Sunday, December 4, 2016

Enormity of Oakland Fire Tragedy hits home; KTVU Reporter breaks down; News Conferences take somber mode; Almost every Bay Area TV station commits full personnel to cover tragedy; Sunday 415 Media Report/Reflections

Image result for Oakland warehouse fire  As the death toll mounts  (24 known fatalities with more expected) the tone and mood of the pressers have become more tense and emotional, for both the media, locally, and national media folks too. I saw a reporter for the NY Times put his head down as Ray Kelly of the Alameda County Sheriff's Dept confirm the latest number of bodies recovered at a morning briefing.

*KTVU Reporter, Leigh Martinez, who'd been working at the Alameda County Sheriff's office Victims center, momentarily broke down on air late Saturday night.  The tragic events of the day apparently brought back memories of her brother's passing, I'm told. He was a marine in Iraq, all of this public info--Martinez is to be commended for a stellar job. She was at the county center reporting from 7 AM until well into the early evening.


Image result for Leigh Martinez KTVU Oakland Fire
Leigh Martinez/KTVU
*Virtually all Bay Area TV stations were obviously front and center on the story but KTVU deserves full props as the only station that basically went all out, virtually commercial-free --all out on all its platforms too.

Anchors Frank Mallicoat and Claudine Wong, along with reporter, Christien Kafton, performed yeoman's duty with a steady almost six-hour, non-stop newscast before Frank Somerville and Gasia Mikaelian took over late afternoon into the evening.


Image result for Oakland fire tragedy
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf
KTVU used its "KTVU Plus" side channel (due to college football obligation on Fox2) and continued coverage. Although information was still relatively scarce and officials weren't offering anything more than what was already known (due to sensitivity to victims and families) the gravity and seriousness of the tragedy demanded the attention. KTVU didn't budge and it was right not to.

All in all, KTVU excelled --a real community service.

*Where was KPIX?

Lots of red faces at KPIX, I'm sure, at PIX--where were they? Nowhere --until late into the game.


Image result for News Media covering Oakland Fire
Oakland PD Spokesperson Johnna Watson, foreground and Sgt. Ray Kelly, AC Sheriff's Dept
Even as the story was getting more serious and garnering more attention from both local and national and international outlets, KPIX (the CBS O and O) was running regular programming. Even when college football was on the net screen, KPIX didn't even offer an update on the situation.

Even more embarrassing when PIX finally had reporters on scene in Oakland, information broadcast was old news.

*As bad as Channel 5, it couldn't beat KRON's woeful action of running canned programming, (like, for instance, "Dog Town USA") At KRON, who the heck is minding the store? Uh, maybe nobody; even mediocre-challenged KRON should be ashamed of itself particularly when, early on, it was a very capable outlet.

*Yes, what you saw was correct. The major stations in town began using their star anchors; Somerville, KNTV's Raj Mathai, (who reported, solo, direct from the scene) Dan Noyes from KGO (ABC7)

72 comments:

  1. Coverage from the Bay Area news media is an embarrassment. It's a microcosm of the national media and a good indicator of why we ended up with Trump and Clinton. No commitment to "journalism".

    I hear the excuses that after awhile there was no news until bodies started to be removed. Typical AE thinking. How about finding out who owned the building, what other properties they owned - go find out what condition those properties are in, city officials - code enforcement officers, use some common sense and answer the questions that people have. Don't know the questions? Turn to social media. They will tell you. How about telling us the stories of the missing - each one of those human lives had a story to tell. We didn't hear about those people.

    Speaking of technology, do these folks not have any? No drones to get footage - instead they stick a camera on the mast. How about using your website to broadcast live (that's how I saw KTVU when I am in Sac) if you have network obligations? Or using social media to broadcast live - not Periscope - but live broadcasting. Anyone hear the buzz about Trump.TV or Obama. TV? Clueless!

    Lastly, where the fock do you find these wanna be reporters / anchors. Someone mentioned Wong not being able to ask a coherent question. WTF, she was amateurish. And for these highly paid anchors, every other sentence is Ah, Ah... for all the mugging that Mikaelian does on Twitter, she was a smooth ad libber - heard very few if any Ah's. Nice job!

    Oh, and the reporters asking, "how do you feel"? WTF, how do you think the family or friend of a missing one feels? Want to know the answer to that, Google Tommy Lasorda's rant with Dave Kingman's three home runs vs. the Dodgers.

    All in all, pathetic. But that's the state of "journalism" or wanna be journalism today. Should we expect better in today's day and age?

