Tuesday, December 3, 2013

The Most Overrated and Underrated Media Players in the Bay Area

 OVERRATED
 
 
**Stan Bunger/KCBS
 
Look, Bunger is perfectly fine and capable holding down the fort at the Bay Area's news radio leader in morning drive but Stan has noticeably lagged of late. Way too much verbal giddy-up with co-anchor, Susan Leigh Taylor, herself, overrated with the disingenuous voice and fake false concern with interviews and over-emphasis on certain words.
Bunger sounds like he's in the homestretch of his career which he is. Thank God he has John Madden and Phil Matier to yack with every now and then.
 
 
**Jon Bristow/KGO Radio
 
Bristow: good pipes and nothing else. A shameless self-promoter and terrible interviewer. Who knew that Snoopy co-anchored the AM news on the albatross station. Wait, SweetJack effect, woof, woof. Listen to the next Bristow interview and you'll discover a man in an empty suit.
 
**Jan Wahl/KCBS
 
Easily, the most irritating and obnoxious media diva in the Bay Area. Hat woman is borsht gone bad with an annoying voice and overly-ditzy on movies and oh, the good old days! Most of Wahl's reverence for her love of certain movies would be taken seriously if she didn't sound like the local yenta touting a sale on prune juice at the local deli. Jan, just review the film and tell us what you think--we don't give a crap about your hats and by the way, my fedora is nicer.
 
**Henry Wofford/CSNBA Sports
 
Why is Hank so beloved? Because he laughs at everything and has a jovial smile. Wonderful. Maybe Wofford should be congratulated over the fact that no one seems to know why, other than the smiley face, the copious laugh, the pretentious voice, how the hell Wofford got the gig at Comcast. Wait a minute, we think we know.
 
**Dave Feldman/CSNBA
 
It's nice to know a certain pro football coach helped to land a gig in the Bay Area but after that, what's there to appreciate about Feldman? He doesn't excite, nor offer anything new on the sports cable anchor offerings and his over-modulated voice and self-importance is irksome. Another thing: if it was Harbaugh that was instrumental in getting you the job, you'd think you'd get some truly inside information from the coach, but that's been missing. Nice suits though, Davey.
 
**Michael Krasny/KQED
 
Krasny is a crown jewel in Bay Area talk radio and I've lauded him quite extensively here but the bloom of the flower is fading. There's no there there. Would it kill Krasny every now and then to have a basic discussion on radio without some arcane blowhard and stuffy NPR-ish author? I mean, Philip Roth is great but every now and then the subject matter could be more home: what about an hour on where to get good hot dogs?
 
**Mike Sugarman/KCBS-KPIX
 
Sugarman's "About the Bay" series has the same irritating theme segment day after day. Even when the subject matter is useless which has been the case lately. In addition, Mike is in love with his voice which he seems to think the Bay Area revers ...uh, Mike, take a couple months off and have an egg cream at Miller's on me.
 
**Larry Beil/KGO-TV
 
Still can't figure out what's the thing about this self-important, arrogant, disgusting yutz that makes him compelling on local TV sports? I know he looks like an anchor, sort of a sports Ron Burgundy but that's about all. The problem with Larry is that he gives off the persona that he's more important than you are and that his crap doesn't stink. Sorry, Larry, the fish head is still on your plate and it's herring too. Get a grip --with authority too!
 
UNDERRATED
 
 
**Rob Mayada/KNTV-NBC Bay Area
 
Easily one of the best and most honed Bay Area TV broadcast voices. A delight because Mayada doesn't take himself seriously--just does his work and moves on. Good thing too that Rob knows he's not curing cancer and does a nice job down in the Southbay.
 
**Randy Hahn/San Jose Sharks CSN PBP
 
The most lucid, informative and all-around BEST announcer on Bay Area Sports TV. Hahn is a shade of Bill King and Doc Emrick--excited, knowledgeable, funny and engaging. Real pro too, a pro's pro with a knack for being real good without being schmaltzy. He and partner, Drew Remenda, are a delight to watch and listen.
 
