*Law of unintended consequences: The KRON Kato quagmire might be the ultimate undoing of ND, Aaron Pero. If the majority of the staff inside the newsroom had their way, Pero would be gone--destined for Sacramento or Des Moines.
The only reason he's still there is because there's no one to replace him. And what about funky cold Medina, the GM?
Says a KRONvict: "she's in way over her head--has no idea how to run a TV station." Which again explains why Pero is still at the station.
Says a KRONvict: "she's in way over her head--has no idea how to run a TV station." Which again explains why Pero is still at the station.
But Pero's continued rule-by-intimidation and make some reporters literally cry coming out of his office is not a way to run a program.
*To repeat: It's bad enough when a bad radio show is so bad that people run away but there's still a pulse. The evening insane asylum at KGO is so bad no one talks about and no one calls. Unless there's fake calls and a producer is brought in to aid the disaster. Where'd they get this guy? Off the streets of Chicago.
*The hot rumor mentioned here before: KSFO is for sale.
*Ted Turner was spotted at Market and Montgomery yesterday with a considerably younger brunette --probably had time to go over to Boulevard and munch a salad which he did early dinner.
*KRON: The cameras are toooooooo close. How stupid can you all be? Never mind.
*Follow me on Twitter
Folks who wonder why KRON TV news ratings are in the toilet have only one name to blame....AARON PERO!
ReplyDelete> KRON: The cameras are toooooooo close.
ReplyDeleteI used to work with Pam Moore and I never saw all the freckles on her nose that I can now see with this ridiculously close camera. As for Pero, good riddance. And take that skank Darya with you!
I don't know why some management types think that fear and intimidation is a good long-term strategy. Employees will run through a wall if you trust and respect them along with expecting accountability. As a former basketball player, I had a really good point guard tell me, "If you're worried about missing the last shot, you'll never make the next one." You can't do a good job if you're constantly looking over your shoulder expecting the coach to yell at you and pull you out of the game.
ReplyDeleteOne of the most baffling aspects of the Drex Show is that Heather Haman is now a guest host. What basically happened is this guy couldn't handle doing a show alone, ran through a few producers, they settled on Heather, and now she's practically a co-host. What kind of programmer would just allow that to happen? You launch a new show and then all of a sudden the host decides it's him and someone else who probably wasn't vetted because there's actually no program director?
ReplyDeleteHeather is likeable and has been around the business awhile. This is not a shot at her but rather a shot at management that just allows for basically anything to be on the air without oversight.
Who hired this guy? Oh right, a dead guy and two people who are now fired.
Whoever selected this Dredge guy doesn't understand the style that made KGO a San Francisco talk institution. With the likes of Gene Burns, Duane Garrett and Lee Rodgers in this time slot along with the other current daytime hosts as well as Spann, Wilson, Blue and Eason, he seems out of place. He has a nasally sound and a giggling co host that simply will not attract the typical talk show listener. He is better suited to FM rock morning blather. Even the now younger people will become adults some day and desire a more thoughtful and intellectually stimulating host.
ReplyDelete"Whoever selected this Dredge guy doesn't understand the style that made KGO a San Francisco talk institution."
DeleteTrue, and that "whoever," is called Cumulus. And, just when I was beginning to get my hopes up....
I was delighted when Cumulus hired Angie Coiro. Of course, we know what came of that. :(
And, I have come to enjoy Chip Franklin's program (it took a while for me to stop calling him Chip Johnson, who covers the East Bay for the Chronicle).
Then ... DreX! Sigh. Two steps forward - a marathon backward.
Maybe Cumulus has a two-hire limit, when it comes to putting ADULTS on the air.
I don't care how he sounds as far as his voice goes. The post above nailed it by mentioning the lack of oversight. Last week they had a Medium on. It really was a low point for the station. Say what you want about weekenders current and past,but this show is the most insulting program in KGO history. Completely miscast.
