FRIDAY COFFEE*We begin today offering condolences to 95.7 'The Game's, Damon Bruce and KGO-TV producer, George Devine Jr, both of whom saw the passing of their fathers on Thursday.
*The CBS Radio mass layoffs are surprising at first until you know from the past that CBS big honcho, Les Moonves, has been thinking of dumping radio, or at least chopping it to pay for less profitable divisions of the CBS pie. The only surprising development was that KCBS would be a part of the el-choppo.
*It isn't so much the barrage of commercials on morning radio it's the type of ads. And they keep going and going and going...
*Armstrong and Getty are clever guys, do clever radio and are hearty and spunky...would be great ...for Fresno.
*The Chattanooga Marine massacre was the type of story that would have made for (sadly) compelling radio on the Gene Burns Show. Gene would have analyzed the entire episode and hashed it out with thoughtful callers and some, not so thoughtful. Incidents like those in Tennessee was the old KGO Radio's bread and butter. Now they have cooking shows and have talk hosts talk about what type of sex women want.
*Yes, god forbid, a professional woman TV anchor who spent over two decades in the Bay Area needed a sabbatical. What a crime! If that's what turns out to be the main reason preventing her a return then the business is a total sham.
*KPIX: Leadership is easy when you're #1. It's when you lag behind the others leadership is the most challenging.
*George Devine lost his dad on Thursday and doesn't even get bereavement benefits. Hey, union, why is that?
*Overrated: Brian Hackney.
*Underrated: Ken Pritchett.
*Overrated: Gasia Mikaelian.
*Underrated: Anne Makovec.
*Underrated newscast: KPIX's Sunday Morning.
*Underrated Sunday anchor: KGO-TV's Carolyn Tyler.
*Anchor coming on strong: Raj Mathai.
*Underrated: Terry McSweeney.
*Overrated: Heather Holmes.
*Mark Matthews, the loudmouth political reporter at KNTV (NBC Bay Area) sends extra Christmas cards to Kevin Keeshan, who is responsible for his employment.
*Speaking of arrogance: Roberta Gonzales.
*Overrated: Michael Krasny.
*Underrated: Angie Coiro.
*Follow me on Twitter
Heather Holmes is hot
ReplyDeleteNo, she's snot.
DeleteHeather is very hot in social media. ...Anne Mackovec is not!
DeleteHH is in that "sexy" time in her 40's too, and will work that to attract viewers.
Look at Trish Regan. .. now at Fox Business... she gives a great leg show!
I miss Diane Dwyer! She was great.
ReplyDeleteI'm not surprised that Lez Moonves hates radio; he wants CBS to look good, not sound good. Plus, that no-brain Panda Express wife of his just coincidentally happens to be a co-host on The Talk.
ReplyDeleteHey Julie, I'd like some Kung Pao chicken to go with the No.#4, please.
DeleteA Cooper, that's a pretty insensitive remark you made about one's ethnicity. "Panda Express Wife"
DeleteBecause it fills space to make it look important. It doesn't take much work that way.
DeleteWhy oh why does Rich Lieberman think it's appropriate for him to offer condolences like the above, as if he really cares...
ReplyDeleteWhat no Dave Clark:(
ReplyDeleteThe default category is "not even worth mentioning". He may have some appeal to a few biased minorities but put them under a truth serum and they'd toss him on the scrap heap too.
DeleteActually a fan of Hackney- should be used more as a science reporter like he was on KRON. His quake stuff is actually pretty good. He DOES seem bored anchoring and watching "lesser" weather people do his craft
ReplyDeleteThe radio marketplace is changing drastically in the face of enormous technological changes. At one point telegraph technology was an essential component of information exchange. Obviously that has changed.
ReplyDeleteWhy do some people, particularly here at 415 Media, react so personally to change.
YES, Radio is now taking a lesser role in the communications universe. Rich Lieberman seems to think it shouldn't change. Wake up and smell the coffee.
DeleteThe pie gets smaller. People spend less and less time with each slice. It's a slow death spiral.
DeleteMark Matthews has a reputation as being very difficult to work with.
ReplyDeleteThe staffers at KGTV, and KGO will attest to that. Anyone at KNTV care to chime in?
Gotta agree with Mr. Moonves - I don't like radio either.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, Rich, I've be wanting to contribute to your fund but I don't want to pay for a lot of unwanted stuff.
Is there some way you can do a pay-per-view option? Specifically, one that allows me to pay only for what I'm interested in (such as KPIX gossip)?
Good points. The person in charge, however, is not about "change" or improvement out of laziness and inaccuracy to many times. Oh, and censorship. Why donate?
