KTVU's Most Embarrassing Moment Five Years Ago This Week; Asiana Airlines Crash at SFO Source of 'Sum Ting Wong'; 415 Media Looks Back

WAS IT REALLY FIVE YEARS AGO TODAY?

Well yes, the actual plane crash, but even tragedy took a back seat to this.

And later on, this, which I broke here first.

It became the greatest fodder in TV News history. It was inescapable and made for spoofs all over the network TV and cable hemisphere --much to the chagrin of KTVU and its place in Bay Area and national news circles. All over the country it was Topic A; for KTVU all the wrong reasons.

Even international.

To this day, I cannot fathom how it all made the air. You'd have to choreograph a perfect crime and even at that, you would almost have to have magical powers to pull it all off. Andyou would fail and fall flat on your face. Of course you would, right?

Stephen Colbert

Not on July 12, 2013.

Keep in mind the actual Asiana crash took place six days earlier. The first images looked rather disturbing. As it turned out, it wasn't as bad as portrayed. Unless you were this young lady.

Or, maybe Tori Campbell.

The questions remain: how could she not have been curious?

Should she have named the names out loud?

What was she smoking?

Nobody knows for sure.

Tori Campbell

KTVU News Graphically-Challenged: Viewer Discretion Advised-- May Cause Mental Disorder

Graphically, speaking. The complete tour.





Then this...





Anybody feel like Chinses food?





I didn't know this guy was Ken Wayne.




And the All-Time Leader in the clubhouse.

Exclusive: Saturday Night Massacre at KTVU; 3 Fired Over Asiana Airline Gaffe; 'More Firings Possible'; Update: GM Raponi Statement

OUT! at KTVU  BREAKING NEWS from 415 Media

Roland De Wolk: Investigate Producer

Cristina Gastelu: Special Projects Producer

Brad Belstock: Producer

**Three independent sources confirmed the firings to me. All spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the story.

UPDATE: 10:07: Statement from Tom Raponi: GM, KTVU

 "Consistent with our apology, we are carrying through with our responsibility to minimize the thoughtless repetition of the video by others."


Note: Elvin Sledge, a veteran news producer who works the Noon Show, (and was on duty the day of the gaffe),  told management that he's retiring. According to a source, Sledge weeks ago informed his bosses he was going to retire, well before the Asiana Airline name snafu.

**I am told a Cox Media attorney went to KTVU and conducted "major" investigation.

**Source tells me "they are not done yet--could be more."

**Developing...

**415 Media Exclusive

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KTVU ND Rosenthal Treading Rough Waters; Sorry, But KTVU 'Namegate' is Still Industry Talk Nirvana; Rolling Stone Cover

  KTVU News Director, Lee Rosenthal, has lost the trust of a good many of the newsroom, according to insiders at the Oakland Fox affiliate. Growing credibility issues have arisen over the Korean Airliner 'Namegate' imbroglio that has put the station through a difficult week. It doesn't help Rosenthal that his fingerprints were all over the now infamous press release boasting of KTVU's coverage of the crash a mere two days after the tragedy.

Moreover, the 33 year-old Rosenthal's fist-pumping never went over well inside the newsroom and this was well before the fake names la affair with Tori Campbell. Rosenthal might escape this major blunder that has forever tainted KTVU's gold-standard image and reputation but Cox Media, leading a low-key internal investigation of the matter, may not be so forgiving. As a leading station insider told me, "in the end, someone has to go." Indeed, and Rosenthal might have company. Stay tuned.

*Some of you have barked, "Enough of this, (KTVU), already." Really? I have news for you: This is the talk of EVERY TV news operation in the country. From big-market NY City to small-town Iowa! For better or worse, this indelible blunder has been THEE talk of the back room where anchors, reporters, producers, editors; the whole shebang. I know this because several prominent industry people told me. And when people like Stephen Colbert and the late-night comics are referring to this, you know it's reached cultural critical mass. I rest my case.

*My two cents: The Rolling Stone cover with the Boston bomber was intended to sell magazine covers and create controversy and buzz. They got it; that's the good news. Bad news is that Rolling Stone long ago lost its influence and cachet. The only relevant thing over there is Peter Traver's movie reviews.

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Exclusive: Was KTVU Victim of Sabotage Over Asiana Airline 'Namegate?' SF TV Competition Or Rogue KTVU Staffer; Cox Media Investigation

The KTVU Namegate affair has taken a dramatic turn.

Several insiders in the know have told me that the Asiana Airliner pilot-name brouhaha might very well have been perpetrated by individuals from the local SF-TV competition. Or from a rogue KTVU staffer bent on revenge!

Even with the disclosure that an NTSB intern has been identified and relieved of his duties, the embarrassing incident still made it past KTVU news personnel on duty at the time of the Noon News newscast last Friday.

*Bullet Points:

1) The internal investigation is being run by Cox Atlanta. The Cox family does NOT like controversy, or to be embarrassed. This is a family owned company; there are NO stockholders. The family holds its pride close. Their internal security team usually consists of retired FBI and Secret Service. As one of America's richest families, they protect their own interests.

 

2) NO ONE at KTVU is safe. If COX feels management is lax, the GM or ND could be gone.

 

3) Probably 4 or 5 employees in the newsroom "touched" the story before air. They include the assignment desk; a writer; a producer; a graphic artist; and the anchor. It's possible the executive producer and/or news director saw it, too. That's a LOT of eyes missing the real story! All could be fired.

 

4) A leading candidate for the prank...other TV stations in the market. KTVU made LOTS of enemies with its over-the-top, self-serving promo touting its coverage of the plane crash (which WAS very good). But in doing so, they rubbed noses in the dirt at KGO, KPIX, KRON and KNTV. Any p-o'd person at one of those stations could have pulled the prank.

 

5) Whoever did this has insider knowledge of the "flow" of the KTVU newsroom (which is typical of any TV newsroom). The fact that the information came in as breaking news, so close to news time, tells you that the perpetrator knew the story might be rushed to air, with only a cursory review of the "facts!". The person who did this leveraged their knowledge of how a newsroom works on deadline. Well played.

 

**Developing...

 

*Exclusive

 

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KTVU's Somerville Joins Me Live on KSCO/KOMY Radio To Talk About SFO Jetliner Crash Media Coverage; Updated: Sal Castenada and NBC BA's Raj Mathai Also on Program

One of the very best anchors in town...KTVU's lead anchor, Frank Somerville, who began working in studio moments after the Asiana 777 jetliner crash-landed at SFO and who did some stellar anchoring for eight straight hours, will be my guest on radio, today, from 1-1: 30 PM.

Here's the link to listening live or later, (a podcast will be up a few hours after the show).

UPDATE: Both Sal Castenada and NBC Bay Area's Raj Mathai will also appear on the program; Castenada, 1: 30-2PM and Mathai, from 2-2: 30 PM.

We will discuss the media coverage of the story and take your questions and comments.

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