The station, based in San Jose, was one of the last remaining country-music radio stations in the Bay Area.
"The KRTY sale puts the local radio stations in a precarious situation," a broadcast source tells me. "Radio is dead here."
*The Oscars used to be appointment-TV --underline used to be.
Now, the Academy Awards are a three-hour TV BORE that hardly anyone watches. Both from an entertainment standpoint and practical matter, the Oscars are now useless and out of touch. It's been that way for years.
Another ratings disaster for ABC.
*Remember the good old days when talk radio thrived in the Bay Area? Now, it's effectively gone.
KGO used to have a thing called "open lines." It would allow listeners to call in and discuss news of the day and it was usually a solid, informative, hour or so. But now it doesn't exist because KGO basically thinks you all are morons consumed with Facebook and pictures of your aunt's fondue.
*Does SFGate ever even send one of its yuppie/shit "reporters" to actually cover a local story? Or do they just use the BCN (Bay City News) wire for its report? Choose the latter.
SFGate prototype reporter: a 29 year-old guy with pimples on his face, tattoos on both arms who drinks Peets coffee and chain-smokes American Spirit cigarettes.
*SFGate: your purple home in the Mission and burrito news institution.
*One of these days a real reporter will do a little investigative research on that modern-day scam known as "Kars4Kids" and uncover some shady business. I'd love to uncover some of their mildew myself, but I'm too busy chasing my 7-11 coffee.
*Of course Caen had helpers, so what, I wish I had some.
He could still write like hell and brilliantly, sometimes three-thousand words almost every day. He set the tone for the city and it was a great diversion from the evils of Jonestown and the Moscone-Milk murders and crazy, depressing shit like that. Herb was the BEST. I used to be put off by his anti-Oakland crap (considering he was born in Sacto) but it was a minor nuisance.
Caen was a local treasure, SF's Mike Royko mixed with Jimmy Breslin, NY residue, when needed. (Like the Zodiac). The Chronicle was (in the 70's at least) Caen and the Sporting Green. Maybe Charles McCabe and Art Hoppe every now and then, but Caen was the top dog.
*A so-called "foodie chap" doesn't contribute news content to an alleged all-news radio station which is why the local monopoly at 740 AM is a total disgrace.
*I'VE warmed to ABC7 (KGO-TV) anchor, Dion Lim. What took me so long?
Dion was late to the party, initially, but she found en fuego and it makes her a FORCE to be noticed at 900 Front.
UPDATE: 11: 44 PM
One word: staged.
The Oscars neededd buzz; I guess they got it.
I don't need observers or celebrity pundits to tell me otherwise.
I wouldn't be shocked if it comes out both Will Smith and Chris Rock were laughing out of control--cocktails aplenty--at some swanky back room club in Bev Hills.
Just my gut feeling.
The last good Oscar Show had Jack Palance doing one-armed pushups. Whoopi wasn't a whopper back then either.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGxL5AFzzMY
Satellite radio, streaming, and podcasts are killing terrestrial radio and have been for a while.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised to see you insult Kars 4 Kids (altho I agree) as they are a Jewish organization.
ReplyDelete"The organization also sponsors a youth program known as Chillzone, an after-school program teaching Jewish culture and moral values. Additionally, they sponsor the summer camp TheZone, which operates Jewish sleepaway camps in the upper Catskills region of New York State."
The money raised by Kars4Kids is not used for illegitimate purposes, but yes, they are a Jewish organization and the programs go to help (usually low-income) Jewish kids. Nothing inherently wrong with that. But they also funnel a fair amount of that money back into buying even more ad time to run even more of those obnoxious spots - hope no one thinks that's a "public service" giveaway by the networks - and they don't go out of their way to identify themselves as a Jewish charity. The time they do buy is often in fringe hours, when the time is available for a song. (And that song is "1-877-Kars-4-Kids".)
DeleteBest line of tv show "The Good Place" was "Let's sing the "Bad Place" song, and the singing started - "1-877-Kars-4-Kids"...
DeleteHad forgotten that, but yup, that was "spit-take" hilarious.
DeleteLiberals and Democrats running Hollywood killed the Oscars. Especially recently when they started catering to the "woke" and outrage mob.
