WEDNESDAY DRILLStephanie Adrouny was wooed heavily by NBC Bay Area, (KNTV), for the position of Assistant News Director --the same gig she had for the past 14+ years at KGO.
Some of my Insiders at 900 Front speculate that Adrouny, who was widely respected and beloved by several staffers, was tired of working under ND, Tracey Watkowski.
"Trixie", as she's known derisively inside the Channel 7 studios, is an autocratic leader and looks over everyone's shoulder. "She's a royal pain in the ass", one of the producers told me. "She also rules by intimidation and that doesn't work here." So I asked if that's the case, why is she, (Watkowski), still working there.
"She has friends in high places at the network that still have faith in her."
Adrouny's sudden departure caught a lot of people off guard but the combination of tension inside the building combined with a chance to get away from Watkowski and earn a nice wage at KNTV was too good to turn down. Furthermore, Adrouny is a disciple of Kevin Keeshan, the former KGO ND, (before Watkowski), and who still possesses major influence at KNTV, an O and O NBC station. Keeshan has a hightop position at NBC News in NY and was instrumental in Adrouny's SJ courting. It also helped that she spent time there in 2000 working as a producer for the 5 PM News.
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*Another thing about KGO: their solo news show on sister station, TV20 at 9 PM anchored by Dan Ashley, is the BEST singular newscast in the Bay Area. Yes, The BEST. Ashley is consistent; a very businesslike, straightforward, no-nonsense and yes, engaging and entertaining news program that zips by fast and furious, is nicely paced and unlike PIX's abysmal circus act, is far more smarter and focused. And it even has pretty decent ratings, what a bargain.
*Here's a DREAM TEAM of ANCHORS, 2014: KGO's Ashley, KRON's Pam Moore, KTVU's Ken Wayne and KPIX's Juliette Goodrich.
*At KTVU, two lameduck managers--soon to be departing for Boston: Tom Raponi and ND, Lee Rosenthal. No wonder there's a lot of people with high pressure in Jack London Square. Combine that with the fact that Mark Ibanez's being courted by KGO--Ibanez' contract is up in March and seems less set with his dream of finishing his career at Channel 2. In other words, Ibanez will listen intently to what, (possibly), KGO has to offer. We continue to hear that Larry Beil would love to go back to his native Hawaii and "be a big fish in a little pond." The money would be a lot less but he loves Hawaii--who doesn't.
KTVU Add: With Fred Inglis' retirement set for August, already the station and Ibanez himself have been bombarded with tapes from interested tonsils. One local guy, (a radio sports fill-in), wrote to Ibanez, according to my mole,--this is no big news, but THIS is: the radio guy used to mock Ibanez' work when he did part-time gigging at a local sports station. I don't think the radio guy is on the short list.
*KGO RADIO UPDATE: The changes are a-comin' in September and they will be fast and furious--in the meantime, OPPS Mgr, Kevin Metheny is scoping the station and getting ready to implement the talk/news hybrid. KSFO too, where the morning zoo father/daughter mishmash struggles forward.
*Spencer Hughes, (aka: Sven Silva), the buffoon from 9-Noon at KSFO: hope you're still renting.
*At Comcast SportsNet Bay Area: the youthful worker bees in the newsroom are FED UP with the EGO-Prickster known as Chris Olivere. Says a staffer to me who asked to be anonymous, "He acts as if he's President of the US --what an asshole." Actually, assholes have more taste than Olivere.
*Hashtag #Likewesototallysuck at 10 PM's KPIX's MTV experiment on KBCW. Maybe they should go all-world and change the name from "NighBeat" to "MY Space News." Ba-Dumb-Bump!
*Ronn Owens on Israel and Gaza policy: We agree.
*That fat slob of a food geek, Grace Ann Walden, is an anti-Semite food geek at that--the fat food yenta referred to me as a "Zionist" in an ad-hominem attack on a Facebook thread. (I won't refer directly to the context but it was pretty gruesome). Another reason I don't do Facebook threads--stick to the casserole pictures instead.
By the way, Gracie, yes, I am a "Zionist" and proud of it--not a self-hating Jew like 99% of the Bay Area Jewish population.
*Jon Carroll of the Chronicle wrote his 798th column on cats--I think he really likes pussy.
*If KQED is looking for a fight with its rank and file union engineering department, then I think they're going to get one.
*Test-Pattern radio: 'Talk910' AM --The cryonics exhibit at the public library is more interesting. PS: When no one's listening it really doesn't matter if they don't take calls.
*KSFO new contest! Count the number of times the gravel-voiced chick says, "Thanks Brian"--Win a trip to Pleasant Hill!!
*Rich Lieberman and 415 Media are not responsible for comments made by others on this website.
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Gosh, I know Grace Ann Walden. She's a terrific foodie and food critic. She is not an anti-semite. Wanting a better,less oppressed life for Palestinians is not "anti-semitic". Palestinians, as much as it may irritate your zionist sentiments, are semites.As for the "fat" part, perhaps a little self-reflection would be in order.
