It was startling and fantastic at the same time--Imagine that.Ken Bastida was the solo anchor and, more interestingly, the only anchor on KPIX's 5 PM newscast Tuesday. You may say, "so what." But you're missing the point.
It doesn't matter the circumstances, the newscast was a welcome relief from the usual visual oatmeal PIX puts out.
Bastida simply read the news. The only other talent working was weather anchor, Paul Deanno, who provided his usual steady weathercast-- this time, devoid of having to offer false cackles with one of the usual boneheads.
Bastida is a Bay Area native, a seasoned pro and it showed Tuesday. The newscast had a fresher look, a crisper pace and guess what? It worked. There's this annoying model that local TV News must include at least 3-4 people on the set to be successful. Baloney. Furthermore, as Bastida proved, one good newsperson can handle the chore and make the show more watchable.
Here's hoping PIX's experiment --assuming it was sort of--is a regular at 5 PM but I'm not going to hold my breath.
*I've been a regular supporter of Roberta Gonzales --the KPIX weatherwoman who does her job well, whether (no pun) in the evening or early morning. And I still am but lately I've got major issues with her.
Roberta, for the sake of us all, QUIT the annoying, irritating as-all-hell sappy talk. It's not becoming of you. It wreaks of pretentiousness --you don't need the PTA act on TV or the radio either, Roberta. They like you no matter what, but when you do the Miss Nancy persona, it' s a drag.
*You don't get inside information from a broadcast team. They're there to announce the game. Therefore, to suggest, that KNBR doesn't need to send a reporter to L.A. to cover a Giants-Dodgers pennant race series is ignorance at its best. Looks like the Giant's booster club is at it again.
*That second-tier, married anchor from a local station will be at Kokkari tonight with one of his 3 girlfriends sitting at the bar staring me down to no avail. The bartender can't wait. I don't blame him.
*KTVU has announced its expanding its "MO2" News another hour (from 9-10) which is good news if you like more news but bad news if you're sick of Mike Mibach.
*In case you haven't noticed, there's some subtle changes taking place on the air at KCBS and expect more to come, not so subtle and very much away from the usual KCBS model.
*Hey, KRON web man? You're snitch-status has become legendary lore around the offices. Most of the people are on to you. My advice: keep washing Raddy's Bentley and stick to your little seat, pinhead.
*Today on the Gil Gross Show, Gil talks to a man in North Carolina who says he can prove most men are really coyotes.
*KTVU's Debra Villalon: Looks like one of the Golden Girls.
*Underrated: A's TV announcer Glenn Kuiper.
*BREAKING NEWS! Jan Wahl just ate an entire Sacramento Sleeptrain cafeteria.
*I'm announcing today my new movie in the works: "Straight Outta Concord."
*At this point, to pile on Keba Arnold is counterproductive. I think the point is clear: Keba is more potato than meat, sorry Frank Somerville.
*Len Tillem: put away the ego and listen to some of your greatest media advisers, (like me) There's a lot of people who would love to listen to you, Loyah, settle down and have a meeting.
*About a month ago, a third-tier reporter (TV) basically tried to bed me down in exchange for wanton, unprotected sex. Oh, and a feature too--I'm not kidding and I can prove it and I will soon. Her name will be changed to protect the innocent.
*By the way, ladies: I'm expensive. But I'm worth it.
*Follow me on Twitter
And for Wahl, that was just a snack.
ReplyDeleteAnd please don't stand down wind of her after one of those dining episodes.
DeleteSubtle changes at KCBS? Hmph, sounds like me subtly changing the size of the shoe-horn to use on my ass when I take a dump after eating at Outback Steakhouse.
ReplyDeleteGot pictures? That's great if you do!
DeleteIf KNBR did not talk to anyone other than the Giants announcers during this series, I'd agree with you. But that is FAR from reality. Just during the times I've listened, I've heard multiple beat writers and other baseball media folks on the air discussing this series. I have to ask though, how do you figure that the Giants announcers who travel with the team don't have inside info, yet you think some other "reporter" they send to LA would?
ReplyDeleteI am hearing all the Giants news I need on KNBR. I cannot begin to imagine what kind of "inside information" we are missing that additional reporters would uncover.
ReplyDeleteSwallow the Viagra 'before' you roofie yourself.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy!
Glad to see you've finally come around on what the majority of us saw re Roberta Gonzalez all this time.
