The new regime at KTVU (FOX2) is hellbent on cutting out some high-priced talent--just ask Eric Rasmussen and Ken Pritchett.
Now, according to my inside sources, the next decision from management could possibly spell the end of one of KTVU's more popular specialty anchors: weatherman Bill Martin and/or veteran sports anchor, Mark Ibanez. It's all about money. It usually is.
Ibanez' contract is up in March of 2016. Martin's contract status is unknown but KTVU has been featuring wonder woman weather anchor, Rosemary Orozco, a lot lately. Orozco is both more popular and more importantly, cheaper. Advantage, Fox.
Also rumored to be in a no man's land position are veteran reporters, Tom Vacar and Rob Roth--both are highly compensated and in today's Local TV News world, a liability: they're both middle-aged white males. That's not a part of the business model at Fox.
We'll be watching.
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| Rosemary Orozco |
O'bigchichis
ReplyDeleteIs anything above a plump B considered large here in the Bay? Hmmm, when did that happen? I've heard that the average American bra size is now a 36C.
DeleteRichard Maddow is considered large by BA standards.
DeleteAll hail da nub!
Telemundo baby!
DeleteThat's it. Build up that morale. When you do the dirty deed, make sure you cater lunch and get everyone to rah rah rah. It's in the business model that some insecure spreadsheet lover created.
ReplyDeleteWith each and every passing day, the Bay Area media grows in irrelevancy. Keep pointing this stuff out, Rich. It's true and everyone knows it, but no one wants to talk about it.
Keep Mark Ibanez. A solid broadcaster.
ReplyDeleteThrow out the left wing nut Bill Martin.
And that is the sporting life!
Ibanez is an albatross who makes tons of money to do...NOTHING! I won't miss him, and that's really the sporting life!
DeleteAll this Oral Diahrrea about Ibanez; he's an Asshole!!!
DeleteVacar's contract is up in December and it's doubtful he'll be asked back.
ReplyDeleteIbanez has an ego the size of Charlie Sheen's and I wouldn't be sad if he left.
Martin's okay, but his forecasts are only so-so accurate.
Weather might be an important news segment in the next few months, so we need all the news authorities we can get. They even have ads featuring Bill Martin talking about surfing or something. Didn't listen since it was an ad.
ReplyDeleteWhen Mark Ibanez comes on, I know the news is over and turn it off.
I still think they could save a lot more by dumping Sal Castaneda and give that segment to the morning weather guy, since often the weather has a lot to do with the traffic.
Dump Sal Castaneda ? .......... noooooooooooo .....
Deletevery big mistake.
Why???
DeleteI'm not in the business so I don't understand this.....but why do they pay so much for sports and weather guys? Even the best of them, how many viewers do they pull in to justify their pay?
ReplyDeleteMs Orozco more popular? According to.... you? She's about as energetic as a turtle. I'd rather watch paint dry. Bill Martin isn't my cup of tea either, but he's got more spunk than she does. As far as sports anchors go, I don't get the allure. Nobody watches the local sports guys anymore. ESPN or bust!
ReplyDeleteESPN sports center hasn't been relevant since 1988.
DeleteOn Air Talent needs to be changed once in a while epecially when the existing talent is average or below.
ReplyDeleteLisa Argen..Best weather cast over the weekend. Need to seeeee more of her. Congratulations to Darya Folsom for throwing the "grandma" dress code out the window today. She caused me to spill my cereal while I tried to hit the "freeze" button on my remote.
ReplyDeleteThe race to the bottom is systemic in American media, from local weekly and daily newspapers (if they haven't yet been shuttered by the pull-out of ROP grocery ads in the 80s and 90s and the devastating competition from the Internet monolith in the 2000s through today).
ReplyDeleteFurther evidence is there for all to see in much of broadcast media. It is a sad state of affairs.
Add to that soul-less corporate ownership of many newspapers in regions like the Bay Area. For example, the once-vaunted San Jose Mercury News is emblematic of what once was the gold standard of reporting, opinion and photojournalistic prowess that has not only lost its luster but no longer sites atop its edifice.
The brainiacs who further accelerate the decline of media take no prisoners and they leave a lot of collateral damage in their wake: many mid- to late-career professionals who find themselves without a job and facing decreasing odds of finding another job in the same profession.
As long as the easily fudged bottom line is said to move in a more positive direction, or job cuts make a media company's stock rise, today's media do not even report on the human dimension of the demise of media.
With job losses, underemployment or unemployment come defaults on mortgages, families split apart by the stress, and the exodus of seasoned professionals who actually know how to spell and can actually ensure there are not any subject-verb disagreements. That's just for starters.
How many times have you read a story about a now unemployed journalist, editor, photojournalist, copy-editor, proofreader, etc.? How many times have you read a story or watched a news segment highlighting the very real and catastrophic effects of job loss in a shrinking media market?
Furthermore, why is it that media feel entitled to report on any corporation, government official, hedge fund, business, sports figure, etc., but fail dismally in reporting on themselves, media job losses in their own newsrooms and the dire effects their former colleagues are now enduring
The dearth of such reporting speaks to a lack of integrity and a lack of honesty. It is also cowardly.
Such is the state of much of American media. Let's hope for a future rebound, but don't hold your breath.
@Glenn
ReplyDelete"The dearth of such reporting speaks to a lack of integrity and a lack of honesty."
Neither can be expected of companies whose sole interest is the bottom line. And unlike Canadian and European media, reporting is anathema to those at the helm in the U.S.
(Nice post, BTW).