Thursday, February 10, 2022

Circle7 History Unique; Dan Ashley Close to Awesome at 900 Front; KNBR Sends Papa and Lund to Super Bowl Radio Row--God Knows Why; KRON/Nextstar Un-Pleasant Factoid; KGO Radio's Rothmann-Wahl Awful Egofest; CNN Star, Abby Phillips/Hubby SF Tour at Johnny Loves; Thursday Media Schmooze

THE KGO (Circle7) of the 1970's, sure, had virtually no competition and was unique. It wasn't for everyone. I loved the "if it bleeds, it leads" mentality and birthplace of "Happy Talk." When I was growing up, crazy, specific events like the Patty Hearst kidnapping, SLA carnage, Jim Jones --Guyana murder/suicide and Moscone-Milk murders, were singular, 1970's events. KGO, and Van Amburg in particular, covered those stories like no one else. It was a different time, of course it was. Channel7 had a distinctive style and pedigree. As I said, Circle7 wasn't for everyone.
In today's environment/culture, I don't know if a KGO7 could exist. Probabaly not but I'm sure multi decades from now, today's news domain probably wouldn't mesh either.

*When I said no anchors come close to a Van Amburg or Jerry Jensen, here in the Bay Area, I should have been more specific. I also should have lauded current KGO/ABC7 veteran anchor, Dan Ashley, a true pro and industry giant. I've wanted to be critical of Ashley, tried my best, but I can't find any blemishes. Ashley is very good and consistent; a tremendous anchor of all get-go. He's one of the few people nobody has ever said a bad word about, by all accounts, a real mensch. The next time Ashley has to read a Disney/ABC promo, I'll wince a little, but I'll get over it sooner rather than later.

*KNBR/Cumulus spent nearly 30 grand to send two talk show hosts (bloated John Lund and Greg Papa) to LA to talk on radio row at the Super Bowl. Bad planning, poor use of money. Especially penny-pinching Cumulus. First off, the 49ers are not in the game, it's the Rams-Bengals. It's not a big deal here. Moreover, radio row (I've covered two Super Bowls, 1982 and '85) are nothing more than players whoring their own products and fake celebrities acting as if they're big shots. It's mostly just a bunch of media guys celebrating their swag and bragging about their NFL party invites. Nobody at home gives a damn about imbecile Lund's juvenile, drunken escapades in LA and Papa's tired stories about his used Tesla.

*The KRON/Nextstar guard that was shot and ultimately died in a robbery attempt--his family will soon probably enter a legal arena and it could be avoided but seems Nextstar is in no mood to settle anyting, at least for now.

*The drought has brought us, (again) the FAKE, "concerned" look from anchor to weather guesser and vice-versa. Instead of just reporting the weather and tossing back to the news desk, the faux look of anguish is now a common, everyday occurence. It is comical to watch. It looked gross the other Sunday morn, when Liz Kruetz showed real worry when Lisa Argen thew it back. The cosmetics counter clerk, Kruetz, was borderline ludicrous. What else is new.

*KGO Radio knows it sucks. So much so now that it's apparent they can't execute anything and their talk hosts are LOUSY, they're now pivoting from news-talk and Facebook, life shit to live and local although even there, they continue to suck. The latest itertion is Rothmann (John) talking Oakland schools (who cares) and pedestrian lifestyle issues (Thompson) John and Thurston (Pat)--the really funny part: Thompson broadcasts from LA and has ZERO local accumen. It's a farce. Just look at KGO's ratings.

*Rothmann has lost his mind. He spent an HOUR! talking with YENTA supreme, the insufferable Jan Wahl, Tuesday afternoon. Wahl is instant TURN-OFF with her bloated EGO and unfunny quips. The kind of crap NO ONE wants to hear driving home, especialy the 5 people listening to KGO.

*It's conceivable sports anchor, Mark Ibanez, will just exit KTVU and retire next month. Ibanez, a 43-year seasoned pro, is tired of FOX yanking his chain. He truly doesn't need the money and Fox apparently doesn't care about retaing its significant sports talent. From my standpoint, Fox needs Mark more than Mark needs KTVU.

