Tonight is Carolyn Johnson's last evening at KGO-TV before moving down south to become the new Noon and 6 PM news reader for KNBC in LA.This marks a sad chapter in Bay Area TV News because clearly Johnson didn't want to leave the Bay Area but she also wasn't willing to restructure her contract and take a significant pay cut--something that was asked by cost-cutting Disney.
Johnson won't be the last to leave ABC/SF --others simply won't have their contracts renewed, it's as simple as that and all the more confusing and controversial when you consider Disney is raking in record profits.
Too bad the Mickey Mouse people have begun a chop-chop policy at some of their big O and O's, (Owned and Operated), stations and at the heart of their chopping is those who make the biggest money. And those who make too much money deemed unnecessary will be either bought out, asked to take a huge pay cut or simply non-tendered.
Johnson has family roots in the LA area so her career and family issues will not be adversely affected. In fact, she's making a lot more money and should help out a legendary LA station in dire need of a name and experienced newswoman like Johnson. Sometimes things happen for a reason.
Meanwhile at KGO, the search for Johnson's replacement appears to be in-house at this point with weekend anchor, Ama Daetz, according to insiders, as the leading candidate to replace Johnson. Nothing is set in stone yet but we should know soon.
This is a major loss for 900 Front. Johnson is not only a hard-working, smooth and engaging news anchor but her reporting on medical and science issues added a lot of substance to KGO's news products. In addition, Johnson and fellow primary anchor, Dan Ashley, were a winning team and developed solid years of being one of the best 1-2 teams in the market.
Expect a lot of surprises and emotion taking place on Channel 7's newscasts tonight.
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...when you consider Disney is raking in record profits. Too bad the Mickey Mouse people have begun a chop-chop policy at some of their big O and O's, (Owned and Operated), stations and at the heart of their chopping is those who make the biggest money."
ReplyDeleteAnd it is going to continue as long as there are those RECORD PROFITS. The more expenses you cut, the more profit you make. And it makes no difference to the Suits who run these companies (Disney, Cumulus, Clear Channel) if the product is in the toilet as long as those profits keep rolling in, the stock prices keep rising, and the Suits keep getting their record paychecks. Never mind the billions of dollars of debt either, as they can just keep kicking it down the road.
You know the "record profits" for ABC / Disney, how? Wild ass hairy guess? My 401-K includes some Disney and I can tell you, they aren't rolling in "record profits" for the broadcast division. Hasn't in some time. profitable? Yes. Records, no. You cut expenses when revenue cuts into creating profit losses, not the other way around. Same with all the above You don't do it when things are going super well and the debt service is being taking care of. To that ABC / Disney has lots of debt service. Just not as much as Cumulus (tanking), Clear Channel (really tanking and only a year to pay down big debt,) and NBC / Universal (tanking). CBS is tanking so bad, it's playing footsie with Lew Dickey to get the radio division off the balance sheet. Dickey wants to buy CBS Radio so bad, he can taste it.
DeleteClear Channel is in the process, and has been, to creat more "RIF" former employees, especially in sales. It begins recruiting new sales hired and strealing others from competitors (including those already fired) right after this weekend. "RIF" means, "Reduction in Force." Those fired under this plan are what's termed "RIF'd". They will not be asked back. Clear Channel wants, now, to go after other station's and group's sales people with more work and expectations at a lower scale Happy RIF-FING. Has nothing to do with on-air product, just sales.
DeleteRonn just gave an explanation as to why he changed his last name for radio. He also claimed that when people call him Lowenstein they're doing to get at him and are anti-Semitic. After hearing his explanation I tend to lean more on his side of it.
ReplyDeletePerhaps Ronnn has issues with his identity, much like Savage, hence the name change. Maybe Ronnn is projecting his inner turmoil onto others?
Delete@10:48 (he responded 1 below by accident) What is Kate Scotts real name? Melanie Morgan too. Now I'm intrigued.
DeleteMelanie's real name is Pauline Friedman (Swanson) (married name) and Kate's is Kate Troscher. Far cry from "Scott". Happens all the time..