 
**Ken Korach/Oakland A's radio PBP announcer: If Korach were anywhere else, he'd be showered with a ton of stories. Can't say it enough: the BEST radio PBP announcer in the Bay Area. Sharp, consistent, concise and not afraid to rip when necessary--especially nice in an era when all you hear is mostly homerish chubs. Better yet, Korach gives it to you without any drama--just the facts please, yes sir.
 
**Dan Ashley/KGO-TV
 
I've managed to really appreciate Ashley because he's consistent and through--a nice delivery and appropriate humor, albeit slight and that's what counts. Ashley, too, looks like an anchor and some are put off by his haughty nature but that's all perception--he's a quality anchor, nice person and would-be network talent.
 
**Dan Noyes/KGO-TV Investigative Reporter
 
Noyes isn't flashy, doesn't have a large staff and possesses limited resources--still, he gives you the very BEST, informative, NEWS!-breaking investigative reporting that is appreciated by a lot of Bay Area viewers and industry leaders. Noyes also knows how to interview --a lost art here. He's also a one-man band that doesn't get a lot of splashy promos which is just as well.
 
**Anne Makovec/KPIX
 
Channel 5 has an ace weekend anchor who works hard and can walk the walk. She's not miss pretty lady with a teleprompter --she reads well, has great chemistry with fellow tonsil, Phil Matier and gives you top-flight news reading with a great residue of consistent girth. No blowhard here, just the basics and it works. It's a wonder why Makovec isn't on primetime. One gets the feeling she's quite happy with the schedule. So are we in the Bay Area.
 
 
**Stanley Roberts/KRON
 
The "People Behaving Badly" gadfly has developed a following--good and bad. I like Roberts, bizarre, charming voice and all. The theatrics of catching people drive insane on TV is funny--most of the time. Sometimes Roberts goes overboard but that's OK because that's the point of the gig. It's a self-loving mutual admiration society of people who enjoy watching other people behave badly on the streets of SF. Roberts, again, overdoes it from time to time but give him this: he knows how to excite the senses. And the voice, to me, is rather hilarious intentional or not. Keep the camera handy, Stan and continue to guard our streets and neighborhood. We have your back if some bike Nazi stalks you--wait, you're 6-8--you don't need our help.
 
ABC7/KGO-TV
KPIX/CBS5
KRON
KNTV/NBC BAY AREA
 
 
COMING SOON: **Cumulus looks to make more cost-cutting
 
*Clear Channel tries to defer up-coming debt
 
*Why does KCBS devote 4 reports an hour to weather stories (in addition to its regularly-scheduled weather)
 
*The hot Bay Area female reporter who had a marvelous time at the company Christmas party--maybe too much of a good time.
 
*Follow me on Twitter
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

45 comments:

  1. Jon Bristow not only has a perfect radio voice,but he's smart, quick, and subtle. He has a full vault of references, local and otherwise that he has gleaned over years of being a reporter and anchor in San Francisco. I love his carefully -phrased double entendres and his ability to carry a show, no matter who he is paired with...If I owned a radio station, Jon Bristow would be on it...frequently.

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    1. I have known Jon since the 90's. His points are quite subtle. You either get it or don't get it.

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  2. Good list and you're not really much off base here Rich. I'm amazed that Jan Wahl is actually still working on the air. Woffard, Beil, David Feldman, and some of the others you mention are run of the mill major market qualities, but I wouldn't call them terrible, just average.

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    1. I like Jan Wahl. If I lived in a separate detached house vs apartment beehive , Jan is someone I would want as a my neighbor. I would trust her to water my plants while I'm on vacation, and feed all my Zebra Finches too. The Bay Area media need more fun, direct and uncomplicated people just like Jan.

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    2. I listen to Jon every morning. I find him quite enjoyable and find him actually quite witty.

