There's a lot on the plate. I'll be here until the afternoon doing my best to answer your questions.
Fire away.
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Who would you place in your top five of current TV field reporters in the Bay Area?
ReplyDelete1. Linda Yee-KPIX
Delete2. Christin Ayers-KPIX
3. Charles Clifford-KRON
4. Rob Roth-KTVU
5. Vic Lee-KGO-TV
Have to go with Amy Holyfield (KGO) and Tara Moriarty (KTVU) at the top of my list, with Da Lin (KPIX) and Roberta Gonzales (KPIX) at the bottom of said list
DeleteWho was laid off at PIX and when do you think the next Cumul-ation will happen?
ReplyDeleteNo on-air personnel --mostly video editors, people behind the scenes.
DeleteAs far as Cumulus, I remember reading posts about KFOG's future, be it opinion or rumor. I know you've already grown tired of most of the station, but sometimes I still enjoy the occasional nostalgic turn on 10@10 (It was 1973 today - Elton, Dr. John, John, Stevie et al).
DeleteI asked what was going on at KGO and someone wrote back saying that everything was on a "Need to Know" basis and, whatever was happeining, I would be calling Kevin Metheny a genius by this time this year. Is he a genius in the rough?
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, he's a real "genius" and I'm Kate Upton.
DeleteThere's a reason why he's known as "Pig Virus" and why his shelf life at radio stations is six months to a year--Cumulus just hired another retread pinhead as their market mgr in SF, he'll last as long as Metheney, the "genius."
Yawn.
Rich -- When are Kruk and Kuip going to call a game objectively when the situation calls for it? Yesterday, Posey ran the Giants out of a rally in the 3rd inning. The tying run was already at third with two outs and the clean-up hitter (Pence) due up. Buster foolishly tried to stretch his single into a double and was thrown out. Kruk and Kuip said nothing. In the 6th, Angel Pagan took a horrible route on a ball hit by Adrian Gonzalez. He moved laterally 3-4 steps instead of going straight back. A ball that could have been caught became a double. Again, Kruk and Kuip said nothing. A few pitches later, Matt Kemp hit a home run and the Giants were down 4-1. Pagan is a valuable piece at the top of the batting order, but he is NOT a good outfielder. He butchered a play Saturday night as well and cost them a game vs. Colorado earlier in the year by taking that ill-advised lateral trip and letting a ball roll past him into Triples Alley. Earlier in the year when the Giants were in Chicago to play the White Sox, Kruk did a pre-game piece on the homerism of White Sox announcers' Hawk Harrelson and Steve Stone. What a joke!! LOOK IN THE MIRROR, MEAT!!
ReplyDeleteKrukow and Kuiper are homers and part of the Giants PR campaign--and the FANS love them and they perform well and doing what they do best: root. It's most evident in the post-game wrap when even if the opposing team wins, they "pick" a Giant's player --that's fine as long as the team's amen corner is cool with it and they are.
DeleteIn the old days, not so much. But it's a different world today.
Agree that it's a different world, but don't point to other announcers and call them "homers" when you're guilty of it yourself.
DeleteGiants fans love their homer announcers, but Giants fans are also not the brightest baseball fans. The other day Hudson was getting shelled, Lincecum starts warming up in the 1st inning, Giants fans start cheering because they love them some Timmy, not realizing a starting pitcher getting removed in the 1st or 2nd inning is NOT a good thing. Larry Baer doesn't care as long as they keep buying Panda hats.
DeleteIs detente with Fatsnitch aka Raddy aka The Bloated One aka Gary aka Don Rickles officially over?
ReplyDeleteI said then and now that if Gary did something noteworthy/good, I'd point it out, some of it at least and I also said that if, in my opinion, he did something noteworthy/bad I'd call him out, which I did and will do in the future no matter how many times he calls me on the phone.
DeleteRadnich must be doing a lot of noteworthy things because Lieberman writes about him almost every day.