DeleteInteresting. She claims, after complaining about this online that "I am not Pauline Freidman". She does not deny, however, that she is Pauline Friedman. She was born in Kansas City and is now 57 years old. A horrible movie was made about her former gambling excesses in "The Melanie Morgan Story" about her high stakes gambling addiction. She is alledged not to have placed a bet in 13 years. The movie, I believe, is 8 years old. Ronn has had a similar problem. She wants to be referred as "Melanie R. Morgan" but the skeltons of the past, including her real name "Friedman" are not disputed. She changed her name to avoid confusion with another famous "Pauline Friedman" from Kansas City who was "Dear Abby."
Delete.
Well, kinda close, but no cigar. The made-for-TV movie about her glambling was in 1997 ("High Stakes: The Melanie Morgan Story") was only half bad. She commented some 8 years ago that she hasn't placed a bet in 13 years, so, that would be as of 1993. Don't know if she has since 2006, but would imagine not. She wrote a denial online but spelled "Friedman"as "Freidman" which of course, may have been pure poppycock to throw people off the spinning tea-cups ride.
DeleteOn the central coast (Monterey bay) we just lost Marc Cota Robles to abc Los Angeles from KION in salinas. Rich, as an expert in media, in such a move does the anchor receive a big bump in salary or is the move more for "exposure"? I honestly can't see a guy like Marc Cota Robles making more than $100k a year. Your thoughts please...
ReplyDeleteHard to believe. He's so small market, though Jas is halfway hot. Is she going with him? That will hurt KION as both are liked in Salinas. 100k? Probably more. KSBY in SLO was paying $125,000 three years ago, then cut back. Lost their anchor of 15 years to the Sheffif's dept as PIO They offered $80k plus. TV offered $75k..
DeleteDuh! No kidding. Juvenile posters here always thought it was a way to express their hate for Ronn. Funny, but few compain about Savage changing his last name or bust Kate Scott for changing her name. Melanie Morgan, too. Spencer Hughes sounds a hell of a lot better than "Sven Silva". What a you people thinking? Get real stuff to pick on. This only makes you look idiotic.
DeleteAt the end of the day, Rich only makes fun of people who don't pay for his lunches... A girl needs to eat, right?
DeleteI don't have Ronn but I think he's long past the point at which he should have retired. The man's tired. Look in his eyes. You can really see it.
DeleteDon't have a guess what Katy Mazulla makes at ABC-7, but I know it's probabably twice what she was making (or more) at her last stop at KCOY in Santa Maria. She's doing fine, here, and an up and comer. Not long after she left KCOY 12 and KKFX 11, Cowles blew the stations up and "master controlled" them from KION, except for morning news, if memory serves.
Delete10:48, Melanie Morgan is her maiden name, you call that changed?
DeleteI miss Mel, even though I never agreed with her politics...she was very classy. Hey, maybe KGO will bring her back...that would be a smart move.
She's not brassy like Green and Sussman. What the heck happened to Suss-Man? He wasn't on that hell-bent-frenzy wave-length previously. Have you heard the Highlight Clips of his screaming? He's sounding exactly like Mark Levin...half of what Levin says--he screams it!
Bring back Mel Morgan! And stay classy Mel!
3'47 PM, I miss Melanie too, but I think she just joined a radio station in the North Bay, Santa Rosa maybe. I cannot get the station at all around here. I'll have to get used to listening to radio online in some cases. I dont know when of even if Mel is on the air. I think she's the General Manager, not hired principally has a talker. Green and Sussman are way to vulgar and silly for me, whereas Mark Levin's sandpaper voice and attitude chased me away from his show years ago. I'm guessing Barbara will not be back on the air anytime soon. She's busy litigating and broken-contract debating maybe. Plus, she is known to dislike the PPM ratings system and all the added busywork that demands.
DeleteIt appears semi hot Jas Viel was NOT offered a position along with Marc Cota Robles. Last week was his last at KION and Jas will remain at KION until the end of the summer before moving down to LA to be with him. (I would too lest he strays from the nest wink wink!!)
DeleteI agree that Marc seems very small market and I wonder if he was hired in LA because of his last name to appeal to the Latino population? I say it as a Latino myself. I viewed it as a big positive that Marc finally started to state his last name using the proper Spanish pronunciation about one year ago. The previous several years he anglicized his pronunciation as Rubbles rather than the proper ROBLES.
Disney cutting costs on their 10 O & O's so as to make the bottom line look more appealing when they pull the cord.