ReplyDeleteRoberta takes self promotion to a new level. I will watch PIX again when she is gone
Delete"Hey, KRON web man? You're snitch-status has become legendary lore around the offices. Most of the people are on to you."
ReplyDeleteBut...but...everyone got along swimmingly this morning. The a.m. crew was especially chatty and light. Laughs and more laughs. Good times ahead.
Because the Giants announcers work for the team and would never give out any inside info they have that would be detrimental to the team. They're cheerleaders, not reporters.
ReplyDeleteWe are talking about sports reporting about a local team, not uncovering the secret goings on behind Al-Qaeda. Typically this type of reporting focuses on the performance and details about the team without dwelling on the negative or searching for detrimental revelations.
DeleteKnowledgeable sports fans are capable of sifting through this information and reaching their own conclusions both favorable and unfavorable.
Suggesting that local sports reporters should be like Woodward and Bernstein, searching for dark truth about our local team is unrealistic and unprecedented. I get it that KNBR is in business with the Giants which means they won't bite the hand that feeds them but nonetheless provide enough information for me to understand what's going on both good and bad.
So true. Homerism at its' worst
DeleteWith MO2 expanding to 10am, it's more evidence they are emulating L.A. and San Diego local TV morning programs, most of which have been running their shows until 10am for many years.
ReplyDeleteMO2 on the weekends with Mibach has always been a three hour show unless Football or NASCAR cuts it short.
DeleteI think I have figured out why KNBR only hires white middle-aged men - they are the only ones who still care about baseball.
ReplyDeleteAre you sure? Half of the players are latino now.
Delete12:23,
DeleteTake a look at the large crowds in LA, and tell me that baseball isn't popular with young Latinos.
I wonder what KTVU will axe for that extra hour. Please let it be Wendy Williams, or Maury, or any show that begins with "Judge".
ReplyDelete*That second-tier, married anchor from a local station will be at Kokkari tonight with one of his 3 girlfriends sitting at the bar staring me down to no avail. The bartender can't wait. I don't blame him.
ReplyDeleteIf he gives you a look, pop him a couple right in the eye. Then we shall all know who it is.
Rich, you get two Demerits today, for badmouthing on Jan Wahl.
ReplyDeleteOne day, you'll decide to tell us when and how she got on your bad side, not that it's any of our business!!
Glen Kuiper is terrible. If his last name weren't Kuiper he'd be selling insurance
ReplyDeleteHey now, that's in insult to insurance salespeople.
DeleteThe A's radio broadcasters are dull--no humor, no baseball stories, no baseball charm. Just robotically reporting without any nuance.
Delete*Underrated: A's TV announcer Glenn Kuiper.
ReplyDeleteHis brother thinks he's an ass.....
Personally I am sick & freaking tired of KPIX in the mornings telling us, "Oh look at San Jose Mineta Airport, or Oh Look, There's Levi Stadium!" I could give two shits less about those landmarks in the South Bay...er, ah...Roberta....
ReplyDeleteWhat most folks don't realize, and certainly our local Media Outlets, is that the South Bay's population may be large, but it made up Largely of Immigrants. And that the Immigrants have their "own" Media Outlets that they watch, due to the fact that these outlets speak their native language! Hint, hint...that's most likely why the South Bay's NBC Bay Area does not work in San Jose! Because nobody in the North Bay/East Bay/West Bay gives a Rat's Behind about what happens in the South Bay "Trust"...Because it's the Suburbs, truth be told!
What an ignorant and just plain stupid comment. I could feel the hatred coming out of you.
DeleteWow that's one amazing (read: ignorant) post 5:29. How much time have you actually spent in the south bay? I was born and raised there and have lived there the vast majority of my life. You make it sound as though the south bay is made of of 90% Spanish speaking people. I think there's a very large percentage of folks in the rest of the Bay Area who DO care about what happens in the south bay. If you don't like the south bay, that's fine, stay away from it. But don't make comments about things you have no clue about.
DeleteThis is funny. Really. Laughable. I'll guess that you're just trying to be provocative here. If that is the case, good for you- success. As for your comments about the makeup of the South Bay, if you're saying, like most Americans, residents there trace their antecedents to another land-- you are correct. The vast majority in that area, 'made the journey' a very long time ago, and can point to generations of productive citizens in their families. It is one of the most diverse, successful areas in the state, country, and world. People of many backgrounds work together, and get along far better than many in other communities. With about 2 million people, the 'south bay' comprises the largest audience in the bay area. Like everyone else, they sample TV, radio, internet, and print. Those are their "own" Media Outlets.
