STAFF PERSONNEL at KTVU; a lot of them; are so thoroughly in fear and trepidation of their trade; so paranoid of upper-level management; so fed up with the direction (or lack thereof) they are trying mightily to leave the station, according to multiple sources.The sources, via e-mail wrote directly to 415 Media and indicated a mass exodus would not surprise them.
The general tone was that the overall "way the station is headed" is not "within the boundary" of "what we (those who spoke out, anonymously) expect for a TV News station with the reputation and style of KTVU."
I called KTVU for comment (they sort of know me) and they hadn't responded and I don't expect them to. It's not part of their game even if a majority of their staff perform under constant paranoia and fear.KTVU is now run like a federal prison with slightly less better conditions. The food might be a little tastier but there's very little to offer and there's no seasoning.
ON THE OUTSIDE, everything appears normal; the newscasts look the same but lack depth. The story count is way too high but that's been going on for years. Even that pales in comparison to what's taking place behind closed doors which is uneasy and daunting at best.
I'VE BEEN HARD on KTVU of late. Who cares? You might not. A lot do based on my regular e-mail that consistently describes a workplace filled with people unnerved, low energy, very little drive and wholesale "terrible morale." The conditions, I'm told, are rife with suspicion and mistrust "across the board." Keep in mind those are not my words and I really have preferred to stay clear of KTVU's inhouse issues which are gigantic and require a mass cleansing. Toxic and mercurial come to mind.
KTVU suits can, justifiably, say everything is hunky-dory and ratings are great. In some time slots, they are and that's fine and dandy but it says more about staff and its dedication to the product then it does about management's way of running the operation. And it goes far, far above and beyond the Fox takeover in October, 2014. It's a deeper crater than that. It consists of squeezing people's minds and making them feel consistently uncomfortable; a perverse feeling among the suits that that manner of running the shop will bring out the best. If you don't believe that, it would be great for you to ask the rank and file at KTVU. The majority of you can't, but if you could...
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| Dan Ashley |
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| Terry McSweeney |
Don't pooh-pooh this potential move. It makes total sense on both fronts.
CNNI is looking for a solid, capable, newsman that has good credentials. McSweeney fits that demo squarely with a capital "S." He's good enough to be able to pick his own future workplace so a CNN gig, as good as that sound on paper is not his end all; stay tuned.
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| Gary Radnich |
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| Rosemary Orozco |
*Last week Mickey Luckoff and Jim Gabbert were having lunch at Tadich Grill and I can assure you that the chief conversation was not centered on the sand dabs.
Don't jump to any conclusions though because Gabbert is still cheap and Luckoff doesn't have the juice he once had. Just ask Ronnnnnnnnnnnn Owens.
*Seriously, KCBS? This is what you've turned into: a hodgepodge of noise and a barrage of commercials, contests, stupid anchor banter that makes no sense. What a embarrassment.
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| Dennis Brown |
*BREAKING NEWS: The bigwigs at KNBR were startled to learn that they run a radio station, not a TV station, thus radio is for the ear and TV is for the eye.
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| Bonnie Jill Laflin |
*AN ANCHOR knows when to talk; knows when to sound serious when the story merits; knows how to ask a good question to a reporter in the field; A PROFESSIONAL ANCHOR sets the right ebb and flow in a broadcast; doesn't mug the camera; doesn't act and sound pretentious and lets the story dictate the mood; an anchor that has the cahoots and savvy reads with positive staccato and doesn't hurry or slow down for cheap histrionics. He/she is sort of like a moderator in a small hall. Sets the tempo. Knows when the meatloaf is ready and waiting on the bread and salad.
God, do we need a lot of these guys around here.
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Probably the first time I've heard Murph and more Murph in about eight months. I didn't even realize there was a female co-host (Is that her role?) until she awkwardly broke into a Rod Woodson interview. Her role seems undefined and the chemistry disjointed. Is she there because Paulie doesn't carry his weight? Full disclosure: I think every Bruce song is about the factory closing down and every Dead song sounds the same.
ReplyDeleteAshley is too damn old to be plucked for a plum east coast gig now. Maybe 15 years ago...but not now.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I don't want to read another word from you picking on Heather Holmes for wearing so called "party dresses"...not after what Jessica Castro wore this morning...
Ratings at KGO are shaky at best so this isn't a slam dunk. If Ashley is dumb enough to sign a new deal he better figure out a way to dump those two cactus leaguers, Sze and Daetz. Both give him a bad look, and seem to think its appealing to viewers for them to dress like Laura Ingalls. (Daetz' look tonight was monumentally bad!) With these two Ashley and KGO, are sunk. Heather Holmes would be a monster get.
DeleteBonnie Jill or whateverhernameis seems to be slowly having more of a presence on THE Commercials Leader. She actually had a question for Larry Baer when Murph was interviewing him this morning.