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  3. I like Mike Sugarman. His reports are a nice departure from the usual shootings and fires. I agree about Anne Makovec. She's solid as an anchor and a reporter.

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  4. I don't fully agree with the assessment of Stan Bunger. While I would not put him in the league with Jim Dunbar or Al Hart, he does have Bay Area prospective and context. Look what he is working with: traffic and weather every ten minutes and repetitious news stories on the half hour.

    As for Dan Noyes I am surprised you him on the underrated list. He may be a one man band but I recall a few years back there was a piece where someone was trying to get away from him and pushed him and he went ballistic on the guy. He seems like someone who feels like he is entitled to get in your face but when the tables are turned, he can't take what he dishes out. Seems like a bit of a grandstander to me.

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  5. Underrated: Marty Gonzalez. Look at long he's lasted at KRON anchoring. Does he get any props anyplace? Not that I've read. But he's close to iconic.
    Raj Mathai. Some might say overrated also..but I go underrated since as the bay area's first and only Asian Indian anchor,who thought he would last?
    Don Blue,hey he makes me laugh. Seems like a genuine nice guy.
    Cheryl Jennings. Even blond,the odds are against you after a certain age. She has talent.
    Overrated or I just don't like? The line blurs. The 900 pound canary at KRON, Laura Anthony can kill my interest in a story fast as she mugs and squints over those agitators.
    Bob F. who does Warriors PBP. The regular media line is- terrible talk show host,good PBP. No,he's not a good PBP. He has the vocal muscle of Ted Robinson- SQUEAK!, and after 20 years..Is he known for anything? Whats his most well known saying?. The man has no style or any flair. He might as well work as a air traffic controller.
    My list of hate is pretty short huh? I'm filled with the love of Christmas!

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    1. AND I had an interesting thought. What if Bob Fitzgerald was so obnoxious because he's a wild liberal and that would explain why he rubs Krueger and the rest of the KNBR staff wrong? His almost fisticuffs reaction to Radnich four years ago was wild. Radish head said something about Notre Dames soft football schedule.
      I mean, Regis Philben is a ND fanatical fan and he's an old Demo.
      What a great story that would make if it was true about Bob.
      If only.

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    2. What drives me nuts about Fitz besides his pomposity is that he is so pedantic and constantly has to prove that he's the smartest guy in the room. Also a shameless homer.

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    3. Marty Gonzalez rocks!

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    4. Fitz comes across as a pompous and pedantic homer and is definitely the weakest part of the broadcast team. He's even worse on his radio show:if you disagree with him on anything expect to get interrupted, lectured and then cut off before you can respond. And if you dare to say anything negative about the Warriors organization or any of their players...well don't even bother.

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    5. Fitz is average both on TV and radio. That radio show is a joke. I look forward to the day the Niners and Giants aren't good, and KNBR slides to 8th. Then maybe Lee Hammer will realize it's time to actually program a station.

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  6. Loved Anne Makovec when I worked with her mornings on KGO-TV. She was always bright and cheery and full of energy, and NEVER difficult to produce for. Other underrateds you neglected include Brian Hackney, Catherine Heenan, Dan Kerman, Philippe Djegal, and Rosemary Orozco. Hottest Bay Area anchor? (Seriously, Rich, why didn't you have this category? You're slipping.) I'd have to say Vicki Liviakis, who still has a bod a 20-year-old would be jealous of.

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  7. Rich, same old same old.
    -Endear yourself to Roberta Gonzalez even more by tooting her husband's horn along with your predictable (and tiresome) Bill King worship.
    -Promote an A's announcer, however this time you didn't repeat your usual "he tells the score" bit (an improvement there)
    -Knock Woffard and Beil again, more of your sports announcer envy---we know you gave it a try once.
    -Your criticism of Jan Wahl (I can't stand her either) because she dotes on "the good old days"-----please, that is what you do! Your love of everything in the 70's, when you were 12, though understandable, reeks of ignorance.