ReplyDeleteAnd you're right, be prepared for an entire night of Ukraine this and Ukraine that.
God bless you, Rich. We have our back and forths but I respect you and the blog and am thankful that it is available.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work brother!
Dion Lim was as sharp as ever from the get go. A true professional. Didn't take any warming up to notice. Day one, she hit it out of the park.
ReplyDeleteWhen you didn't see it, I then started to question your thoughts from there on out.
She's still too hard to listen to, but ok with the sound off.
Delete"Day one, she hit it out of the park..."
DeleteTotal BS! Although she has gotten better, and I appreciate
her calling out Chesa Boudin, she was like a deer in the headlights when she came to ABC-7. Check out her anchoring during the Gilroy Garlic Festival shooting. She froze.
The moment was too big for her.
Note the unusual idioms and sentence structure that seem to come from most of her fans.
DeleteNobody is watching the Oscars, or sitting in the living room with Stella D'oro cookies on the coffee table... Except maybe Jan Wahl ?
ReplyDeleteEven those cookies are going extinct.
The DEATH of San Jose media has been on a fast track to zero.
Starting with the loss of channel 11 San Jose Newschannel. No more folksy local newscasts (Doug Moore & Maggi Scura)
Then comes the TAKEOVER of the PBS station by KQED.
KTEH Channel 54....GONE
KICU Channel 36....GONE
Taken over by KTVU+. More like KTVU plus shit.
Remember Ch 36 news? Sports with Robert Bronstein ? I-C-U-TV 36 ?
On the San Jose radio side....
KLIV 1590 AM. GONE & defunct.
KRTY 95.3 Sold out
KHQT 97.7 Sold out (Hot 97)
KSJO 92.3 Ethnic programming.
408 media.... Disconnected.
Don't forget KOME 98.5, and we also used to have our very own KFOG frequency here in San Jose at 97.7. Both gone now.
DeleteFor TV stations, we now have "NBC Bay Area" channel 3, which appears to be based in San Jose, but of course they never SAY that they're in San Jose. For some reason, people continue to want to deny the fact that San Jose exists, in spite of the fact that it's much bigger than San Francisco. The San Jose Mercury News is now "The Mercury News of Silicon Valley." It's almost as if people are afraid to even MENTION San Jose. "NBC Bay Area." Right.
KNTV is alive and well, as NBC Bay Area, channel 11
Delete"The KRTY sale puts the local radio stations in a precarious situation," a broadcast source tells me. "Radio is dead here."
ReplyDeleteMaybe so, but this overlooks the fact that tax exemptions for religions is the biggest scam in the history of scams
I always considered EMF and it's K-Love crap a virus in the broadcast industry. They hover in like vultures and pick off stations desperate to sell. Some markets might have 4 or 5 signals with the same stuff on them.
DeleteKRTY isn't going anywhere until at least June 1st. Could be even later, depending on when the FCC approves the sale, but definitely not earlier. (It's in the contract.) While I'm not a big C&W fan, it is sad that this last major market independent is going away, and to a religious broadcaster no less. But it is a special situation. KRTY is a Class A station, and Class A's have signal limitations that prevent them from being truly competitive over the large geography that exists in the Bay Area. (They did well in Santa Clara County, and actually pulled a 7 share in the February San Jose book, which was good enough to also be a 1.8 share of the broader SFBA market.) When their longtime owner, Bob Kieve, died a couple of years ago, the handwriting was on the wall, and the family probably had no choice (for estate tax reasons) but to put the station up for sale.
ReplyDeleteRight on Rich on all and Kars for Kids is a scam nationwide. Now they'll take real estate and jewelry if you just don't want it.
ReplyDeleteNo, that's bLM
DeleteKGO used to have a thing called "open lines." It would allow listeners to call in and discuss news of the day and it was usually a solid, informative, hour or so. But now it doesn't exist because KGO basically thinks you all are morons consumed with Facebook and pictures of your aunt's fondue.
ReplyDeleteWOW those were the days Rich. It was like a daily education. I learned something new everyday.
not a fan of hers.
ReplyDeleteThe main line for news stations today...
