Monday, September 27, 2021

Now Somerville Has Lost Julie Haener as ND Amber Eikel Has Lost KTVU; Staff Again Bitter Over Eikel 'Lack of Leadership and Experience'; KPIX/KRON Options Emerge; Fox2 'Can't Win' Situation; Senior and Savidge Not Ready for Prime Time;Monday Talking Points

I SAID A DIVORCE WAS INEVITABLE ...nad that was before I discovered this latest bit of info.

She's been always at his side--literallly and figuratively, but now she is clearly ANNOYED and is tired over the latest off-desk bruhaha involving her anchor-desk partner. Julie Haener, the KTVU co-anchor, IS FED UP. She has always had Frank Somerville's back, one of the few people at the station who is supportive of Somerville's travails. But now, with another distraction (as noble as it might be) Haener is ROYALLY TICKED OFF. So much so, she's stopped asking fellow anchors on set if they've spoken to outside media forces.

MEANWHILE...

SOME Taliking Points

*A few local brodcast sources TELL ME, as much as Somerville has been in the news of late,he'd be "hired in a second" at other Bay Area TV News stations, with KPIX and KRON, the leading contenders as a future home. PIX is going down fast in the ratings and CBS-SF could use a jolt. Somerville would be rejuvenated and so would PIX. KRON too, but they don't have the cash to match CBS.

*The ND at KTVU, Amber Eikel is DETESTED by virtually everyone at the station. She may be in her final days at FOX2 simply because, she's LOST THE NEWSROOM. Staff has NO CONFIDENCE in Eikel and her management style, or lack of. Eikel is perceived as a PUPPET of FOX, "The Firm" and she is. But even worse, newsroom rank and file tell me her lack of leadership and experience is the MAIN REASON KTVU staffers have ZERO CONFIDENCE in her. Eikel was viewed in disgrace BEFORE the latest Somerville and now is basically TOAST at Fox2's Oakland studios.

*KTVU is now is in a CAN'T WIN situation. If they FIRE Frank, they will be the WRATH of social media and will be under eternal strife for their stance (or perceived) on a worker (Somerville) who wanted to point out a fact about non-white women subjected to domestic violence abuse. Somerville's become almost a martyr for the cause. BUT they (FOX) can't really keep Frank because the working conditions would be impossible. As I said, a divorce is inevitable.

*Andre Senior and Alex Savidge, who've been filling in for Somerville, prove once again, they are NOT ready for PRIME TIME. Which is part of the reason why KTVU is in such a pickle. Because they have NO ONE that can replace Frank. They never have. They have a bunch of capable fill-ins but who lack STAR POWER and "face-of-station" status. Somerville may have issues and lack certain chops but his public persona and Q rating is far BIGGER than you might thinl. Still.

*I could see Frank, Eikel, and the never-seen GM all GONE. Unlikely sure, but not so shocking if it occured.

48 comments:

  1. MSM is hot lying garbage. Let them all fall on their swords. They deserve it!

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    1. Right. When I want my facts I go to Newsmax! I didn't know, for example, that Covid is just a bad cold and Trump really won the election.

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  2. Fugly white broad Just screaming SJW! That is one ugly Liberal, but of course, they all are. Screw Frank! He's a drunk and a pussy! People in this country have no balls.

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  3. Who cares about Julie Haener? She's a careerist robot with no journalistic credentials. Her sole qualification is the ability to sigh and "tsk" unconvincigly after a "sad" story.

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    1. Hahahaha...."careerist robot"
      What's up with all the stupid "sad stories" ?
      And then the stupid questions on the "sad stories"
      NO more NEWS on KTVU....
      Just police reports....
      Racist reports.....
      ....and sad stories... LoL
      Filler & Fluff news with Julie....

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    2. Forget movie reviews with Jan Wahl.
      It's sad story time.
      With Julie.

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  4. is this seriously the face behind the KTVU 'news' apparatus? LOL If so, that explains just about everything. May god bless that sinking ship.

