He was open and open to the extreme. She trusted him and vice-versa. They had a unique relationship that, at times, was above and beyond the usual kinship that develops when two people share their work space together, literally and figuratively for over two decades.
Julie Haener trusted Mark Ibanez. Still does. And Ibanez trusted Haener. Still does.
The relationship was to the extent that some KTVU sources say to me the two were joined at the hip.
Ibanez thought, and had every reason to believe, that Haener fought hard internally, through KTVU (and Fox's tangled web of managers, including, notably, its ND, Amber Eikel), that it would be great for Mark to get "one last extension" and that would coincide (with Julie's last deal at KTVU)--in essence, both Mark and Julie having their swan song, one last time, before The Firm changed the make-up of the "10 O'Clock News."
None of it went down.
And now, the two have gone their separate way.
They still respect one another only maybe not as close as they once were. Ibanez retired recently (after Fox offered him a golden parachute to leave after 43 years) and Haener has told close friends that she's now exploring retirement herself.
The alliance was so powerful that KTVU sources tell me that it wasn't totally shocking to see the two together when the lights were off, in the studio or in their respective offices, and that it was more than mere friendship, more like an eternal bond, a figurative business marriage.
*Rich Lieberman 415 Media Extra
ReplyDeleteEveryone needs a solid friend
This account mentions everything except a sexual component. Hmm. Well, I suppose it's POSSIBLE, though in my experience incredibly rare...
ReplyDeleteRich,
ReplyDeleteI think you should publish some background information to address the question that is frequently asked in your blog, “Why does the 6th largest media market have such a dearth of talent?”.
The reason is money. For the last twenty years the TV industry business model has been under pressure. First there was the fragmentation of audiences from broadcast TV to cable. This reduced the ad money directed to broadcast TV. Next, streaming appeared and took more viewers. This reduced the ad money directed to broadcast TV. Then the key demographics of viewers stopped watching broadcast TV in favor of youtube, internet enabled news, etc. This reduced the ad money directed to broadcast TV.
The result of the breakdown of the business model is salary compression in the TV news industry in a manner similar to what happened in the print industry when the internet took down newspapers. What we pay field reporters today, inflation adjusted, is 40% lower than what we paid them 20 years ago. This is happening all over the industry in every market. This makes broadcast TV less attractive to college graduates and the overall quality of the talent entering the industry reflects this.
On top of this general industry trend our market, the SF market, has the additional problem of the escalating cost of living. The last twenty years have seen an explosion of money in the bay area as enormous wealth was created in the technology industry. In this environment the cost of buying a 3BR/2BA home in a decent suburb has exploded.
So what is it like to have the responsibility to hire on-air talent in this environment? In the “old” days it was simple. You surveyed the mid-market and evaluated the tapes of everyone working in Fresno. You picked the best of the bunch and went from there. Today? You get the tapes from Fresno and everyone wants to come. Then you make them an offer and you see them shake their head and laugh. If they are a mid-career professional with actual talent they probably also have a family and they evaluate the cost situation and decide to stay there, or to go to a more reasonably priced market like Denver or Raleigh.
What happens then? Well you either up your offer to make the decent talent move OR you settle for the people that will take you up on your low salary. Which choice does the budget allow? Yeah, we are going to pick someone that will take what we are offering. Who will that be? It will be the cub reporter out of Shasta County that is too green and too star struck to evaluate the financial situation properly. They won’t realize that the salary only covers an apartment in the Tenderloin (with roommates) until after they get here.
And here we are. Frankly, I don’t see a way out of it. Once in a while we get an experienced reporter that comes here because their spouse (who is the main earner) gets transferred to the region. But that will likely reduce as remote work continues to make these kind of transfers more rare. I think those that like to watch local broadcast TV had better get used to seeing ever greener and greener folks on the air.
Anon Industry Person
Caffeine much?
DeleteThis was spot on. Also applies a lot to radio & newspapers as well.
DeleteRich misses your point all of the time regarding greatly reduced revenue. I’ll take it a step further if you brought make the great KGO hosts of the past and even if ratings improved, revenue wouldn’t.
DeleteIt was a working relationship.
ReplyDeleteNo way would Julie do Ibanez he’s a relative midget.
ReplyDeleteHe’s so small, he makes Beetlejuice look like Brian Copeland.
DeleteWell, she does kinda look like Lesley Griffith... = P
ReplyDeleteI get the bond perfectly: Both shallow narcissists.
ReplyDeleteExactly.
DeleteThis explains Mark’s many divorces and Julie’s marital problems and her son’s complete disrespect for his mom in public.
ReplyDeleteI didn’t know that about Julie and her son. That’s not cool.
DeleteWHAT disrespect? She and Jake are pretty close.
DeleteHaener should jump to KPIX, away from that new plague of Fox news bits they're running on KTVU-2...
ReplyDeleteHowever if she does so, I hope they put a clause in her contract that doesn't allow for the puffy-arm and shoulder outfits she wears.
She dresses great most of the time, but about once a week we have to endure those absurd puffy upper-arm and shoulder outfits.
They're like a upper-arm version of MC Hammer's pants