Tuesday, March 11, 2014

The Day After

 Maybe this is what you want. I began this venture as a forum where the mostly superficiality of some of the local TV News outfits would be exposed. I wanted to provide a sounding board; a cyber bar where those of you newstalk consumers concerned with the systematic takeover of many legacy stations by Cumulus would have a place to vent and air your own feelings of disgust, anger and frustration. I remember a time when KGO Radio was thee most revered and respected radio stations in the nation; I remember the time when KNBR was a magnet for genius performers along the likes of Ed Bush, Pete Franklin, and Frank and Mike. I remember when KRON was the hallmark of the Bay Area TV News division and KTVU was king and didn't have to worry about continuity and consultants and competition was fierce and a positive force for the viewers. I remember people like Dennis Richmond, Rita Williams, Ben Williams, Dave McElhatton and Van Amburg. I long for an Evan White and Bob Jimenez and the talented and funny, all the while great performer like Mark Thompson. I miss the professional, talented and beautiful and magnificent TV journalist, Kate Kelly on KPIX. I miss Betty Ann Bruno and her legendary reports from the steps of city hall. Those were the days of hard-working people that were really good. Professionals. Today we have mostly posers. Spare me the yesterday lecture and new Internet age. They had computers in 1990. Matter of fact the race, the drive, the competition was greater. Yeah, we didn't have 800 outlets on cable, big deal, most of the cable stations today are extra HBO channels and infomercial cooking shows, don't make it out to be like a Masterpiece Theatre on every other channel. There's a handful of quality programs today mostly due to marginalization and an inherent lack of respect, for YOU, the viewer, and YOU TOO, the radio consumer and listener that relied on quality news, news-talk and sports content and you had quite a menu in one of the most cherished markets in the country.

TODAY, now you have this...fade to black.




Ain't it just great? Have a nice day.

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20 comments:

  1. George Watson was better than most of them then (and all of them now) while half in the bag.

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  2. Rich, I couldn't agree more with you my friend, but unfortunately the 'good old days' are over, never to return. When the Communications Act was signed into law by then-President Bill Clinton in 1996, (he later admitted it was one of the worst mistakes of his Presidency), it opened the door for the Cumuluses and the Clear Channels to swoop in and scoop up as many stations as they could, and downsize their 'properties.' I love how they call their radio stations: 'properties' as if they have no obligation to serve the public after being granted the license. All these bloodless companies want to do is make money, and they don't care how they do it. Of course, that means cutting costs so the shareholders will be happy, and that means the quality of the 'product' suffers, the public gets shortchanged, and qualified, experienced and reliable people lose their jobs and are replaced by 'eager-beavers' who are mostly young, dumb, and cheap. That's why people such as Paulie Mac, Kate Scott, Amy G. Dan Dibley, and Matt Kolzkie are on the radio. In an earlier time, when the standards were higher and mega-companies weren't allowed to buy more than one station per market, they would be working in places likes Fresno or Bakersfield. I can't blame these young folks from going after the jobs that are offered, but it's really sad to turn on your radio and have to listen to the 'amateur-hour,' or watch Comcast Sportsnet and see some 20 something newbie bimbo doing the sports updates. But what can you do? It's the sad world we live in and unfortunately the genie is out of the bottle!

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  3. Different generation, values and world. What ever iti is people aren't buying it.

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    1. No, people ARE buying it. The market rules and the market likes dumb people.

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  4. Our leaders like dumb people and lapdog reporters. Helps them more easily win re-election.

    There is no more free media in America. The difference is, in despotic countries the dissolution of the media is accomplished by soldiers showing up at TV and radio and newspaper buildings with guns. Here the owners voluntarily ceded any sort of authority. Or, as one of the most brilliant minds of our age, Deborah Eisneberg, said in an only slightly different context: "Before the dissolution of the East Block a tremendous amount of effort and work was put in by the Soviet government on getting people to spy on each other. We figured out how to get people to spy on themselves. It's marvelous. You don't have to pay anybody. All you have to do is sell somebody a [cell] phone."

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  5. Clinton also said his worst mistake was NAFTA

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  6. Thanks Rich, I admire you, flaws and all.

    -Ralph

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  7. After this basketball season, another great will retire.

    Lowell Cohn wrote a nice article on Jim Barnett, which is in today's Santa Rosa Press Democrat.

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    1. Oh yeah, Jim Barnett is another "great"?

