Friday PM Headlines*Barbara Simpson is fine and safe. An acquaintance called me to say she simply cannot talk because of a confidentiality clause with Cumulous/KSFO.
Simpson was fired and dismissed without cause a week ago but a good source told me her unwillingness to work in social media and frequent battles with management over PPM guidelines did her in. Among other things.
Ethan Bearman is supposedly her replacement.
*David Applebaum was the original owner of David's Delicatessen on Geary in the theatre district --Mr. Applebaum passed away recently --he was 86. David's used to be one of the very best delis in town with a great pastrami and the best chicken soup west of the Mississippi but when Mr. Applebaum sold it, it went downhill fast. We offer our condolences to his family and friends.
*Follow me on Twitter
Praise God!! The Babe is safe and sound. I was really starting to worry about her. Thanks for giving us the good word Rich. Now I can enjoy my weekend, come what may.
ReplyDeleteI was almost out of candles that I'd burned for her. Whew! Now if only we knew what happened to that wrecking crew that was going to tear KTVU apart in the wake of the massive, larger-than-Watergate Asiana airlines affair!
DeleteI knew Barbara's unwillingness to work with social media had something to do with her dismissal from the station. You could tell she had no use for it and thought much of it was juvenile, stupid and an invasion of her privacy. In today's media world it is all about social media, but Barbara just wouldn't go there. Unless she is willing to adapt, no other media outlet will hire her.
ReplyDeleteShe is correct though.
DeleteIs there an AM radio talk station anywhere that does better or more interesting,or perhaps more importantly, more successful talk radio precisely because of "social media"? which one is it? It's rather fascinating to analyze that one. Does anyone know? how does it work, exactly? Could it be instant communication from listener to host of that picture of what's for dinner? Certainly it can be helpful in the news setting, with breaking info getting to reporters early and often, before official notification, giving them leads. But specifically for talk...how has social media enhanced the popularity and profit?
Delete7;33 AM. From a listener's perspective, and a non-professional, I suspect the answer to your question is no. The PPM approach is nothing but the latest lightning in a bottle /snake oil panacea of today. Presently, the effectiveness is 'a complete unknown', but "everybody" is doing it, so many are afraid not to follow suit for now. Those selling these systems are the one's who most benefit. The radio stations are being seen purely as a self renewing commodity that can be packaged and sold. Sort of like selling calls, puts and profit spreads. This abstracted way of controlling radio stations may be inevitable for now, because most have many owners, all holding different points of view on how effective PPM really is.
DeleteTen years from now, radio owners may be hiding the fact that they were pulled into all this Tulipmania. Industries go through fads and experiments, sometimes very expensive ones. Remember twenty something years ago when all the sodas were clear? There was clear pepsi and coke for a while. Imagine all the tens of millions they spent on that, which amounted to barely a blip on the profit screens.
R.I.P David
ReplyDeleteWhen I first moved to SF from NY in 1978 David's was the first place I went to eat. My sister and I were kind of surprised that the hot dogs we ordered were served as a sandwiich on regular bread instead of a bun. The last time I was there a few years ago, all the backs on the counter seats were broken, but I remember having a killer hot pastrami sandwich.
Ironic how Barbara Simpson is removed from Bay Area radio & ilk like Karel are allowed to remain...to quote Dr. Bill Wattenburg: "Karel's the type of guy that you could serve him a heaping plate of dog crap covered in hollandaise sauce, & he'd ask for seconds."
ReplyDeleteDid Doctor Bill really say that about 'Special K'? He can be quite blunt at times. That's the funniest thing I've read all day. I also noted the irony where the lower forms cannot be removed for whatever reasons.
DeleteNos that is Comedy Gold, 6:57! Good one, Dr. Bill If you seen "Special K' lately, he's not afraid of thirds, either ...
