all, he did it before and given it could be his last SF Sports TV deal, I'm sure he'd adapt.
*All of this is way, way, way, down the road, if at all and would have to have the blessings of the bigwig ABC O and O suits who make these types of decisions. Would they even want Radnich--a guy in his mid 60's?--There's an across-the-board yes and no--depends on who you talk to. It would definitely create buzz. That may not be enough. Stay tuned.
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He's not Walcoff.
ReplyDelete+1 for Rich Walcoff
ReplyDeleteWould a Raddy move create a buzz? Maybe among those who frequent the back allies of the Tenderloin.
ReplyDeleteYou guys need to stop playing checkers and start playing chess. Rich you shouldn't be looking at what's next but what's 2-3 moves down the road. That lease at 900 Front probably won't be a very long one. Heck it could be something that is designed to go month to month.
ReplyDeleteDo you have any clue as to what's involved in moving a television station with live production? There is no way in the world it is month-to-month. The move, itself, will cost millions.
DeleteThe move might cost millions but can be easily offset by selling the Van Ness building and then the station.
DeleteDoubtful that a buyer is going to want to buy an SF station and then pay to build-out a new building in SF. They can't reuse any broadcast equipment used in the day-to-day operations of the station, they would need to build-up from scratch. So, unless 900 Front is simply too small, isn't working, or there's some stigma attached to it (e.g., Fox Television Stations paying rent to Disney), I would not expect any buyer to buy with the thought of moving them. If there was a serious offer expected within the next year or on the table right now, I don't think this move to 900 Front would be taking place.
DeleteAnon at 1:07....surely you jest. KRON and every other local tv station only does news production, nothing more. You have a few computers and servers that run the automation, and the studio cameras and lights. Not a multi million dollar deal....or maybe KRON will just use the cameras that KOFY uses at the KGO studious. As for SSA's, or consolidation, that is commonplace. KTVU has KICU, KEMS, LATV running out of one room. KPIX swallowed up KBHK years ago, so KRON finally dies off its miserable death. Not many technical people left in local broadcast tv, so the job cuts may be news "writers" and "producers". Good riddance, the producer of today is a know nothing cut and paste mongoloid.
DeleteThe programs people want to see from the networks can be streamed via Hulu or other delivery sustems. The day has arrived where all the local stations if they do any local news production at all will all share one studio facility. A stand alone building for anything other than a network operation center (think la) or for production of stuff like Conan or the Tonight show is a thing of the past. Funny and yet annoying to hear the Podunk views of the people who post on this blog.
The thud you hear is the fast sinking ship known as Bay Area radio and television news media dropping into the Bay.
ReplyDeleteThe KGO/KRON SSA just means less variety for viewers about their news. Fewer perspectives. Less competition. Why bother watching?
Fatnich on KGO? And bump off Kate Scott? Which is the lesser of two evils?
Pardon my ignorance but what's an SSA?
ReplyDeleteSorry...I read on and figured it out.
DeleteQuit making fun of Walcoff! He's been at KGO for nearly 30 years and is a true broadcasting survivor. Plus he's an excellent sportscaster and a good guy. Rich has more sports knowledge and much more of a likeable personality than folks such as Beil or Radnich ever had, and he did a great job this past fall, co-hosting the pre and post game shows with Krueger. I just wish Krueger would shut up once in awhile and let Rich contribute a little more to those shows.
ReplyDeleteRadnich continues to steal money. His dog-eared Las Vegas lounge act on KNBR was old and tired years ago, yet he continues to command big bucks. Unbelievable! In any other sports market the guy would be laughed off the air. Only in the candy-assed San Francisco Bay Area , where you have legions of 'fans' who blow with the wind and "jump on the bandwagon" when the local teams are doing well, would a guy like Gary Radnich succeed. Any REAL or PERCEPTIVE sports fans would see Radnich for what he is: An over the hill mediocre entertainer who has lost what little touch he ever had a long time ago. The guy has been Stealing money for years!
ReplyDelete