tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029870750479192711.post8121098662988309834..comments2024-03-28T05:28:54.552-07:00Comments on RICH LIEBERMAN 415 MEDIA: Van Amburg: The Highest Paid And Most Elusive Bay Area TV Anchor EverRich Liebermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18174495340920055435noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029870750479192711.post-39102223020804660612015-07-28T20:34:31.175-07:002015-07-28T20:34:31.175-07:00During that terrible November 1978 Van did the bes...During that terrible November 1978 Van did the best coverage imo.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029870750479192711.post-47900367980876085232015-07-27T19:22:58.193-07:002015-07-27T19:22:58.193-07:00Neat. El Cerrito has sure seen it's share of s...Neat. El Cerrito has sure seen it's share of star power- Van and the members of Creedence Clearwater Revival to name a couple!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029870750479192711.post-45524069888773339172015-07-27T13:38:51.938-07:002015-07-27T13:38:51.938-07:00When Van Amburg was still Fred Van Amburg he lived...When Van Amburg was still Fred Van Amburg he lived across the street from us in El Cerrito - in fact, they were renting the tiny little corner house - Manila and Lawrence Streets - late 1950's-early 1960's. By the time he was on KGO, they had already moved - but that's where he started out.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029870750479192711.post-3694801835655686802015-07-26T21:36:23.684-07:002015-07-26T21:36:23.684-07:00So, wait...Van Amburg earned $1M back in 1986? Tha...So, wait...Van Amburg earned $1M back in 1986? That's the equivalent of more than $2M today. Holy cow. That's leaps and bounds over the best paid today.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029870750479192711.post-87899036887689136052015-07-26T20:03:53.205-07:002015-07-26T20:03:53.205-07:00Thanks for sharing, I'd love to see that 60 Mi...Thanks for sharing, I'd love to see that 60 Minutes segment. I'll try YT. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029870750479192711.post-89769305809672800382015-07-26T16:12:09.149-07:002015-07-26T16:12:09.149-07:00I'm the one who unearthed that tape.
Ironical...I'm the one who unearthed that tape.<br /><br />Ironically it was sitting in the archives at KPIX.Gregnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029870750479192711.post-68702618881712353992015-07-26T16:11:09.504-07:002015-07-26T16:11:09.504-07:00Van's son is now a successful Hollywood execut...Van's son is now a successful Hollywood executive - he is the president of Sony Television. <br /><br />https://sites.sonypicturestelevision.com/aboutspt/executives.php?id=27Gregnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029870750479192711.post-77095179702893317772015-07-26T16:08:37.581-07:002015-07-26T16:08:37.581-07:00Yes Van's brother was the General Manager at K...Yes Van's brother was the General Manager at KABC in Los Angeles during the early to mid 80s.<br /><br />But he too left shortly after Van by the new Capital Cities management.<br /><br />Van did do an interview with Rich or another radio host a few years ago on that Santa Cruz station. He sounded great - a man who invested his earnings well and continues to lead a rich life.Gregnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029870750479192711.post-40455747757095353862015-07-26T12:45:20.284-07:002015-07-26T12:45:20.284-07:00Omg, I recall ALL of those commercials. And refres...Omg, I recall ALL of those commercials. And refreshing to see Van reading from his desk copy and looking up intermittently. He was a workhorse, and his delivery so smooth, almost effortless. Boy, how classy and timeless the whole newscast was.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029870750479192711.post-87047721158516600892015-07-26T10:03:38.248-07:002015-07-26T10:03:38.248-07:00SFGATE has a clip of the KGO Cowboy promo...
