The Mysterious Woman at Bay Area TV Station; Jaxon Van Derbeken's Juicy Strip Club Story on NBC Bay Area Got a Lot of Play Only Not on KNTV; Katie Marzullo's Lack of Presence on KGO-TV; VDLC Experiment Hasn't Worked at KPIX; Boring Steve Aveson at KRON; Thursday 415 Media Rundown

  TRY IMAGINING TO BECOME ONE OF YOUR STATION'S VIP'S ...from a local college staff intern that "nobody gave a damn about except every heterosexual guy in the office wanting to take her out and bang her later" to quite possibly the next key power broker for the station. Someone so off the chart, so elusive, even she doesn't know her future status. Except here.



Jaxon Van Derbeken

Which is to say, boys and girls too, be careful not to piss off the little people in the front answering the phone, checking the mail, and possibly later on, becoming your boss.

*Jaxon Van Derbeken had a juicy, informative, special report alleging SF strip clubs ripping off patrons --to the tune of several thousands of dollars...it was the kind of nifty, spot-on reporting that should highlight KNTV (NBC Bay Area) "We Investigate" promos; indeed it got a lot of play from outside Bay Area media including a hit on Drudge Report. Yet the dweebs in San Jose didn't even mention it in their daily rundowns much to the chagrin of its key coordinators --until the last minute when the station put it on the website. Too late guys. If you're going to tout your reporters repertoire --and this was prime picking--then make sure you get the good stuff.



Henry Lee

*By the way, if Van Derbeken sounds familiar he used to be a SF Chronicle reporter who migrated to TV, as did the Chronicle's Henry Lee, now a "Crime Reporter" at KTVU. Which, sadly, should tell you the state of newspapers these days.

*Katie Marzullo looks much better behind the anchor desk than she does out in the field for KGO-TV (ABC7) which is surprising given Marzullo's lack of presence when on air. Of course the politically correct thing would be to say that Marzullo is just fine and dandy but I'm telling you the truth.



Katie Marzullo

Katie Marzullo could be a legitimate star but her wooden and frozen demeanor, at least on camera, doesn't come across well. She doesn't have to be warm and fuzzy but the angry persona isn't particularly inviting either.

This whole subject has always been perplexing.

*Which just goes to further explain that the TV News business, especially on the local level, has changed quite dramatically. In the old days, reporters out on the street had years and years of experience and got to know their beat and develop a bond; credibility really, with both themselves and viewers.

Nowadays, reporters, for the most part, are only slightly better than rank amateurs and just merely get by with the basics. They often don't even know their geographical territory and couldn't ad-lib their way out of a paper bag. It's actually quite gruesome and embarrassing but so goes the state of the business which is more depressing each and every day.



Veronica De La Cruz

*The higher-ups at KPIX won't admit that the Veronica De La Cruz experiment has been an abundant failure. As much as I sympathize with her family issues both before and after she arrived in the Bay Area in 2014, De La Cruz's national connections has not measured well for PIX in spite of numerous CBS-SF promotion. She's definitely quite adept at the social media functions of her job but that hasn't brought about more viewers which might help explain the growing rumors that she's mulling a trip back to the East Coast.



Steve Aveson

Tom Sinkovitz

*I have tried to warm up to Steve Aveson on KRON but he simply doesn't exude any excitement. In fact, he's quite dull and dreary, which maybe by KRON standards is quite acceptable and lauded. Aveson comes across as a stiff-looking paper stick best suited for institutional PR videos. 

KRON could have hired a local treasure like Tom Sinkovitz at a quarter of the salary they gave to Aveson but that would required actual thought and creativity--something foreign at the local albatross station.

*There will be a lot of coverage of today's latest rain storm wreaking havoc in the Bay Area, particularly in Marin, Napa and the South Bay and Santa Cruz. As there should be. But wouldn't it be great if a station were to go beyond the usual endless live shots of Hwy 17 mud slides and Marin flooding updates? These are important stories, don't get me wrong, but as they become so repetitious and standard faire they lose focus. Viewers become bored unless in the immediate vicinity. Why not an anchor doing a two-shot with a local meteorologist as to what is happening? I'd much rather listen to a Paul Deanno or Bill Martin rather than the obligatory live shot from the Napa River but that's just me.

*The best TV anchors always prefer going outside and reporting in the field. It's the meat-and-potatoes of actual TV News journalism --the pros will tell you that, especially the great ones like a Sinkovitz or the late Pete Wilson.

Mark Ibanez and Alyana Gomez

*Today's 415 Media Picture of the day: KTVU's veteran sports anchor, Mark Ibanez, and up-and-coming news anchor, Alyana Gomez. Yes, there's only one 2!