I DON'T THINK RACE was the reason Nick Smith was passed over for a full-time position at KGO (ABC7) but I do think there's a dramatic lack of diversity in Bay Area media, most prominently in TV News and most prominently at KGO-TV.A significant, influential media observer close to the scene at KGO spoke about the current environment at ABC7.
At KGO it might as well be 1957 rather than 2017. When they attend a morning editorial meeting of about 25 people, there is no one else in the room that looks anything but white.
In the newsroom, there are no Blacks in the upper ranks--news director, asst. news director, executive producers, producers, writers, assignment desk, editors. These are the people making decisions about what stories matter, what they will put on the air.
In the many years there, KGO has definitely gone backwards in terms of having a more inclusive chorus of voices.
So when someone like Nick Smith feels disrespected and leaves, and Sergio Quintana feels disrespected and leaves.. And yet another blonde woman is hired, says the observer, it hurts.
Same as it ever was.
ReplyDeleteSo true.
DeleteWhat has changed? Nothing!
Business as usual.
Before Nick left the Bay Area for Minneapolis I had the pleasure of talking with him on several occasions once on a SF Muni train & the other time in a Peet's Coffee Cafe in SF's Castro District. What a super nice guy-was flattered I instantly recognized him. Both times he expressed his frustrations to me about being passed over for a full-time position at KGO despite being there for around 10 years. Without specifically mentioning her name I knew he was talking about the news director Tracey. KPIX like KGO also has issues with diversity specifically on air-talent. Besides great GA reporter Christine Ayers only the horrible Radnich Clone Vern Glenn(weekend sports anchor) & relatively new GA Reporter Devin Fehely are African-American. KTVU currently has the most African-American & Mixed Race on-air talent. Paul Chambers, Rob Malcolm, Jesse Gary, Christian Kafton(a great morning GA reporter) & Alyana Gomez all are full-time 5 day a week on-air talent.
ReplyDeleteSo, take action. Go to the FCC website and register a complaint. Nothing gets attention faster than an inquiry from the FCC. Been there and experienced it. But they look at overall EEO numbers and how they are classified, so a low level producer is considered as much management as the news director.
ReplyDeleteBay Area news station is pretty fair and equally diverse with their anchor selection in the station and outside the station reporting the news outside. The question is how long these anchor last and when or will their position get switch is the biggest concern. Dennis Richmond, an African American manage to keep his main anchor spot for over 30 years until retirement. He must be the longest anchor keeping his spot until the day he retired. For other stations, no matter who you are, when you age or worked for a station too long, the management want you to go. My guess is $$$$ too high and time to give newcomers or newly hired a chance. And, ratings and earning is the biggest point. For other stations, KPIX Wendy Takuda, KGO Cheryl Jennings lost their anchor spot and big demotion doing special stories. If the station want to make diverse and equal, you gotta ask the questions, is it a good match. I found KPIX Kenny Choi and Michelle Greigo to be a biggest mis-match. As for Pam Moore another longest anchor, anyone working for KRON will get a stable job.
ReplyDeleteWe should adhere to the standard of 'May the best job applicant win'. Enough of quotas!
ReplyDelete***Winner for Most Annoying Radio Commercial of the Year"
goes to "Talkies from Toy Mail" hands down, the worst one.
Sounds like a shrieking chorus of 9 y/o Valley Girls trying to Rap.
OMG, I can not change that dial fast enough!!
I really hope this is a short term ad buy.
How bad is it?
SO bad, I would prefer listening to that (Fkng) Kars 4 Kids commerical instead, THAT'S how horrible it is.
Agreed with no more quotas. The way it's going, 15 years from now in the Bay Area African Americans will be complaining about Latinos and Chinese keeping them down (as opposed to Caucasians currently) as Caucasians will be the minority then.
DeleteYour projection of the future suggests you have a problem with Black people. The issue is diversity and you made it a Black issue. Maybe take a seat.
DeleteHave you read the EOE filings from KGO?
ReplyDeleteIt's all there in black and white. Who applies for the jobs including race.
Every station has to file this information in the public file...
...Where the public can easily see it.
Of course Rich hasn't. It wouldn't fit his spin or his need to bitch about something daily that he is completely wrong about. This comment will never make the website.
Delete"In the newsroom, there are no Blacks in the upper ranks"
DeleteDoes the KGO comedian have any more children that need a job?
This is the Bay Area's dirty little secret.
ReplyDeleteIt is more pronounced at the two newspapers here.
Both the Monkey News and the Chronicle have zero diversity in the editorial boards. Zero, zip, nothing!
"These are the people making decisions about what stories matter, what they will put on the air."
ReplyDeleteOkay, how is the minority perspective going to change a story about utility rate hikes, spare the air days, the bay bridge project, etc?
Nobody is going advertise on a liberal topics show which is why democracy now is on PBS.
Exactly.
DeleteBART has "diversity." They won't release videos of crimes because they are all committed by blacks. Then they deny they ever said that, even though it's in writing. That's "diversity."
F*ck diversity. How about truth?
Just putting "blacks" in the "upper ranks" doesn't mean you're going to have "diversity," whatever that is. Blacks aren't plug-and-play. They aren't all alike. You don't "put in a black" the way you install a lightbulb. The Republican party--even the far right fringe--boasts many blacks. And even if you get one in a Tupac T-shirt and a grille in their mouth, they may not do anything to rock the boat if they want to keep their paychecks coming.
ReplyDeleteThis word "diversity" is interesting. "Diversity" just seems to means "all blacks," which is the very opposite of "diversity." (Does the NAACP have diversity in its ranks?) Case in point: one year no blacks were nominated at the Oscars: "There's no diversity." Next year many blacks are, but still no Asians, Indians or Native Americans. "HOORAY! DIVERSITY!"
Why no outcry from Rich Lieberman to recruit more Asians? Or Indians? How many Frenchmen are in the "upper ranks"? Scientologists? Seventh-day Adventists? Shouldn't we have atheists and Jews to balance the reporting on Easter and Christmas?
Lieberman very much wants to date black women. This way he can look like a champion to that ilk.
Delete> KTVU currently has the most African-American & Mixed
ReplyDelete> Race on-air talent. Paul Chambers, Rob Malcolm, Jesse
> Gary, Christian Kafton(a great morning GA reporter) &
> Alyana Gomez all are full-time 5 day a week on-air talent.
Yet despite that, if you watch, say, the news on KTVU and then the newson, say, KGO or KPIX, they are indistinguishable. Same stories, lined up about the same, same photos (stringers) with the same video, same anchor patter, same structure to the stories. So much for "diversity," whatever that is, making a difference. The only difference I've noticed in coverage (never mentioned by Lieberman) is Fox goes softer on Trump than the other stations, and basically ignores most of his embarrassing moments, or de-emphasizes them. But that decision comes from corporate in Atlanta, not from any dark- or light-skinned people sitting at the morning conference table.
Here's a diversity test: go into a strange city where you don't know the personnel and watch their news channels for a week. From the content, decide which stations have "diversity" in their "upper ranks" and which don't. Then crash each place and see how accurate you are. I'm betting no more so than flipping a coin.
I'm Black and Rob Malcolm sucks. Sorry brotha. Christn Kafton- HIGHLY underrated. KGO USED to if nothing else had reporters that had rapport with respective communities like Rigo Chacon and Willie Monroe who could go into communities and get stories others may not have been able to. I used to think that was one thing KGO had over other stations back in the day
ReplyDeleteBest man or woman for the job,if your hiring biased on skin color .....well you know.
ReplyDelete