Mark Ibanez will anchor his last (on KTVU) sports broadcast Thursday night. Too bad all the lovey-dovey you'll see tomorrow night won't be genuine.
It's all a charade, actually, not Ibanez' doing.
And even though he's still at the top of his game and as solid as ever.
Ibanez leaving will lead the station's storied "10 o'Clock News" now missing two of its prominent anchors--Frank Somerville was booted from KTVU over his various personal transgressions in February after 31 years.
Ibanez will leave the scene after nearly 43 years at 2 Jack London Square. That's a lot of human history to replace. And suddenly, KTVU is feeling it.
Only Julie Haener and weather anchor, Bill Martin, remain.
KTVU has seen ratings plummet; although it remains the dominant leader at 10, KTVU viewership is significantly down across the board and KTVU lagged during the recent February Sweeps.
KTVU and Fox will attempt to show on Thursday night everything is peachy and rosy--Ibanez, in fact, has an NDA agreement. He can't talk publicly about his financial package nor the details of his formal going-away from Fox, but according to my sources, although he's happy leaving KTVU, he's still open to working somewhere, maybe in the Bay Area.
By the way, as I reported here, Joe Fonzi, will take over for Ibanez, beginning next Monday.
*KCBS and its morning follies contined this week--the all-news Audacy outlet (740 AM--106.9 FM) trotted out yet another fill-in (for retiring anchor, Stan Bunger)--Melissa Culross paired with business reporter, Jason Brooks, to deliver the AM-drive news from 5-10 AM.
Predictably, it was awful.
Culross is equal no presence and reads as robotic as ever. She's more suited for weekends or some other slot, just not AM drive.
*Scott Warren, I'm told, is not only a good guy with local chops, but someone who has the news accumen to get KPIX out of the dungeon.
The new GM at CBS-SF has a lot on his plate. He certainly needs all the help he can get. He can start by cleaning house at PIX. There's nothing to lose.
I disagree that Culross "has no presence and reads as robotic as ever".....au contraire....she is WAY too PERKY, speaks too fast, and, IMO, is FAR more annoying than Holly....
ReplyDeleteThe problem with Scott Warren is that he has local roots and therefore will be hesitant to clean house. It would be far better to have someone who can genuinely look at the slop mess and FULLY clean house including the stodgy old anchors who have been there forever. He won't do that. He's new to being a GM and will be playing don't rock the boat for the first 2 years. He knows he's not qualified for the job he just started and he'll want to keep it.
ReplyDeleteWhat kind of an idiot lets Ibanez walk out but keeps Bill Martin? That place is a mess.
ReplyDeleteEikel. Amber Eikel.
DeleteYet another reason NOT to watch KTVU. Wishing Mark Ibanez all the best. Enjoyed your work Mark!
ReplyDeleteFrankly he's probably glad to be done with FOX and their pro Putin network garbage. KTVU has gone to hell since Cox sold them. I can't watch it.
Agree. The Fox News Channel garbage really does stain everyone working at this station. They even run the national Fox pieces on KTVU now. Such a difference from when it was run by Cox and had different management.
DeleteBusiness news at KCBS is non-existent, they farm some of it out from another station that is 100 percent business. And in this area where the business world is so interesting. What a joke.
ReplyDeleteKTVU sold its soul to Fox. The inclusion of Fox News segments on the 10 O'Clock news stripped away any integrity on the broadcast.
ReplyDeleteJust toss KTVU headfirst into a wood chipper and be done with it. Air some quality programming in its place, like episodes of Charley and Humphrey!
ReplyDeleteKCBS is feeding the anchors too much caffeine. I guess they want them to talk faster so they have more time for commercials. The once go to place for local news, traffic, sports, business and commentary has gone kaput. What a shame.
ReplyDeleteGreg Brady ...on steroids.
Delete(Says Rich)
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Actually he called him Peter on steriods..but greg or bobby or even mike would be interesting too
DeletePaulie mac in the side pocket for the win
ReplyDeleteThrough the charade Ibanez has looked classy even after the old footage and fake “homage” paid to him by Haener and Millcoat on Wednesday’s broadcast. What a screw up! His contract should’ve been renewed PERIOD!
ReplyDeleteDid FOX also put in a Non Compete Clause into his exit package???
ReplyDelete