I've talked about this before but it bears repeating: there are no Superstars in Bay Area TV News. There are some very good anchors but not one definitive standout who you can say is a major figure.Or am I wrong? I don't think so.
I like Frank Somerville quite a bit; so too Dan Ashley and Jessica Aguirre but while they are solid performers they don't compare to a Van Amburg, a Dennis Richmond, a Pete Wilson.
There are also a great deal of underrated anchors here; I'm fond of Carolyn Tyler at KGO; I've always appreciated Anne Makovec at PIX and I'm warming up to Katie Marzullo. Marty Gonzalez saves the weekend at KRON and doesn't get a lot of credit.
Then there's the mysterious appeal: Dave Clark at KTVU. Peggy Bunker at KNTV. Cheryl Jennings at KGO. I'm not necessarily ripping the latter anchors--I just never understood their appeal.
*I'll bet you a turkey sandwich at Tommy's Joynt that some Investigative unit here does a report on the Hells Angels. I wonder why.
*Yeah, it's now official: the obnoxious True-Car woman-screaming and yelling woman is hands down worser than the Kars-For-Kids monstrosities. Not even close.
*Is it just me or is there a mountain-lion story fetish here in Bay Area media reports? Look, we live in a geography that combines urban setting along hills and mountains. There are various critters that live there, among the rest of us humans. 'Nuff said.
*19 days of June gloom weather bummer: No Walnut Creek fountain MOS interviews and live shots of yuppies eating ice cream. Promotion dept. must be in mourning.
*Speaking of live shots and the Promotion dept: PIX's Paul Deanno incessant reports from the Eastbay burbs, like Danville, Livermore, Pleasanton, etc. We get it: PIX likes suburban, white, young soccer and little-league moms. (Good for sweeps too).
*Is Stan Bunger in reality a secret weatherman? God, the infatuation on weather embellishment.
*Please, can me have a moratorium on the AirBNB, Lyft, Uber stories? I get it, they're screwing a lot of people, but I don't have to hear 870, 000 times.
*SFGate in a nutshell: pictures of food, dogs and cats, multi-million dollar houses and lots of color. Next.
*BREAKING NEWS: KGO Radio's Jason Middleton has so impressed Ronn Owens, Ronn is buying dual manicure/pedicure sessions on Union Street.
*Not even close: KTVU's Steve Paulson is hands-down the best weather guy in the Bay Area.
*Speaking of KTVU: memo to management: pay Sal Castaneda before someone else does.
*Nobody is complaining because they have no alternative but the Warriors being relegated to KNBR's little sister of the poor, KNBR 1050 (as opposed to 680) has a lot of people pissed off. The Giants basically dictate and control the 680 broadcast and the Warriors know that; it's just t are that with the Warriors impending surge deep into the NBA playoffs (screw jinxes) a few big suits are shaking their heads.
*New contest: Guess how many times KCBS will REPEAT the SAME story every other hour win a free breakfast at the Emeryville Dennys.
*Gil Gross' wife, Rhoda, must have pictures.
*Pulitzer Prize for this guy on his Bay Bridge woes reporting: The Chronicle's Jaxon Van Derbeken. Just relentless and hard-hitting.
*Tim Roye and Tom Tolbert on Warriors'/KNBR radio broadcasts: very good combo. Not great yet because too many jokes. Sorry, I'm a stickler but I'm honest too.
*You don't really believe the guy that drives the used black Bentley and parks in handicapped zones in the KRON garage actually tweets, do you? You're wrong if you do. He pays an intern to do most of his work including blocking people he and the intern deem as thought-provoking or those with half a brain.
*The NFL owners meetings open today in SF. The hookers are having orgasms.
*Noted without comment: KCBS' golly-gee Susan Leigh Taylor asked John Madden about the pig she wants to eat at the Madden Bocce Ball BBQ next month.
*Home for wayward Bay Area TV/radio performers: the KCBS traffic airplanes featuring the likes of Erica Kato and Dan Dibley.
*Another thing that jumped the shark about 65,000 years ago: the Bay-to-Breakers. Seriously, does anyone really care about this useless spectacle of parading, drunk, urinating, fecal-faced morons? Go away, please and I'll buy you a case of Corona.
*Da Lin: why? (But he means well)
*I'm back, just as sweet as ever.
*Follow me on Twitter
New contest: Guess how many times Rich Lieberman wil lREPEAT the SAME story every other day win a free breakfast at the Emeryville Dennys.
ReplyDeleteRich, we get it. You disapprove of everything the local media ever does. No fresh ideas?
You missed it, 9:09. Breakfast at the Emeryville DENNYS was the real story here. I mean, go to Jacks in Pleasant Hill--far better for about the same price.
DeleteI'm grabbing dinner tonight at Patsy's with Frank Crosetti and Phil Rizzuto
DeleteI'm hangin' with Mattress Boy tonight.
DeleteThe SF Giants are responsible for 15x more income to KNBR than the GS Warriors.
ReplyDeleteContracts are contracts, heck the Oakland Arena held the Ice Capades instead of hosting the Warriors the last time they were in the championship.
The last time the Warriors won the title they played second fiddle to the frickin' Ice Capades. Let that one sink in.
Of course, the NBA was nowhere near as big then as it is now, but point taken.