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  2. Bless Leigh Martinez's heart! she for a moment in real time capsulized our feelings about the horrible Oakland tragedy.

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    1. I didn't really know what had happened to Martinez. While I was watching, I thought her breaking down on camera was unprofessional.

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  3. The coverage by KTVU is admirable during this difficult time. When things settle down a bit and investigations into this tragic incident unfold, KTVU and other news operations will surely report on those events as well (we hope). People want to know what specifically happened and how and why it happened. Months from now KTVU will undoubtedly garner several local Emmy awards for their coverage. But I'm sure awards are the furthest thoughts from their minds at present -- covering this story with depth and consistency is currently top priority and most definitely in the public interest.

    Also, when it comes to print journalism, kudos needs to be given to the L.A Times. They have been first to break several aspects of this story and their online website has had huge banner headlines, much larger and with more detail than SFGate or other Bay Area news outlets. They are providing in-depth coverage with a small army of top-notch journalists who are relentless and committed to getting all angles of this story. They obviously have the qualified resources to conduct such incredible reporting.

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  4. Gasia was her usual out-of-breath self.

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  5. KPIX had Elizabeth Cook; KRON had Darya Folsom; both in on a Saturday evening.

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  6. You can just imagine from the pre fire photos what it must looked like in there. Cubicles of cheap plywood surely sis make a maze of that warehouse. Artists doing things they have no skill at..like jury rigging electrical wiring. It looks like any other warehouse cold in winter. So add the huge drain on electric heaters on cheap wiring. Artists also deal with plenty of chemicals..who knows what cans of shellac and or paint thinners- highly flammable were there by the tens of gallons.
    Artists are pack rats. They never know what might come in handy...hence the piles nobody seemed to really want to have hauled away.
    You might need the right leg from a doll.

    If any Oakland inspector ever saw that? How it was not shut down and locked is one huge mystery.

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    Replies
    1. wow! sounds like Stan has been to some of my open studio events...

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    2. I've been to a few. Great times. I wanted to be an an artist into my teens.
      Today I read what I thought- the electrical wiring in that warehouse was just a mess. The artist's who lived there were using propane tanks used for welding to heat water for showers.
      I know what smart creative people can come up with when they want to live a decent life on slave earnings,just living to get by.
      Sometimes it not to code when none are electricians or plumbers or carpenters hired for some wild show.
      Its just a tragedy so many good people died for just attending an art show.

      Delete
  7. If you ever needed proof (I didn't, but Rich apparently did, calling him one of the smarter anchors in the Bay Area) that Ken Bastida is an idiot, this was it. Couldn't ad lib from the scene to save his life, and at one point all he could think to say was the fire looked hot. Really?! Glad you told me.

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  8. Okay, this is going to piss a lot of people off, but a bunch of dumb hipster drug abusers overcrowd a decrepit building stuffed with wood, cardboard, paper, paint and other super-flammable materials with a second floor accessible only by a flimsy hammered-together plank of stairs, probably smoked weed to celebrate the passing of HH, the building erupts in flames and they all die. This is a tragedy?!? This is Darwin doing his thing. I don't feel sorry for people hit by trains as they text on the tracks, I don't feel sorry for people ejected through their windshields because they don't wear seat belts, I don't feel sorry for idiots who believe in "alternative medicine" and then die and I don't feel sorry for these morons either. As the line goes, Stupid is as stupid does.

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    1. I had alot of the same feelings you did when I heard more about this story. I feel sorry for the loss of life but alot of what you typed is correct.

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    2. A "staircase" made out of pallets?

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    3. Wow! what a man, you must have been legendary in Little League or Pop Warner. Even a swipe at "alt med", well good luck with your statins and the 10 other drugs you are on. You probably haven't run 100 yards in 40 years. I bet you impress the other "tough guys" at cardio rehab.

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    4. @1:03 Really? Darwin doing his thing? Now tell us how you REALLY feel. We can't wait for your sad, insensitive and pathetic comments. On second thought, we don't really need to read anything further from you.

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    5. 1:03 is. a sad reflection of stupidity and inhumanity. Without any evidence, blaming the victims for their own death is ridiculous.

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    6. You are a hateful judging disgusting human being. Some of the victims were underage kids going to a party. Reed Plumbing owner found two teens sobbing in his doorway not knowing if their friends were alive or not. People who you should be angry with are the POS who "managed" the property, the property owner and the City of Oakland who dropped the ball on this property that had years of complaints.

