For the record: In addition to KGO's (ABC7) Dan Ashley, NBC Bay Area's (KNTV), Jessica Aguirre also worked Christmas Eve.
*MORE audio HELL for KCBS and because this HAPPENS EVERY DAY, it's business as usual but the crap hits the fan on Monday. Big deal. Seelig (Jennifer) doesn't care and gets a pass. She must have pictures.
*Christine Craft: had you just played ball with Mickey (Luckoff) he'd have played ball with you, I'm sure, and I'm NO Luckoff fan.
*Lee Hammer would rather satisfy his EGO than be pragmatic and program KGO--it's evident now why he fought hard to get the PD gig at KNBR to no avail.
*A KRON missive for 2022: take away one less weather board and spend more on ONE --just one--quality reporter.
*A Kings X regular and then some: the late, great, Doug Murphy, (KPIX), who was funny, poignant, and interesting at the bar--sometimes alongside, Kate Kelly--until he was not. I know. I saw first hand. Before we get some amateur shrink to comment: Doug Murphy was a GOOD guy.
*Murphy was OLD-SCHOOL. He had lots of good times, of course he did, and many a times, he might have gone overboard but he NEVER mixed business with pleasure. Never. He was one of the BEST anchors in Bay Area history, be it news or sports. Murph could have been a network guy and should have. But we got him locally at PIX and thank goodness. He was one of a kind. I MISS him.
*To think, two yesterday legacy outlets, KTVU and KGO Radio, being RUN INTO THE GROUND by complete and UTTER MIS-MANAGEMENT. Of course, yeah, KGO has been a dying corpse for years now and KTVU is not even an iota of itself but you get my point.
Dear Rich, I"m not sure about what you mean re" playing ball with Mr. Luckoff. I consider myself very lucky to have worked there during the heyday of said station, when Mr. Luckoff was at the helm. This is not evil. There was no game to be played. KGO was number one during his tenancy and it was a great station to listen to,from which to broadcast. The audience was huge. I lived then and now in another place, two hours away, and had another occupation. You assume that I was desperate for more then, or now. It's just not true. I'm not you.
ReplyDeleteBazinga!
DeleteYou sure sound like you could've used a ball, and maybe balls, from Luckoff.
DeleteGood for you. No need to crave the spotlight like others. Know your role and stay there. It’s hard enough to break the glass ceiling. Why try. I commend you Christine.
DeleteChristine, I miss hearing you in KGO. Good radio you don’t hear anymore. Along with Hank, Beetlejuice and High Pitch Erik, you made my day. Happy New Year!!
DeleteIf it hadn't been for Christine Craft, who indeed broke the glass ceiling in TV news, American women in broadcasting would have had far fewer opportunities. She made history which extended far beyond the t.v. anchor workplace.
Delete9:32,
DeleteThat is an overstatement.
Women would have prevailed, and they will continue to prevail and thrive, with or without Craft's supposed influence. In the history of TV News, blowhard Christine is an answer to a trivia question.
What would that trivia question be? Name the biggest pain in the ass woman in the news biz? Answer - Christine Craft.
DeleteAll of the stations have become shells of themselves. It seems as if there is no real reporting anymore. Maybe that is because of lost viewership that even the one that are okay like circle 7 just don't want to spend the money anymore. Not sure what it is.
ReplyDeleteThey don't have the money to spend! All the advertising dollars have gone to the internet and its "big data" and "metrics." And it's all bullshit, but it allows incompetent marketers with no feel for their job to keep their job. Ever notice how during commercial segments now you'll see the same ad two or three times? Sometimes back to back? It's because they didn't sell enough advertising to fill the block, so they have to repeat it. And less ad revenue means the stations mostly do press-release stories now where nothing more is required than send a photog to "spray" the event and write copy from a press release. Real investigative journalism is almost completely dead, and when those big boys like Brooks Jarosz and KNTV's "Investigative" Unit do go after wrong-doers, they're usually small fries like mom and pop businesses. If there was real investigative reporting do you think a crook like Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith would still be in her job?