DeleteWould Cumulus ever consider turning KGO into another sports station and bring in the A's and Raiders as anchors? They could use 560 or 1050 for spillovers. That would put 95.7 out of its misery and allow them to corner the market of sports radio in bayarea. Gotta think sports at KGO would bring in larger audience then current programming.
ReplyDeleteNo.
DeleteIf anything, they'd turn one of their FM's into a KCBS-like 106.9 --plus KGO would then be competing with KNBR --I don't think even Cumulus could execute that.
Is there anything harder then trying to find Raider football? Ok,I still use a dial portable radio...but its amazing that "CBS 102 something' makes 95.7 seem like a Nuclear electromagnetic pulse of power by comparison. Even the Mexican Raider football station was easier to find.
DeleteWhy is everything Raider sunk to cheap junk?
Have you seen the Raiders play in the past 10 years, Stan? Cheap junk gets cheap junk.
DeleteI was in the car and tried to listen to the raiders game, I gave up when I realized it was not on 95.7. Between the management and product on the field, the raiders are a sad franchise.
DeleteWhat did you make of the Niners ugly collapse yesterday and does that augur bad things to come? And how about the Raiders? What a horrible looking game yesterday! Any chance that Dennis Allen will be fired soon? Put on your NFL cap Rich and tell us what you think!
ReplyDelete49ers: Not so bad --they blew it but really they beat themselves. I mean, it wasn't like they were going to go 15-1 plus Seattle lost. The NFL has a lot of crappy teams, even the good one like New Orleans and New England look mediocre. The 49ers will recover.
DeleteThe Raiders are dreadful. Nothing new.
Kap seems to be getting better but his passes are too damn hard to catch. It's either a laser beam or an inaccurate touch pass that's going to get the receivers killed when they go and get it.
Delete"Kap seems to be getting better but his passes are too damn hard to catch."
DeleteThe Bears didn't seem to have any problem.
Do you think Kaepernick (The Pick) is a thug? Or just a narcissistic loser?
ReplyDeleteNeither.
DeleteHe's an NFL football player.
They play professional football.
Ray Rice also played professional football...
DeleteNot saying Kaeperpick is exactly like Ray Rice, but his attitude, thug style flat bill cap, obsession with his tats, and poor quarterbacking make him seem more like a protothug to many.
Kaepernick treats the local press like they're his enemies. He follows his head coach's lead in that regard. Pitiful when you think about it. This has been a very successful franchise since the two got together, yet their one word, clipped answers (even when they win) are tiresome. Kaep should watch the way Manning and Brady deal with the press after a loss. They have class.
Delete11:39, the problem is that Kaepernick has no class.
DeleteColin Kaepernick is 26 years old and dresses almost exactly like any other young person his age. I live in Fremont where this is the way young people dress - except they can't afford all the tattoos and as expensive of clothes. Who do you want him to dress like - Wally and the Beav? The one thing I wonder about with all the guys getting this tatted up is if they'll think it was such a good idea when they're 40 or 50. Young folks can get away with it a little easier - old guys like me, not as much.
DeleteGotta love how 12:07 responds to his own posts. It's easy to scroll through this string and discover that 10:33, 10:51, 10:56, 11:39, 12:07 and 1:50 are actually the same bitter sap. Maybe it's the fact that his father bailed on him...Poor woodle ting.
Delete@1:30
DeleteFremont - no wonder. Gangland and thug central, that's why you see so many "young" people dressed like drug dealers.
8:37, excellent point. I know that at the office I don't see too many folks dressed thug-style, though I do question some hair"styles". (that being nothing new under the sun)
Delete@8:37 who also happens to be 8:55
DeleteAside from being the resident thug who loves to project, you're also transparent.
9:20, those are two different people. I was 8:55, someone else was 8:37. Rich could confirm by looking at the IP addresses
DeleteNice try though.
Still think the Raiders will have a better winning % than Cal Bears?
ReplyDeleteNo because Cal will probably win 5-6 games and the Raiders might win 2.
