Ask Rich Lieberman

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Christine Craft is a Pain in the Ass and a Very Good Talk Show Host; Saturday Notes

Christine Craft and Al Franken

 Christine Craft filled in for Ronn Owens on KGO Radio Friday. Several of you informed me. I know. For once I actually listened to the radio albatross.

Craft is a royal pain in the ass. I told her. She's also an excellent radio talk-show host. Sure, her animal-rights stance borders on infatuation and much too much we're fed her dog stories. Oh well.

For a self-described "liberal", her gun-rights stance seems contradictory but again, she's consistent.

I'm also not thrilled with her steadfast anti-Israel position no matter what but I can deal with that because one thing about Craft--you pick a fight with her, she's more than ready to go at it.

On radio she's really good. She runs a smooth sailing ship and knows how to keep a show moving, there's no denying that. In fact, it's an embarrassment that Craft isn't a full time host on KGO--you would think one of the dim bulbs running the show would hire her and elicit some element of credibility. Only those who run KGO now are trying to reinvent the wheel and actually think 4th-tier comedians from New Jersey appeal to a younger demo and that morons who walk the red carpet and think they're entertainers are more suitable. Never mind that no one is listening but that's another story.

Even in this PPM and TSL era, Craft commands the board. She's incredibly adept at pacing. When a bad caller is much too much, she can cut and move along to the next Edna from Fremont. Now and then she's a little rude and curt with listeners but in trying to zip along the show, that's manageable. She acknowledges as much which is OK from this corner.

*Yes, you heard right: Barely three weeks into his SF run, KGO ran a "best-of" Chip Franklin on Friday. Many of you were shocked. Why not put a fill-in on? Live and local? Because, see, that would have been too logical --furthermore, Cumulus would have had to pay a fill-in, bingo!

*You guys are right--the True Car ads are annoying as hell but maybe that's what the client wants.

*Randall Bloomquist and Renee Bakos: symmetry. (Withhold laughter).

*Sorry, KRON, you just look and sound weird. And please, do something with that lighting! It's awful even by your standards.

*Just because one media blogger in town isn't in love with certain media people doesn't mean he has to omit them from his Christmas card. Hell, someone has to take the high road.

*From one of my KGO Radio spies: "Bloomquist will be fired soon enough. Mahanay brought in Bakos and the Dicks sent him to SF to reign it all in. He's like an ugly Abe Vigoda." Ouch.

*Any day now on the weekend, the real-estate shows and pre-recorded syndicated crap will begin playing because that's the Cumulus playbook. That, and cashing $25 million-dollar bonus checks for the Dicks are SOP. Chew on that, 55 Hawthorne zombies, and Happy New Year.

*Katie Marzullo: It's OK to smile. Ask Claudine Wong. And another thing: loosen up a bit.

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Dave Flemming Wasn't Entirely Happy With Radio Broadcast Set-Up Which Is Why He Didn't Make It To The SF Giants Victory Parade

 THE SANITIZED version of why Giants versatile and respected play-by-play radio broadcaster, Dave Flemming, was noticeably absent from the World Series victory parade was that he was working an ESPN college football game. He was.

But don't be fooled.

Everybody in the Giants organization, from the janitors to the front office were there.

Every name politician was there too. The broadcasters from KNBR, Comcast, you name it, made it to the parade.

Except Flemming.

Flemming, a good company man will not publically bitch and moan because he doesn't want to rock the boat. Flemming wasn't there because he didn't work but one measely inning at the World Series. Under the set-up, only Jon Miller, Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper could work the Series --which was a radio-only affair and quite frankly, too crowded to include Flemm. He worked only one modest inning, the 4th.

 And let's not say that the ESPN prior engagement was priority over the Giants parade. It was not. Flemming was at all the previous ceremonies.

Flemming was steamed that he wasn't allowed even a modest two innings of work at the Fall Classic. Jon Miller worked the majority of innings while Kuiper did the rest. Krukow, the color analyst worked all nine innings. It's that simple only the irony is that Flemming, who just concluded his tenth season with the Giants is considered the heir-apparent to Miller when he hangs it up.

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KGO/KSFO Dynamo Thursday ; 55 Hawthorne Deep Cleansing Underway; 'Pig Vomit' Metheny In; Escarsega Out

"As the Worm Turns" - New Drama Hits KGO & KSFO (and you ain't gonna like it)

'PIG VOMIT' is back!--  Kevin Methany who helped to single- handily destroy KFRC here years ago, then went on to destroy the legendary stations KJR, W-ENNNN-BEE CEE, WGAR, WGN, and Cumulus heritage new/talker WJR has been named KGO / KSFO operations manager as of July 14.

This, for those who know, has DISASTER written all over it.  Metheny hasn't run a rated station that he hasn't bombed and destroyed in his lengthy career.

The evolution of KGO & sister conservative talker, KSFO is now, officially underway as reported here on 415 Media first almost a month ago.

Cumulus operations manager, Ron Escarsega has exited 55 Hawthorne, having arrived from talker KABC Radio (and classic rocker KLOS) in LA not even a year ago.  Escarsega's job, "Fix it.  Get it done, now."  Steve Sklenar was named Cumulus SF market manager and, he too is going, going, GONE as of two weeks ago and dropped the bomb that KGO was headed back to talk after "We screwed up."

A furor exploded across the bows of both local management at the Cumulus Bay Area cluster and among the high-mucky muchs in Atlanta looking over the sinking ship of KGO, KSFO, KNBR, KFOG, KFGG and KSAN.

Cumulus is head-hunting for Methany's replacement at the heritage WJR, Detroit as we speak.

John Dickey, Cumulus Executive VP and Co-COO, noted this morning that “Kevin Methany’s reputation and accomplishments are unparalleled," Dickey adds, 'His deep understanding of spoken-word radio and ability to work with bigger-than-life talents make him the ideal candidate to lead the legendary KGO and KSFO."

Ron Escarsega briefly stated, "I've had a great run at KGO and KSFO." He reported to the staff on Hawthorne that "KGO received the overall excellence regional award for news while I was the OM. The KSFO morning show was often in the top 5 during my time with the station(s)."

Escarsega added, "I'm looking for the next great opportunity." He noted his vast experience "as a proven winner,"  in PPM ratings, in multiple formats including in news (CBS / KNX LA), Talk (Cumulus / KABC Los Angeles) and music formats (Cumulus LA Classic Rocker KLOS, among others. 

More to come.

Developing...