MONDAY RUNDOWN
Forgive me for being late--much too much errands and personal business to attend to which is a civilized way of saying I screwed up and am late filing but there's worse things in life
The Brian Williams saga is quelled for the moment --which only means both sides have bought time. Not that Williams is coming back...ever. He's probably thinking about a book and offers from 4th-tier networks because he's done at NBC and the peacocks are taking a look at resumes other than Katie Couric. I don't believe Lester Holt is a long-term project--even NBC thinks he's too cable and I agree. It's either Couric or someone in the background like a Savannah Guthrie but her softballs to Obama pre-Super Bowl probably nixed her.
*Most of you seem to be irritated, really damned irritated at KTVU's new graphics and music. I'm not that critical because at this point it's fairly small and trivial--more to the point, as I indicated, I like the new look and sound. FOX has its style and mechanics and if this is the worst thing that happens to KTVU/FOX2, (its new moniker) then we should be so lucky. The business model has changed; the thrust of Twitter and Facebook into the modern news domain has dictated everyone's style of presentation. It's not necessarily that disturbing. Good content, always, will supersede all of this new change. I liked what I saw of Eric Rasmussen's special report on a slummy Downtown Oakland residence hotel that was old-fashioned camera-moving, detailed TV News business and reporting at its best. It wasn't sexy-looking but in a short time most effective and compelling--same too Steve Stock's NBC Bay Area report on the state's precarious levee system--if there's a big earthquake near the Delta we're all in for some living hell and kudos to Stock's info-special that spelled it out in its entirety.
NOTES: This is the beginning of sweeps so expect to see a whole lot of M-F talent and a slew of special news reports. Hopefully it's as good as Stock's and Rasmussen's pieces...The more I listen to Chip Franklin the more I want to like the guy but I'd like more "NEWS" talk and enough of the human interest crap out of the Bakos handbook. And there's a ton of things in the news...The suspect that was picked up, (and subsequently released) in the mutilated-body case, has died. The cops kind of think he was involved even though the DA let him go and didn't press charges. There's a story out there I'd like to see worked over: He mysteriously dies less than a week before he was picked up. We have a mysterious mutilated body, a dead suspect and lots of questions--paging Matier and Ross...Up and Comer: Nick Smith over at KGO-TV, (ABC7)...Still keeps going and going and going: Vic Lee...I spoke to Don Sanchez the other day and he's enjoying life...Willie Brown's column in the Chronicle on Sunday is a good read--about as close to the old Herb Caen as anything I can remember only Willie can't do six days. Hell, no one could!...The weird thing about Brian Williams is that he was #1--so was NBC--why in the heck would the guy risk $10M a year and job security for the rest of his life? To puff his chest out and impress everyone over false war stories? Bizarre.
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Perhaps Brian Williams has always been haunted by that piece Dan Rather did years ago when he wore some kind of dark Arab clothing thing on his head and reported from somewhere that had the aura of "forbidden". Perhaps Rather is Brian's hero and Williams was trying to "one-up" him.
ReplyDeleteWhat is the big deal with the KTVU/FOX2 thing? Does it really bother "people" that much? Turn the channel if you don't like it. Watch one of the other mediocre local news programs. You'll get sick of them too.
ReplyDeleteSo when is the sexing up of the 10 o'clock news coming with Julie Heaner and Heather Holmes baring cleavage as is FOX's modus coming?
ReplyDeleteI'd tune in more regularly for sure! Not a big fan of Heather Holmes' animal print outfits. Anyone see the leopard print yesterday? Yuck!
DeleteI agree with 11:57. KTVU's "Fox-ification" is in progress (or "regress"). Note that "Fox 2" is "THE WEATHER AUTHORITY." In case you missed that, every "Fox 2" weather segment will remind you of this self-coronation. Watch for more California stories shared with Los Angeles Fox O&O KTTV (forcing us to watch SoCal airheads blather nonsense such as "I'm like at a forest fire. There's like smoke. My precious hair will like stink all week. But there's like a nice hot tub at my motel. Now back to you in the studio ....")
DeleteIs Brian Williams the guy who claimed he beat up Jesse Ventura in a bar fight? All these stories getting me confused.
