SUNDAY COFFEE BULLET POINTS*KTVU: Staff and workers in understandable state of uncertainty; GM on way to Boston, lame duck News Director, reporter-a-day instability, continuing graphics and internal screw-ups and oh this too: one year anniversary of Asiana F-Up beckoning.
*KGO/KSFO: Metheny, so-called, "Pig Virus" starts week from Monday and the horror stories are already being heard and told all the way from Detroit to Chicago, and now SF. Saving grace: he can't do any worse --this all amid the major changes coming as KGO nears its hybrid morph back to TALK and news with emphasis on "Live and Local"; KSFO "Morning Show" in deep doo-doo as the station continues to be very much for sale.
*Screaming and yelling CBS O and O honchos LIVID! over KPIX screw-up on "new" and "compelling" 10 PM Newscast on CW sister station. Lots of pomp and circumstance with endless ideas and staff meetings, star air-talent, and the show is late on arrival. A few heads likely to roll or be rolled.
*Continuing unease at KQED with engineering dept. morale in its lowest stages. Heart of matter: managers who rake in high, six-figure salaries while rank and file barely get their fair share--complicating matters: management openly screwing with union reps all the while making it appear everything is hunky-dory --WRONGO!
*Expect a formal announcement soon that Ama Daetz will become the new, weeknight co-anchor at 6 and 11 PM on KGO-TV with Dan Ashley. It's been Daetz' job to lose and no one has stepped to the plate to unseat the steady, if not spectacular, Daetz who is solid enough and appealing to replace Carolyn Johnson. Memo to Ama: might be wise to vacate the practice of checking out Netflix between newscasts.
*KTVU ND: With Boy Wonder on his way out the door, an interesting replacement is early rumor-mill chatter. Wait to you hear who he is. (Psst, think Channel 7!)
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This mornings KTVU news featured Claudine Wong with less than a 100% golden voice. She made up for it by looking VERY good,
ReplyDeleteI noticed Karel's absence last night...I hope it's forever.
ReplyDeleteThis morning on KSFO Bob Tanem sounded mad at the start of his show "In the Garden". He said there were changes in programming and he wasn't going to give details. He did say he's losing an hour of his show for a six week trial of another host...
ReplyDeleteThat is not good news. I'm surprised it took this long. Bob has had a long run on the air, this, after running a nursery for several years. I like his show, but be realistic Bob, you see the momentum of events. Be glad you're only losing one hour at this time. I will be there for you every Sunday while it lasts. I love to hear the talk about plants and flowers.
DeleteSo if Daetz takes Johnson's place that should include the 4:00 P.M. newscast with Larry Beil right? Johnson worked that shift also.
ReplyDeleteIf you're hinting that former Ch 7 News Director Kevin Keeshan may be coming to the Titanic--err, I mean KTVU--that would be great news. He should bring Keith Barry and Bob Goldberger and Greg DiRego.
ReplyDeleteKeith Barry is the man.
DeleteWhy would he leave a nice job in New York overseeing news for all of the NBC-owned stations to come work for a local station, again?
DeleteHere’s a Pig Virus FYI:
ReplyDeleteThe link below details the story of Pig Virus when he lent his touch (torch?) to WMCA in NYC. He destroyed the station, and one can’t make much of a case for FM taking audience because it was only 1969, far too early for FM to have much penetration in the market. What’s striking is how, after Pig Virus boarded the operation, people abandoned ship. Apparently, they could see through this guy and determined he didn’t have a clue, and they wanted out. Those were the lucky ones. Others held their noses, stayed at the station and were later fired. This was a long time ago, but it is classic Pig Virus.
http://www.97wwdj.com/art.html
Yes, how refreshing it was to listen to real Talk Shows on KGO yesterday. Karel is not and never will be a good host. He should simply Dj, and do it elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteYou ever notice you can see Ama's eyes move when she reads the teleprompter? I'm ok with Either Ama or Claudine, both are capable
ReplyDeleteI still haven't heard anything back from Jim Albright. I'll give him a call.
ReplyDeleteTake a listen to the KGO news at 7:00PM on Sunday. Mics being left on, garbled words, and spots being turned on at the wrong time. At the very end before Christine starts talking you can hear the newscaster say something about a mic.
