KCBS went to great lengths to tell its listeners Sunday that the Posey Tube would be shut down for most of the week --(the tube connects Alameda to Oakland); I mean, great, great, great, lengths ...I counted at least ten times in just the space of an hour including a reporter at the scene, Bob Butler, and endless traffic reports mentioning the shutdown. Butler's report was replayed at least a dozen times in the span of three hours. Maybe more, I lost count and interest.
Granted, this artery is a significant crossway between Oakland and Alameda but when is enough is enough? Moreover, Butler's report included sappy MOS interviews with people who reacted as if their pets had been injured.Turns out, the closure of the tube lasted only a day (and not a week) but it made the all-news outlet sound ridiculous and repetitive --which unfortunately is a KCBS staple on the weekend --ALOT on the weekend and almost as annoying during the week.
*My disgust about the fact there is now no news-talk radio station here is based on the fact of such station that do still exist in big markets like, NY, Chicago, Philly, Miami, Boston, LA (although LA talk radio is el crappo but they at least still have a talk outlet. It is outrageous to me that this market is devoid of a news-talk station and even more outraged that very few consumers seem to care. Once again, thanks FCC.
*Joke among industry wags regarding KRON referring to the albatross as "The Summation Station."
*Mind-blowing, speaking of KCBS: add up the amount of time devoted to weather and you'd be astonished. I'm not necessarily pooh-pooing the method just that when it's the same report broadcast over and over and over...why not just a quick, usual update and devote more time to interviews and actual news? I know, common sense is out the door.
*The absurdity of KGO's repeat program nightly from 7-10 PM really exposes itself when a major news event takes place during the day yet at 7 PM the nitwit is talking to some woman about the health benefits of garlic.
Great programming.
*Just ten years ago, KGO Radio was billing about $30 million --now? You don't want to know.
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| Cristina Rendon/KTVU |
*Meanwhile, the rotating menu of new reporters at KPIX continues at a record pace. Frankly, I can't keep up with all the new faces but it sure keeps the Fresno Greyhound station in business.
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| Vicki Liviakis |
And pretty much the only reason I watch KRON.
I'm not saying he should put on a clown show but an occasional laugh, ad-lib, aside, you know the drill, seems to have evaded Wayne's sudden switch to Mr. Robot.
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| Ken Wayne/KTVU |
If Wayne keeps this up he's closing in on Kenny Choi territory.
*415 MEDIA is the Bay Area's only independent media site and relies solely on donations and contributions. PLEASE, help keep this blog sustainable by making a contribution (any amount helps) It's fast and easy: simply go to the Pay Pal "Donate" icon on the right side of the blog and click on it. It takes but a minute and it's safe, secure and completely confidential. I will personally e-mail and/or call you thanking you for your contribution.
Holy cow, you listen to AM radio for three hours straight? No wonder you're in therapy. And regarding the repeated Bob Butler story -- you do understand the concept of the 30 minute news wheel format clock, don't you?
ReplyDeleteI agree. WINS News New York still uses the slogan,"You give us 20 minutes and we'll give you the world." Of course, if you keep on listening, stories will be repeated.
DeleteYou don't think theres been work done there in her 50s? Turn in your press pass.
ReplyDeleteI was saddened to hear about your Mom and your aunt, Rich. Many of us are in a similar situation. Although at least your Mom lived close by. (Try doing all the things you did for your Mom with her living in Florida, that's my situation.)
ReplyDeleteThat notwithstanding, there are so many infuriating things you say in your column that I want to reach through my computer screen and wring your neck. To wit:
1. You've been told a bunch of times that all-news (more accurately, "all-headlines") stations like KCBS are in the cume game, not the TSL game. People punch up KCBS for a few minutes at a time, then go elsewhere once they've heard the traffic and/or weather and/or headlines. The vast majority of listeners aren’t sticking around to hear ten iterations of “the Posey Tube is closed." Instead of criticizing them, ask yourself why you're listening for that long.
1010 WINS in New York has a long-standing slogan: "You give us 22 minutes, we'll give you the world." The unsaid implication of that is, you give them 23 minutes, they're going to repeat what you heard 22 minutes ago, so go listen to CBS-FM for awhile. (I hear KDFC plays soothing classical music.) Or turn on KQED or KALW and listen to actual in-depth news and substantive information.
2. Before you say that places like New York have news-talk stations, why don't you stream some of them for a bit. NYC has three: 77WABC, WOR/710 and WNYM/970 "The Answer". (Plus their NPR station, WNYC.) WABC is terrible, they're about to deep-six Don Imus's show, Curtis Sliwa sucks up 4 hours a day for his ego trip, and Savage, Levin, Batchelor and Red-Eye Radio suck up most of the rest, with all infomercials on weekends. WOR is the home to Rush, Hannity, Coast-to-Coast and the NY Mets, plus a lame morning show. Mark Simone’s mid-AM show is the only thing really worth listening to. Plus infomercials all weekend. And WNYM is quintessential Salem right-wing blather. Between KSFO and KTRB, you already have most of that dribble here already. There's no equivalent to 2005-era KGO there, or in Chicago, or L.A., or frankly anywhere else.
(continued...)
If you blinked you would have missed it, but for a couple of nights a few months ago, Ken Wayne was sporting one fierce looking mountain man beard, and it made a major difference in how I perceived him.
ReplyDeleteHe came across as distinguished and accomplished in addition to sexy. Whoever made him shave is seriously misguided.
(...continued)
ReplyDeleteOh, and I go down to the aforementioned Florida a few time a year for the aforementioned reason, and I can assure you Miami talk radio ain't no box of Godivas either.