DeleteYou mentioned a certain morning sports talker's first wife the other day. In the past you mentioned his liasons with an African American anchor who was transferred when her husband found out and threatened to go public. The morning sports talker is currently married to an African American woman. Was his first wife black as well?
ReplyDeleteNo.
DeleteMy theory is Raddy was going through a mid-life crisis when he got together with his current wife and had children with her. He's discussed his days in college when he hung out with black players on his basketball team. He always wanted to be accepted as one of the "brothers." So as an older man, he tried to recapture that youthful feeling and pursue it to it's natural conclusion: marry a black woman and have black children. Now he thinks he's cool. He listens to urban music and socializes with blacks. This is not to say he doesn't love his wife and his younger children, it's just that what drove him to start over with a new family was selfish reasons.
DeleteHow do I know this? Because my own father did something very similar.
You mentioned Gary Radnich calls you. Why does he call you? What does he usually say?
ReplyDeleteHe called me after a recent post about a month ago he didn't like--It was no big deal --I only brought it up because he's the one who called me. Again, it was pretty much insignificant.
DeleteYou're being modest Rich. Obviously it is a big deal for you that Radnich phoned you. Why else mention it?
DeleteBecause I don't get phone calls every day from a sports TV/radio anchor asking me about a particular post, so it's unusual, that's why I mentioned it.
DeleteIf you think I did so for ego gratification you're wrong and looking for a fight and I'm not in the mood.
Sounded like Radnich took a subtle shot at Rich this morning when Larry and him talked about how critics of sports talk show hosts think the work iis easier than it is.
DeleteThanks for answering the original question, Rich. Fuck the idiot's whose sole purpose is to come on here and take shots at you for providing the service you do. They can go back to Facebook and their selfies for all the majority of us care.
DeleteWhy is KCBS on AM and FM ? Why be both places ?
ReplyDeleteSo they can expand their brand and have a news presence on FM plus they own the frequency, why not, they're only the TOP station in the market.
DeleteOne night. One female anchor/reporter. Who?
ReplyDeleteUh, I'm not going to go there if I think I know where you're going but nice try though.
DeleteWow, this guy at 11.20 AM wants you to name names and I guess give measurements too (i.e. 36x24x36 BrickHaus Material). We sure are a nosy buncha bloggers, right Rich? I admit it, men gossip as much as the womenfolk, but just about different people.
DeleteI'll answer. One night, one female anchor: Heather Holmes and I'll bring the Kleenex...
DeleteI'll take Darya. She seems like the type that would allow anything and everything.
DeleteElizabeth Cook; but more age-appropriate for me - Vicki Liviakis.
DeleteRich -- How does Tori Campbell keep her job? This morning, she was reading a quote, which was printed on the screen. The word "revered" was listed in the quote.
ReplyDeleteShe pronounced it "revv-erd." Are you effing kidding me?? Does this woman EVER look at copy before she goes on air?? Ho Lee Fook
For one, she's been there for 20 years and a few months before Asiana name gaffe, she re-upped her contract for pretty decent money so that alone probably spared her, plus she's a woman with tenure.
DeleteSome deep in the Cox Media hierchy, (owner at time), obviously felt she would not be made the scapegoat and she survived. I agree with you about her overall presentation--she's always flubbing lines but I don't see her making another contract when her current deal expires soon.
Yeah, that was awful, I heard that too...
DeleteName the 5 most overrated broadcasters in the Bay Area and explain why.
ReplyDelete1. Wendy Tokuda: she consistently flubbed her lines and did a lot of "uh's"--I never got her popularity but that's me.
Delete2. Joe Fonzi: I guess the nice guy look pays off but I can't stand the bland delivery and fake smile.
3. Heather Holmes--see latest post.
4. Claudine Wong: Impersonal style and rather mediocre on air but for some reason she has a high q rating especially with men, I wonder why.
5. Jon Bristow --he has a great speaking voice --too bad he can't interview anyone .
Really? I'm surprised Ron Owens and Copie aren't on this list. You'll take any opportunity to trash the two of them.