ReplyDeleteThat's the outsourced news and traffic from Dallas.
Delete@ 4:34 -- The error originated with the board op at KGO, not with the people in Dallas. Additionally, only the traffic report was from Dallas in that 7pm break.
DeleteWeek after week 60 Minutes runs reruns and states that the programs are new when posted. Sure the programs have been updated when needed but the programs are nothing more than reruns. How do they get away with it?
ReplyDeleteKGO has had since April to line Daetz up for the gig. That they have taken their time says to me that they are not 100% sold on the idea. KTVU always moved fast announcing the succession of talent for the 10 over the decades. KPIX has never waited for talent to leave to have their replacements all ready to go. KGO too has always been quick on the replacements. Until now.
ReplyDeleteDifferent regime over there and it's summertime. Few in the Bay Area are even watching TV these days. They'll continue to shuffle anchor schedules for the time being. Expect a decision (not announcement) sometime in late-August.
DeleteKeeshan to KTVU? A Fox O&O? No chance. He was sick of news directing, likes his new job with the NBC O*s and would be like oil and water with the FOX philosophy. Re: Ana Daetz? She is the low-budget option. Was promised Cheryl Jennings job. With Carolyn gone, Cheryl has a new lease on life. Ama looks good. She reads the 'Follow us on Twitter' pitches as well as anyone. They can give her a small raise and that should do it. This should not even be an issue. They muscled the wrong anchorperson. If any of us screwed up as badly the GM with the Carolyn Johnson miscalculation, we would be fired. In fairness, not even he may be to blame. Disney cares only about dollars. They know only one way to make them. They cut. They cut. They cut. They do not invest in depth. GM got creamed in a recent employee survey and had the guts to face up to it with the staff. He seems to be a nice enough guy but needs to get his head out of LA, look around, and do a newscast that reflects its market. In doing so, he needs to grow a pair and stand up to the network honchos who care more about style than substance, who want to turn ABC7 into LA North or WPVI West. It's a sick place. You have staff photographers retiring at a record pace, inexperienced freelancers replacing them, and an understaffed staff running ragged from the GD 4pm that saps resources and content. They're just happy to make air and get their graphic spelled correctly. Middle managers aren't happy either. And probably not the news director. Or the general manager. Blame the ABC Network Pricks.
ReplyDeletenail hit SQUARELY on the head @9:42
DeleteOther anonymous: WMCA was Pig Virus' dad, Terrell Metheny. Given that it was 45 years ago, that should have been really obvious.
ReplyDelete> KSFO "Morning Show" in deep doo-doo as the station continues to be very much for sale.
ReplyDeleteBrian and Katie are off again this morning. WHEN will their replacements be named, either permanently or on a trial basis?
After Monday the 14th
DeleteHate to use this term, but the bottom line is that the broadcasting industry has changed so radically in the last 10-20 years, and much of it unfortunately has to do with deregulation. When that bill was passed in 1996 and signed into law by Bill Clinton, we kept hearing about how "good this will be because it will make the industry more competitive!"
ReplyDeleteWRONG! Mega companies have ruined radio and justified the cutbacks by rationalizing that the ad dollars and 'ears' that used to tune into radio have dropped precipitously. There is some truth to that, but again, the bottom line is that the suits who are running these companies, ARE NOT BROADCASTERS.
They don't understand or care anything about the importance of the industry, and how a free press not only informs responsibly, but educates our public.
But in this sick, venal America of the 21st century, all anyone seems to care about is MONEY, MONEY, AND MORE MONEY!
So the end justifies the means, and that means more cutbacks, less quality, more neophytes and freelancers, and poorer morale. I feel sorry for any young person who is getting into broadcasting today, but I feel even worse for the American public, which is not only getting an inferior product but is also being more conditioned to have attention deficit syndrome.
It's one of the biggest reasons why so many Americans don't even know what the heck is going on in their own country, let alone the rest of the world. They're too stressed out as they worry about having to pay their bills, and their drugging their minds in an effort to relax from this tension by letting reality TV and junk tabloid journalism wash over them like some toxic incoming tide.
Boo hoo, the world has changed.
DeleteOutstanding post.
Delete