      You must be one miserable piece of work to take a tragedy that has traumatized family friends and an entire community. I live in Fruitvale. The loss is staggering.

      I don't know why I am even responding to your hateful disgusting intolerance. A lot of people went to a party and died and you have no empathy. I would hate to be trapped in your tiny unforgiving mind.

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    7. You have a "personal problem," it's called mental deadness, or social stupidity, you should talk to your family doctor.

      He/she will say you are an ignorant person but I won't help you because I can't fix "stupid," nor would I want to help you anyway because I don't like "social assholes!"

      So on behalf of thousands of people I would like to extend a great big "fuck you," you fucking moron!!

      You are the kind of person that gets pushed off the flight deck of an aircraft carrier at 0300, in the middle of the Indian ocean!

      Delete
    8. "Stupid is as stupid does."

      Indeed.

      Go to hell you piece of shit.

      Delete
    9. Oversimplification. 1:03. It is a tragedy. Some people were there for the first time.... just to see a concert. Could happen to anyone.


      Delete
    10. > You have a "personal problem," it's called mental deadness,
      > or social stupidity, you should talk to your family doctor.

      Actually I was discussing this today with my family doctor during my yearly physical. She agreed with me wholeheartedly.

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    11. Is this anon@1:03 foolish rationalization that no terrible tragedy will ever effect him?

      Incredibly stupid and cruel.

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    12. As 1:03 just showed us...this is a glimpse of what the "new America" will be like in the Trump Presidency.

      Suffered a death in the family or other personal catastrophe? TOO BAD--FUCK YOU!

      American is going to Hell in a handbasket, thanks to people like 1:03 and the new world order in the Trump presidency.

      Delete
    13. 1:03 is simply a troll, ignore him...

      Delete
    14. Here here, thank you. Couldn't agree with you more 1:03

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  9. "All in all, KTVU excelled --a real community service."

    THANK YOU FOX !

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    1. Exactly! Now let's hope they don't somehow screw it up in the next day or two with Sum Tin Wong 2.0

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  10. Sorry to hear about the fire, but I didn't know anyone involved. It's just too bad, and now maybe people will take building codes a little more seriously.

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    Replies
    1. The building codes are written in blood.

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    2. Maybe not blood, but black and white. They are there for all to see for a reason.

      Delete
  11. As a San Francisco Bay Area native now living in San Diego for the past few years, any news story of such magnitude like this hits home. I've worked in media, some of it news, for many years. On a lark, I was able to live-stream KTVU via the internet and watched for several hours yesterday, Saturday. I have just a few observations (positive ones) to make:

    Frank Mallicoat did a superb job of steadily holding the show together during the morning hours. With ever-changing and fluid information coming in, he was able to handle it like the pro he obviously is. I was overwhelmingly impressed by the on-scene coverage provided by Christien Kafton and Leigh Martinez. They are both invaluable to KTVU. And finally, Tom Vacar stands out for providing incredibly knowledgeable aspects related to incidents such as this. The details, investigative logistics, legal issues, etc. He did an excellent and exemplary job. Again, that was yesterday, Saturday, and unfortunately I was unable to view today's live-stream.

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  12. The Chron's coverage in this morning's paper was pretty good. I counted 10 reporters who were on the story, generally the paper's A-team. In-depth stories and good graphics inside. The Bay Area News Group might have had some excellent stories, but the mobile sites for the East Bay Times and Mercury News don't work very well. It's impossible to call up some of the stories. Ironically, they're owned by a company named "Digital First."

    KCBS was solid, as expected, but KGO Radio and KQED missed an opportunity. They could have gone wall-to-wall with interviews, calls from listeners, reports from the scene, etc. How hard would it be for the KGO Radio program director to call people at home and tell them to come in and work on this story, and clear the schedule of all of those paid commercials for nutritional supplement and get-rich-quick real estate schemes. In the old days, KGO Radio would have run with this story 24/7. It used to be the place people would go to talk about big news stories.

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    1. "KGO Radio and KQED missed an opportunity."

      Dave, it never occurred to me to tune into KGO Radio, before 10 AM. I just assumed that they would carry their 6-10 Baby's Playpen.

      Prior to the 2011 "bloodbath," KGO would have been the first place I'd have turned. How sad.

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    2. EBT/Mercury stories were excellent, and though their web sites indeed leave much to be desired, I had no trouble calling them up (on basic AT&T internet, no less). EBT/Mercury and Chron both had excellent coverage, I thought.

