*KTVU's direction: Early on FOX's influence can be seen and heard. A reader nailed it: "Happy Talk" invades Jack London Square. The end of an era. No more Dennis Richmond lose-the-chatter. It's couches and chit-chat. LOTS of it. From the morning to the early-evening and 10 PM.
This much is certain. KTVU is still the most profitable and successful-running local TV station in the Bay Area.
It has great ratings and brand. In spite of a whirlwind of new reporters, editors, management people, and a new business direction, the station may be changing, but the bottom line is preserved. But at what cost? All this new personnel. A new philosophy and thinking. Not everyone is thrilled. And because of the new owners and more lean operations Channel 2 is no longer the "we're all thrilled to be here" ship. Mainstays: Frank Somerville, Julie Haener, Ken Wayne, and the like.
BIG question: Are veteran reporters, Tom Vacar, John Fowler and Rob Roth long for the new management team? Stay tuned.
*KGO Radio: Talk about a rudderless ship. Complete chaos in the newsroom. NO direction. No real News Director, (sorry Debs), No Program Director. Everyone seems to agree the climate right now is tenuous at best. I know because I have been inundated with messages of complete bewilderment and murkiness about what's going on--NO ONE seems to know. Bloomquist is out. Bakos is running the show and that's a big problem to begin with. Ronn Owen's ratings are TERRIBLE. Not an opinion, just a fact. The new guy, Chip Franklin: Nice person. Not particularly great reviews from a Bay Area audience enthralled with a San Diego tonsil. But that's the least of KGO's issues going forward in 2015. By the way, in six years time, they've gone from #1 in the market to #22 and just got beat by KSFO!
*What's going on at KQED Radio? Not a lot of happy campers. "Forum Show" internal problems and a growing dissatisfaction with rank and file and management. Worth watching.
*Up and Comer: KPIX's Anne Makovec. Perfectly fine and settled in the weekend morning but might be headed to more of a primetime position.
*KRON future: There appears word that owners are no longer in the mood to keep the status quo --they don't have an excuse of poor facility and equipment failure en masse, Media General wants some results. Watch for a shake-up in the News Director position if his highship, Pero, doesn't stop his relentless poor management.
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NOTE: You can now SUBSCRBE to 415 Media! For $8.99/one-year --you'll get 415 Media in your e-mail box every morning plus exclusive extra dose of Bay Area Radio/TV --just click on the Pay Pal icon on the right of the blog and get your membership today--Help support independent media. All subscriptions are confidential as is the Pay Pal transaction. You also do not have to have a Pay Pal account to subscribe.
Spot on regarding KGO radio. From #1 to #22 in six years! Yet some dufus will come here and claim KGO radio could be saved by the likes of Dave Weintraub and appealing to the younger demo. Rubbish!
ReplyDeleteRich, pertaining Forum, I wonder if the in fighting stems from the passing of Raul Ramirez who was the longtime producer of the show. Perhaps a power struggle emerged in the wake of his unexpected passing...?
Larry Mendte is filling in for Ronn today on KGO. He is very good and it's too bad we can't have him everyday. Yes, I remember there was some weirdness in his personal life a few years ago. Doesn't effect his ability to be a good host to me. He will be on tomorrow also, Friday.
ReplyDeleteKGO has serious problems and it's a crappie place to work. Not sure how to fix it. In defense of Weintraub he was far from a problem even if not a solution. What he has to do with anything is beyond me but at least he let it be known how incompetent renee Bakos is.
ReplyDeleteIt's not about appealing to a younger or older demo. It's about good radio. Whether it's Ronn Owens or Dave Weintraub or Chip Franklin or Brian Copeland matters not! Good radio is good radio! And KGO is not very good and the staff is uninspired. That's what you get when you want all your workers to put in less than 25 hours to avoid giving them benefits. No one cares about working hard when there is no reward!
ReplyDeleteKTVU's Editors, both Newbies/ Veterans & Anchors(Hello Tori Campbell) need to Stringently Fact Check any Press Release from the Oakland Mayors Office regarding Yearly Crime Statistics instead of just Blindly Announcing them on their newscasts--Outgoing Mayor Quan Boasted in a Press Release that there were Only 80 Murders in Oakland in 2014 when in Actuality there were 86 Murders correctly Reported by the Oakland Tribune. Happy New Year & Keep Up the Great Work Rich!
ReplyDelete1:07 PM. That phrase sounds like a Mantra "Only Eighty Murders! Only Eighty Murders!"
DeleteI believe that no matter what KGO does, it won't do any good. They have inherited a now-terminal disease, being on AM radio. It's an ear infection. No one hears it anymore. Stick a fork in it.
ReplyDeleteGee ... If KGO radio ratings are in the toilet. And WAY behind all the music stations.
ReplyDeleteThey should switch to a music format. Such as "Scott Shannons True Oldies Channel"
A Cumulus dream ... Fire Everybody !
Well ..... maybe keep Ronnnn Owens as a fill-in DJ.
.....Just Sayn
Don't tease KRON folks with rumors of Pero finally getting shitcanned. He totally deserves it and it would be a very positive move for the station, but he's been relentlessly mismanaging that place for a long time and always seems to be able to push somebody else under the bus when the time comes.
ReplyDeleteMakovec filled in for Michelle Griego this morning on KPIX as anchor. She's usually an on-site correspondent in the morning and I'd never seen her anchor. She is good.
ReplyDeleteMakovec usually anchors on the weekend mornings.
DeleteKGO should allow Christine to interview Bernie on the air and publicize the hell out of it...it would grab ratings for sure (btw, any news on when and where that might ACTUALLY happen?).
ReplyDeleteNo it wouldn't.
DeleteIt's not like that brings back listeners. Be real.
The only surprising thing about troubles at "Forum" would be that they've taken this long to breach the PR wall around the station. It's been an unhappy, unhealthy pit for years built around an insecure tyrant with acute Name Dropping Disease complicated by Napoleon Syndrome.
ReplyDeleteAnd he no longer has equally-toxic Ramirez to cover his ass.
Maybe someone should track down Robin Gianattassio-Malle and ask how well her endless years of service were rewarded, and what was behind her reported overnight decision to chuck the lot of them.
Don't know if she'd talk, but she sure knows which bodies are buried and where.
Robin would be very easy to track down
Deletehttp://gianattassio-malle.blueeggmedia.com/sample-page/
Listened to Mendte on Friday based on conversation here. A harder edge than I am used to on KGO, but I like it and found myself listening longer than I usually do. In fact, sat in car for a while when I got to appointment to listen. Very good. Hope he gets a regular gig there.
ReplyDelete