IN FOOTBALL IT'S CALLED 'BLACK MONDAY; the day after the regular season when coaches get fired; they dread it like the plague.In the TV News Business, there's "Black Friday" --a similar event that News Directors fear and loathe because it's the day after Sweeps.
Dan Rosenheim had a very, very bad, Sweeps; in fact, KPIX, his station came in last in every conceivable time slot where news ran.
So Rosenheim was called into the office. There was a planned meeting to inform him that he was going to "retire", or else.
You get the picture.
I did.
Rosenheim was fired; oh, not blown out fired like he pushed a reporter down the stairs but effectively CBS execs told him it was time to go and that they'd make sure he got a nice, going away severance package like he did considering he'd be leaving after 18 years the O and O.
The BS that is flowing is mind-boggling. Websites that should know better are running the SPIN KPIX has put out, and that's all it is, SPIN. I've been saying for some time now I was surprised that Rosenheim still had a gig because Channel 5 was still making money for the company but that's like saying Disneyland still makes money for Disney.You don't "retire" when your newscasts--all your newscasts come in last place in the Bay Area market. Sweeps May/2018 wasn't so nice. You don't retire when you're making the kind of money Dano was making. I'm sure, trust me, because every industry figure in this town and beyond told me so point blank. If you want to believe otherwise, then maybe you believe in the tooth fairy too.
Look, Rosenheim had an above-mediocre career at PIX. He managed to make it almost two decades but his newspaper background (he was a Chronicle staffer) probably was reason number one that he was shown the door. It's OK, many people get fired. It's part of life. Rosenheim had his glory years but drove the station down the drain. I mean, have you watched the carnage? Good heavens.
Retire? Of course he was always going to retire only CBS execs finally told him to retire and they weren't kidding.
Please, go away.
Rosenheim can now retire because he was told to do so or else which isn't so bad these days in the TV News biz. Just let the truth be told which is why you come here to 415 MEDIA unless you believe in the tooth fairy.
#EXCLUSIVE
I believe in the tooth fairy. In fact, after the dentist gave me a cocktail of injections and pills, I actually SAW the tooth fairy!
ReplyDeleteYes, being told to retire is being fired. But it is a firing in a much nicer way that getting kicked in the ass. I did 27 years in a network news room and got called in one day and told my time had come. No reason other than I was longer a kid, I made too much money and had too much vacation. They gave me two years of severance pay. No more hurricanes, no more wars, no more hostage situations, no more "how does it feel" questions when you stick your mic in someone's grieving face. And, best of all - a new career working Monday to Friday days; weekends and holidays off and more. Dan did his time. Sweeps ratings are mostly out of a news director's control. It is the anchors; the lead ins and what's on afterwards. Have good life Dan. You earned it.
ReplyDeleteTrue. Rich keeps telling us in these columns what hell newsrooms are today, so why should DR be sad that he was chopped? He's probably at Kokkari celebrating.
DeleteAttn: 'the Disney cookie', this may shiver your timbers.
ReplyDeleteCV up to date, darlin'?
So post the ratings so we can see for ourselves how bad it is for pix.
ReplyDeleteDid you actually see the book?
I sure have not seen any ratings for the last period in the bay area.
Anyone have the ratings?