CNN star commentator, the awe-inspiring, Abby Phillips just had her first baby; she and hubby, Marcus Richardson held down court in SF at Johnny Loves--it was a cool party.

*KGO is also not taking calls from its listeners, you can tell and hear. KGO is a TOTAL MESS.

*SWEEPS nirvana hits Bay Area but so far, only NBC is invited to the party.

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27 comments:

  1. AnonymousFebruary 10, 2022 at 10:02 AM

    So....everything sucks. Still. Again.

    What else ya got?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousFebruary 10, 2022 at 8:44 PM

      He said he likes Ashley.

      I do too, but I still choke when he (and the others at KGO) say that stupid Building A Better Bay Area crap. It sounds so phony and not even Ashley can sell it. Brings him down, sadly.

      Delete
  2. SayrePairFebruary 10, 2022 at 12:22 PM

    Rich

    While I agree that little to no 'hard news' comes out of the week before the Superbowl - things have changed since 1985/Superbowl 19 and today; both on media row and in the newsroom. While neither team I root for is playing this weekend I've enjoyed several player interviews from media row this week.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousFebruary 10, 2022 at 12:25 PM

    If Circle 7 would get rid of the "Building A Better Bay Area" I may watch them...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousFebruary 10, 2022 at 8:49 PM

      Ditto. Oh, and get rid of Reggie Aqui, Drew Tuma, Madame Ming, and probably several other people I'm forgetting. Since Trixie's anschluss, it's gone from a newsroom to a PC sitting room.

      Delete
  4. AnonymousFebruary 10, 2022 at 12:41 PM

    Dan Ashley only loves one thing more than the camera, his mirror. I've never seen anyone who preens more for viewers. Just obnoxious. Can't watch the guy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousFebruary 10, 2022 at 4:27 PM

      That's a weird take. I watch him a lot-- never seems like "preening"- just being engaging and friendly. You should try
      it :)

      Delete
    2. AnonymousFebruary 10, 2022 at 7:42 PM

      I really don't need to know "What really matters" to Ashley during the newscast.

      Delete
    3. AnonymousFebruary 10, 2022 at 8:50 PM

      Preening? Are you kidding me?

      Delete
    4. AnonymousFebruary 11, 2022 at 7:19 PM

      > I really don't need to know "What really
      > matters" to Ashley during the newscast.

      Management probably insists on crap like that.

      Delete
  5. unknown stuntmanFebruary 10, 2022 at 2:54 PM

    The most interesting thing about rothmann will be how far he pushes his daily digs at thurston and lee hammer for not getting four hours on the air

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousFebruary 10, 2022 at 3:30 PM

    Abby Phillips is excellent, she's going places...

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousFebruary 10, 2022 at 5:20 PM

    Rich you are rapidly becoming what you accuse some hosts of. Boring and repetitive. You have written several negative blogs about John; someone you use to call appointment radio. I'm not suggesting you not be critical of John, but you have gone from on extreme to the other. Jan Wahl can be annoying, but she knows movies and have some good stories, she is only on, for the most part, 1 hour a week. Both John and Pat take calls, Mark take calls, although not a lot, Niki takes a few calls, and I don't like how she handles callers who disagrees with her. I think there were plenty of listeners that cared about the school issue, and also the school board issue. You can't please all the people all the time. I'm waiting for you to wish for Chip Franklin to come back, whom you also bashed when he first started. I would prefer Chip from 3 to 6, because due to my work schedule I miss a lot of John's show. Unlike Rich I still find John interesting, not all of his show, but for the most part.

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnonymousFebruary 10, 2022 at 6:26 PM

    Just when you think Nikki Medoro's show on KGO couldn't get any worse with constant talk of her kids, now she has sunk to bathroom habits including squatting, spreading, zipping up, aiming for the toilet, wiping, toilet paper, bidet sprays and so on. At breakfast time for many. How this can continue is beyond comprehension.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousFebruary 10, 2022 at 10:57 PM

      I think all the NDs and other suits in Bay Area media are lobotomized. I never listen to commercial radio anymore, and I'm very glad.