ReplyDelete"We Tried To Contact - - - - But They Have Not Responded Back"
OMG maybe get off your ass and go pound on their door and say I want answers.
Growing up ktom and kfat were all you would need if you liked country music. These days I don't think I know what's where on the radio dials.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I thought that the Smith/Rock "incident" was staged. I was more surprised at the news reports that claimed that it wasn't.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely 100% staged. Neither one acted/reacted as if the incident was real, and I'm pretty sure no one was even struck. One more sign the Oscars have lost any relevancy...
Delete"Neither one acted/reacted as if the incident was real..."
DeleteWhat did you expect, Indiana Jones music?
Dumbass...
When struck on the face, the natural response is to immediately rub that area that was hit. Chris Rock did no such thing.
DeleteYes, 12:23. And more prolonged grimacing, eye-watering, crying out in pain, staggering/dizziness, altered speech pattern, etc.. Especially given the speed and arc of Smith's slap, and Smith's adrenaline and natural strength.
DeletePerhaps Rock has a remarkable ability to "take a punch," or in this case a slap. But Rock's reaction just didn't seem commensurate with that particular (supposed) blow.
@2:35
Delete"Crying out in pain...staggering..."
Yes, perhaps if it had been you.
Chris--on the other hand--withstood the assault with admirable restraint and class, though he was visibly stunned by the magnitude of Will's inexcusable rage.
The physical aspect of the "incident" at the Oscars was tantamount to what one would see in a professional wrestling match, or in a movie. Chris Rock may be tough, and he is poised. But if there was any contact during that particular slap, it was glancing.
DeleteDuring old interviews, there were some remarkably tough '60s and '70s era Offensive Lineman who recalled the noteworthy effects that were caused by (the then NFL legal) head slaps. Aftereffects there were consistent with the symptoms that I described in a previous message, and more.
Will Smith is a well-conditioned, powerful man. Likely not as powerful as an NFL Defensive Lineman, but is he powerful, fast, and maniacal enough to produce a forceful blow that could cause some real damage. Real damage, that is, when there is real direct contact.
@7:37 PM
DeleteGive it a rest. Absolutely nothing staged about this. Smith's career is now in tatters and the ensuing Academy fallout will reverberate for months.
"Give it a rest," you write, as you continue to post your opinions.
DeleteThis particular sham has become a major story, attracting widespread attention and prompting tremendous reaction. Suddenly, Chris Rock's shows are in (even) greater demand. The pseudo-repentant Will Smith will continue with his weaselly damage control act, there are people who will buy into that, and I expect some sort of "righteous awakening" (likely of the evangelical kind) from Will. Smith's well- known (but in some respects, slightly fading) wifey gets in on the attention, and awareness is heightened toward her affliction. And this cooked-up controversy has returned some focus to the desperately waning and clearly dated AMPAS.
This is the acting business, and this is case where actors are doing what actors do: act; create drama and illusions; perpetuate phoniness; draw attention to themselves, their vocation, and their grandiose milieu. And within that context, the Oscars are still a big stage. Like they say: "Only in Hollywood!" Or as P.T. Barnum said: "There is no such thing as bad publicity."
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ReplyDeleteThe Oscars are boring because the creators can't do anything. They're afraid of the Woke and Cancel Culture with their butt-hurt rhetoric. This is what you people asked for. And if you Woke/Cancel Culture like this crap? Oh, there's more boredom coming.
ReplyDeleteDam, the one night I should have watched the Oscars.
ReplyDeleteImagine if they were different races.
ReplyDeleteThis country is circling the bowl and deservedly so.
ReplyDeleteThe Smith-Rock incident may have been staged, but it seemed to me that Rock was clearly shaken. I asked my sister, who was a seat filler at the ceremony, if it was staged; in her opinion, it was not. She said the atmosphere was very tense afterward, and others who were close to the action said that the slap was real. Take it for what it's worth.
ReplyDeleteYou could hear the slap in the unedited audio. This was not staged. Even if you think the Oscars would want to stage such a thing, this was not a good look for Will Smith so why would he participate?
Delete@9:06 and 1:14 Greg B
DeleteYou're both correct. It wasn't staged.
