Nobody; not a soul on the planet; not anyone in the universe; all living particles; disputes the incredible task of running KRON. More like making KRON be more un-KRON-like than anything else for the sake of KRON and its staff and the few actual people who watch what was once San Francisco's most respected and heralded TV News station.
It's been a rather downward spiral since all hell broke loose almost 15 years ago when KRON was sold, lost its NBC affiliation and was slowly on the verge of its impending demise. Staff morale was at its seeming worst. Attitudes exposed the general malaise. Productive people--on the air and off--sent out resumes and began pursuing other stations. In and out of the market.
KRON became so toxic that the people who worked in the old building at 1001 Van Ness thought the place was haunted. Seriously, haunted, like, for instance, a well-known producer who asked the assistant news director, in 2005, that the building be sterilized. He wasn't kidding. The building wasn't sterilized and the whole idea was lampooned (it made the rounds in the newsroom) but the point was the producer wasn't kidding. So much so that even when his idea was laughed at he wrote to HR to see if the job could be executed. They politely declined but the degree to which its own workforce felt about walking into the old building speaks volumes of how they acted and offered up crazy ideas. To this day, at the old fort (where a new housing development is coming) some of the old KRONvicts (ex-KRON staffers) walk peacefully by and take a look. The old building is still there of course but some still think there's voodoo in the ground. I didn't make that up, a KRONvict told me. She too wasn't kidding.
Today, KRON is loosely defined more or less by what it used to be than what it is and what it could be. It could be a thrifty news operation that centers on the Bay Area. It could be a valuable device when there's legitimate breaking news; an earthquake, a flood, a terrorist attack; in which KRON could utilize it's only asset: it is not burdened by network affiliations and their programming. In other words, KRON could try to model a local CNN (when CNN was in the business of reporting news) in which its forte was the "24/7 News Station", or something like that. Hire reliable reporters--they don't have to be stars and with KRON's budget, they wouldn't be--just basic benign reporters who can work the field and know geography. It sounds complicated but it really isn't. Unfortunately KRON can't seem to pull it off and is stuck in yesterday. Every day.
Part of that stagnation lies exclusively on News Director, Aaron Pero, who has been the recipient of my wrath a good deal of time on this site. Mind you, I've never met Pero but I have repeatedly made overtures (via phone and e-mail) to ask him if he'd like to clear anything up; issues like, for instance, reporters, producers, who have contacted me (and asked for anonymity because they feared reprisal) saying that Pero bullied them, belittled them, shouted at them, constantly. Bosses shout and are critical--its their job. It's called being a boss, but many of the letter writers said Pero went too far. One in particular said Pero's reign of rule sent a well-known reporter literally in tears coming out of his office. Many said Pero made it a living hell to come to work and be humiliated by the boss seemingly every day.
Again, for this article, I reached out to Pero for comment and was not answered. No problem because I never expected Pero to respond. He reads this blog because he's made it perfectly clear that anyone talking to me might as well update their resume and hit the door.
None of my correspondence about KRON was solicited. They come to me. I may have, at one point, sent an e-mail or made a phone call (in confidence) doing a follow-up to a note or something of significance sent my way. In other words, the weird things at KRON; the people who get bounced for no good reason, is something I didn't initiate. Whenever something bad happens it comes my way.
Pero, according to sources at the station, is still making life miserable for some people. He won't shout at the stars because he may be dumb but he isn't stupid. He is hellbent, say the sources, on making KRON relevant --at any cost, including the various scapegoats he uses as those he can pick off and tell corporate he's trying to make the station whole. Only corporate, it seems, isn't interested and instead seems to look the other way. The GM, as we've said in the past, is way, way over her head and the consensus is she doesn't know how to run the TV station. You get what you pay for.
It's not Pero's fault that KRON is and forever will be hampered by lack of money, a mostly indifferent staff frustrated by the lack of leadership both from the station and the owner. But he can help himself too. He can meet with staff and clear the air. It needs to be cleansed. Instead, Pero has chosen to rule by intimidation and fear. At least, that's what the rank and file tell me. If Pero and/or his minions want to counter that they know how to get a hold of me. I won't hold my breath.
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It's not Pero's fault that KRON is and forever will be hampered by lack of money, a mostly indifferent staff frustrated by the lack of leadership both from the station and the owner. But he can help himself too. He can meet with staff and clear the air. It needs to be cleansed. Instead, Pero has chosen to rule by intimidation and fear. At least, that's what the rank and file tell me. If Pero and/or his minions want to counter that they know how to get a hold of me. I won't hold my breath.
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