White was formally announced as PIX's news gate keeper on Thursday at 855 Battery. GM, Scott Warren, sent out a memo to staff.
Here's the inside dope.
White is an experienced, if not polarizing figure. As someone who worked with her many years at KRON told me about her new PIX position, "be careful what you (PIX) wish for." Indeed.
While Lisa White is no doubt qualified for the job, her rep is that of a combative, at times, woman who doesn't want to be effed with. That's all well and good and to be expected but when you're leading a news operation, especially an outfit as volatile as PIX is, rallying the troops is difficult when you yourself are a complicated figure.
White's 22-year tenure at PIX as an assistent ND has been met with a "well, why was she second fiddle for 22 years?" In essence, what took so long?
If you know White and understand her missive (and she understands you), then everything is good. White can be difficult if you hit her at the wrong moment. Seems as if she can be a pain and while that may be the case with a whole lot of people, White's rep says she's a whole lot of drama. From what I hear, she is quite talented and knows her stuff. We'll see.
PIX is a mess right now with terrible ratings, indifferent anchors and reporters and internal strife that isn't going away anytime soon. It isn't helped by new hires that haven't moved the needle and are the latest residue from a news outfit that is trying to forget the past guy (Mark Neerman) that had the place in semi-revolt.
White has to quickly rearrange the furniture at PIX otherwise she'll get muddled in all the mess she inherits.
Proof that we'll see more of the same at KPIX. And proof that the new GM is just going to go with the flow. Keep in mind all of the new bizarre hires from Neerman happened with White's sign off on it too. So in other words, if you like the shit show that is KPIX right now then you're in luck because nothing is changing there. Same ol Same ol. Which is great news for outlets like Fox owned KTVU that is struggling and doesn't need any additional competition chipping away at their fragile base.
ReplyDeleteIndeed the new hires are relieved
DeleteHow dare she be a woman who doesn't want to be effed with!
ReplyDeleteWon't work. 22 years? She's obviously a piece of work and set in her ways. Unyielding, pedantic, stale. Like the previous poster mentioned. They play the cards dealt, no other option. The attention span of your average viewer lasts about as long as a lit match.
ReplyDeleteNot a good decision. The place needed a house cleaning. Instead they take a B player and make her captain. Not smart at all.
ReplyDeleteso 11:03, She's got the good on you?
ReplyDeletePIX was born under a dark star but I'm cautiously optimistic about the change. Lisa White always had the newsroom staff on her side when I worked there, and I see no evidence it has changed. She is smart, open, and fair. Her experience with long-time staffers may enable her to negotiate through the usual obstacles that exist in any newsroom. Problem is, and it's systemic in the industry, she's only got a limited amount of time to perform a miracle before the corporate execs look for another magician. Such miracles have happened before, but only when a trailing station does everything right and the leading station does something wrong or inferior. Years ago, this could have been the result of a disruptive marketing campaign. Later, major shifts in viewership occurred during a transcendent news event that caused a percentage of non-loyal or channel-hopping viewers to sample other stations. These were lessons learned after the fact. We're now in a different era.
ReplyDeleteHi, Lisa.
DeleteInteresting move. Took awhile tho but will there be a shakeup @ KPIX? Hard to say when the new people of Yamamoto, Donchey, Starrantino and Cowan are already in place as “newly hired” and it be hard to replace unless there is a buyout coming. Goodrich and Makovec deserve a primetime or morning promotion respectively...we wait and see for sure what Lisa White will do @ KPIX...
ReplyDeleteGoodrich doesn't want prime time. Makovec desperately wants the morning seat, however.
DeleteI hope she gets rid of that horrible Yamamoto and donkey face. That would be a start in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteIt's not so much the talent anymore, it's the story content.
ReplyDeletePeople are sick of the nanny state optics from the local newscast.
Every BA newsroom suffers from the same problem...too much woke shit! Start listening to YOUR viewers at those focus groups.
Remember this...
Pfizer is a major sponsor of all the CBS news programs both national AND local. Get the pharma monkey off your back and start reporting some FACTS.
Hate to break it to you, but the vast majority of Bay Area residents are liberal. You don’t represent the viewers as a whole, you represent the conservative malcontents.
Deletesame results,fumbling nba team cant make a basket even with 'second best record''. same team wins.false drama with ''trash talk' ,but they still lost.theyre trying to hype a league that has no players that can finish off a game. that is the last game you will follow. you gave it a chance,thought it might be an exciting game seven...but no, the ''pushover virus'' shadows the league.
ReplyDeleteYup...the Bay Area is the liberal bastion of the country--if not the entire world. So it's natural that the newsrooms would reflect this. I don't have a problem with this. I'm not a liberal--but I know I live in the liberal Mecca, so it is what it is (I love it here, by the way).
ReplyDeleteI used to live/work in Indianapolis and Tampa. Complete opposite: STRONG conservative Republican bases...and the newsrooms reflected this. It seemed like every person interviewed for stories where White males. Both newsrooms I worked had an overwhelming conservative Republican vibe.