In addition, several angry Academy members now regret their decision to award Will and it's certain that he will be banned from any future Academy events.
If this incident wasn't staged, Will Smith would have been charged with Battery. Hollywood's entertainment has reached a new low.
ReplyDeleteI vote on it being staged for one reason only.....
Deletewomen slap, men PUNCH...
"If this incident wasn't staged, Will Smith would have been charged with Battery."
DeleteOnly if Rock decided to press charges. LAPD confirms they talked to him and he didn't.
True, Anon @ 1:38 pm -- but you know what some people say about Will Smith.....
DeleteI love how people are declaring with absolute certainty that this altercation was staged. The fact is, we don’t know yet. From what I understand, Rock declined to press charges, so unless the motion picture academy or DA decide to pursue something, the case is closed. I suspect we’ll learn the truth sooner rather than later. The truth will out.
ReplyDeleteThe Cars for Kids song is still better than anything Paulie Mac has ever done.
ReplyDeleteWill Smith should know better than to hit someone on national TV. He also used swear words, which is another thing you can't do on national TV. Say what you will about the Oscars, but it is and always has been a very formal and classy event. Chris Rock's comment was not offensive at all! He's a comedian! He wasn't being malicious, he was making a joke! The thing that saddens me about this whole thing is the fact that people have lost their ability to take a joke. Chris Rock never made fun of her for losing her hair. He compared her to G.I. Jane, a very strong and beautiful woman! It was a compliment, not an insult. But more than that, it was a JOKE. I don't know how we got to a point where people can't even laugh at jokes anymore. Someone always has to get offended. I sure am glad I'm not a comedian. It would be an awful time to be a comedian with so many easily-offended people in this world.
ReplyDeleteWell-said.
DeleteAlthough Will Smith was laughing too until he saw his wife giving him the stink eye. THEN he took on the role of the defender husband.
But should comedians make fun of someone with a disease?
DeleteJaden Pinkett Smith is in talks to Star in G.I. Jane 2, with Demi Moore to be Executive Producer.
DeleteThe next Comedy Central Roasts will be roasting Will Smith with Chris Rock as the Host
Unfortunately the incident, led john rothman deciding he needed to give jan wall even more air time,why I dont know. as if wall's opinion carried any significance..
ReplyDeleteAnswer for your war crimes, not even close.. This was as real as it gets in Hollywood
ReplyDeleteActually, "Sacratomato" was Dr. Don Rose. Herb Caen was "Sackamenna", as in "the Sackamenna Kid".
ReplyDelete"The KRTY sale puts the local radio stations in a precarious situation," a broadcast source tells me. "Radio is dead here.
ReplyDeleteI respectfully disagree. Just because EMF is buying the station and changing the format means nothing. EMF is doing what EMF does. They have a business plan they stick to. They buy stations and centrally program them via satellite with one of their EMF grown formats. They will NEVER buy a successful station and keep its format intact. It's not what they do and it doesn't fit their portfolio. In other words, KRTY could have a 50 share and be the number one billing station in the market and if EMF bought it, they would still change the format to one of their brands. Because having disc jockeys, a sales staff and a studio in the COL doesn't fit their business model. Unlike Salem, EMF does not dabble in secular formats. BTW, if Salem had purchased KRTY they would've kept the country format intact. The only change made would've been to move the station into their complex in Fremont. Maybe Salem was interested but didn't want to pay the $3M price tag for the 95.3 facility. Full disclosure: I worked at 95.3 back when it was KRVE and was owned by Joe Rosa, Batista Viera and Joaquin Esteves (R-V-E). The studios were on Santa Cruz Avenue in Los Gatos. It was a fun (& weird) little radio station.
I too did weekend part time work when KRVE was located in Los Gatos. I so enjoyed the studio window facing the avenue and flirting with the local girls peeking inside. Highlight of the morning was the Hugo Schneider German music show I engineered. Hugo and I crossed paths again when he moved his show to KBAY. The KRTY ownership group made a killing when it sold KARA-FM Santa Clara which at the time was one of the highest dollar transfers for an FM in the bay area.
ReplyDelete