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    3. Both the Chron and the East Bay Times/CCTimes have fairly unwieldy websites, though I don't know how they would make them better. I think most websites have either too much, or too little, info.

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  13. Is Anon at 1:03 trying to prove that he's a heartless, ignorant jackass because he/she has proved the point.

    Do you think blaming innocent victims for their tragic deaths makes you a superior person? It makes you insensitive and foolish.

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  14. The last time we had a disastrous fire in the Bay Area the San Bruno PG&E pipeline explosion killed 8 people.

    It turned out to be a huge cash-cow for Bay Area Media as PG&E has run a multi-million dollar PR campaign for the last 6 years.
    Anybody know how much $ local media has profited from the pipeline explosion?

    No such deep pockets in this tragedy !

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    1. > It turned out to be a huge cash-cow for Bay Area Media as
      > PG&E has run a multi-million dollar PR campaign for the
      > last 6 years.

      Probably just replaced their usual media buys for the period.

      > Anybody know how much $ local media has profited from the
      > pipeline explosion?

      Probably nothing. If something, not much. You're an idiot.

      Delete
  15. Really 1:03, I guess you never did anything stupid or careless when you were young. I think most of us has, I know I did. When I think back on some of the things I did, I have to consider myself lucky that nothing happened, not necessarily that I would have died, but lucky never the less.
    Do you expect young people going to a party thinking, permits, sprinkler's? Certainly the punishment for doing something stupid and careless is not death, besides it also affect their families and friends. You being extremely insensitive and judgmental.

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    1. >Really 1:03, I guess you never did anything stupid or careless when you were young.

      No.

      > I think most of us has,

      "have," not "has."

      > I know I did.

      Bully for you.

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    2. Thanks for correcting my grammar, English is my second language and I never had much formal training, so I make mistakes at times. So sorry to hear you never did anything stupid or careless when you were young, couldn't have had much fun. Could be your limited experiences has left you heartless and callous. Frankly just doing something adventures could put you in peril. I don't know what you mean by bully for you. However, I do know I did and still do, live life to the fullest, (although a senior citizen)and have great memories, hitch hiking through Northern Europe, (I'm from that part of the world) picking apples on a kibbutz in Israel, in the Golan Height, close to (at that time) the border of Syria. Living in New York City in the late sixties, going to parties, dating, attending concerts. Wouldn't change it for the world. Living in different countries and trying different things in life give you a more world wide perspective.

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  16. The City of Oakland, the property owner and the douchebag resident manager have a lot of explaining to do.
    Hopefully the Oakland 'investigation' will also look internally at the Fire Department and building inspectors in addition to the cause of the fire.

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  17. Monday, 12/5/16, KTVU has Gasia Mikaelian out on the streets at the scene of the fire. I like seeing anchors out in the field occasionally. It reminds me they're actually reporters/journalists and makes them more credible as professionals. Great work Ms. Mikaelian.

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    1. > I like seeing anchors out in the field occasionally.
      > It reminds me they're actually reporters/journalists
      > and makes them more credible as professionals.

      Just because someone's holding a stick mike that doesn't make them a journalist. And Gasia isn't one.

      Delete
  18. Frank Mallicoat did a stellar job, much better than late to the game Ken Bastida on PIX. But don't worry, everyone. We will get Roqui Theus interview Victoria's Secret Angels tonight.

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  19. Well, I didn't know anyone who was involved in this tragedy, so I don't have any skin in this game. 1:03 is quite blunt, but he does make a good point or two. My feelings about all of this are the same ones that you'll probably have in about a year when all the drama is over. That's one thing TV is good for....putting on dramas.

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    1. Really 12:13?
      What good point does 1:03 make? The victims caused their own deaths? How? It's an idiotic claim. Please mention one good point 1:03 made!

      "That's one thing TV is good for....putting on dramas."

      What the hell is that supposed to mean? This wasn't a TV show. It was a fire that killed many people.

      Kind of suspect anon@12:13 today is the same guy as anon@1:03 yesterday. Equally foolish.

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  20. I'm actually surprised KPIX missed the boat on this, considering how late they were on the Asiana flight crash at SFO in 2013. You'd think they'd learned something from that, but apparently not.

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  21. Darwinism: The outliers among us achieve the greatest heights but perish the most. In between are the masses.

