IT'S THE HOTTEST BOOK BUZZ in the country and it isn't even out yet, the book. (it will be released Tuesday) Bob Woodward, the celebrated Washington journalist of Watergate fame, has written a new book called "Fear" and it's grabbing headlines already and drawing hysterical tweets from its singular target, President Donald Trump. You would think Woodward would make for a prime guest on talk radio, right?
Wrong.
Woodward's publicist from Simon and Schuster, Cary Goldstein, offered a twenty-minute phone interview to KGO Radio; he's (Woodward) about to embark on a multi-city book tour and KGO was on an advance list of media outlets where industry rep says "KGO is a great outfit to sell books." That was probably a directive from the old KGO but nevertheless it was still strong enough here to garner interest from Woodward's people.
Only one problem.
According to a 415 Media source, KGO turned down the Woodward interview. No, seriously, they did. Someone (it isn't known yet) said supposedly, "it's not in our demo." Something to that effect, I'm told.; probably some lower-lever producer with rocks in their brain thought the interview subject didn't fit KGO's demographic model. (Whatever the hell that is today)
ARE YOU SERIOUS? Yes, I'm serious. I've tried to pinpoint the name of this doofus --or another figure--and have yet to locate the rascal. But I'm still in the hunt.
This is borderline grounds for suspension --termination too. This comes at a time when KGO is supposedly trying to get back into the local talk business and staying away from mindless BS and lifestyle minutiae. The Woodward cancellation is not only embarrassing it is outright unprofessional and unbecoming.Crazy!
It's also squarely indicative of a media outlet that still hasn't grasped the idea of being taken seriously and a corporate company that still doesn't know the radio business let alone any business at all.
Not in our demo!!!? Take a look at the current research indicating that millennials are (finally) motivated to register and vote. Rich, thank you for making this colossal stupidity known, and PLEASE find and publish the name of the dial tone who made the decision. I suspect phone calls will be made to Mary Burner and Josh Leslie at Cumulus. Unfuckingbelievable, yet not a surprise...
ReplyDeleteRich you crazy geriatric. KGO is trying to trend younger. While I feel sorry for the dinosaur crowd that wax poetic here about how television news was in the 1970's and 80's, the fact of the matter is the Bay Area has moved on. Demographic changes. You cannot sustain a station on old whites alone, regardless of how much you all chant Obama or how many Gavin Newsom bumper stickers you have on your cars. Over 60% of the Bay Area is comprised of Latinos, Chinese, Middle Easterners and African Americans. How many even tune into KGO? Single digits? Sorry for the inconvenient facts.
ReplyDeleteWhat demo? It's KGO 810 we're talking about!
ReplyDeleteLOL.
ReplyDeleteAny way, KGO is no longer a great outfit to sell books because anyone who still listens doesn't know how to read.
If you promise to have Chip or Ethan do the interview... I will listen.
ReplyDeleteI love he ignorance of 11:58..his assumption that people who aren’t white do not listen to radio..or “white radio”....the assumption of that person says all you need to know about that them.
ReplyDeleteI think the turn down for Woodward came from the top. Cumulus is beholden to the Pecker pro trump worldview in controlling the narrative in the media. .
I think 11:58 is saying that peeps-of-color won't listen to intelligent discussion on the radio.
DeleteIs he ignorant? Or are you? He speaks more truth than you realize. Look at the books.
DeleteIt must have been Jared the producer who said no.
ReplyDeleteGo ask Ronn.
I'm a person of color who can read and listen to KGO for over 30 years. I can't stand Chip or Evan, two reasons KGO is hitting the bottom. They didn't want to take callers so they both can brag about themselves and who they know. Booooooooring.
ReplyDeleteI'm a person of color and I wouldn't listen to KGO.
DeleteExactly! And when they do have a caller call, they interrupt, dismiss, talk down to and hang up on them. I can no longer listen anymore. Ethan Bearman is losing his mind with anger and hate. It’s diffi to listen to. Thank God for Dr. Drew
Delete"Ethan Bearman is losing is mind . . . " Listen again. He's already lost it.
DeleteTrump himself isn't in the demo and no one has shut up about him yet. If this story is true, someone needs to be shown the door. What does the age of the author have to do with anything anyway (esp. on radio)? Pretty sure the book is "on topic".
ReplyDeletewhat demo, they have the brown nose suck up king of the world in "chef ryan" and they need to play ethan at night as often as possible
ReplyDeleteI don't even know how Chef Ryan can stand himself. His nose is so brown from looking for love in all the wrong places!
DeleteI have a color tv set also.
ReplyDeleteKGO is right on this one. Woodward is a 100 years old.
ReplyDeleteI am old enough to remember Watergate but even I don't wanna hear him.
Let alone the young desirable demo they are targeting.
So you don't want to listen to an interview with the Pulitzer prize winning (times two) reporter and author who took down one president and has the current occupant soiling his panties? Do you read anything?
DeleteAnon at 4:15 seems to believe that having an unhinged, amoral vulgarian in the WH could only have consequences for people who aren't in a young demographic.This, of course, is a dim-witted assessment of reality.
Delete