ReplyDeleteI just came from Walden's Facebook page.
DeleteThat page is laced with more four letter words than a sailor's diary.
Does she understand how poorly she comes across?
Idiots with no argument play the race card (Anti-semite!!) whenever someone criticizes Israel. You know the drill.
DeleteTo Christine et al:
DeleteThe definition, in any dictionary, of "anti-Semite" is:
One who discriminates against or who is hostile toward or prejudiced against Jews.
Please don't pretend that it means something else.
Please don't conflate hostility towards a genocidal government with"prejudice" against Jewry, in general. It's a false construct.
DeleteYou know someone is in way over his head when his reaction to being called a "Zionist" is to say that is "antisemitism". Unfortunately this is the result of years of the Jewish lobby in Washington intimidating any critics of Israel with the antisemitism label. Rich, if you're such a pro-Israel guy why don't you move there and enlist in the IDF? How about keep kosher big boy? Is your idea of being a pious Jew stuffing your fat face with pig meat in china town? I didn't know dietary laws included won ton soup. Maybe you and Lowenstein can lay together in one of his mattresses to read the Talmud in Hebrew. You BIG time pious Jews! The both of you. Per usual your lack of backbone will censor this because it hits too close doesn't it?
DeleteRich, I see above that you have a Nazi admirer that reads your blog, how nice.
DeleteDidn't anyone know? Lieberman wears a yamaka under the fedora. His life was destined for the yeshiva but life's unexpected turns led him to blog. The world's Jewry lost out on the next Maimonides but instead we are blessed Lieberman blogs and dishes the dirt on the 415...
DeletePlease leave Spencer Hughes alone! He's a good boy. What's not to like? Don't answer that.
ReplyDeleteSpencer is trying to copy the Savage Nation with faux outrage and is even resorting to the usage of Savage phrases. What a faker!
DeleteWhat will KGO & KSFO even look like? Their talent in the syndication pool is terrible! Who in the world can they put on? Geraldo? Perez Hilton? Everything they touch turns to shit.
ReplyDeleteRich, give us your best guess on what KGO M-F looks like in October?
Duck Dynasty Marathons!!!
DeleteTrixie was a rising star brought in from Philly. Her star power diminished by pure hatred by the people who work for her. That's why Step left.
ReplyDeleteSo not true. Sounds like you are just jealous
DeleteHey 9:41 Yes, sign me up to manage 100 people who hate your guts! Years ago Bay Area News Director had real power with big egos to match. Tracey just has the ego. Since Tracey enjoys her role as an asshole they let her be. Jealous of anyone in the TV news biz.... are you out of you fucking mind?
DeleteHAH! Christine nailed it! Way to go.....as to Spencer Hughes - "what's not to like?" - What IS to like?? One of the most difficult-to-listen-to hosts who ever clogged the airwaves. Here's hoping he's not part of KGO's reincarnation. His brief stint some years ago was a disaster. And yes - Ronn knows his Israeli/Gaza/Palestinian history and speaks quite eloquently on the topic.
ReplyDeletewow This is exactly what this woman said... she is horrible and has 0 Clue a dangerous person to stick up for....... I am shocked at her ignorance ///
ReplyDeleteGraceAnn Walden
July 24
.Israel's war crimes continue. They have blockaded Gaza for 8 years. The Palestinians are locked down and then bombed. Today, Israel killed more civilians, especially children. A retired IDF spokesperson called them collateral damage.
How can anyone, with a conscience, continue to support Israel?
Are you paying any attention whatsoever to the attacks on Israel from Hamas? If all those thousands of rockets were headed towards your community, would you be inclined to stop them?
DeleteDear Adella...I've been paying lots of attention and I'm sure you'd want all Americans to know that the rockets from Gaza can't be used to "target" Israeli cities or anything else. They have no guidance systems, no telemetry. As for their being stopped hypothetically in "my community", I would hope to have protection from that very effective missile defense system, Iron Dome which has prevented even a feather from falling on Tel Aviv. That defense system was a gift of the American taxpayer and President Obama to Israel. We also give billions to Israel every year which they in turn, and upon agreement, use to buy armaments from our defense contractors. This keeps the military/'industrial complex profitable. Those mortar shells and other ballistics plowing into Gaza and killing mostly innocents, are marked "made in the USA". Even CNN dared to report that tonight.
DeleteIn any event, you're right, I'd stop them, but I'd do it without committing genocide. Do you think perhaps that living in a blockaded outdoor open prison where Israel controls your access to sea,your airspace, your banking options, and even your calories, do you think you might not want to kiss their ass?Do you think you might even make a tunnel? I know of no community near mine, where I hold the inhabitants effectively as prisoners, so that they wish to lob bottle rockets on steroids in my general direction.
Christine don't confuse people with facts. I don't listen to the shrill voices of Savage and "The Voice of Reason" Owens, you know what you are going to get from them. Has Ronn had Alan Dershowitz on lately? I'm sure he hasn't had Max Blumenthal on. One of those self hating Jew's.