ReplyDeleteWord is that ABC wants to be out of owned-and-operated stations business -- keeping ESPN and, maybe, the network. As for the stations they own, they'd dump them to the highest bidder. Must keep that bottom line tight and filled with profit.
DeleteIt's an open secret that Eisner was going to kill ABC's news division years ago and it was only the Disney board that saved them.
DeleteShe will be sorely missed. The whole thing is bullshit.
ReplyDelete9:43 why did he change his name?
ReplyDeleteHe's been "Ronn Owens" since his first job at WCAU 1210 in Philly, where he went right out of college. "Lowenstein" doesn't have the "ring" that a short, snappy name has. "Lowenstein" then and now conjurs a stereotypical Jewish name that doesn't have resounding credit to most listeners, especially WASPS who listen to talk radio. It's show biz schtick. Look at all who have done the very same thing. It's a privacy matter for many talents, as well. Owens is a much better name that has served him well.
DeleteBecause he could make more money by not appearing to be a Jew.
DeleteYes, Disney is cutting but the final call on "who" to cut is left up to the N-D. Carolyn doesn't brown nose and her immediate boss is the most hated executive in town. Doesn't take Columbo to figure this out.
ReplyDeletePretty sure Aaron Pero and Stacey Baier are the most hated executives in town.....
DeleteYa know Rich, you are right. Johnson will be missed. Good journalist and easy to watch. Sad day...
ReplyDeleteRich, why do you diminish Ms. Johnson's professionalism by referring to her as a "news reader." She is, by any reasonable standard, a very talented reporter and journalist. Disc Jockeys reading wire copy are news readers. Johnson is a cut above that, wouldn't you say?
ReplyDeleteThen why do "writers" do teleprompter copy? You don't honestly think she writes the newscast, do you?
DeleteTRUE STORY: I almost NEVER record Yahoo sports show. But I noticed I had one from last week. So,instead of deleting I take a look. And Kawakami,with Dan Dibley are talking about who might be the next Warrior coach. And Sportswriter of the year Tim Kawakami is on live TV saying that he thinks its almost a sure thing Kerr will go to the Knicks,with the Warriors being next in line if things fall through. "But I don't think that will change"..then Kozimor goes to a breaking live story: The Warriors sign Kerr!.
ReplyDeleteI had to laugh.
Local bozo knows nothing it turns out. Right up to the very last minute he couldn't get it right,50-50,and still wrong.
And then the next day? Kerr "is the perfect choice"..!!!
True story. We don't give a shit.
DeleteTrue story II. We really don't give a shit.
DeleteI've had people tell me they laugh at how many comments are on this blog about how they never read or care about my comments.
DeleteYeah,I laugh too. And I personally think jealousy adds to it-wink,wink,. How funny..writing to a blog to say you "dont care"..its just too hilarious.
True story. We still don't give a shit.
DeleteUh,Beavis? That's the third time you've given that you don't give now. Ah,go for four now as "right wing commenter 101" requires you to do....
DeleteTrue story. You're an idiot and nice lame attempt at a troll. And we still don't care. #StanFail
DeleteWhile Disney cuts salaries and good people, they're raising the admission fees at Disneyland. Can you believe that the per person cost to get into that extension of various neighborhoods of Southern California -- and I'm talking about the people who go there -- is nearly $100?!?!?!
ReplyDeleteIf Walt were alive, I'm not too sure he'd go for that. Actually, he would've sold off the place by now.
We all know television as we know it sucks. Period.
As for the putz on KGOne, he should be bought out. Does anyone care about his last name? Does anyone care about that yutz? His time has passed. Take your personal parking place sign and shove it up your ass, you ass.
There is another twist in the mouse house that has developed ....
ReplyDeleteAccusations of conspiracy, mental incompetence and financial misconduct, plus insinuations of kidnapping and incest, fly faster than "Frozen" merchandise off shelves as Brad and Michelle Disney Lund go to battle over their inheritance.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/walt-disney-family-feud-inside-706029
God bless the Hollywood Reporter.
DeleteAnd Rich,- to my surprise the San Jose Mercury gives you credit for breaking the story. Can't imagine the Chron doing that...
ReplyDeleteStan,
DeleteHow about a small favor. For all to see, why not give us a date when the story appeared and tell us what the story said, please? Thanks.