DeleteTotal FM material which is out of place on KGO. Like one of the other posters said, I too have warmed up to Chip Franklin. More like a classic KGO host with a strong point of view. Topical and well read. I don't agree with him much but he sets up a very listenable show in the mid-day. I'm glad he's there.
DeleteUnfortunately, Cumulus has never run "major" market stations, and major clusters ... except "cluster effs". That and $2-billion in debt will burn ones butt. Employees at KGO, KNBR, KFOG, The Bone, KSAN and elsewhere have no direction. Many, like Mel Baker, Drex, Chef Scott, Sussman, Radnich, Ronn Owens, Jenny Jones-Lee take the "it ain't me, babe" and are trying to fit round pegs in square holes and failure from board ops, producers, writers, sales and managers abounds.
DeleteSome employees need to stop hiding behind the apron of the SAG-AFTRA union. Yes, upper management inside Cumulus has now lost the ship's rudder and it is their fault. But employees and professionals are not doing the best they can. The esprit' de corp, morale can not be a nonstop mantra because "no one direct us." Then, head to Visalia, Tulare or Bismark. Maybe those not carrying more than their share for the better of pride should move on. You are not worthy. Some have the same mentality of Karel...Why not have "Go Fund Me" or Patron have people pay your way like him? Because he's a failure with the "it's not my responsibility" mantra and look where he finally is. Do your jobs and do it well, not just "do your jobs." Leave ego at the door and have the guts to see you are upside down if you can help change things you. I tire of the whining about how things are bad for you while Karen Reid thinks it's a "I'll work better if I get an equally fair contract." It doesn't work that way. Playtime is over kids. Grow up and do your jobs, not join the rhetoric how bad your $36,000 a year is...or less. .
Angie Coiro was a NPR type. Not overly exciting. They have no one entertaining.
DeleteChip Franklin is pretty much Ronn Owens without the international stuff for which Ronn hardly has a grasp of. Franklin just reads the paper, throws out a question and hopes people respond. Owens has been doing it for years, and I have NEVER EVER found him AT ALL interesting. Franklin is neither going to cause your rating to fall nor will he ever help your station rise. Just a guy.
DeleteHere is my take on some of the former and current hosts on KGO. I'm a long time listener Gene Burns was my all time favorite, with John Rothmann a close second. Angie Coiro was interesting and intelligent, too me that is entertaining. I like Chip Franklin, good sense of humor, good fast pace show, often has a different take on subjects, which is refreshing, if I'm driving or at home when he is on I usually listen, I do also listen to Tom Sullivan, who is on a Sacramento station (1530 am) at the same time, so it depends on what the subject is. I don't agree that Ronn don't have a grasp on international subject. As for Drex, I think he is a total disaster, a total bore, he lighter than light, he makes Maureen Langdon sound good, although I didn't listen to Karel much, whenever I did he was much better than Drex I guess Cumulus think Drex is going to bring in younger people, but I doubt that, The intelligence level he would attract don't listen to a news station is my guess. My daughter and son in law are in there early thirties I cannot imagine they would waste their time listening to Drex, he talks about nothing.
Delete"Lifestyle" demographic, TMZers will never listen to AM radio.
DeletePeople that manage through fear and intimidation are very insecure people. They are afraid that someone will see through them. They are afraid that someone will see they are in over their heads. They are afraid that someone will see they have no skill or talent. They are afraid that someone will see they are faking it. Aaron seems like a very scared little boy.
ReplyDelete"Aaron seems like a very scared little boy."
DeleteI think she handles that too for him
Was Turner spotted on the street or inside the Sheraton Palace? Was the considerably younger brunette dressed as a professional? Man this blog is tiring, you just give a coupla hints and I have to cook up my own fantasy. The Turner fantasy ain't pretty my friends.
ReplyDeletePerhaps he had some cherry pie as well. He is a Southern gentleman after all.
Delete" If the majority of the staff inside the newsroom had their way, Pero would be gone..."
ReplyDeleteAnd hopefully take Mister Ed with him.