ReplyDeleteSylvester Stallone recently revealed that his Rambo movies were actually based on the life experiences of Brian Williams. So watch Rambo 1 through 4 to better understand what Brian has been through.
DeleteYes, and I heard he was very apologetic to the victims family because he was across the street from where Bruce Jenner's accident occurred, saw what was about to happen but couldn't race across the street in time enough to rip the doors off the Escalade and slam on the brakes. He got there just a bit late. It took a few seconds to end his cellphone conversation with Pentagon generals deciding strategy against ISIS.
DeleteWhy on earth would NBC want Katie Couric to replace Williams? Considering her abysmal ratings when she was anchoring CBS News, I would take Lester Holt over her in a heartbeat. Cable or not, he still has more gravitas then she ever will.
ReplyDeleteIf Brian Williams is to be replaced, my choice would be Tamron Hall. It is not about looks. She delivers well.
Delete"The weird thing about Brian Williams is that he was #1--so was NBC--why in the heck would the guy risk $10M a year and job security for the rest of his life? To puff his chest out and impress everyone over false war stories? Bizarre. "
ReplyDeleteBizarre you ask, not really, it's called.....EGO.
Did Brian Williams throw a deflated football at a sniper? I really need to pay more attention to things that impact my life.
ReplyDeleteWilliams will be back. This will blow over. Comcast, which owns NBC, can't rock the shiip being at the top. It has too many issues. Comcast sucks, but it is only partly stupid. There won't be any change. Give Lester Holt three days and NBC will come back screaming and begging on scraped knees for Lyin' Brian.
ReplyDeleteLyin' Brian- good one.
DeleteAs an amateur psychologist, here is the report: Brian Williams wanted the action/adventure stories to color an otherwise pale existence. He is a nice-looking guy, but not Hollywood handsome. He is somewhat smart but not a scholar (he dropped out of college). His career prevents him from partying, making a scene, doing anything that would bring attention to himself. It requires his life to be the background and his body/face to be the foreground. That is not easy to accept or do. So he adopted a much more interesting life -- anecdotes he could relay on Letterman, at the elite dinner parties, etc. He is Walter Mitty if Walter Mitty was a national broadcaster. Mr. Milquetoast. Nothing more, nothing less. The problem of course is that his job requires the one thing he had to give up when adopting this persona -- credibility. Oh the irony.
ReplyDeleteGreat take & well said.
DeleteHe's a common liar...why over think it? Rationalizing his motives, poor judgement and lack of integrity is like rationalizing a child molestation.
DeleteLester Holt is probably not on corporate's radar as being a permanent anchor for NBC Nighly News, but what they probably don't like about him is what I like. He delivers the goods in a serious, no nonsense style and doesn't come across like he's too cute for the room. The brass may think he's too cold and distant to be talking about piano-playing cats, but I'm an older white conservative male, not especially in their primary demographic, and I like the more old school presentation. As a poor judge of character (because I am distant geographically and don't really know the man), I'd still guess that he's a man of upstanding moral character, just what they need right now.
ReplyDeleteAgree wholeheartedly with your observation. Lester is the man for the job. I tend to watch him on weekends and avoid the network coverage during the week.
DeleteI tend to agree with you on Franklin but I have not heard much. Seems like a nice enough person but there's just not a lot there. These topics like "should pets be allowed in restaurants" and "is spanking your kids wrong" are just entirely blase. He really seems to me like a guy who works as part of a radio show and not a person who carries a radio show. Cannot imagine he'll ever attain a huge audience.
ReplyDeleteLester Holt - you mean Worf from Stark Trek, The Next Generation?
ReplyDeleteChip Franklin; at the heart of it, at the end of the day, man on the street an his constant "a-heh". Not very stimulating. He recently had a segment pondering the question of why women shave their nether regions, attributing it something I will not say here. Why does Chip shave his head? Let's ask the man on the street. Or not, That was it for me, I do not tune in anymore.
ReplyDelete- Yancy
He watched Girls on HBO and snapped. It was bad enough seeing the main star Lena something naked but when he saw his daughter getting rimmed that pushed him over the edge!!