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    1. It's a normal human face, 1:49, and television news doesn't require that non on-air folks go on television. Are you new to the broadcast world?

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    2. @5:47: Hi Amber, nice of you to stop by this page. Hang in there! While you’re currently the laughingstock of Bay Area news, just imagine all the fun things you’ll get to do when you’re out of a job and your days are free :-)

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  5. With all this KTVU excitement, Rich, don't forget that today marks the debut of KPIX's new 3pm newscast. Seems a bit loopy to go on the air for only half an hour, and then show your national news at 4 when no one's watching it, but I'm sure there's a juicy game show or dance show they want to devote their better time slot to.

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    1. Ming Sze and her 3 o'clock mess have been on for over a year over on 7.

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    2. What did KPIX broadcast at 3 PM before they replaced it with the news?

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    3. KPIX is matching KGO, who also plays their evening national news at 3:30pm. There actually are people watching at that time (or they wouldn't go head-to-head with KGO in doing it). It's also cheaper than running syndicated programming because they don't pay any extra to run CBS Evening News more than once. What they're doing is running the east coast version of the newscast. What they show at 6:30 is recorded from that 3:30 airing and usually only updated if there's breaking news between 3:30 and 6:30 they feel they need to cover.

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  6. I suspect Frank will be kept off the air and paid until his contract runs out in March. Can't see any other local stations hiring him. If he was that valuable, KTVU would keep him.

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  7. I can see Frank being on KPIX. If CBS would do the likes of cutting costs from Bastida, Martin and O’Donnell...that may work. But then again this is CBS we are talking about!

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    1. Hey Martin was on today at 3 without a tie. what a hip dude he is. GAMEEEEEEE On!

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  8. Better to have reliable newscasters who may be unknown for now reporting the newscast than a highly Q rated unreliable newscaster who is currently suspended, again. Frank is letting down a lot of good people trying to do their own jobs as best they can.

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  9. Frank Somerville and Juliette Goodrich weeknights would change the playing field provided Frank has his issues under control.

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    1. He would be bonking Juliette within one week. He’s a drama magnet.

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    2. Pretty intriguing KPIX newsteam there. Another would be Frank Somerville and Anne Makovec...

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    3. That's your game changer right there. Bay Area viewers would flock to KPIX in a matter of months and say bye-bye to KTVUs ratings. I wonder if that was Frank's plan all along? Maybe he was sick of being under the Fox name as the Bay Area just hates the name Fox when it comes to news. Frank maybe wants out and creates a stir to possibly get out of his contract? Maybe not. I guess he could've just waited till his contract ended this year and then take the ferry over to SF. Makes you think. But you are so correct.

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    4. Juliette obviously has options other than Frank.

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    5. @5:14 PM Juliette Goodrich has better taste than that.

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  10. Why is Alex not ready for prime time? What makes one qualified? He seems credible, respected, can read the prompter and seems well-liked.

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    1. I like Andre Senior, except for his silly recent haircut. Alex's slicked hair looks....slick.

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    2. It's because RL (as I) come from Bay Area old school TV news and "we" know what it should look like. Not trying to be smug about it, but Rich is right. Alex & Andre are not (yet) in the category of Sommerville, Richmond, McElhatton, Wilson (Pete), White (Evan) and definitely not even in the galaxy of Van Amburg. The anchors now on Bay Area news are okay and they do what they're told. The names I listed before, they do their own thing. And they do it with integrity. They may do their own little "point of view" when they read stories, kind of like what Frank wanted to do. But those legendary names I listed do it in such a way that gives the public something to think about. Today? It's more the people who read the news have huge house payments due to Bay Area living so they have to answer to their NDs. And those NDs have to answer to O&O Bosses. Remember, the only O&O in the 70s to the late 90s was KGO. KPIX was Westinghouse, KRON was Hearst and KTVU was Cox. All those companies cared about one thing and that was money. Add the fact that the GMs and NDs of those times told those companies that they can make them money, just let them do their job. The Bean Counters just stay out. Now the Bean Counters and their consultants all run in and fix what was never broken. Just expensive.