Deleteyou said overrated.
Deleteno one thinks Owens or Copie are good. especially arbitron.
Rich, Bob Fitzgerald seemed to do a good job filling in for Ted Robinson yesterday. Larry Krueger this morning actually complemented him for being able to foreshadow a big touchdown by the Bears yesterday. I know you're a friend of Ted's, but I think the 49ers could seamlessly transition to "Fitz" as the 49ers radio play-by-play. And doing 49er games wouldn't interfere with Warriors work as the Niners only play once a week.
ReplyDeleteI actually heard Fitzgerald and thought he did a great job too, especially with Tim Ryan, but he's doing the 49ers next game and he's done.
DeleteTed Robinson is pretty IN at the 49ers and has nothing to worry about his job status long term--this was a suspension not an audition for Fitz.
Especially when Ted recently signed a five-year extension.
Trust me.
If the 49ers want to put the final dagger in what little is left of their reputation, it would only make sense they should hire Fitz. He'll defend McDonald, Culliver and Aldon Smith to the death.
Delete1:58, well said.
DeleteI had two teams I cheered for in the NFL, one in the AFC (Broncos, my first favorite football team), and one in the NFC, the 49ers. Much as I don't care a out the AL in MLB, I no longer give a crap about any NFC teams, except that I'll cheer for whomever is playing against Seattle.
The 49ers handling of the McDonald AND Ted Robinson (one was suspended and really shouldn't have been; we'll see about the other one) issue was abysmal, on top of them having a thug QB. Bye bye, Santa Clara 49ers.
One has to wonder if Fitz did such a great job only because his team is the Bears. Who better to know the ins and outs and sound intelligent about the opposing team than a lifelong Chicago guy.
DeleteRich I love the "Cougars don't play games" ad on your website today for cougarlife.com. Have you ever partaken in their service? Can you vouch for their service? I love me some cougars.
DeleteHey Rudy: Did you respond at 137 and 158?
DeleteHow long until Elizabeth Cook is out of a job? She can't say her lines, she visibly annoys her coanchors, and she makes lightweights look substantial. Any chance KPIX will kill off Teen Beat and install VdlC in all the prime slots?
ReplyDeleteCook has a very influential dad who's an exec at Disney. So she's safe, for now.
DeleteShe looked pretty good in the Thursday night football ad. If she keeps it up, we'll have to revisit the situation following the season.
DeleteGonzalas is the annoying zilch. I know of at least one person that won't watch a program that includes her. Got that advertisers?
Rich, something has been troubling me ever since KGO was unable to respond to the Napa earthquake for hours.
ReplyDeleteIn my ancient radio days, KGO was one of the emergency broadcast stations. Has all that gone by the wayside? In a real emergency, twitter, cell phones, etc. will not function. We will rely on AM radio to give us instructions. What is **supposed** to happen at KGO when there is an emergency? Does the board op take over, perhaps?
I believe that's KCBS' chore now.
DeleteKCBS 740 is the Primary, KQED is the Secondary back-up.
DeleteKGO is still an EBS / EANS relay station. It hasn't been the primary since 2004. It will, however, still disseminate information relayed from KCBS or KQED. KCBS is the primary for stations in San Jose, along with several relay stations. KSJO, I believe, is the local backup for San Jose.
DeleteThanks. I wonder when KGO surrendered its responsibility to the EBS.
Deleteright about the time ron Owens was telling us all how great cumulus is.
DeleteAnything new on Sarah and Vinnie getting along or not?
ReplyDeleteHe can't stand her. She can't stand him. I expect this might mean they have a boxing match to settle things, but don't hold you're breath --oh, they'll deny this too.
DeleteWho cares? And why?
Deletewhere are you getting this information? the whole morning crew seems to get along just fine. listen to their secret show. be honest FOR ONCE
DeleteWhy is the male news anchor always sitting on the left side of the TV screen (from the viewer's perspective)?
ReplyDeleteGenerally the male anchor appears on the left as to not have the woman on the outside. It's pretty common in the TV news biz.
