MOST OF THE PEOPLE at KGO Radio --the few remaining souls who managed to survive the Cumulus muck--are ROYALLY PISSED OFF at the DIRECTION of the station. They are wise people (most) and make no bones about how ridiculous KGO is and where it's headed. I've learned, through several Bay Area broadcast sources, that a near revolt is underway. (A staff meeting at the end of Friday is on docket)
The KGO staff understands its leverage is puny and that any sort of uprising promises nothing because of Cumulus' stronghold on the station and its dismantling of program content.
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| Mike Anthony |
The ridiculous decision to run Ethan BEAR!-Man at night (in the 7-10 PM slot--all TAPED) has created quite a storm. Not so much because Bearman is terrible --it's that his show is based on human interest, banal talk-show topics; "bullshit and crap", laments a senior staffer. "Just what the hell happens if we have a major earthquake in the city and HE's on?!!" Uh, then, KGO, you got problems.
When the terrorist massacre was taking place in Manchester a few weeks back, Bearman was talking to his idiotic sidekick about "modern-day dating techniques." Imagine how pathetic that sounded as the victims; mostly young, teenage girls were being killed and maimed. 23 people ended up dying and the carnage was Topic A for days on end locally, nationally and of course, internationally.
Instead of IMMEDIATELY taking ACTION --taking CHARGE and calling down to the station to set up a host to take over Bearman's idiocy --nobody (Mike Anthony) did anything. As a result poor old KGO sounded like a radio fool and much of its staff appalled at what was happening.
As many of you know, I have long been an advocate for John Rothmann; Pat Thurston too, because they are qualified to moderate and host on short notice in case something major happens ...like Manchester...but both were ignored and thus, you had the circus taking place that ridiculous Monday night.
Thurston was basically demoted from her weeknight 7-10 PM slot and is reportedly FURIOUS ...to the point where she's "exploring all options." If you want to guess what those options are and you have half a brain, you know the story, or you will one day soon.
Sources close to Rothmann say he's bewildered over the station's handling of his own situation but he'll continue to be the good soldier until KGO cuts him off entirely. If it was up to the remaining staff at 810 AM both Rothmann and Thurston would be in their respective slots but apparently, Anthony likes to keep 'em guessing. So you have NO DIRECTION at KGO (what else is new?) no one knows just what the hell is going on; the future of the station remains up in the air with MAJOR disgruntlement in its building.
Haven't we been down this road before? Incompetency and foolhardiness rule the day. Uncertainty is the black button at KGO. If it weren't for mattress ads...
Cumulus has called a special staff meeting for this afternoon email just went out to all
ReplyDeleteSomewhere up there Owen Spann is spinning.....
ReplyDeleteMike Anthony reminds me of Pitt Pirates Mgr Clint Hurdle.
Working with a cheap assed owner and expected to make chicken salad....
R_P
Chronicle to charge employees to use bathrooms
ReplyDeleteNot surprised by the Chronicle's actions, when you consider Audrey Cooper runs that place.
DeleteAn interesting and fair post today.
ReplyDeleteEthan Bearman's choice of topics is bewildering.
He comes across as a grown teenager.
Topics such as tech gadgets and dating just are not suitable for an audience seeking intelligent newstalk.
KQED is holding a bake sale today spread the word
ReplyDeleteThank God we can all listen to KSCO - the gold standard of broadcasting excellence!
ReplyDeleteBare-man IS terrible.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious exactly who these wise KGO people are who are upset, besides Thurston and maybe Rothmann. I didn't think there was any staff left.
With so much cross pollination going on in their building among all their owned stations, it's hard to figure out who's doing what for which station.
Anthony is an obvious disgrace and the company already killed the other PD, so we're left with the long wait until the beast from Atlanta is mercifully killed off.
Since the day a week or two ago that KGO stopped broadcasting a live and local 7-10 pm weekday program, I've pretty much stopped listening to that station at all. KCBS is now my AM go to station, and KQED my FM go to station. KGO, nada
ReplyDeleteI only tune in to Ronn even though he has lost his luster.
ReplyDeleteBearman's sidekick is too irritating.
Chippie is a torture to listen to.
If only...... in the year it is amazing that there is no permanent timeslot for Rothman.
Mike is big on the data! Justin is a clown. Hammer trying to get to retirement. It's an embarrassment. Find me a station in a top 25 market with worse hosts than KGO.
ReplyDeleteAll the money goes to service the debt...and pay the bonuses for upper mgnt.
ReplyDeleteThere is NO extra money...and there NEVER will be.
That's how it's designed to be, it won't change
Very strange that unfunny Copeland remains. Must be a really good corporate boot licker. Maybe the station can just fill all the programming slots with Copie's talented relatives.
ReplyDeleteThurston is "exploring her options". What exactly did she do prior to becoming a substitute host? Sounds like she was a stay at home mom. No other station is gonna hire her.
ReplyDeletePat Thurston was a talk show host years ago on a now defunct San Franciso talk station, not sure if it was KPIX, then I understand she worked for a talk station in Santa Rosa. She started to fill in on KGO probably about 2006 or 2007, she has triplets who are 13 years old, and they were quite small at the time. I'm sure she took time off when she was pregnant and the triplets was small, but to say she has just been a stay at home Mom is incorrect (not that there is anything wrong with that). You must be a male chauvinist, otherwise you would realize you learn quite a bit by raising children. Besides she has not only been in a substitute host on KGO she had her own show, just like she did on 2 prior stations.
ReplyDeleteShe has extremely little broadcast experience prior to subbing at KGO. She does not have "options to explore".
DeleteNever heard of her shows before KGO and KGO bio mentions nothing it. Talks about selling office copiers, hosting a sex show. She looks to be an intellectual lightweight. She is no Gene Burns or Rothmann that's for sure.
LOL.
Her broadcast career began when she served in the U.S. Army, hosting a weekly television program aired service wide, around the globe.
Pat’s life gives her a unique perspective. Not only does she have vast experience—from working with the Secret Service to selling office copiers to traveling the Caribbean islands for a timeshare exchange company—she is also mom to 12-year-old triplets, 2 girls and a boy.
Pat has hosted a dating show which she playfully called Dateless and Tasteless for its endless focus on sex, been a frequent guest on CNN and she went naked sky-diving just because (that was way before she became a mom).
Rorthman and Thurston are both flawed hosts, each their own worst enemy. Rothman goes off on some who offer other views, interrupting in an obnoxious manner, forever needing to tell us what HE thinks. Thurston has a nasty side, both are relentless in their hateful treatment of Trump. Nothing he can do would ever pass muster with these buffoons. Yes, I have liked them both personally, but have come to see them as petty little people likely pandering to placate SF liberals. No wonder they were tossed back into a weekend heap.
ReplyDeleteWho do I like? Michael Medved and, on his better days, Savage. But he too will contort issues to prolong predicable animosities.
A pity.