DeleteIf you have a point to make about people not being interested in news outside of their immediate SF, East Bay, etc. region, then make that one, intelligently. It could be the basis for a more productive discussion.
@10:26 AM...
DeleteSeriously...Because whether you like it, or not it is the truth?! Absolutely "nothing" I said was hateful, or ignorant, it was the plain old truth, you've got to be blind not to see it, Smdh... Just take a look around you next time you step out your door, or visit the South Bay...
The South Bay has a large immigrant population~CHECK!
The majority of immigrants read their own language newspapers, or view their own Media Outlets~CHECK!
NBC Bay Area does not do as well as the other Bay Area Media Outlets~CHECK!
No one in the North/West/East Bay is interested in the landmarks in San Jose, ie, SJ Mineta Airport, Or Levi's Stadium~CHECK!
2:56AM, no it's not the truth. You're taking a small part of a region and characterizing the entire region based on that.
DeleteLarge immigrant population? That applies only to the South Bay, huh?
The majority of immigrants read their own language newspapers? Probably not. The majority of immigrants who don't speak English, perhaps.
NBC Bay area does not do as well as the other Bay Area stations? I don't know if that's true or not, but it wouldn't surprise me. However, you're basing your view of the reasons for that on what exactly? There are a ton of factors that go into the success of a station. That station wasn't even labelled as "NBC Bay Area" until 6 years ago, so there's a lot of historic reasons that those in the other parts of the Bay Area wouldn't have gravitated to a San Jose station. Regional viewing habits that have been established for decades don't change quickly. Maybe their newscasts just aren't as good. And NBC has been the worst performing network for a number of years, which probably has a lot to do with a local station's performance.
No one in the other parts of the bay cares about anything in San Jose. Did you do a poll to determine this? Did you find a study that determined this? Or you just assume that because you feel that way, everyone else does?
Your arguments are like visiting Solvang and deciding that the majority of Southern California is Danish.
@2:56 KRON sure does not fair better than NBC Bay Area.
DeleteYour prior advocacy of Roberta Gonzalez was 180 degrees off, so it's good to see you're coming around. She phoned in the weather report night after night when she was doing evenings, and was always trying to be cute and sexy. It was a sad cry for attention, and made the weather report unwatchable.
ReplyDeleteShe was like watching a buddy's drunk mom try and be appealing to her son's high school friends- awkward, creepy as hell and just wrong.
DeleteOK KTVU, go ahead with the expanded MO2. But, please drop the happy talk. The happy talk makes everyone on the set look and act phony.
ReplyDeleteMO2 weekends; there is too much happy talk. Please go back to doing what you do best, deliver the news.
So KRON4 is a major threat in the mornings????/
DeleteBra on resume chick has been filling in for Drex for weeks now. The amount of time makes me think it's not a vacation. I just checked KGO's website and Drex is still listed in that timeslot with a bio page. What's going on? Is this a test? Is she getting the time slot?
ReplyDeleteDreX had surgery.
Delete@6:26 - "DreX had surgery."
DeleteGreat. Do we have to change the pronouns now?
I was thinking Vicki Liviakis would be good on KTVU as an anchorperson.
ReplyDeleteThere's an explanation for KGO's rise from 1.3 go 1.5. There's an old drunk in Daly City who wears a PPM, and he passed out for a couple of days with his radio on.
ReplyDeleteThat's two books in a row on an upward tick...a good thing.
DeleteGood thoughts on the Bastida-Deanno team at KPIX, they're both sharp, to the point, each with a compelling delivery. Real pros! (Sort of reminds me of Huntley-Brinkely, the originators of ''team" reporting)
ReplyDeleteGood Night Ken......Good Night Paul......and Good Night for KPIX news.
DeleteW/r/t KPIX, ahh yes, everything would be so much better if we only let the old white men do everything. They're the only ones who can do the job after all. Let's let Ken single anchor anything. In fact, while they're at it, maybe we should see if we can exhume RL's favorite Dave McElhatton to shoot up the 11pm news....
ReplyDeleteDid they ACTUALLY cut Brian Copeland's show down from three hours to two just so they could add another hour of paid crap? Who is making decisions at that station?
ReplyDeleteMO2 is one big commercial for Fox tv shows and Disney enterprises....uuuurp!
ReplyDelete