ROBERTA GONZALES's problem is that some people forget she's really Roberta Gonzales, yeah, that Roberta.Let me first state that I love Roberta; just can do with less Robertaisms until I note the fact its the Robertaisms that has men; young and old; women; parents, PTA members, the school principals, the girl-scouts that sell cookies outside Safeway that ADORE Roberta; heck, I think she's regional now.
Roberta Gonzales is KPIX's #-1 most-popular personality. She can be the most annoying human being on the planet; she can reek with what one might seem uncanny phoniness but for the most part, it's all very real.
And for the most part, the "very real" is fine--I mean, seriously, we have some serious shit in the world going on and the mother of all serious shit currently playing out, so a hunk of Roberta isn't the worst thing on the menu. Roberta raised some good kids and is a good mother and cares about her own mother so she's suddenly not turned into Kathy Bates' character, Misery.
She's sort of yucky at times; how do I know? Because I said it, here. But I also acknowledge she's been able to make it here too, for well almost three decades under some of the most difficult circumstances, on and off the screen. One thing, for sure, she's consistent. That's saying something particularly in today's nutsy environment.
I chide Roberta for the breathless delivery; she does it way too much and she needn't because Roberta without the cutesy persona is just as cool as Roberta, wonder bread. But I forgot: that's Roberta! So as much as I can't stand the uber-yenta presentation (especially on radio) I can take it in stride because, BREAKING NEWS!, Roberta is still something visually to behold. And in a market that reeks of plastic boob enhancement and overt phony persona University, I'll take Gonzales over the rest of 'em, most of whom couldn't match RG one iota if their life depended on it.
I'll say this too. Roberta works with a staff half of which don't particularly like her and a News Director that has tried mightily to ace her out of the main KPIX domain. It's one thing to object to an air talent you don't like professionally; it's another to go after her on a personal level. That's not cool. So she's not Mother Teresa, big deal. She's got a huge heart too. That's saying something.
This is not an endorsement for Roberta Gonzales.She doesn't need it. It's a plug for someone who has had to endure and persevere in a tough market and I salute her for that.
So there.
