**Too bad KGOne's/Cumulitis product weren't as sleek as their gratuitous onslaught of TV spots hitting the Bay Area channels. The morning news Facebookers look like a couple of Iowa slogs about to audition for American Idol.
**Yes, the new KPIX hottie out of Denver looks a lot like Anna Chavez. That's all we can say for now. Unless you know anything more than I do.
**Christine Craft, (who likes to opine here every now and then) has been deemed "too old" by a certain KGOne management tool that works cheap, doesn't cause trouble and aids and abets the rest of the 810 crew. In other words, a perfect company shill masterfully uninformed and remarkably ill-advised--a Cumulitis virtue.
**KCBS on the weekend: every other story repeated 20x over and over and over and over...between traffic and weather together.
**Add KCBS: the weekend "In Depth" program hijacked by the comical, insufferable, Jan Wahl and over-exposed Willie Brown. The topic was the Oscars. Yeah, great radio. Willie is suddenly being adorned as the elder, straight Rex Reed because he goes to the movies and Wahl is a local celebrity yenta because...hell, I don't know, you have any ideas?
**Props to the Monty guy on KGOne for echoing my sentiments: Whitney Houston was an immensely popular mega-superstar that fate caught up with. A pop diva that probably culminated with two words: wasted talent. She was like every other tortured addict except that she had the means, (at least financially, to deal with all her demons); I feel sorry mostly for her family and kids. And no, I'm not insensitive, it's just that her death wasn't shocking given what we know from the past. Talent, extraordinary voice and beauty ...of course, but warranting the excess put forth by the cablers, notably CNN, beyond embarrassing.
And the shots of posers on the streets of LA singing "I want to dance with somebody" was indicative of a society that fed the demons of Whitney Houston. Think about it for a moment. Then commiserate.
*Still can't fathom Larry King asking Piers Morgan, "You goin' to the party tonight?", moments into his phoner. Sounds like Larry was being overly Larry.
*Wonder if Karl Rove will soon blame Clint Eastwood for Ms. Houston's demise.
*I'd like Bill Wattenburg to get a hold of Clint, (Eastwood is a close friend of Dr. Bill) and get Dirty Harry's thorough take on why the GOP went nutso on his SuperBowl ad.
*Comcast SportsNet Bay Area and NBC Bay Area Sports: The gruesome twosome. More giggles than a Bob Fitzgerald solo on Knibber.
*Correction: Ted Robinson was the first pbp guy post Bill King for the Warriors. How time flies.
*That morning gal who likes to shout and show off her wares better be careful as her upper MGT. boss is sending out resumes.
*Follow me on Twitter
Agree with you most of the time but not this time regarding your opinion of today's "In Depth" program. I felt that it was a refreshing change from the usual heavy topics (which you would expect on an all news station) discussed on that program. Wahl and Brown sounded like two old friends discussing movies over a cup of coffee or a beer.
ReplyDeletewell who can blame this alleged management tool for thinking I'm too old? I did write a book a few decades ago entitled"Too old, too ugly, not Deferential to men."But here's a thought, if I'm "too old", I guess we will have to get rid of Rush, Geraldo,The Eagles, the Stones,Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Diane Sawyer et al...pity, and I'm younger than most of them. If age is the new standard vis a vis what is interesting in San Francisco and beyond..if someone were to publish the ages of all tv. and radio talent in SF..and all over the age limit terminated..we'd have a lot of dead air. The problem with we oldies is that we know too much and aren't afraid to say so..Think I"ll go swim a mile and not think about this.It may be time to write my next book.
ReplyDeleteAlways enjoyed Christine when she was on KGO but I have not listened to that station since the change. Maybe a useless gesture but the only one a listener can make.
DeleteYou ROCK, Christine because you "get it."
DeleteI don't care if you have a face for radio -- you sound "involved", you're strong, you take no shit and you're informed a lot more than most.
You go geezer babe.
Well written, Christine. You are the best and I have been listening to you for years. I am so sick of the "old" moniker -- I'm close to your age -- and feel the same now as I did 20 years ago, except my wisdom is much stronger. Keep on shining!
DeleteAnn
" I guess we will have to get rid of Rush, Geraldo,The Eagles, the Stones,Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Diane Sawyer et al...pity, and I'm younger than most of them. "
DeleteSeriously Christine? You're putting yourself in that group? LOL...You really are delusional. They all have something you don't. A way of connecting with an audience AND....
TALENT!!!!!!!!
My god get over yourself.
Seriously, 10:04? I find Ms. Craft to add more benefit to society than any of the aforementioned names listed above. Christine Craft *does* connect with her audience, and she's got plenty of talent. Perhaps you need to listen to her show now and again for a clearer perspective.
DeleteYes SERIOUSLY. She is flat out delusional to compare herself with those she mentioned.
DeleteAnd it would seem you suffer the same affliction. Delusion seems to be contagious. Seek some help.
Sending out resumes? or looking at them? Or do you mean if he goes-she goes? poor Darya.