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  8. Wolford also seems about 5'4 and has learned that Gary St. Jeans name is coach.

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  9. Have you met Larry Biel? He's actually a super nice guy.

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    1. I really think Larry is underrated. He does sports and straight news without a hitch. He is very witty, easy to watch. I like the guy.

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  10. Don't quite get the knock on Larry Beil. He actually knows sports...which has not always been the case around here (see Henry Wofford, who's completely clueless). Actually, with Ibanez, Radnich, Beil, we've got a decent line-up of sports people with credibility. Not a lot of markets have this.

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  11. > Sometimes Roberts goes overboard but that's OK because that's the point of the gig.

    I was just joking with my wife last night that one of the other stations should hire a reporter to follow Stanley around full-time and catch him when he illegally parks for 30 seconds or tosses a recyclable into the regular trash and call the segment Stanley Behaving Badly.

    And Carolyn Johnson. There's another severely-underrated person, and a joy to work with. She and Dan Ashley (or Dash, as they call him) have a great chemistry, and they really like each other off camera too.

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  12. Someone tell ABC7 that Sandya Patel needs to stop thinking she is a comedienne - and just do the weather - her rant is stupid and juvenile at 5:00 in particular.

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  13. Your "Overrated list" is over the top. The whole bunch deliver less Jan Wahl with a minimum of annoyance. Though Jan is annoying, I can listen to her and give her a lot of credit forging a career in a major market via the use of a "hat"..

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  14. I think I can see why Bristow and Beil don't appeal to you, Rich.

    They're both bright, with a quick wit that they can impart with subtlety.

    It must be quite an annoyance.

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  15. Randy Hahn is a treasure. Hockey is a lightening fast sport; calling a game is a challenge I'd never take. In no other sport do so many players move in and out of the game with such frequency and speed; each and every one of them likely to touch the puck and require split-second identification. I've heard dozens of play-by-play men, but with the exception of Hall of Fame member "Doc" Emrick, I've heard none better. Randy's not only good making the call, but he has no problem sharing the mike with his partner, Drew Remenda, whose high spirits and impressive hockey knowledge might threaten a less talented man.

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    1. I'm with you on that! Hahn is the best I've ever heard.

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  16. Claudine Wong should be on the under-rated list. It is about time for KTVU to give her a program daily. Rich, I know you do not think that she smiles enough but you and I perhaps view her at different times. She always seems bright.

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  17. We have been lucky in the Bay Area. Bad announcing can ruin any sporting event, and that is particularly the case with hockey. Hahn is a Hall of Fame caliber hockey announcer. Drew Remenda and radio play-by-play man Dan Rusanowsky are excellent as well. Brodie Brazil does a nice job in the studio and with the interviews at the event.

    Others in the underrated category: Mindi Bach, Ann Notarangelo. Also, two Bay Area natives and residents who primarily do national work reporting on golf: Roger Maltbie and Kay Cockerill.

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  18. A slight departure here, Rich. I'll hold my tongue about the subject matter - but have to tell you how much I enjoy your "references".. Makes me nostalgic for the finer things of Brooklyn; egg creams, bagels the way God intended, the neighborhood yentas, etc., etc. Brings a smile.

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  19. I feel the need to throw Laurie Roberts on KFOX in here somewhere. Others can decide on which side she belongs.

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    1. Laure's outside the 415 zone, much like Greg Kihn who also deserves a mention with an update as to what's come down since his break-up song with KUFX. Then there's Richard Gossett, the epitome of "Quality Without Compromise", who's rumored to be back on the air at KRCB-FM. And what about "Blues with Bowker" over at KRSH-FM? Bill has never sold out, has consistently delivered the goods, and has yet to get a mention in this blog. In the words of the late great Travus T. Hipp, "Sometimes I wonder, other times I'm sure"...