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  22. I agree with 1:03 the only one here who sounds like he has some sense. These idiots are into holistic this and all-natural that, bathe (if they bathe at all) in rainwater and wash their face with organic, free-range mud, then they smoke blunts and go 100 at a time into mangy buildings stuffed with wood, paper, paint, and jerryrigged electrical equipment...Doesn't matter whether you knew or not that the building didn't have sprinklers or wasn't up to code. Your eyes can tell you it was dangerous. You shouldn't need to be told not to walk on railroad tracks to know it's a stupid thing to do.

    I remember working at a local TV station back in the early 2000s. The earth mother chick who did Chryons and full screens told me she'd been in bad health. Did she goto a doctor? No, she got a tattoo of a symbol that represents good health on her wrist. Not surprisingly, she died about four months later.

    What 1:03 is saying is common sense is dead, that we'd rather say prayers and hold candlelight vigils than use our heads. And he's right.

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    1. Agreed. The "drama" in all of this is the high emotion at first blush, blinding all reasoning. As someone else pointed out above, common sense will set in in about a year when everyone can think straight again. And yes, people who broke laws and acted foolishly are to blame for this tragedy.

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    2. It's hard to believe the stupidity of Anonymous @4:20. Hard to imagine any rational basis for blaming the victims of the fire.

      Who among us hasn't entered a building without a working sprinkler system? Because of that those people deserved TO DIE?

      Are you trying to reassure yourself that nothing terrible could ever happen to you or your loved one because you are so clever?

      You're not smart or clever. You're an insensitive fool.

      Delete
    3. 11:05 isn't smart or clever either. And is a textbook liberal....insult ANYONE with a point of view opposite their own. I'll join in...dumbass.

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    4. Anonymous@11:05 How distorted is lens through which you view the world? This has nothing to do with political orientation.

      No normal people of any political persuasion gleefully blame the victims of a horrible disaster. That's not a "point of view" it's some psychological deficiency.

      You blame the 1517 victims of the Titanic disaster for getting on a boat?

      Delete
    5. > Who among us hasn't entered a building without a
      > working sprinkler system?

      Straw man argument. You don't enter a dark place with 50 other people, shitloads of trash piled everywhere, flammable paint, wood, paper and gasoline, and people probably passing pot around. Sprinkler systems were the least of the problems.

      Delete
    6. > You blame the 1517 victims of the Titanic disaster for getting
      > on a boat?


      If that's as fine as your reasoning goes, no wonder you're as stupid as I think you are. And you're probably why Trump won.

      Delete
  23. KTVU has been dragged through the mud many a time on this blog. This time, though, they deserve kudos. The anchors and reporters acted like this was personal, as it should be...with Oakland as their true city of license, and studios just minutes from the horrific scene...they communicated the horror of this story and the devastation of their community from the vantage point of nearby neighbors. They seemed genuinely to care about their fellow Oaklanders. As annoying as Gasia can be when she does happy talk "news," she was able to put the phony smile away. She redeemed herself with this viewer when she came across as caring, knowledgeable, and intent on delivering the difficult details. She asked difficult and unscripted questions with the zeal of a reporter who really wanted satisfactory answers. And Tom Vacar was the icing of credibility on this cake. For the first time in quite a while I felt that KTVU led the pack.

    The networks treated the Oakland warehouse fire as high drama. NBC Nightly News and their "Deadly Inferno" graphics epitomized the gratuitous ratings-driven hype we've come to expect from news organizations detached from everything except the all-important overnight numbers.

    KTVU, meanwhile, had heart and humanity. I felt no need to channel surf since KTVU seemed to have a solid grip on what was going on, and the true desire to inform us.

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    1. Frank Mallicoat and Leigh Martinez especially. I hadn't seen Ms. Martinez previously on 2. Is she a new hire?

      I was also impressed with Sgt. Ray Kelly of the Alameda County Sheriff-Coroner Dept., the first responders and all those secondary responders. Sgt. Kelly provided an accurate and well spoken description as to what was taking place.

      It's good to be able to see some good TV news once in a while here in the Bay Area. Good in the sense of the actual broadcasts, not the incident itself.

      Interesting to see what the pending investigations will reveal. Lots of fingerpointing.

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    2. Um, KTVU is just as attached to the overnight numbers. They just tried different techniques to make people watch, tears instead of fears. If their consultants suddenly decide fears are more productive, they'll switch. That's how it works. Right now, they're favoring sad faces and lots of "ums" and "awws." Someday that will change, probably when the current ND gets canned for low ratings and they bring in a new one to "shake things up."

