IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY of the Program Director to take action at a radio station when big news breaks; especially when that station still bills itself as a "news and talk station"; especially when the news, in this case, is a workplace shooting that saw 4 people get shot and killed (including the shooter) and several wounded.Mike Anthony is PD at KGO and KSFO (owned by Cumulus) Anthony was MIA this Wednesday when KGO, even in its embarrassing albatross status basically IGNORED the SF UPS Shooting --only paying scant attention to the story with benign "updates" from a staff-challenged newsroom.
Any radio station with a smidgen of credibility would FIRE Anthony in a nanosecond.
KGO was struck with the suddenly, common-sense-impaired, Ronn Owens, who acted as if nothing at all took place. Clearly, Owens was asleep at the wheel talking about everything BUT the SF UPS Shooting and early on, the equally tragic shooting of congressmen in suburban Washington.
It's beyond me how Anthony can operate a station so incompetently and without any direction and get away with such gross malfeasance --sure, the new KGO is a dilapidated Edsel with no hope and future and an equally incompetent corporate owner that has no semblance of how to run a news operation let alone a radio station. That's no excuse for Anthony.
He needs to go.
couldn't agree more...
ReplyDeleteAs I told Mike Anthony recently when I saw him at the 99-cent store buying snacks for his minions, I said to him, "Sir, you are one cheap bastard!!".
DeleteBut Lee Hammer did an exhaustive search and he was right there under his nose in San Jose!
ReplyDeleteOR...cumulus is super cheap, didn't want to move anyone and knew they could pay this two bit idiot $72,000.
I'll go with the latter on this. He really likes when we schedule interviews with authors...
His leased car is trade...
DeleteHis room at Extended Stay USA is comped...
He eats on trade...
He "borrows" his wi-fi from a friend who gets it on trade...
His gas is covered by the same people that trade out the KRON gas...
His cell phone.....trade with Wallmart...or cricket....and they only had the color "ivory" left...because it's trade.
He was hoping the FM types would kick-down a nice stereo...but all he got was some old cheap promo MP-3 players leftover from NAB in 2004.
Take an even strain Rich. Cumulus does not want to listen, their management clearly does not care and they like the way things are at KGO. All we do now is watch them fail and lament the end of a once great Bay Area asset. In fact acceptance of the inevitable is a rational choice in this instance.
ReplyDeleteRich, the vast majority of people no longer get their breaking news or news from radio, I get Circle7 breaking news notifications and from a couple major news outlets.
ReplyDeleteAM/FM radio is DOA, Its just a fact of life.
Couldn't agree more. Noone I know even turns on KGO anymore. KNBR for sports? Yes.
DeleteAgreed. Just like how noone tunes in to listen to the self-righteous left laying (not leaning) hosts spew their 1 sided opinions when it comes to politics.
DeleteGood point. I always go to the internet first to look at breaking, local news. Never radio.
DeleteBesides Mike Anthony, KGO should also escort Ethan (loudmouth) Bearman out the door.
ReplyDeleteI agree that AM/FM radio-with the exception of the NPR FM outlets-is DOA in the Bay Area. Rich, you need to check out SiriusXM satellite radio.
ReplyDeleteSome of us just don't want to hear about it.
ReplyDeleteOkay, so they decided to re run Ethan in drive time, which I think was an idiotic decision, but is there any reason that on the day like this, with one local shooting and one involving politician's in DC, couldn't call in John Rothmann or Pat. Just asking, but I don't think I will get an answer. It is 7:25 and I have been listening to Glenn Beck on a Sacramento station, while cooking dinner, and I decided to switch to KGO, just to see if someone had the presence of mind to put on a live host. Of course not it was Ethan talking with some MD or nutrition expert about how bad sugar is for you. That is suppose to be informative and entertaining radio, please. To 4:32 p.m. comments, yes we can and most of us do get breaking news from other sources, nothing wrong with that, but after we get the facts, we like to hear someone's analysis of the situation and also what our neighbor's have to say. That is what is missing, which Rich so aptly pointed out in a blog not too long ago.
ReplyDeleteWhy they repeat Ethan in primetime is mind boggling. I can see maybe at 3am in the morning or on weekends. but not 7p during the week. His bad ratings are even worse @7p to 10p I bet. Don't want to hear about cooking or the latest Yoga book at that time.
DeleteMike Anthony is a No Talent guy from the South Bay. HE is exactly what Cumulus wants...Someone who is Cheap, and will do what Atlanta tells him to do. He has NO IDEA what he is doing. Ronn is just waiting for the Bus. He will do anything to avoid spending time with his wife. Cumulus will go bankrupt by the end of the year...That way they can along with wiping out their 2.5 +/- billion in debt also wipe out those Expensive Union Contracts..Which is the reason they fired most of the Union Staff in March of 2016. Cumulus is one of those companies that deserves to DIE. Anyone who still works there only there because it is a job, NOT because it is good for their careers.
ReplyDeleteAM/FM radio smells like a dead fish in all markets. Deregulation really helped radio...to the cemetery. Where's my SiriusXM radio?
ReplyDeleteI liked him better when he played bass with Van Halen.
ReplyDeleteas this station no longer serves the public good, cant we all get together to write the fcc and get their license revoked?
ReplyDeleteKGO should just hire a few more Chip Franklin's.....yea, that's the ticket.
ReplyDeleteChip Franklin was talking about Phil Mikelson's diliema of playing in the US Open --the only major he has not one vs. going to his daughter's high school graduation. Then it was off to alcohol. UGHQ
ReplyDeleteAnthony has very little resources left to do what you are expecting of him. The KGO news machine was running on empty a year ago and there have been more cuts in staff since then.
ReplyDeleteWhen I worked at KGO I had several conversations with Anthony and was struck with how truly vacuous the guy is. One wonders if anyone is even home in that thing that passes for a brain of his!
ReplyDelete