DeleteLike you Rich I don't understand why KTVU still has Dave Clark Anchoring the Morning News. Now that Tori Campbell is leaving next month it would be Wise for KTVU to Dump Clark too and start with a Fresh News Anchor Team. Just today Doofus Dave asked Steve Paulson how the Weather will be tonight at the Warriors Game-Duh Dave the basketball game will be played inside at the Oracle Arena-What a Putz!
ReplyDelete@9:40
DeleteWho still uses the word "doofus"? Oh, that's right...the same kind of person who capitalizes every other word in his sentences. Doofus indeed.
I figured as much with Radnich. He's just walking retired at KRON,while he still hops for knbr.
ReplyDeleteAlso,you posted a photo of a guy on your Aaron Pero article. A bald guy,no glasses. On KRON's backstory "Aaron Pero" had hair,wimpy looks and with glasses.
What and who is the right guy?
Good to see someone else appreciates Jaxson Van Derkeben's work on the bay bridge miserable construction job. Never seen anyone stick to a story like he does.
ReplyDeleteExcellent reporting.
You think it's because he's sticking to the story?
DeleteAgree his coverage has been great but it's the Chronicle's editorial decision about what and how they cover it.
If it's not on the teleprompter, Dave Clark has problems. Ad-lib and "happy talk" are definitely not his things. Steve Paulson the best weather reporter, I don't think so! Sal Castenada and George Rask tied for the best traffic reporters.
ReplyDeleteThe AM traffic reports on PIX are really a mess and confusing. Way too many graphics on the highway maps, and most of the time there is no connection with what's on screen and what the reporter is saying.
Is Spencer Hughes officially the host on KKSF now? Please tell me this isn't the case. The guy is a complete bore. I did not much Care for Ed either but I just can't get over the lame hosts that get hired in San Francisco now. One after another after another. Is Bernie out yet?
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't be surprised if the dipshit Hughes is their new guy. 910 has some of the worst programing of talk radio ever. Totally clueless........
DeleteHughes has been nothing but a fill in for so many stations, he does not move the needle! Hiring him would be doing it on the cheap, a real second rate fill in.
DeleteI hate the bay to breakers and am so sick of hearing about it.
ReplyDeleteRich is Dibley also Logan Hall the traffic guy on AM 960 weekends? If no, someone else has stupid inflection too.
ReplyDeleteSee where Da Lin foiled a KPIX-van theft by shouting at the perp?
ReplyDeleteDa Lin, shouting? I gotta hear it to believe it.
On the net both versions of Pero. Like two different people except for the Adam's apple.
ReplyDeleteMost guys who shave their heads and get rid of the glasses...never go back to thin hair and wearing glasses. Unless "backstory" was filmed months and months ago.
Or,must be what Darya likes.
Sal Castaneda seems like a very nice guy. Don't take this wrong. I don't want to offend his fans. I think he's just okay as an on air personality. He doesn't light it up. Why do you think he's so good? Would he do well in NY or LA? Do you like him because he's comfortable like an old pair of shoes? For some reason, I'm not making the super star connection that many have made.
ReplyDeleteHere here. Rich, you posted his salary at 200k....this is not considered "paying Sal"? My God, it seems like it could be saved by half! I'm with the above poster. I don't see the magic.
DeleteMoi aussi.
DeleteCan you imagine Tony Kovaleski or any other TV "investigative" reporter going after the Hell's Angels. I'd pay to see that ambush interview.
ReplyDelete(Donning my sound mixer hat)
ReplyDeleteHow do you have an MOS interview?
Sommerville seems like a nice enough guy but he just doesn't have the gravitas of the heavyweights of Bay Area anchor history. He's adequate. Gets in and gets out. His Facebook posts about issues of the day are more real. Reading the news he looks like a cardboard cut out.
ReplyDeletePertaining wildlife you should've seen the hillbillies going nuts in the Santa Cruz mountains recently when a mountain lion "trespassed" someone's property and ate one of their sheep. The nerve of that lion! The media perpetrate the madness.
ReplyDeleteIn your comment above talking about the legendary anchors, I noticed that you left out Dave McElhatton. Did you purposely forgot to include him? Or are you saying that McElhatton can't be compared with Van Amburg, Dennis Richmond, and Pete Wilson?
ReplyDeleteAlso, I hate that you bash anchors and reporters that aren't good in your opinion. Such as Cheryl Jennings who has been with the same station for over 30 years. Maybe you should focus more on bashing KRON with its VJs and Radnich rather than bashing Sal Castaneda, Steve Paulson, Tori Campbell, and other fine anchors/reporters.
the bay doesn't have a decent hooker the owners are going to be Sol
ReplyDeleteBut, I like soccer moms.
ReplyDeleteAnd I like Peggy Bunker!
DeleteNo, there are no star anchors now. But the market has always been unique in that anchor stardom is what viewers think it is. Especially men. Look elsewhere for high-profile matinee ido types -- and so Dave McElhatton, Pete Wilson and Richmond still stand out as favorites.
ReplyDeletePeggy Bunker has aged some. She was gorgeous when she was on late night ABC World News Now. She made having insomnia a dream!
ReplyDeleteI will watch any time she is anchoring...or just reporting.
Deletes
Still miss Marla Tellez.
You've outdone yourself, Dick. Nice job!
ReplyDeleteKRON4's "Back Story" last Sunday had that pompous sportscaster featured. Showed IT pulling up in his Bentley to work. Seriously, what a piece of work. Actually, what a piece of shit.
Keep it up, Ricardo. You're back in business.