ReplyDeleteWhitney..you even meet someone who was normal..then run into them a decade later after the had done hard drugs for all that time?
They would act out like Whitney,act entitled even if poor as a mouse, and blurt whatever they thought with no filter. Brain damaged is what it looks like as their very personality changed.
The real Whitney died in 1992 or so.
Now that Monty is actually talking instead of yelling his show is pretty good. I will listen if only to hear him give Karel a taste of his own medicine during his preview segment.
ReplyDeleteyou should know saying Whitney Houston was a "wasted talent" is stupid. She accomplished quite a bit and that her hit-making status faded as her career went on is par for the course for all of them, clean or sober.
ReplyDeleteThe back story here is prescription drugs. Every time one of these superstars goes, there's some doctor with a degree and white coat standing behind a culture of professional ignorance and corruption, doling out anti-depressants like candy corn.
Bill King > Greg Papa > The rest of the universe.
ReplyDeleteSunday's SF Chron Datebook section has a very amusing Letter to the Editor about the new KGO.
ReplyDeleteAge has nothing to do with Christine Craft's problems...she's quite simply a terrible talk show host.
ReplyDeleteShe's a disaster with interviews and stomps all over callers. There's a reason she's never been more than a fill-in host.
She's not good enough. Deal with it.
personally, i never warmed to john rothman. the start of his show was insipid and i just don't think he is as smart as he thinks he is.
Deletei did enjoy christine when she was filling in during the 7 to 10 slot, though. i would have preferred christine or pat thurston or even brian copeland to get that spot.
I rarely if ever do "interviews" on any of my KGO talk shows. perhaps you are listening to someone else. I've been doing fill at KGO for eighteen years. I just couldn't stop the number one radio station in the world from calling me back.Fortunately I was practicing law in a different city at a firm which often let me work around those radio engagements.lucky me...deal with it.
DeleteAgree. She comes across poorly. Very angry.
DeletePerhaps I was listening to someone else? Please. There is no mistaking your tired, angry attempt at entertaining and informing the listeners.
DeleteChristine it's true you rarely did interviews and there's a reason for that. When you did them you were terrible. An absolute joke.
You aren't too old. You're just not very good. The truth hurts. Sorry
oh please wise savant..I so wish to learn ..could you specifically cite an interview where my interviewing skills were disastrous as you claim with such surety? Was it on KGO? Was it on KQED-Tv when I frequently hosted "This Week in NOrthern California", a show packed with interviews? Ws it when did the half-hour interview with Hanan Ashrawi for KQED? Are you one of the people who threatened my life after that one? Was it when my colleague Debra Saunders and I hosted...along with interview guests... a program called "Face to Face " on KQED-TV.. The suspense is killing me..Where did I go wrong?
DeleteDon't flatter yourself Christine. I've never seen you on television. Ever. I don't follow your sad career.
DeleteAll I know of you is the disaster that is Christine Craft on the radio. Now please, I want to hear more of how you compare yourself with the Clintons, The Stones, The Eagles, Diane Sawyer, Rush etc..
That's some out of control ego you have. Your assessment of your own career is so over the top grandiose it's comical.
It's actually the only entertaining thing I've ever seen you produce. Congrats.
Christine you really need to take a reality check. I must agree comparing yourself to those you mentioned is so far fetched it's laughable.
DeleteI tuned into "THAT MONTY GUY ON KGO". Hes very good! Intellectual, smart, funny, good common sense, and good interview skils. I heard his take Whitney, and he did a great job interviewing Mayor "the liar" Reed from San Jose on Sun 12 midnite. Great Job! I will listen to this guy again.
ReplyDeleteI've listened to Monty and some of his programming is good, except for repeatedly shouting KGO's number. However, to call him an intellectual is really a stretch. Compare him to Rothman or Wattenberg. No comparison. Night and day. He's of average intelligence, while singularly lacking quick and/or witty creative thought, on a below-average station, no matter what Ronn Owens says about how KGO is doing a great job as stated on his show this morning. I'll keep listening to him, but when his mediocrity becomes stifling, I turn off the station. At least he's not as boring as wallpaper Gil Gross.
DeleteWhat is it about Whitney Houston's death that is so aggravating to white people? On nearly every blog is utterly disgusting and judgemental horse manure. Some people are never able to manage their addiction. Having money does not guarantee you won't die from an addiction. Joel Selvin referred to her as an embarrassment tonight on the news. An embarrassment to whom? Who asked that fat arsehole? She never embarrassed me. A lot of people trashing Houston practically tripped over themselves to give their unvarnished opinion of what a loser she was and to get some camera face time. We don't know what she died from. We don't know if she suffered from other medical conditions like depression. It's so easy to judge. Apparently nothing really bad has ever happened to you or anyone you know. And if it has, I will guess you would blame it on the person and make sure everyone knows about it. Why can't people just be civil enough to express sympathy and STFU? And by the way, while white folks are in an eye rolling contest in the US over her death, people all over the rest of world are grieving her death.