ReplyDelete"why in the heck would the guy risk $10M a year and job security for the rest of his life? To puff his chest out and impress everyone over false war stories? Bizarre."
ReplyDeleteNot really bizarre for people of his ilk. He's incapable of seeing the big picture cause he's too busy admiring himself and creating what he considers to be big, bold and brave to fill in the ginormous gaps in his persona.
I like Lester Holt the most of all the national hosts of both the week nights and weekends.
Well you were right about 95.7 The Game's PD leaving. But not because he was fired.
ReplyDeleteRich predicts Halley's Comet is coming soooooooooon.....
ReplyDeleteWilliams was the first man to step on the moon. He later reported that it was indeed not made of green cheese.
ReplyDeleteWilliams didn't invent swiss cheese, he was the one who suggested the holes.
ReplyDeleteWilliams, the most interesting man in the world, doesn't usually drink, but when he does, he drinks dos equis.
ReplyDeleteRich, what is it with you and your creepy fascination with local TV weather women? Yes, I know they get hired mostly for their looks, but your constant fawning and then sometimes cruel and sexist critiques are really unnecessary. Perhaps you should meet a nice girl and you wouldn't have to be wistfully window shopping so much when you're watching the news.
ReplyDeletesuggestions for BW's replacement on nbc....
ReplyDelete1. get Nora O'Donnell from CBS - trade for a player to be named later and maybe some cash; she's got serious network chops but could she handle the whole deal ?
2. Gwen Ifill from PBS but let her keep Washington Week in a "charlie rose style arrangement"
3. really go next gen and get Hari Sreenivasan - he's young, very capable, got the "anchor look" and was a field reporter and has an Emmy !
4. forget Laur, Gregory or any of the other nbc back-ups
5. don't bother looking over at abc - they got nothin'
6. couric ?? wasn't that experiment deemed a failure once already
discuss..........
Too bad about Brian Williams, I always liked him, and this plays right into right wing talking heads perception of "the liberal media". Of course right wing media never lies. Not FOX, not Rush, or Hannity or closer to home Brian Sussman. Talking of which he has gone nuts this am (Tuesday Feb. 10) he is obsessed with the Williams story, keep playing the same clips over and over again. I haven't listened to the whole show, but off and on since 6:30 a.m. and all I hear is comments about Brian, or clips of Brian Williams. Really Sussman it is not that big of deal. Too bad he doesn't have the same standarts when it comes to right wing hosts.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I'm not really seeing a right wing/left wing campaign in the Williams case. I think fellow media types are very uncomfortable with the situation, and reluctant to condemn or forgive.
DeleteThe thing I'm having trouble with is this: why have we become so passive and complacent about big, whopping lies from politicians (of all stripes) - and so outraged about the lies and exaggerations of a Television Personality? Does Williams have more influence on our future than our elected leaders? If he goes- a great many others must follow, whether their titles are 'journalist' or elected official.
At least William's lies about Iraq didn't result in our economy crashing and the deaths of 4500 U.S. servicemen and 500,000 Iraqis, most of which were civilians.
ReplyDelete11:17 you have a good point. While Sussman has been all over the Brian Williams story, to the point of obsession, other hosts, even right wing one, like Sean Hannity and Tom Sullivan has been more forgiving. I was surprised to hear Sean Hannity saying he took absolutely no pleasure in seeing the downfall of Williams, and also saying we all embellish, as in: "you should have seen the fish I caught, you should have seen my golf game" Tom Sullivan pretty much said the same. Perhaps it is a case of "There for the grace of God go I'. Talk show hosts and TV personalities, bring us the news, but they are also story tellers, often to make a point or make the story more interesting, people embellish, I have don't it, but I'm not famous, and I haven't outright lied, but I'm sure it is not that uncommon in the media. Having said that if, and it seems to be the case Brian Williams outright lied on several occasions that is a problem. Sussman's reaction and his pure pleasure in covering Williams' downfall, is disturbing, but it just confirms that Sussman is a small minded hateful person, who will jump on any story that involves someone from the liberal spectrum, and totally spin it out of control. If I was Sussman I wouldn't be so smug, I doubt all his rants and ravings would stand a lot of scrutinizing, but since his show gets very low ratings, no one really cares.
ReplyDelete