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  8. I miss all of those KTVU reporters a lot too--I really do. But journalists get old and then leave to enjoy their retirment after having accumlated a net worth of seven, possibley eight, figures. Get over it and move on!

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  9. Rich enjoys deluding himself about the grandeur of the mediocrity of the recent past.

    Ben Williams, Pete Franklin, Kate Kelly, give me a break. They were nothing special. Why indulge in this phoney sentimentality? Maybe to advance Lieberman's persistent theme that everything today is worse than it used to be.

    Boohoo. Time to face the world AS IT IS and stop pretending it used to be better.

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    1. > Rich enjoys deluding himself about the grandeur of the mediocrity
      > of the recent past.

      That doesn't even make sense.

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  10. All of the hosts from KGO were let go. Gil Gross landed at KKSF, and is doing nothing. I'm told Ronn Owens ratings are worse than the news itself. Can't find the rest of them anywhere. Not so sure the hosts at KGO were so great. They were definitely live and local, which was nice, but their greatness? Doubt it. How is it that the two most boring hosts from KGO, Ronn and Gil are the two who survived?

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    1. Good question, Ronn survived because he had a better contract and the other hosts. Gene Burns was hired by KKSF, but never actually got to do a show, due to several strokes which eventually led to his death, they tried out several fill in hosts, John Rothmann, Rosie Allan and Ed Baxter and Gil, why Gil got the spot I'm not sure about, however he use to do a decent show with callers, and I believe he took calls in the beginning, and then after a short while changing to his current boring, unbearable boring format. I think John Rothmann would bet better ratings, perhaps Gil was cheaper? Who knows? Ronn still does a decent show most of the time, and sometimes he even does a very, very good show. at least he takes calls. I disagree that the host on KGO were not great, of course the were not all great, but that is very subjective. I didn't care for Dr, Bill, but he had a large following, and is now syndicated. My favorites were always John Rothmann and Gene. Gene because he always had a different take on the subject, he knew how to engage the callers, he was interesting about 90% of the time. John was/is interesting because he is an expert on 2 subjects I'm very passionate about: Politics and History, not everyone feels that way, we all have different takes and likes, it would be nice if talk radio would reflect that. Unfortunately, most of talk radio is right wing, further right wing and right wing. I like someone who is independent, I miss Bill Press, Tom Hartmann, 960 use to have them on, but turned totally right wing, although I like Tom Sullivan, he is right wing, but seems decent and not too hateful, I don't mind someone independent, but when you get 4-5 hosts or more repeating the Republican talking points it get boring.

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  11. The mass removal of KGO hosts, Dec. 2011, destroyed a radio station that was great and on top of all other stations for 30 something years. The number of listeners immediately tanked and stayed that way. It should be called KGO-Cumulus now as it has little in common with the old KGO. Def. Cumulus: a big heap of cheap.

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  12. You couldn't have asked a company to do more harm to bay area radio than what Cumulus has done in the 8 short years it has owned stations in the area. They have lucky at KNBR because the Giants and Niners and Warriors have all been very successful lately, but some of their choices for on-air talent are laughable. Kate Scott? Dan Dibbley? Matt Kolzkie? Paulie Mac? 'P-Con?' Who hires these incompetent idiots? And of course, having no plan for KGO, except to keep downsizing its staff has alienated their once-strong core audience and you've seen the results. Cumulus is run by a guy who wouldn't know radio if he turned it on and it bit him in the ass!

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  13. How does Damon Bruce continue to stay on the air so long after being such a sexist baffoon? The guy loves the sound of his own voice and thinks his own farts don't smell and just loves to tell everyone how great he is. Ever since he got to the Bay area, that's all he's been doing. Now after being free from exile at 1050, a station no one listens to, he's going to go to another station no one listens to...the 'Game' which employs one-trick ponies such as Rick Bucher and Dan Dibbley. Good luck getting any listeners at 'the bay area's NEW sound for sports station' Damon!

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    1. It's actually spelled "buffoon". Dumbass.

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  14. Rich is going to change all that when his internet radio show bursts on to TV. Coming soon!!!!

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  15. Looking forward to Rich's Internet Radio Show--looking forward to anything other than the inane dribble that goes on on every broadcast news channel's these days…how is it that Progressive Radio has turned into Glen Beck, Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity. I can't stand it…I guess Silence is the key.

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