Tuesday Morning Coffee; Jeff Bell Straight F on KCBS; Jim Taylor Still Sick; Where's Mitchinson?; KTVU Trial Balloon with Somerville; Susie Steimle Splits KPIX

MY GOODNESS, Jeff Bell didn't sound so sharp this (Tuesday) morning on KCBS as they continue to sift through their sloppy seconds as the possible replacements for Stan Bunger in AM drive.

I don't get auditioning Bell, the regular PM drive news anchor, for the morning, unless Bell was merely in to fill-in for Jim Taylor who is sick. Bell frankly, sounded bored and disinterested, like a guy who is fairly happy broadcasting in the afternoon. During both the Marc Sandalow and Phil Matier segment, Bell failed to interact and just remained silent. Maybe he too was aghast at the usual tech glitches that once again reared their ugly head.

*Speaking of Taylor, boy has he sunk in my book. His want to hear his own voice and inability to ask a decent question or captain a newscast in morning newscast is stark evidence you have to have more than "read-the-copy" capability. Taylor is probably best to stay as a street reporter and NOT an anchor. He got by at CBS Radio because that required only five minutes. Yaylor's cachet at KCBS has gone bye-bye.

*Where's Dan Mitchinson? He's easily one of the BEST, most deserving anchors at the all-news radio outlet. But I guess Mitch doesn't have a big enough name. Other than a great voice, ability to do a good INTERVIEW, talk and coordinate a nice pace, Mitchinson is kaput, I guess.

*Holly Quanis better than I expected but she needs a co-anchor. Duh.

*NEWS on the FRANK SOMERVILLE front: he's a day shy of the month removed from TV News broadcast hell and I'm now 50-50 on his return to KTVU. The Firm at Channel 2 seem to be playing out a well-coordinated TRIAL BALLOON gauging public reaction to Frank's LOA after his slurred newscast the Sunday night before Memorial Day. Frank has 31 years at KTVU and a good reason why his bosses might be willing to give him a second chance before laying down the boom. But not because of the incident, simply playing it safe and NOT renewing his contract come March of '22.

*I'm sorry, FOX2, Mike Mibach is NOT a replacement for Somerville. Sorta like replacing a gold fish for a great white shark. Not that Somerville is so great. more like Mibach doesn't have PRESENCE. It's more than sitting at the desk reading a teleprompter. Mibach is more Telegraph and Ashby rather than Market and Montgomery.

*Susie Steimle left KPIX; quit the TV News biz-- whch is all you need to know about the state of the industry.