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  24. Was listening to Armstrong and Getty on KGO, they are fairly conservative, and quite critical of todays youth. Both said when you were young, if somebody had invited them to a party at a cool funky place, they would have gone and not looked for sprinklers and exits. I get the texting walking on railroad tracks, and some other things. I wrote the blog at 8:16 a. and 10:35 p.m. and stand by that. I suppose if you were living there you might start to worry about safety, but just going there for a party, most young people in their twenties don't think like that. Often it through living and life experience you gain more awareness.

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  25. The big reason that radio and TV news coverage has gone downhill in recent years is due to the fact that ratings are down, revenues are down, so companies that own these stations are 'going cheap' and bringing in unprepared, unprofessional younger, greener broadcasters. Also, the brilliant consultants who advise PDs and GMs on how to program are constantly telling them: "You've got to program to the mellennials! That's the audience you wanna get!!" The only problem? The young people between ages 20-36 don't watch local TV news or listen to local radio news. They never have. Thy spend all of their time on their smart phones or i phones and get what they need off of blogs, web sites, and places such as SF Gate. The 'Genie is out of the bottle,' and it ain't gonna got back in!

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  26. Hey Rich- I've gotta quick story which I am sure you might have heard before, but I think your readers would get a kick out of. I worked for two Cumulus stations and was fired at both of them here in SF. When they destroyed KGO radio where I worked, they called each of the news people into an office where that corporate weasel Justin Whitmire, wimpy PD Mike Anthony, and the Cumulus hatchet girl from HR in Atlanta sat and quickly explained that they were being terminated. They asked for the card key to the door and told each person that their belongings would be placed in a box and put in the hallway later for pickup, that they were not to go back into the newsroom and talk to anyone or pick up anything, else thy would be subject to arrest from company goons who were in town to make sure the 'saturday night massacre' went smoothly and with no incidents. This is truly one of the most despicable, filthy, unethical companies that has ever owned radio operations, (perhaps the worst in the history of broadcasting), and they could care less. If you listen to any of their stations, notice all the commercial blocks which usually run a minimum of four minutes. They pack as many spots as they are allowed into an hour, and they don't care you the quality. Sick, venal company.

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  27. I don't know who reads this blog but some of these comments are dumb-founding.

    It's hard enough to believe anyone would lack sympathy for the victims , but to post a comment ridiculing them, blame them for their own deaths and somehow imagine a political dimension to this tragedy is truly insane.

    Any of us could have been directly affected, should be greatful if we weren't and sympathetic to those who were.

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  28. What kind if person gets angry at the victims of a horrific disaster? Being incapable of feeling empathy is nothing to brag about.

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  29. YES, some comments are dumb founding and asinine. I have noticed over the past several years, a certain fraction of the right wing, seem to think that often victims of a crime and/or accident, are to blame, especially if they think said victim is liberal. This is quite unnerving, and defies common sense, most people who gets robbed, murdered, or is injured or die in an accident, often happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, or innocently went somewhere or went with someone, that put them in danger. I can only say "there for the grace of God go I". These arrogant self-righteous individuals obviously never ever did anything remotely adventure some or put themselves in peril by doing something spontaneous or different. They might be save, but sounds like a boring, boring life to me.

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  30. "a certain fraction of the right wing, seem to think that often victims of a crime and/or accident, are to blame, especially if they think said victim is liberal."

    It's those voices in your head again. They keep assigning political stereotypes to apolitical situations. Have another hit!

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  31. Perhaps, without dragging in imagined political orientation, it would be better to agree that it doesn't make much sense to blame the victims of this awful tragedy.

    Does anyone disagree with that?

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  32. Does anyone have any ideas as to why this story has received so much ink and air time? The coverage has been on par with the events like the Loma Prieta earthquake and the San Bruno fires, both of which affected WAY more people than this one fire (yes, I know 33 people are dead; I'm not trying to trivialize that). Black Lives Matter incidents don't get half the on-going coverage, for example. This was an enormous tragedy, but as far as tragedies go, it was one incident. I would like to see the issues raised by BLM receive the same on-going coverage this one fire has received.

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  33. 33 people died in a local fire. That makes this a big story. Not really difficult to understand.

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  34. KNTV got the scoop with interview with "AON". Turns out they bought his family a few nights at a hotel room.
    Now the rest of the media- like the Chron are hopping mad.
    Checkbook Journalism.
    On the other hand,not like it happens everyday. Even KNTV wouldn't want to get into bidding wars for local stories.
    We will see..nothing happens in the end.

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