It's Official: KTVU News Has Been 'Foxified'; Over-Talking, Yappy Anchors Make For Bad TV

 I didn't think it would turn out this way. Boy, was I wrong.

KTVU News has become Foxified. Certifiably.

The look, the feel, the style, you name it, the entire operation. It's a dramatic rebrand of a product that didn't need rebranding; maybe a tweak or two, but whatever is the case the new look and broadcast model is a complete mess.

First, the most glaring: anchors talking with one another. Nobody said it's against the law to speak on TV news. But KTVU's now-frequent uber-banter sounds out of place and forced. It doesn't sound right nor does it look authentic--it's just a cheap reincarnation of Happy Talk and it doesn't work as I noted not too long ago.

Moreover, KTVU's entry into chatter-fest has an artificial, non-genuine feel. You can't simply reinvent the wheel when your trademark, your style; the style that has garnered you national and local acclaim and the envy of the industry has become so noticeably altered. Just because Channel 2 anchors are talking now doesn't enhance the product. Far from it. Viewers are hip too--they see something that looks contrived-- they're going to get the remote.

This new model is probably coming from the new Fox management that took over in October. It didn't take long for the Foxies to begin augmenting their version of what TV news should look like only they, so far, have miscalculated the taste of Bay Area viewers. It's not just the new mucho-yapping, it's, for example, having  anchors have to do shill promos with the TMZ TV Show, which, not coincidently is on KTVU. It's not exactly tacky but it's also not indicative of KTVU's news acumen--again, it's a bad look. And it only figures to get worse which, if you're a Channel 2 viewer used to quality news programming, is a total bummer.

*Follow me on Twitter

How Dare I Rip Renel, The San Francisco Giants PA Announcer But I Don't Think I'm The Only One

 You would think that all would be groovy from the 3rd and King Street believers--after all, the Giants just won another World Series and the Orange and Black can do no wrong in the Bay Area with their passionate fan base.

Well, everything is indeed peachy and everyone's happy.

The fans have gone nuts. They love their team. They love their rock stars. Larry Baer might as well be Mick Jagger.

Then there's this deal about Renel Brooks, the PA announcer..."FOR YOUR SAN FRANCISCOOOOOOOO GIANTS!"

I'm about to open a can of worms but what the hell, that's what this place is all about, right? CorrectoMundo.

I'm not a big fan of Renel. As a PA announcer, that is. I'm not crazy about her on the radio either but the radio biz is another story and I don't really navigate FM broadcasting anymore except to remind myself how crappy it is.

Renel gets too excited for me and she being a PA announcer one could assume being happy is a PA announcer- prerequisite and while that's somewhat true, I don't like Renel's screeching --I was going to say that her style is more Anaheim than San Francisco and that's not a knock on Renel as a person--maybe the Giants are pleased as punch with the arrangement--I'd much prefer someone more sedate and civil. You can be excited and enthusiastic and still be civil; I don't get that aroma with Renel; maybe it's just me but every once and awhile I hear Giants fans gripe about Renel so maybe I'm not alone.

Before I get besieged with the usual-suspect how-could-you-criticize-our-Renel? verbal assault  about to come aiming my way, let me state categorically this is criticism, hopefully constructive. I'm not asking that Renel be replaced with some barber from Mill Valley with great pipes, it's just that I'm not a fan.

Got it?

You can always argue with me on Twitter

The Lost Art of Simple TV Anchor Conversation: Remember That Age-Old Relic?

 A few weeks ago I was watching the local news--can't remember the station nor the particular story but it was compelling enough that the anchors did something unusual--at least unusual in 21st Century TV news--they actually spoke to one another. WAIT, I mean they went beyond innocuous insincere chit-chat--they conversed! It was telling because in today's news template an actual conversation is tantamount to a really revolutionary idea.

I'm making a big deal about this because when's the last time you saw a TV anchor offer up a few questions back to the reporter doing a live shot? And I'm not talking your garden-variety verbal who-what-where; more to the point concise, specific actual dialogue--remember that age-old relic? It's become a commodity, a rare glimpse of human interaction as opposed to the banal back-and-forth between anchor and reporter.

Matter of fact, when's the last time an anchor had a legitimate conversation between his or her partner on a subject matter? You don't see a lot of it--my feeling is that, A. the consultants don't like it and B. It's embarrassing but in today's younger, newbie environment the anchors simply don't know how to talk to one another and even if they tried it would come off looking foolish and contrived. Imagine that: you have a big news story or some off-the-radar material-- (like the kid with the replica AK-47 who was shot dead by the Santa Rosa cops who thought it was real). In my mind if I were a viewer watching a story like that, the idea of anchors simply discussing the sheer tragic nature of that story would bring out an utter human emotion. Keep in mind that I'm not talking about a long, drawn-out back and forth, merely a few moments of reflection; of actual verbal content and not a phony, "Thanks Bob for that report, giggle, giggle."

The late Pete Wilson, (KRON/KGO-TV), was a master at this formula. Wilson was engaging and focused on certain stories; matter of fact, at times he almost overdid it, but it wasn't phony nor disingenuous--Wilson was as passionate a news reader as there was and it was that element, that personal touch that resonated with viewers. Wilson would have eaten up the tragic Santa Rosa cop-kid tragedy. Most of today's anchors would have simply read the notes and moved on. Ad-libbing is a virtue today. Relevant conversation is a commodity. The times they are a changin'.

*Follow me on Twitter