      Delete
    2. unknown stuntmanFebruary 11, 2022 at 12:54 AM

      haha you know i wish medoro or lee hammer or someone at the station read this stuff..i vividly recall her also describing her son's fascination with feces on more then one occasion and how hillarious she thought it was reading some fake story about people claiming they were getting covid from passing gas

      Delete
    3. Cotati KidFebruary 11, 2022 at 7:32 AM

      I don't think she could top Maureen Langans two hour discourse on Merkins delivered from Edinburgh, Scotland. Talk about appointment radio...

      Delete
    4. AnonymousFebruary 11, 2022 at 10:09 AM

      Since everyone was fired in December of 2011, there have been several awful hosts. Maureen Langan was one of them, as well as Tim Montemayor, and Drex or whatever he was called was one of worst. Niki is that same group. I think Mark Thompson although no Gene Burns is better than the above mentioned. John and Pat are pretty much what they have always been, not sure why all of sudden Rich is turning sour on them.

      Delete
    5. unknown stuntmanFebruary 12, 2022 at 3:36 PM

      Tried listening to maureen "hangin with" langan it was hard to get past her terrible sounding voice..she said she was a comedian but she wasn't funny..ryan scott is still the absolute worst ever

      Delete
  9. AnonymousFebruary 10, 2022 at 7:26 PM

    Don't know what happened to Niki, she didn't seem that bad when she was on with Chip. Perhaps he reigned her in, or I didn't listen enough. I usually wake up around 8, sometimes earlier, and I turn on her show, but after a few minutes I just can't listen, so I turn the dial to Armstrong and Getty, I'm not crazy about them either, except they do have some decent interviews at times. Years ago, I thought they were better, even when I didn't agree with them, I often found them funny, they too have changed.

    ReplyDelete
  10. AnonymousFebruary 10, 2022 at 8:59 PM

    I heard Kruetz signed a petition against rain.

    ReplyDelete
  11. AnonymousFebruary 10, 2022 at 11:08 PM

    Knbr sent papa and Lund to LA to give the guys wouldn't have to smell Papa's Old Spice After shave.....

    ReplyDelete
  12. AnonymousFebruary 10, 2022 at 11:22 PM

    NEWSFLASH NEWSFLASH. NEWSFLASH

    Heather Holmes smiled last night

    ReplyDelete
  13. AnonymousFebruary 11, 2022 at 8:14 AM

    Men and women react differently when they see a pregnant hottie:
    WOMEN: "Awwww, how sweet! I bet she and her husband are ecstatic! (this goes for all
    pregnant woman...no matter how attractive)
    MEN: Damn--lucky guy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BootlegFebruary 11, 2022 at 3:30 PM

      When I see an attractive pregnant woman, I think "Beginning of the end." As in, here comes the post partum depression, weight gain, sleepless nights wreaking having on her complexion, an inevitable decline in her grooming habits, belly scars/flab, and the inescapable, tragic boob droopage". I also sarcastically think, "Wonderful, just what the world needs, another human."

      Delete
  14. Showbiz DavidFebruary 11, 2022 at 10:07 AM

    Mark I. is my favorite sports announcer, would hate to see him go.

    ASTONISHED to see you offering praise to anyone, DOUBLY ASTONISHED it should be Dan Ashley to whom I have belatedly fled, and gratefully so. I was put off when Cheryl Jennings was let go, hated the sexism, but am back at probably the best evening news cast in the Bay Area. Have had it with both KPIX (they should have given Kenny Choi the desk), and the schizophrenic KTVU. Dan is a pro and a class guy, steady all the way.

    ReplyDelete
  15. matteoballFebruary 13, 2022 at 9:22 AM

    *retaining

    ReplyDelete

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