DeleteMax's "Goliath" book starts out with a Steinbeck quote:
Free men cannot start a war, but once it is started, they can fight on in defeat. Herd men, followers of a leader, cannot do that, and so it is always the herd men who win battles and the free men who win wars.
John Steinbeck, The Moon is Down
US novelist (1902 - 1968)
Hopefully the religious herd men from both sides don't destroy us all.
As David Brooks pointed out a few years ago. The wealthy Israeli's aren't stupid. They've got homes in the USA.
i am a jew and i like grace ann...you insulted her! not fair! i protest!
ReplyDeleteRich, Why does KGO keep Matt Ray around? He might be a nice guy, but he totally sucks on the radio. He cuts people off and is always using traffic and weather to escape his poor performance. Christine C. would be a much better choice for this station. What's going on here?
ReplyDeleteI like Christine, and I'm also a big fan of Matt Ray. I think he's a keeper. All of the hosts have to cut to news/traffic/weather at set times no matter what they're doing, so it isn't fair to criticize Matt for this. Matt is nice to his callers, he is respectful and lets them have their say. But again, if it is time for him or any other host to toss it back to the station, then he has to whether he's got a caller or not.
DeleteI wont say I'm a big fan of Matt Ray, but I like him, he is better than many of the newer hosts that grace the airways these days. He often has good subjects and I like his take on many subjects. Sometimes I think he is too nice to his callers, remember how Gene would tear someone to pieces when the came up with an asinine position, it was great radio. I'm not talking Savage or Levin rude here, but challenging callers who disagrees with the host is often good radio.
DeleteAs you know, Grace Ann is a regular guest on Ronn Owens, interesting. Oh and by the way, welcome to the fight!!
ReplyDeleteGrace Ann has not been on Ronn's show for quite a while. She says he (his producers) just stopped calling to schedule her...
DeleteInteresting. I called the CW44's NightBeat, the NightBeatOff and it doesn't get accepted as a reply. Yet this, "Jon Carroll of the Chronicle wrote his 798th column on cats--I think he really likes pussy", is published!
ReplyDeleteWhy Pam Moore??? I know you don't pay attention to things like grammar and meaning, but Pam frequently reads things that don't make sense because she either hasn't proofed the scripts or doesn't understand them. She's probably the weakest female anchor in the Bay Area. Even deer-in-the-headlights (Deer-in-the-Headlines? I like that even more!) Julie Haener is better.
ReplyDeleteGo listen to Weintrab's show from Saturday. Part of it was posted on the kgo Facebook page. Consider me a fan now. No one on the station was as honest and straight about as he was. Mega dittos!
ReplyDeleteNobody cares what Weintraub has to say...are you sure it wasn't Bartholomeu? They both sound identical...
Delete@ 10:54pm I care what Weintraub has to say. Yes, that was him on the air last weekend. I was listening. I don't think he and Bartholomew sound identical. I really don't like Bartholomew. I wish he'd go away. Weintraub is definitely better.
DeleteThey don't sound anything alike and your trolling of these comments is getting old. I just listened to it myself. I like how he can balance the seriousness of it but yet keep it somewhat entertaining. I'd question his sincerity because of it but once the callers come in you can tell he cares.
DeleteAs for Bartholomew that guy is a half wit. I really can't understand how folks like him fill in and not people like collins or Taylor.
Of course they sound alike. The point still remains that both of them suck which is why nobody stays up to listen to either one at that unholy time of the night. Nobody cares which is why Weintraub has to troll this site and bring up his own name to gain attention. KGO is so sucky now that even those who used to pay attention to the shitty hosts are done. For example this past weekend there was some loud goon in the afternoon. Never heard of him. Almost brought it to Rich's attention but I went to jog around lake merit instead...
DeleteHard to take a person seriously who jogs around a place she/he cant spell.
DeleteI take the person seriously because he/she spelled the following properly: "Weintraub sucks"
DeleteAs far as this whole Israel-Palestine mess, I believe I speak on behalf of a lot of Americans who don't have a dog in this fight...when I say this:
ReplyDelete"Let them fight each other. When the dust finally settles, lemme know who the winner is--and they will be our friend."
That's exactly what Dr. Bill Wattenberg has been saying for years. Let's stop paying attention to them. Unfortunately the Jewish lobby controls our politicians. Ralph Nader just related a story about Conservative from Ca Darryl Issa. Nader confronted him in his office about supporting Israel no matter what and Nader quotes Issa as saying that he needs to support Israel other wise the Jewish lobby will call him antisemitic. Sort of the way tough guy Rich is doing now to any critics of Israel...
DeleteDan Ashley is no-nonsense. Solid anchor. He exudes trust. Unlike Ms. Jiggletits on KRON4 in the AM (go to the Giants game and show your ball) or Madam Botox on ABC7 (but she'd done at year's end). The anchors in this market (with the exception of Frank Somerville and Gasia Buy-a-vowel on Channel 2 -- they do good work already) can take a lesson from him.
ReplyDelete