DeleteFresno it to good for Armstrong and getty! how about Bakersfield. They both sound like they are from the Midwest not Californians!
ReplyDeleteIt's because they are. But who cares?
DeleteIf PIX doesn't resign King, and the VDLC experiment ends up a more official dud, might Medina - who seems to fit in nicely while Griego is on maternity leave - be a good choice once Griego returns and Cook takes leave? Oh, and sorry RL is suddenly turning on Ro (I remember when he was lauding Gonzales).
ReplyDeleteI like the A&G show. I listen driving to work and sometimes the podcasts with iCatcher app. It's a good mix of current events, life observations, raging against too much government at all levels, common sense and silliness. Combining this with having some interesting phone guest interviews with reporters and pundits. Doing it for 4 hours a day is not easy, and they seem generally prepared and not just winging it like some hosts who seem to just phone it in these days...
ReplyDeleteThey make it clear they are originally from the midwest, do not seem to aspire to be urban cool sophisticated folks.
I like them too for all the reasons you noted. Unlike Chip, Biff or whatever he calls himself who acts like he's a Bay Area native. What a phoney.
DeleteSurprised about Moonves and radio. He seemed to spearhead the launch of the sports radio network a few years back.
ReplyDelete....which, for your information, is not doing so well. No ratings, weak stations and not as much major market affiliates of meaning. That means, little revenue. Cumulus to buy CBS? Don't bet against it. The Dickey's want CBS Radio really bad.
DeleteAnne Makovec is great. Anne and Phil Matier make a good team on KPIX Sunday morning and have some great in studio interviews. I don't think there is anyone in the Bay area media who can match Matier's political interviews and Anne is very good too. Add Michael Finney in as underrated. I like the A&G show and have listened over 10 years. The downsides of A&G are the weak 910am signal and the screaming car lady commercials. A&G have pointed out on a few occasions that the commercials on theirs show are specific to the station and not in their control. Screaming lady is 910's poor decision. I turn the station as soon as the screaming starts.
ReplyDeleteKCBS is at the top of the ratings, and yet Jack Swanson has been commanded by higher ups to cut reporters? That makes a lot of sense.
ReplyDeleteThe folks who run the business of broadcasting these days, (not so much the news directors or PDs like Mr Swanson, who loves radio), are generally cold blooded, bottom-line accountant types, who could care less about the 'product' or the importance of community radio. Hell, I'd be surprised if any of them even
knew which end of the mike to speak into!
They are interested in one thing only: profits. And this angst to wring more profits in these attention-challenged time from businesses that are not bringing in huge scads of cash, is now t a fever pitch.
I know, the internet "has changed everything," but so too has consolidation which has led to fewer radio companies as more predatory ones such as Cummulus have gobbled up and ruined legacy stations in SF, NYC, Detroit and LA among other places.
I really feel for the folks who work in this profession, but worse, I feel for our country, which is getting less quality because of these cut backs which are mandated by these cretins who hide in their glass office towers thousands of miles away.
The most important thing however is that an uninformed public can be a very dangerous thing, and the folks who don't have desire or the patience to actually study and understand the important issues facing this country will continue to rely on outlets as Fox.
We all know what kind of quality they bring to the table; they obfuscate, simplify, and editorialize, because that's what they do. And many Americans who are too lazy or have no idea about what a free press is all about, continue lap it up, like junk food and delude themselves,
No wonder this country's collective intellect is at an all-time low!
If you owned a radio station of any size, you, too, would be first concerned about "profits", making payroll, paying debt service, paying bills. If you didn't, especially in a market no matter how small that has a half dozen or more radio stations, you'd be out of business and fast. Changing "culture" to the new paradigm is not easy and radio is so much on its way out due to lack of service and quality, is it any question why? It's not 1975, buddy, despite what you or others may think. It's all about the Benjamins and always will be - no matter the business or industry, not just radio. Ger over it and learn a little about busiiness.
ReplyDelete@3:37 et. al., if "you" gorged yourself on debt buying a network of radio stations (e.g., the former ABC Radio) and attempted to leverage that debt by slashing and burning... and if "you" found yourself up to your ass in alligators as a result... "you" could attempt to bail yourself out by doing MORE slashing and MORE burning -- until the entire thing literally collapses.
ReplyDeleteOTOH, if "you" contented yourself to a couple of radio stations, and concentrate on A) running them well, and B) serving the public need and interest, and C) selling advertising on them profitably, "you" wouldn't have any of these problems.
Pick whatever industry you like: if the product is diluted, dumbed down, and cheapened, yes; you'll lose market share. Further diluting, dumbing down, and cheapening will not reverse that trend.
Cumulus' strategy is quite simply a self-fulfilling prophecy. It didn't have to be this way.