3. If you listen to weather on KCBS, really listen, you'd know that the first weather forecast in each half hour pod is a summary, the next one (at :18 or :48) is in-depth, often with the KPIX5 meteorologist doing the report and temps from key Bay Area cities, and the last one each half hour is a shorter summary. They're not one-size-fits-all.
4. Just 10 years ago, KGO was billing $30 million. And its sibling, the aforementioned WABC, didn't have a 1-share. And KCBS and its siblings weren't filling weekend hours with infomercials. And AM wasn't dying from a thousand cuts. Almost nobody under 50 listens anymore if there's *any* alternative. (Sports play-by-play seems to be the exception.) Fewer and fewer over-50's listen either, given an FM, satellite or streaming alternative. The demos are horrible. And the amount of man-made interference in the environment, from LED and CFL bulbs, to fluorescent ballasts, to WiFi routers and computers and digital TVs, to all kinds of other RFI generators, are banging the last nails into that coffin. (Sorry, bad choice of words.) Nothing's going to fix those problems, AM will soon be the short-wave of the 2020’s, only foreign language and religious broadcasters.
5. What's wrong with Ken Wayne? Did he stiff you on a lunch? Did he refuse to make a contribution? Are you using this blog to shake down media people? I see nothing wrong with Ken. If anything, he's one of the only reasons left to watch channel 2's "news" casts.
If you want your blog to be relevant, stop harping on your pet bitches and go digging for real, substantive industry information. Go read Robert Feder in Chicago, or the L.A. Radio People blog, to see how a quality one is done. And stop being so fucking sloppy. Proofread what you write before posting it. Invest a couple of bucks in a dictionary, and a few more in a thesaurus. Spell words correctly, use them correctly, use more accurate words, make sure your sentences are sentences. Stop with the same tired cliches. (Fresno Greyhound station? Really? No elitism there.) And look up the meaning of "innocuous" already.
And shit-can the snide attacks on Kenny Choi and the other usual targets of your bullshit. I'd bet a month's mortgage that you couldn't do 15 minutes of live Fresno TV, much less major market, in front of a prompter without looking and sounding like our Orange Blithering Idiot president-wannabe. We get it that you don't like Choi, or for that matter Aveson, Radnich, Dave Clark, Darya and six dozen others. We get that it's largely professional jealousy. But they’re making a living in a cutthroat business, not auditioning for pope. Find something better than these repetitive, childish, churlish ad hominem attacks to write about. All they’re doing is making *you* sound like a putz.
Now go to shul and say kaddish.
Yowza! Surprised you got published.
DeleteThank-you for writing the "Great American Novel" you've just put everyone to sleep, hope you're proud!!!
DeleteI like the cut of your jib. Where do I sign up for your newsletter?
DeleteOh man. I love this. Thank you!
Delete12:39 and 12:51...Next time you feel like posting do us all a favor, lay down on your couch until the feeling goes away!!
DeleteHi Rich,
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry to hear about your Mom, I lost my Dad 4 years ago, but feel his presence although I miss his Voice, laughter and sense of humor, the pain does not away.
I was listening to the Game this morning and they were bragging about their new ratings, which they say has never been higher and Jerry Rice will be joining them during football season.
I am so sorry to hear about your Mom, I lost my Dad a few years ago and miss his laughter, voice and sense of humor. I hope you can remember the good days with your Mom and she is now with your Aunt, may they rest in peace. Rich, heard the game this morning and they were bragging about their ratings, never been higher they said. I hope they make it especially with Jerry Rice joining them during Football seaspn
ReplyDeletePretty sure "El Crappo" talk radio outlet KFI-AM out-billed the #1 SF station with it's crappy local talk radio.
ReplyDeletewell, I actually tuned in to ethan bearman earlier today. Why? Because KCBS has sing song Kim foster chirping away and I can't take it any more! Can someone tell her?
ReplyDeleteLA has 2 local talkers — KFI 640 and KABC 790. KFI comes in here at night. Their evening guy is Tim Conway Jr. who isn’t that political but does a lot of jokes and tells Hollywood stories. KABC is run by the same idiots as KGO but has more local hosts.
ReplyDeleteI remember listening to KFI as a Top 40 station in 1983...from Idaho Falls...better than the local stuff at the time...of course that only worked at night...
DeleteWas just down in LA for the weekend (Fri-Sun) and KNX 1070 seemed worse than KCBS as far as repeating the same stories over and over again.
ReplyDeleteKen Wayne got FOX-ified, Folks, in case you're wondering why Rich has suddenly changed his view on Wayne. The Firm strikes again.
ReplyDeleteRich, Bravo for publishing that guy's critique. That show's you are brave and are running an honest blog! I really hope you take to heart some of the salient points he made. Please, please, review media that most of us are into now. I too listen to streaming talk stations from other cities; I also love so many talk stations on SiriusXm. I would love to read your "take" on those many stations! You really do have great insight into media. Come join us, interpret for us, in 2018!
ReplyDeleteIs Ethan Bearman really a sloth trapped in a man's body ?? ( asking for a friend ).
ReplyDeleteDid Heather Holmes work as a stripper or an escort at one time, she seems to have the wardrobe?
ReplyDeleteI liked KTVU a lot more when it was not Fox. I hate the rotation of anchors on different days and the women all seem to wear low cut dresses now and hair styles are all the same. Catty remarks I know but belong in the same category as the comment on the lack of personality. It seems that no one is allowed to have their own personality any more. Such a loss. I wonder how long Dennis Richmond or Rita Williams would have survived the Fox makeover?
ReplyDeleteVicki Liviakis is actually in her 60s I believe. Amazing, i know. Don't tell her I told ya though.
ReplyDelete