ReplyDeleteAnd sooooooooo glad that KGO went back to having the anchors sit on the sofa at the end of the morning news. Better to check out Jessica Castro's legs that way.
And as long as Rosemary Orozco keeps posting photos of herself frolicking on Facebook I don't care which station she's on.
The Commercials Leader? Don't you mean The Spots Leader?
DeleteWe're no longer in the late 1970s or early 1980s. There's no going back 40 years to the "good old days."
ReplyDeleteKTVU is longer owned by the two Cox sisters. Fox plays hardball and that's what they are doing at Channel 2.
Dan Ashley isn't going anywhere. He makes good money, will make at least a little more and he is all settled in. He is no longer at that young age when y ou can jump across country and be successful.
I understand Terry McSweeney would like a Monday through Friday role. Probably wouldn't happen if he went to CNNI.
Look at the anchors. They're young, younger than Ashley or McSweeney. And they aren't going anywhere. There are only so many anchor slots..
Why all the hate directed at KCBS?
Look, the reality is that the business has changed. Advertisers pay the bills and want 18-49 year olds, who have grown up with shorter attention spans and more things to choose from than every before. What you liked way in the past is long in your rearview mirror. Regardless of your daily complaining, it is not coming back.
Stop bitching and write content that people would pay to read. Right now, that doesn't exist on this blog.
Oh man. So true, so true.
Delete"There's no going back to 'the good old days'"? Tell that to that orange thing in the White House.
DeleteRich censoring so many people that agree with 1:54. I'm surprised 3:07 got through. I'm sure this wont get through.
Delete7:32...The "orange thing" in the White House recently brought back the remains of 55 American veterans who have been MIA for more than 50 years from North Korea, he did it in two and a half years.
DeleteThe "black thing" who was in the White House for 8 years did not!
It's not about the color of who you are, it's about your effectiveness as a leader. Some have it, others never will.
He brings closure to the families of those returned, if there is such a thing as closure. They will always be in hearts of those effected, it's called a feeling of "emptiness" which never goes away.
Hey,Sputnik:
DeleteLess vodka, more psych meds.
Yes, I'll bet you've been waiting for those remains forever.You must be so upset that they can't identify most of the bones.
DeleteI would prefer if Heather Holmes did NOT wear party dresses...or any dresses or clothing at all for that matter.
ReplyDeleteMaybe Orozco leaving KTVU for PIX will wake up The Firm. Nah.
ReplyDeleteRosemary, the next KPIX morning anchor, hope not. That station morning news is the worse compared to Reggie.
ReplyDeleteIf Deanno moves to the anchor desk, Orozco doing weather on KPIX would be a good fit. If Bastida retires, count on this as a possibility...maybe Nakano doing sports alongside them...
DeleteTo keep Martin and Ibanez from killing each other? Just a guess...
Delete> Advertisers pay the bills and want 18-49 year olds,
ReplyDelete> who have grown up with shorter attention spans...
Funny, when I was a kid people said that about my generation. Now we're saying it about the "kids" today. You know, the kids who can binge-watch Netflix for six hours at a time or stay on their phones all day.
"18-49" year olds? How can that be a statistically cohesive segment of the population. It's been around forever but in this new "connected" environment, is an 18 year old's purchases anywhere near what someone pushing 50 wants? May be it should be divided into 18-29,29-40, 40-55?
ReplyDeleteI don't get KTVU's new format of putting weather and sports in their own separate "chambers" and not letting them react with the anchor desk—their segments feel taped and not an organic part of the show—while at the same time wanting anchors to engage in seemingly spontaneou banter. (I had to laugh the other day when Deborah Villalon was having remembering something in response to a question Julie Haener asked her, so Haener jumped in and finished her response for her to a question she supposedly didn't know. Faker than a three dollar bill, but it's what the suits think passes for "authenticity" and will draw in Millennials. What idiots.
ReplyDeleteNo sane journalist would touch CNN right now unless really, really desperate.
ReplyDeleteCNN is great if you want to be an advocacy reporter.
Actually, CNN's ratings are soaring right now, especially this morning...
DeleteYet they still get beat regularly by Rick and Morty on the Cartoon Network.
DeleteCNN is at the bottom of the ratings.
If Dan Ashley had any smarts, he move on. He's an interloper and not right for the market. We may be stuck with him because he's so dull nobody else wants him.
ReplyDeleteKGO, owned by goof ball Ethan Bearman, seems to be working just fine!
ReplyDeleteFinney needs to have his own program because I can't stand to watch any of hos colleagues.
ReplyDeleteThank goodness we have that horse's ass Rich Lieberman to point out all the faults of everyone in the media in the Bay Area.
ReplyDelete