ReplyDeleteHouston struggled with substance abuse for two decades. Elvis, Michael Jackson, Amy Winehouse and others also had their lives cut short. Why bring race into it? Why so thin skinned?
DeleteI know everything and " white folks don't ". I am so no judgemental and you white folks are bad. I voted for Obama because he was black. Me me me so smart.
DeleteTalk about a RACIST comment...
DeleteNuff said.
It's a shame to see anyone go through what she went through. She held up pretty well but it got her in the end i.e. Judy Garland, Billie Holliday. Trajedy knows no Race.
Most of us fall somewhere in between. She was a lovely young woman who I remember singing some nice songs on the radio some years back, acting in a few movies I had never seen; someone whose photos, perhaps doctored, and whose troubles, perhaps exaggerated, were splashed on tabloid covers I saw in the check-out line. Most of us make no judgment about how she lived and died; we never met her, so also we can't really grieve having never known her.
Delete...what is STFU?
That might be true..if we hadnt see her act out over the last 20 years,drugged out seemingly everyday on TMZ and the like. So,that she was so numbed by drugs to pass out in a bathtub and drown, is sad but not a surprise.
DeleteThe OP from 7:45 PM is an idiot. A racist idiot. I wasn't a fan of Whitney Houston, and I am white. I was however sad on hearing her passing, for a few reasons. The main one is that the lady I love is a big Whitney Houston fan, and I know what the music meant to my love. Also, it's sad that Whitney Houston, like many others, wasn't able to defeat the demons that made her life miserable.
DeleteWhat is almost as miserable is the racist crap that the OP at 7:45 posted...
I am not a fan of Qrapht's for the same reason I am not a fan of VVattenvergh's: their grating, combative and obnoxious talk show style that may have worked in 1973 is a pain in the ass to listen to. However; the young tool, if indeed he believes she is too old should have his ass thrown on the street. I enjoy her topics and point of view but God damn it have a little back and forth with callers who disagree with you. As to Monty, I must agree with previous posters. Give Monty props, he kicked ass last night. It was the first weekend since the mass KGONE firings at 10pm that I did not switch to the UFO show or KPFA. If we are gonna rip we must also recognize quality. He asked tough and intelligent questions of Chuck Reid. I will definitely check him out tonight. His banter with Karel is also funny. They should pair them alas KNBR...best pairing since Bruno and bloated Radie...
ReplyDeleteI've never, ever understood why someone like Jan Wahl is on TV. Does she own the station?
ReplyDeleteI've been listening to Christine Craft for over 20 years, and I still think she's one of the better talk hosts.
ReplyDeleteJan Wahl is just one of several people at KCBS with annyoying and grating voices--the likes of her, Mitch Thompson, Hal Ramey, John Atkinson, and Ron Cervi do not befit a heritage all-news station in this major market.
ReplyDeleteChristine Craft: absolutely not too old, very smart and talented, a "Jill-of-all-trades" whose range of abilities, in my layman's opinion, are such that no one can seem to find a perfect niche for her in these three and half decades.
I have enjoyed Christine Craft for decades (yeah, I'm that old, too) on KGO. She is a very entertaining monologist and a feisty host, and she has a great voice, plus she would cover a wide variety of topics. Keep in mind that Gene Burns rarely had guests. I have admired the way Christine would drive down from Sacramento to fill in for a sick host on almost no notice. I admire her loyalty to friends, family, colleagues and pets. I wish there was a spot on 910 for her. Maybe there is?
ReplyDeleteWrite that book, CC!
You are a gun-owning dog-loving unpredictable liberal, and I like that!
*Wonder if Karl Roves will soon blame Clint Eastwood for Ms. Houston's demise.*
ReplyDeleteNo, but It won't take long for some right wing talking head to try to spin Whitney's death into some sort of rant / blame game against those flaming liberals and their lefty / commie / pinko / hippie lifestyle (from the 1960s) which made drug use in America acceptable, which, of course, led to Whitney's drug abuse and eventual death.
Why is it nowadays that some fool always has to dig up race. People like that should first look in the mirror and reflect on their own thoughts before pulling out that card. Sheesh, move on. Next.
ReplyDeleteChristine Craft is a damn good talk show host. And the reason she is "just a fill-in" is that she has a law career. And the funny thing is, her law career was in part financed by the settlement she received from being called "too old."
ReplyDeleteWhich explains why radio is struggling, you have too many management types that came along in the last 10 years without a clue about what has worked in the past. If anything, I'd argue that radio's biggest problem is that too many, with too much authority are too young.
Sorry, Christine, did not care at all for the "replacement"....KGO will die of youngism.... yes, time for another book!
ReplyDeleteBTW, Was your birthday the big anouncement you said for us to stay tuned for?
ReplyDeleteChristine, you go girl! Intelligence and attitude are in short supply these days. I love your shows and always look forward to them.
ReplyDeleteas General Patton said,"TANKS"
DeleteChristine Craft? No thanks.
ReplyDelete