Where was KGO-TV When The SFO Crash Happened?

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FROM TV SPY and an Insider at KGO-TV

Big unanswered question: why didn't news director Tracy Watkowski order the news folks who were working to go on the air immediately?  Or was she too absorbed in the riveting Channel 2 coverage to react. Hard times at what used to be a great news operation?

 In a press release trumpeting KTVU‘s coverage of the Asiana Airlines crash, the San Francisco Fox affiliate is calling out ABC owned KGO for being slow to the story.

In the release, KTVU noted they were first on the air and first with a reporter from the scene. The station also noted that KTVU’s aerial coverage was used by ABC News in its national report, since KGO’s chopper was not yet in the air by the time David Muir‘s special report began:

KTVU’s coverage was even picked up by the ABC National News – instead of their own affiliate (KGO).  The ABC National News repeatedly used aerial footage from KTVU NewsChopper 2 during their 30 minute Special Report.  KGO didn’t hit the air with local coverage until 1:11pm – 58 minutes later than KTVU.

ABC News, CBS News and Fox are members of Network News Service, a partnership that allows all three networks to pool coverage from their local affiliates. KTVU’s live pictures were fed to ABC News through NNS.

Related, TVNewser: ABC News and SF Fox Affiliate In Flap Over Plane Crash Coverage
In contrast to the local coverage, ABC’s national coverage was the most extensive of the broadcast networks. Muir anchored an 45-minute special report that preempted the network’s coverage of Wimbledon, while NBC and CBS offered only brief updates.

KGO news director Tracey Watkowski did not immediately respond to TVSpy’s request for comment.

And here's a reply from an insider at Ch. 7

We couldn't go on the air because we didn't have a director. We have cut back so much we  couldn't function when we needed to most. And then once we did...we didn't know when to say "when"!

It's unfortunate. We have great people who were here ready to go.

Unless the Guild contract has changed it has always been:
“if in an emergency and there is NO Director available, anyone can direct”

I am laughing my ass off to see the stupidity of Management that doesn’t know or has read the contract, let alone wait for a Director to show up on a Breaking Story over the weekend!

Sorry, we can’t bring this Breaking Story to you. It’s the Weekend and our Director’s aren’t here or available”

Please use your remote to see the Story on all the other stations!

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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The Very Best and Worst TV/Radio Coverage of the Airliner Crash at SFO; KTVU Leads the Pack

KTVU: From the very first reports that a jumbo jet had crash-landed at SFO, KTVU was on the air and its #1 anchor, Frank Somerville was describing the horrifying scene on the runway. It helped, too, that the station had live video footage which gave viewers a direct view of the jetliner's demise.

Somerville lives in the Oakland Hills; it helped that as the story evolved, he was able to get to KTVU's Jack London Square studios just moments after the first report of the crash from the airport.

Moreover, Somerville was calm, cool, and collected. He was helped out immeasurably by reporter, Tom Vacar, a veteran reporter and small-plane pilot himself and Ken Wayne, a fellow anchor and himself, a small-plane pilot. Both gave detailed analysis and were a steady compliment to Somerville's on-air work. This was vintage KTVU work and to its credit, the Oakland station went a full nine hours on the air and stayed with the story. In fact, KTVU flipped the Giants-Dodgers FOX telecast to sister station, KICU, and remained with the on-going developments at SFO.

All in all, KTVU did a stellar job and provided the best and most comprehensive coverage. GRADE: A

*KPIX5: Shockingly enough, the CBS O and O had the worst coverage. Wait, what coverage? Initially, PIX stayed with the golf tournament on CBS for a good hour-plus before finally breaking into the net and going with the story at SFO, but there was total embarrassment here. PIX had NO anchor, not even a reporter on the scene. PIX relied on content and actuality from its sister radio station, KCBS! Are you kidding me? No, worse yet, when they finally got Allen Martin into the studio, Martin looked dazed and confused, entirely out of the loop. Worse yet, Martin deferred back to KCBS coverage because they simply were not ready to cover the story. I'm wondering if they'll be a meeting at 855 Battery and who's head could roll. GRADE: D-

*KRON: Early on, very unimpressive work with a female anchor who looked totally out of place. I don't know her name and frankly, after watching her fumble and bumble, I had no interest. Of course, KRON may have felt the same: They didn't bother to put her name up and I'm not so sure that wasn't so bad after all. GRADE: D

*KNTV: Raj Mathai provided solid, if not spectacular, work and managed to snag a passenger eye-witness account of the crash. Overall, KNTV provided the necessary news with lots of overhead shots from the scene of the crash and a ton of phone interviews with aircraft experts who gave early analysis of what might have caused the crash. GRADE: B

KGO-TV: Dan Ashley did a good job describing the scene and providing a very respected, decidedly toned-down approach. Not too great was his partner, the out-of-place Cheryl Jennings who sounded as if she was describing a Royal wedding from time to time. Bizarre. GRADE: B-

RADIO:

KCBS: Great job from the all-news king of radio in SF. KCBS was front and center with capable anchorwoman, Janice Wright at the microphone, and given the enormity of the story, News Director, Ed Cavagnaro. Reporters en mass filed detailed packages from the scene at SFO to the hospital at SF General. KCBS clearly knows how to cover a major story even if it happens to fall on a holiday weekend. Nice work. GRADE: B+

KGO Radio: Oh, how the once-mighty have fallen...First off, Tim Montemayor was on the air when the crash occurred. I didn't hear much of the "Monty" but was told he was so bad, KGO's meager news vets in the newsroom were fuming over The Monty's screeching solo act. "Nails on board" was how one KGO staffer described his reporting. Beyond that, Montemayor also reportedly spoke about the "possibility of two planes" even though there was no word  early on about that possible element. Simply inexcusable but not really surprising anymore from the news wannabees. GRADE: F


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