DeleteDoug Murphy couldn't do sports though and it was painfully obvious when he worked with Rick Quan. Rick didn't get the green light to take over as sports anchor and Doug was out of his element. He was a news guy trying to do sports.
ReplyDelete- Very sad how Doug Murphy's life ended in a tragic house fire. He had more solid PIX newscasts to deliver. One of KPIX's most devastating blows; would Allen Martin have stayed at his previous station had Murphy still been alive? One will never know.
ReplyDelete- You want disparity within Circle7, at least from an RL standpoint? To Rich and his most devout readers, feel free to compare the clean, crisp Friday newscast by Dan Ashley with the monotone Sunday newscast by J.R. Stone. Were it not for the other regular anchors staying on the day-after-Christmas airwaves - cool weather anchor Drew Tuma and not-so-cool (non-Rich fave) sports anchor Chris Alvarez - Sunday would have been total dullsville.
Can't stand Tuma either--or the other weather weirdo Mike Nicco or whatever his name is. In fact, almost every hire since Trixie's Putsch has sucked.
DeleteCharlie Walter, KPIX's new weekend sports guy who looks like a soap opera doctor, is trying so desperately to imitate Vern Glenn's energetic, in-your-face style. It's ugly.
DeleteYes, a sad end indeed. Gone too young.
DeleteThere was a woman anchoring on Christmas on KTVU who looked like she just graduated high school. Are they serious? There are people anchoring there I've never ever seen on air before. Is this the new Fox model?
ReplyDeleteI'll say this. I used to watch KTVU but now I switch around because I don't really know who any of the reporters on KTVU are anymore. They all seem new and don't stay long that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteAgree. Plus I don't really want to be watching a Fox owned station so now with so many random people I figured I might as well try another station.
DeleteI hung out with Doug Murphy a few times at a bar in Lafayette and yes, he was a lot of fun and a good guy...
ReplyDeleteI have to agree about Jan Wahl. I don't mind her every once in a while, but I never understood why John wanted her to be a weekly guest on his show. On his Saturday show, she was on for 30 minutes. But after the Saturday show ended, he gave her an HOUR on Friday nights! She's likeable enough, but I don't listen to John Rothmann to hear movie reviews, I listen for discussions about politics and current events.
ReplyDeleteDuring the holidays, you may have noticed that things like courts and legislatures are shut down. The regular ebb and flow of news is attenuated. Talk hosts who are on for hours have to fill more time than usual.There is nothing evil about Jan Wahl. She has had a long career involving plays and movies,and not just as a critic. She has an encyclopedic knowledge of same. For some reason, you don't like her hats or something, right? Here's a clue. You can't see hats on the radio.
DeleteCraft...go away...go hug an animal, imagine getting frisky with Al Franken, etc. Whatever floats your boat
DeleteDear 10:28, So you were so concerned and irritated about my simple comment that you deliberately sought out my facebook page to see me with horses?dogs? Al Franken? Chris+Craft boats? You've got a curious obsession, sort of like a stalker.
DeleteMurf was THE MAN! I used to freelance at PIX (writer & producer) back in the day. When I first met him, I thought he was a mean, caustic son of a bitch...answering my questions with crass responses.
ReplyDeleteBut after a couple of hours...I noticed he interacted with everyone this way--and they LOVED IT--sometimes answering back in the same tone. That's when I figured it out: Murf had a dry, sarcastic sense of humor! Once I figured this out...I quickly found him to be a great guy. Funny as hell, and also fiercely loyal to his photogs and editors. Everyone loved him--great "locker room guy." I ended up landing a full-time gig elsewhere...and was stunned and shook up after learning that he passed away.
Ashley's good, but too much gesticulation to read the news ... despie hsi "chops", I'm not sure I could see him quick enough to pull a Roger Grimsby ... https://youtu.be/3k42z4rSRFU?t=321
ReplyDeleteRIP Doug Murphy. I remember that guy. He was good, like the classic kind of news guys. I remember seeing that fire on the news. Ironic that the news guy became the news.
ReplyDelete