DeleteOn the outside of what?
Deletere: man on the left -- because that's where your eye goes to first. Ever notice how the shorter woman has to have her chair cranked up in order to be "even" with the man even though she appears to not be able to use the desk then ? and while I am at it -- sick to death of those "cloying" looks the women must be told to give "their man" on the set - YUCK ! and BTW Ama D looks like Dan's daughter....eeewwww
DeleteDont stations like CNN have a "7 second delay or such to prevent those prank callers from being on the air like radio does?
ReplyDeleteLike I wrote in a previous blog this blog has turned in to a mostly sports blog and to a certain extend about hot babes. Nothing wrong with either of these, but I'm not a sports fan what so ever, barely know the difference between basketball and baseball, and being a women in my sixties (use to be a hot babe) I'm not into that either. Would like some more info on changes at two stations KSFO and 910 am 10 a.m. to 1 p,m. slot. They have rotating hosts a women named Leslie Marshall have been on several times, she is not half bad, Spencer Hughes sat in on day. On KSFO they have had a guy named Bob Frances on several times, compared to Sussman, Levin, Hughes he is not half bad, not that I agree with him on most things, but he is listenable. On 9/11 Sussmann replayed the broadcast from the actual 9/11/01 and mentioned Lee Rogers several times, complimenting him, no mention what so ever of Melanie Morgan although she was very much part of that broadcast. What a small little petty guy he is. But, then I knew that from listening to him once in awhile.
ReplyDelete10;12 pm, Re' Morgan and Sussman. I would love to know exactly what was said, or implied or denied on the day of the Big Blowout. At a certain point, Melanie could not stomach those two
Delete'Katzenjammer Twins' anymore. Yes, I'm showing my age using that example, but so what, I'm still aging and I'm still raging.
I'm 10:12 I too would love to know what went down when Melanie quit. As far as I remember, according to Rich, Melanie got fed up and pretty much walked out. Don't know if she gave notice to management, I listened to the show a little more often back then, mostly because of Melanie (not that I ever agreed with her, but she was at least professional) and it was obvious from the beginning Brian and Melanie was not a good match, the show sounded forced, and as time went on, you could certainly sense the tensions between not only Brian and Melanie, but also Melanie and Katie. No surprise there, I think the show was just too juvenile and silly for Melanie too stomach it. Certainly could not have been much of a challenge for her.
DeleteHey Rich, is it just me or has Greg Papa become an arrogant, pompous, know-it-all jerk, both on radio and TV? I'm guessing no one can actually like working with him. Am I wrong?
ReplyDeleteI agree, have noticed that for years. Horrible cadence when doing play-by-play too. With all the criticism of Krukow and his homerism, he can't hold a candle to Papa in that department.
DeleteGary Radnich under-the-influence, while on TV, Monday night, September 15, 2014.
ReplyDeleteWhether it was alcohol or something else, Gary looked and sounded like he had been drinking.
The old fat booze bag always sounds like that.
DeleteRadnich deal is too laugh at people like you and say "I never drink.Never have". BUT he does like to drop the happy pills for his back he has said a couple of times on 50,000 watts. So no secret why he's at time's glassy eyed and slurring. Ain't easy at 64 to broadcast morning to midnight I suppose.. a lift is needed.
DeleteBut yeah,I've seen him blurry eyed,slur and of course just laugh at anything. Happy pills.
Whatever happened to John London? Is he still working in radio or did he finally thrown in the towel after not being able to lift the ratings with his nonsensical tripe! I remember that he was without question, the WORST host in the history of KNBR. Only Steve McPartlane was close to being as bad, or possibly Rich Herrera or Fatty Fitz.
ReplyDeleteHere's a real question and complaint: Why does TV 20 and ch 36 have kgo and kpix do a special newscast for them..and its not even in HD? Its in the old style 460p square box with black borders. When everybody has HD now..who are they reaching out too? The third world?
ReplyDeleteI hate the old style blurry vision.