IT'S EASY TO PICK ON KRON, as I've done often here; almost piling on and I'm about to pile on further but for a good reason.This is the station that bills itself "The Bay Area's News Station." And yes, it has lots of news in the morning and evening; 6, 8, 9, and 10 PM (I'm not counting the
Which reminds me: KRON's commitment to news would be admirable if it actually had legitimate newscasts but that's not the case.
KRON's news product and presentation is embarrassing --even by KRON standards. Every story is basically a summation of an earlier story; remember the old K-Tel ads where they'd play just a portion of a popular song? KRON's news programs are just like KTEL. Watch the 8PM newscast and you'll get pretty much what you saw at 6. This isn't exactly news-breaking in and of itself; KRON, even with new corporate cash, (albeit cheap with a capital "C") still looks and sounds like the joke it is. It can sometime be lucky and actually beat, say, a KGO or KPIX, but the product is still a pack of bologna and cheese sandwiches. If you watch this crap, even by accident, you know exactly what I mean, assuming you have taste.
 |
| Steve Aveson |
 |
| Pam Moore |
I think it's safe to say the Steve Aveson hire has been and still is a total disaster. For one, Aveson is dull and dreary; boring too. He has no personality and looks and sounds more like a Daly City mortician. Moreover, I'm told by a few KRON staffers that he's also a prick. Harsh? I'm just telling you what I've heard. Worse yet, Aveson hurts Pam Moore who is the exact opposite, personality-wise, of her desk mate. Moore has a personality, delivers a quality read and is interesting. Aveson has all the personality of a rotten kumquat.
So, the concept of more news and information is great. Execution and coverage would be fine; not a KRON specialty. I mean, seriously, just watch one newscast. It looks and sounds cheap. Even the relatively new studio has a stale appearance. Oh, and there is still NO leadership but hey, you get what you pay for, right?
Exactly.
Sad to see capable journalists like Pam Moore, Vikki Livvakis, Catherine Heenan, Teresa Estacio and Rob Flataboe work at such a pit. DirecTV thinks so highly of them that you can't even get a KRON 4 stream on their iPhone app. They should just run infomericals 24/7. It might be better than what they're offering.
ReplyDeleteHere's Steve Aveson. Every time I see him,I wait for the pipe and hat to show up...
ReplyDeletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._R._%22Bob%22_Dobbs
That photo doesn't even look like him.
ReplyDeleteWhat's with "The Morning Buzz"???? During the KRON Mornings? The spot that used to be, The World According To Gary.
ReplyDeleteAveson = cardboard cutout. Just add two pissholes in the snow for eyes and you're there.
ReplyDeleteYou are so spot on when it comes to KRON. I must say through, the graphics old and new, look pretty good. Everything else is pretty bad. I like the K-Tel comparison. The stories are so dumbed-down it is laughable. No meat, often no more than one viewpoint and soundbite.....the reporters don't have time to find anyone else. I actually don't mind the repetition in the newscasts (if I watched them all)...who watches them all anyways. I think it makes sense to repeat, repeat and repeat. What I do mind is the large amount of commercials and just the lack of professionalism and appearance of the talent. Too many mistakes, and mostly they look and sound second rate...except for Pam. Catherine looks uninterested and comes off bored and tired. Vicki at times can be unprofessional. I know I am in the minority in having watched their Behind the Scenes show...but after seeing her in this I cannot take her seriously. Grant's staccato delivery is hard to digest and you have documented the outrageous Darya. I do have to laugh when I drive down the Embarcadero and see all the KRON vans parked by the building. All parked and going nowhere. Shouldn't they be out there gathering news? They never move. I really can't see why somebody would watch them while another station is on. Yes, it's okay to watch when it is the only choice. Torturous, but okay.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with KRON is the point you did not mention Rich. A sports guy that does not cover sports, with all the championship runs in this area in the last 10 years - when have you seen Radnich at an event covering it live. If the highest paid guy can mail it in the way Radnich does, how can KRON expect anyone else to step up.
ReplyDeleteyou have an Aversion to Aveson. from the land of Avalon. Or more like-The Levant!
ReplyDeleteIf Radnich and Darya had a love child, would they allow Pero to babysit?
ReplyDeletenot to be too harsh but, oh what the hell- aveson is a professional news weirdo. it's as if he's not really all there. i can't decide if he's a character from invasion of the body snatchers ( post-snatch ), or one of the invaders from ' They Live', where you needed the special sunglasses to see what the creatures really looked like. to quote count floyd- very scary. but kron is, well, kron. and at this point, there really is no point in being disappointed. any station that would put j.r. stone in front of a camera says all you need to know about that operation. whatever...
ReplyDeleteAt least ya didn't compare it to RonCo.
ReplyDeleteThe 11pm, 15-minute filler portion has been gone. KRON has started the My NetworkTV feed at 11PM. I think it ended when primetime became all news.
ReplyDeleteI sometimes watch KRON's 6 p.m. broadcast to see if they correct the errs and mis-speaks from the 5 p.m. broadcast.
ReplyDeleteEverytime I watch KRON news, I see infomercials more than news.
ReplyDeleteIf you watch that much news, you need to get a life. I honestly don't care about repetition. What I do care about is seeing petty crime stories or bullshit entertainment news. Yawn. If that is what you have to offer I'll just go watch Netflix or Amazon Prime or find something on YouTube.
ReplyDeleteI honestly didn't know KRON was still on the air. I cut the cord over a year ago and started using Sony's Vue service. I get all the local stations but no channel 4. Friends who have other streaming services are in a similar boat. They get just about all the local stations except for 4. I suppose I could buy an antenna if I really wanted to watch or maybe use my computer but what's the point. I'm not missing out on anything. And if I am really in a pinch I can just go on the internet and find what I'm looking for.
Insert gratuitous 'J.R. Stone sounds lik Lurch' cheap shot.
ReplyDeleteJ.R. do NEWS. J.R LIKE news. News GOOD.
Horrific ownership, inept management, undeserving ND, beyond pampered Bentley, and at least 2-3 long timers that deserve better. Until most of this changes, KRON will continue to go down the crapper. A shame for those who have seen film of their earliest years of Jensen & Finley, then to LaCosse & Lowry, then to Shannon, and onto Wilson (by far Moore's best news partner; RIP Pete). Clearly not the same since NBC rightfully left them for KNTV in 2002.
ReplyDeleteKRON is the only news I can watch without loosing it. The others are pushing some sort of social justice agenda that warps and biases the information they are conveying and it is obvious. News reporting doesn't have to be passionate or emotionally exciting. I guess Rich would have fallen asleep on Walter Conkrite or Huntley and Brnkley, but it was a news you were more likely to trust than the stuff we get today with the monumental junk science reported, and slanted presentations by analysis and experts, not to mention the social media commentary by anchors presenting a glimpse into their politics that ultimately slants their professional presentation, and is nothing better than a politically correct caca repackaged and repurposed.
ReplyDeleteNews media has evolved a great deal, from newspaper to television, and from television to Internet. Online media has played a large role in taking the news to much wider audience. Business media caters to a section of the society that is interested in this kind of news. Fove
ReplyDelete