http...SFGATE has a clip of the KGO Cowboy promo...<br /><br />http://blog.sfgate.com/thebigevent/2011/11/28/van-amburg-and-the-news-cowboys/<br /><br />Yeeee Hawwwww!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029870750479192711.post-11098616520178053382015-07-26T09:59:45.224-07:002015-07-26T09:59:45.224-07:00You can bet that assignment desk had a full bar.You can bet that assignment desk had a full bar.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029870750479192711.post-40441625191567278542015-07-26T08:15:55.958-07:002015-07-26T08:15:55.958-07:00Thanks Dave Price. Well written and very enlighte...Thanks Dave Price. Well written and very enlightening.<br />Aunt Kathyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09052332785515592847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029870750479192711.post-64976985834455750922015-07-26T06:29:35.439-07:002015-07-26T06:29:35.439-07:00My first memories of Van is when he was a sports a...My first memories of Van is when he was a sports anchor at Pix at their studios on Van Ness. Fred Zhender was the assignment editor!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029870750479192711.post-8565600073459993122015-07-26T02:08:42.030-07:002015-07-26T02:08:42.030-07:00Wow, exactly 20 years after the Beatles last conce...Wow, exactly 20 years after the Beatles last concert, at Candlestick, Aug 29 1966. Hey, remember Van in the role of a newsman in the 1972 Robert Redford film, "The Candidate"!Sir Phttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05043472715619751309noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029870750479192711.post-89763695498550159072015-07-26T01:31:34.348-07:002015-07-26T01:31:34.348-07:00Van Amburg was at the top of his game in 1974 when...Van Amburg was at the top of his game in 1974 when Mike Wallace of "60 Minutes" did a piece on local news in San Francisco. At the time, KGO had a 50 share and people across the country were wondering why they were so successful. "60 Minutes" commissioned a UC-Berkeley journalism class to record every local newscast for a month and tabulate the stories. They found that KGO ignored foreign and Washington news, and emphasized "fire, crime, sex, tearjerkers, animal stories and the occult." It was a winning formula. Wallace interviewed Amburg on the "News Scene" set and asked him about a promo he did, saying "Male member found on railroad tracks. Film at 11." Amburg denied he said it that way and said the teaser was longer. But he said the story was important because there was a "victim out there." Clearly Amburg wasn't intimidated by Wallace. The "60 Minutes" piece went on to bash KPIX for trying to copy the KGO format without success. It was interesting to see a CBS News piece that was sharply critical of a CBS affiliate. Of course, at the time KPIX was owned by Group W/Westinghouse. Wallace also played the famous "KGO Cowboys" promo and followed that up with the pathetic attempt by KRON to copy that with their "Newshounds" campaign, where they made the anchors wear papier-mache dog heads in promos and print ads. Wallace interviewed KRON managers who were embarrassed by the campaign. Wallace pointed out that KRON, which had the most traditional newscast in the market, had once been No. 1, but fell due to KGO's format. Wallace said that people felt the KGO call letters stood for kickers, guts and orgasm. Afterward, people at KGO felt that the "60 Minutes" piece was an attempt by CBS to attack a successful ABC O&O, but Van Amburg did pretty well standing up to Wallace. And Van Amburg would remain as the top anchor KGO for another 12 years.Dave Pricenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029870750479192711.post-80026264116617195992015-07-25T19:52:06.178-07:002015-07-25T19:52:06.178-07:00Rich did you remember Van Amberg when he was a ...Rich did you remember Van Amberg when he was a 'communicaster' on KNEW in the late 1960s. He did a regular talk show on AM 910 along with such other hosts as Robin King, "remember, love too, is a four letter word," right winger Pat Michaels, "our day WILL come, upward and onward!" and Joe Dolan, who was the left winger. Steve Somers, before he got into sports also did a weekend talk show as did a fellow named 'Hilly' Rose on KNEW. <br /><br /> Interesting sidelight to Van Amberg: He was also Bill King's 'color' announcer on the Oakland Raider radio broadcasts from 1966-68 when KNEW was carrying their games.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029870750479192711.post-1014997527355153532015-07-25T16:40:19.936-07:002015-07-25T16:40:19.936-07:00I like your new format a bit better. It's eas...I like your new format a bit better. It's easier to distinguish the comments from your commentary. Lately, I've been focusing more on your commentary and ignoring "Shecky", the angry commenter. <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029870750479192711.post-5998205736362925862015-07-25T14:56:18.556-07:002015-07-25T14:56:18.556-07:00New format terrible.New format terrible.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029870750479192711.post-55420960894309888972015-07-25T13:50:53.711-07:002015-07-25T13:50:53.711-07:00That was a good watch. Funny how the more things c...That was a good watch. Funny how the more things change, the more they stay the same. Even the mind numbing commercials.<br /><br />The only difference is the quality of the newscast. That has certainly suffered over the years.SW in Santa Cruznoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029870750479192711.post-5355471015066716872015-07-25T12:21:30.278-07:002015-07-25T12:21:30.278-07:00My first memory of Van Amburg on TV, is of him do...My first memory of Van Amburg on TV, is of him doing a stand-up during the summer Olympics in Rome, 1960 ... dressed in a toga.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029870750479192711.post-27356808766934900172015-07-25T12:16:37.315-07:002015-07-25T12:16:37.315-07:00Van Amburg is still fresh in Bill O'Reilly'...Van Amburg is still fresh in Bill O'Reilly's memory, as O'Reilly mention him (and Herb Caen) earlier this week on "The Factor." Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029870750479192711.post-58697437229811416402015-07-25T12:06:41.413-07:002015-07-25T12:06:41.413-07:00Seem to remember hearing that Van's brother wa...Seem to remember hearing that Van's brother was a corporate higher-up at ABC; any truth to that?johnny bom bonneynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029870750479192711.post-5778174154428492202015-07-25T11:46:42.088-07:002015-07-25T11:46:42.088-07:00He was to me the best anchor in Bay Area. I also r...He was to me the best anchor in Bay Area. I also remember when he did color on radio for the Oakland Raiders!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029870750479192711.post-54466270770247715132015-07-25T11:42:52.841-07:002015-07-25T11:42:52.841-07:00I think the guy is still sore after all these year...I think the guy is still sore after all these years.<br />Maybe a little ego issue still to this day.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029870750479192711.post-72171764196496810072015-07-25T09:48:58.560-07:002015-07-25T09:48:58.560-07:00Van Amburg is waaay better than the losers on loca...Van Amburg is waaay better than the losers on local television these days. . Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com