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    3. Alex stepped in beautifully to the anchor position he occupies now and I believe he could assume Sommerville's job and quickly achieve the level required, if given the chance.

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  11. I can't stand Haener on air anymore: "Alright Amber thank yeeewwwwww."

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  12. Agree that Alex does a fine job. I can't watch Frank anymore. He is so uncomfortable and such a distraction, I have to change the station when Frank is on.

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  13. Peter Felch and son Davis Felch at KCBSSeptember 27, 2021 at 5:48 PM

    I hereby nominate myself, Peter Felch, to replace Frank on The 10 O’Clock News. My son, Davis Felch, can replace myself, Peter Felch, on KCBS. Adam Copeland is out of contention.

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  14. When I want news hitting me right in the solar plexus, I tune in to hear Da Lin report...
    Crisp and clear with the facts. No need to be airbrushed or smoothed out to suit the politics.

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  15. Frank 'Mumia Abu-Jamal' Somerville.

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  16. I’ve been watching Andre Senior and Alex Savidge and believe they are doing a great job. They’re not slurring words nor clutching their pens in despair. Plus neither guy has hair plugs which gives them instant credibility. You should read the Nextdoor posts in the oakland hills. Frank Somerville is suddenly revered as a great newscaster and indeed some are calling for a boycott of KTVU and a protest march in his support!

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  17. I do not see Frank Somerville making a difference at KPIX. His personal issues remain the same whether he is at KPIX. It is like changing the deck chairs on the Titanic. I would take Ken Basitida or Allen Martin over Somerville.

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  18. Easy...
    KTVU just waits until March,Frank goes away quietly.....problem solved.
    Doubt any other station wants Frank the problem around.....newsroom cancer don't ya know.

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  19. Time to bring back ken Wayne who competed with Frank for the job as lead anchor and has done a great job at KRON - perhaps a trade - Frank to KRON and Ken back to KTVU where he always belonged - great personality, and a great fit...

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    1. Re: Anonymous 10:45,
      Why would KRON make that trade? Their ratings under Wayne are up according to Lieberman. They cleaned up the mess in the newsroom that was Pero. Why would they want an anchor with baggage?

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  20. Frank Somerville is a pompous windbag. He reads what is written for him. Too bad it wasn't him instead of Tory We To Lo Campbell that fateful day He'd be gone

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  21. You think she's toast because she's lost touch of the newsroom and is FOXs puppet? Are you even reading what you're posting here? As much as you like to call Fox, "The Firm", and you know that Fox management in New York calls the shots, then why would they fire their puppet? You ramble on about how Fox doesn't care about its workers like Disney doesn't and you go on with your rhetoric of Amber has lost touch and the confidence of the KTVU newsroom then say she's going to be fired? She's doing what they are telling her to do so why would they fire her? If anything! They're going to give her a raise or prep her for a promotion.

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  22. How about Sal taking Frank’s place for awhile?

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  23. You mean suspend Sal, too? I am all for that.
    Sal and Frank can BS about sports and and Frank can tell us about Berkeley like they did when Frank worked mornings.

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  24. 8:26 says "KRON was Hearst." Uh, no. KRON was always owned by the Chronicle (deYoung family) from 1949 thru 1999, when it was sold in October. Hearst bought the Chronicle in November, so Hearst never had an ownership interest in KRON.

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  25. 10:02 is correct. Wikipedia: Announcement that William Randolph Hearst has become owner of the SF Examiner, March 4, 1887.
    In 1880, mining engineer, entrepreneur and US Senator George Hearst bought the Examiner. Seven years later, after being elected to the U.S. Senate, he gave it to his son, William Randolph Hearst, who was then 23 years old. The elder Hearst "was said to have received the failing paper as partial payment of a poker debt."

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  26. Who says KTVU has to promote from within??? FOX surely has an anchor out there who's love the chance to come to KTVU

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  27. I miss Dennis Richmond and Leslie Griffith.

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