Dan Rosenheim Is the Highest Paid TV News Director in Bay Area; PIX ND Makes $350K as KTVU/Fox Hover In; 'NightBeat' Is Still Dreadful And That's TRENDING; Wednesday Notes

 While KGO officially is looking to replace their recently departed assistant news director, KPIX is merely hoping their current longtime ND, Dan Rosenheim, stays aboard at the 855 Battery outpost.

Rosenheim is the highest-paid News Director in the Bay Area, making in the neighborhood of $350K a year. By all indications he's happy and why shouldn't he be, he has a firm grip on the CBS O and O and has managed to become one of the longest-tenured NDs.

I've heard soon-to-be, Fox-owned KTVU, currently rudderless with a pair of lame duck news managers temporarily presiding, might be willing to offer a sweet package to woo Rosenheim  across the bay to run the rails in Oakland. It would be a bold move.

A local broadcast analyst told me "they'd have to really make him an offer he couldn't refuse...remember, Dan is a newspaperman, he's old-school, he came from KRON and he's been at Channel 5 for a long time." Indeed, Rosenheim is nearing 15 years at the CBS station.

*Too bad Rosenheim has to watch "Nightbeat" although I assume he fakes it every now and then.

*News people from all over town were still fuming over PIX's pathetic "interview" of their own cameraman who "saw Robin Williams at an AA meeting a few weeks ago." Making matters worse, KCBS used the same piece, (reported by Sharon Chin), in its morning news blocks before finally pulling it after a huge outcry.

"Somebody royally screwed up here", an embarrassed KPIX staffer told me. Yeah, I'm sure AA people just put KPIX and KCBS on the do-not-watch list.

*Just a hunch from heaven: Robin Williams: "Oh, please, enough already!"

*Another PIXer: "If Nightbeat makes the year, I'll be totally surprised." Not me. But the show, from a comedy standpoint, is truly one of the funniest around. By the way, that last comment is trending.

*KPIX thinks guys without ties is a hip look on the Nightbeat--why not stop there. On hot days, have O'Donnell go shirtless.

*Seriously, the worst thing about the Nightbeat is not how god-awful it is; even worse how it makes Veronica De La Cruz look so bad and that alone should make PIX mangers worry.

*What happens when a local shitty newscast becomes the fodder for a bunch of jokes--will that then BE TRENDING?

*Paul Deanno and VLDC airport quiz: are you kidding me? It looks so fucking ridiculous, I mean, c'mon PIX, get a grip!

*O'Donnell shirtless, Deanna tieless, --VDLC...? (I won't go there). But damn, if you guys want to really see something TRENDING, Damn!

*Tonight on the Nightbeat, Len Ramirez asks teenage mutant ninja turtles if they sneak their smartphones into bed and surf the Internet--Jan on Facebook says, "leave our kids alone!" It's TRENDING!

*The very best coverage of the Robin Williams death: KRON. Steady and understated, great work especially by Catherine Heenan and Pam Moore; reporter, Charles Clifford.

Looks as if KRON went by the old edict: "Brevity is the soul of wit." Amen.

I'm TRENDING on Twitter

Note: Rich Lieberman and 415 Media are not responsible for comments made by others on this website.

KPIX and KTVU: Two Quick Friday Summations

Summations Friday--PIX and KTVU

KPIX

The station's newscasts have been better later; the story lines are crisp and the look is fresh. Allen Martin, whom I've been overly-critical of, has become a lot more watchable and provides a more relaxed approach. It shows on the screen. And while I have reservations about Liz Cook and her Mary Poppins approach, she too has vastly improved. She seems more relaxed too.
The tension and hostility with me and Rosenheim has zero to do with his work--it's all business. My issues with DR is that he builds walls between people that I like, (invariably, people there he doesn't care for), and uses that venom to create hostility. Dan, you know as well as I, that the manager issue was not my doing. It's all about the reporters and it's them that's doing the bitching. Have a staff meeting, Dano, and clear the air. Rally the troops. You got a great staff, for the most part, go take 'em to dinner. It would do wonders.

KTVU

My god, what the hell happened here? Oh, THAT thing. (Something having to do with an airline and its pilots).

The fact of the matter is that those of you who have read my posts, past and present, on KTVU know my history. In spite of a slew of personnel changes--both rank and file and management--I've long admired KTVU's stellar news operation. It has managed to survive and still is the envy of the local TN News scene. It had a monumental clusterfuck and it's just hoping that with time, it goes away.
My issues with KTVU are the same as others. They could have been proactive and moved forward with the Asiana affair. That requires a whole lot of work and leadership. Unfortunately, the guys that run Channel 2 have created an us-against-them environment. That's not how to run a TV station.
Months before the Asiana affair, a veteran on-air staffer met with Tom Raponi and requested he and I meet. Raponi refused. I myself requested a brief interview. No response. Nice start at building good will. Then again, outside of press releases, Raponi doesn't speak to anyone. He's the GM! Bizarre.
One last thing: Lee Rosenthal, 2's News Director, perhaps on orders from Raponi, also doesn't talk. Maybe he should. It might help the growing dissatisfaction inside the newsroom. He better hurry.

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