If the employees of most organization had their way all their managers and supervisors would be gone.
DeleteRich
ReplyDeleteThe comments you post are just getting nastier and are turning into nothing more than horrible personal attacks. No matter how mean someone is, I actually feel sorry for the people being attacked here. I know they are not necessarily your opinions but you do choose to post them. Look at FTVLive and Newsblues. Those guys make a living doing the same thing you are doing. The big difference is they keep things "above board" so to speak.
I know you consider yourself more of a blogger, so the rules are different. I'm just saying that you have the contacts and have built a great blog/website with a following. If you would just keep things more "professional" you could make a full living off this website with mainstream advertisers. Don't change; just clean up your act. Just an opinion. Have a nice weekend.
I disagree. These people chose to put themselves in the public eye. If you can't stand the heat stay out of TV, Radio, entertainment, and Sports and work a quiet office job, As for advertisers they want eyes and hits, If you vanilla and you sensor all comments to political correctness, then people will find other places to express.
DeletePeople get very nasty about Aaron Pero because he makes the attacks and moves in the KRON newsroom nasty and personal. I think even people who have been in a variety of newsrooms would be amazed at how shockingly toxic it is inside KRON these days. And the record stands for itself: high turnover with staff. Potential hires who interview and then opt not to return after seeing the environment. Angry, bitter staff who no longer have any passion and simply go into work, do the bare minimum while keeping their heads down and who flee the building at the first available second once their shift is done. Not to mention that his only leadership seems to be that EVERYTHING is "Breaking News!" or "Just In!" even if it's old. Pero is a sad little bully of a human being and his attitude breeds the kind of contempt you see in the comments. But the bottom line is that the best possible move KRON upper management could make is to send Pero packing and move in new blood. Even the immediate boost to morale would cause a positive change in the product the very DAY it happens, not to mention the benefits of having a News Director come in who has actual ideas and knows how to lead. It would be a huge positive and could lead to KRON coming back to being an influential, positive force in Bay Area news.
DeleteDon't forget to send Stacy packing with him. She's just as much of the problem, possibly more so. Don't know how that has been overlooked.
DeleteRich, why are so focused on attacking KRON, KGO and KNBR and kissing Savage's ass? What motivates you?
ReplyDeleteCouldn't agree more. The many exclusives that you get have some of the 'shine' taken off of them by some of the nasty personal attacks that you allow to be posted from time to time. I think you would attract more potential advertisers if you also toned down the rhetoric and stopped always catering those who love lurid gossip. That's just one man's opinion, for what it's worth. Otherwise, I remain a faithful reader of your blog!
ReplyDeleteThere's plenty of people who can take over KRON if they fire Aaron Pero. It's unacceptable to keep a news director who cheats on his family (wife and kids) and has an affair with the morning female anchor. If he were to work at my company, I would have fired this kind of person long, long ago.
ReplyDeleteNot to change the subject, but the "Bring Back Erica Kato" petition is really getting up there now. I signed the other days and there were less than 20 people.
ReplyDeleteThe nice people in Sacramento and Des Moines are all saying, "What in the fuck did we do to you, for you to wish him upon us?"
ReplyDeleteThis is how the Pero thing might end at KRON.
ReplyDeletePero gets promoted to VP of News for all the Media general stations.
New ND from another MG station is brought in, and has NO ties to the BA.
Careful what you wish for.
Anon at 11:07pm...your scenario is horrifying, but to tell you the truth, that wouldnt my surprise me. The higher ups in corporate are cut from the same cloth as Pero, so they see the "worker bees" as the problem, because in their heads there is no possible way one of them could ever be wrong.
DeleteRich, if you can, please print a picture of this wonderboy, Pero. Thanks
ReplyDeleteHere's a link to his LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/aaron-pero/0/802/82
Deletei was just up in sf and heard that guy....and what did i tell ya....cumulus is going to all tmz radio all the time
ReplyDeletethey have killed the medium