Deleteonce a month on a sunday, my dad would take our entire family out to david's for breakfast
ReplyDeletegreat lox and bagels and eggs (your way)
those were the days
rip mr applebaum
You've GOT to be joking about Ethan Bearman replacing Simpson. Please say it isn't so..............or, maybe it so obviously "isn't so", that I'm the fool for asking!!! lol....(sorry, Barbara)
ReplyDeleteI loved David's. Albert Henry for a couple of magazines and a sandwich at the counter. I used to work nights South Of Market and David's and Original Joe's were normal dinner spots.
ReplyDelete"like us, tweet us, email us...
ReplyDeleteSo we don't have to do our jobs!"
The destruction of TV news began in the mid '90's with "Current Affair".
Social media (gross)!
I long for the days when the BA had real field reporters like Tony Russamano, Loyd la Questa, etc
Did you hear the character who replaced Simpson today? I think his name is Ethan Barely-Man. He mentioned Twitter and Facebook at least 100 times each hour.
DeleteThat's "PPM Optimization". Also,on KGO, the "water cooler" topics are, apparently, corporate suggested and repeated from show to show. It's part of "talent development" to get off the political lean. Cumulus can't afford 31 more months of this "before its time."
DeleteIt was "Mother's Day gifts" on Friday nite, The same for Thurston's host on Saturday followed by "Special K" doing exactly the same right after. There is more "tightening" up to make sure those KGO promos are at the right time and Special K promotes his website ever 9.3 seconds every hour. No "gimmickry" can replace "good radio." .
Christine, there only a few stations use talk based social media effectively. KFI in LA was, once, the #1 station in LA. Not anymore. When music stations caught on to build "communities" between personalities, the music and "interaction" with the station, talk radio took its shot as well. It's not proven successful because of audience age and ability to change or adapt to technology.
The 18-49 year olds are still the advertisers only choice to target advertising. They are doing so on the Internet, now, because 18-49 year olds either don't relate to, get involved with or even know what AM radio is.
The older audience is being forced into participating online. Whether it's KGO, KSFO, KSCO or others "trying," it's not proven that older audiences are shifting from towers and transmitters to tablets and smartphnes for "interaction." Gotta watch those consultants.
If you look at, say, Karel's website and his "chat log" which he freely publishes, you'll notice the same six people every show. This takes away from the talent thinking about what needs to be done on air and the result is a trainwreck. It becomes more a "hi, Pam, hi Oyster Dave, love ya Frontal Lobotomy" co-mingling than anything. The talent can't screen the chatroom like a producer can on-air. So, it gets lost as a boring, non-productive exercise.
There is oten so much wrong on Twitter, as long as TMZ reports it, that's ok to many. TMZ is now so prevelant in "reporting" fast breaking news -- look at the Donald Snider story. People wonder, "just what IS right?" It's become tabloid news because anyone with a smarthphone can do it.
The world plays out on YouTube in every way now and the media promotes it. Don't expect granny to play the game.
PPM is far from perfect and is killing talk radio. Clear Channel just killed off its "progressive talk" station in Denver - a PPM market - because of too few listeners. It goes "right wing" talk tomorrow - social media and all..
You may be "wiser" being older, as I am, but the "youngsters" don't care about the Sheriff, his soap opera wife or the political wranglings. Even the sex scandal you reported on in Sacto, so few people care and the ratings now prove it.
I enjoy your post above about social media. Thoughtful, respectful and insightul. However, age is relevant and sometimes, we make our "history" too large a canvas to evelop what truly is today. KGO is not now "The Mighty Wultizer" as Bernie termed it. It is a mere shadow of a showpiece that has left history behind, unfortunately. The 70 year old is not the "new" 40 now and will never be again for you or me, no matter what. The world moves too fast..
David's has always been a little depressing, even in the old days, but they have always made excellent chopped liver. I really miss Joe Sattler's chopped liver at Moishe's Pipic.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if Arbitron (now Nielson) was "encouraged" by the political elites to change from diaries to PPM's as a very sneaky way of killing conservative talk radio.
ReplyDelete