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  20. Rich the whole point of being referred to as underrated is that you are flying below the radar and have big upside. You can't be the lead anchor at 5, 6, 9, and 11 and be still considered as underrated because there's nowhere up left to go. You are already at the top.

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  21. I wish KNTV would make Rob Mayeda the lead weatherman, and get rid of that idiot Jeff Ranieri.

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  22. Larry Beil? Great guy. Self-depricating. Naturally funny. Extremely real. Ask anyone who works with him. You're wrong on this one.

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  23. Dan Ashley underrated? The.... pregnant... pauses. I.... just.....can't take them.... anymore. Tries too hard. Loosen up Dan.

    And Stanley Roberts. What is the point of that segment? Who cares. Is that his real voice?? Who talks like that??

    I like: Ann Notarangelo, Carolyn Johnson, Ken Bastida, Brian Van Aken, John Sasaki, Ken Wayne...

    -Married with 2 kids, in the Peninsula

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  24. Hey Joe,
    Why don't you enlighten us on how exactly Henry got his job if "me thinks me know"? You jackass.

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  25. Add Robert Handa to the underrated list. I worked with him back when I was still in "The Biz" (photog in the 80's-90's). First and foremost, he is as SOLID a pro as there is.: KNows his stuff, and knows how to get it done correctly given the timeframes we all worked under. We never missed our slot--and what he/we churned out was top-rate.

    Equally important is this: He's GREAT to work with. Sports, rock music, TV shows, movies...he can shoot the breeze with the best of 'em. And given that crews often spend a lot of time in the car/on the road, this is a great quality to have.

    I'm no longer in the biz..but from what I see of his work today, he is still as solid as ever.

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  26. I agree with you about Randy Hahn. Hands down, he's the best PxP guy in the Bay. However, comparing him to Emrick is an insult. Hahn doesn't scream whenever a puck gets within 20 feet of the net, nor does Hahn need to use 27 different euphemisms for the word "pass". To this day, I've never seen someone "knife" a puck to another player. If you want the gold standard of NHL PxP, try Jim Hughson.

    As for your comment, "Bristow: ... A shameless self-promoter...", have you seen your twitter feed? Pot, meet kettle.

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    1. Half the time, Emrick sounds like he is taking a dump.

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  27. Once again--no mention of KNBR 680 people----call your site 315 Media

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  28. You should have mentioned Gary Radnich--------but I forgot you don't write about anyone on KNBR 680 What a sell out!!!

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  29. Jennie Lynch (sp), can't stand to hear her whiny reports from the south bay. It's her voice delivery that's whiny, not that she's whining about a topic. Coming over hwy 9 in the early AM, it signals me it's time to change to 910 for A&G.

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  30. nice how U throw Stan Roberts at the end of this List like a extra side dish @ thanksgiving dinner, the dish no one really cares for. & might get a spoonful taste , but sits and gathers mold in the fridge post thanksgiving . Rich Lieberman has substantially Over rated Stanley Roberts in this blog.

    I Just picture Stan Roberts getting Injured on the Job Sooner then later in 2014 and get a early retirement like a aged football player. Stans'work' is Not 'work' (people working real JOBS WILL AGREE) he goes around like a Police officer / Newsreporter and never really reports actual news but just random things he finds.Where this is great for youtube And Blogs this type of reporting shouldn't be ON AIR more then once a week if that, Cause it serves more comedy then actual News. What is more comedy...StanComing on this Blog defending himself....I do not see any Actual Talent in Stan Roberts "Segments"

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  31. Another underrated? KPIX's Joe Vazquez. The bay area's only Native American anchor. Joe better be good,if he ever does a Torry Campbell,he's out of a job.
    But,that note aside,Joe has been at it years now. Congrats Joe.

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  32. Well All the Overrated people in the media I can think of are based in LA. Not so much in San Francisco.

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  33. Ugh, Jan Wahl. When I moved to SF in the 80's she was already here and her accent drove me up a wall, literally. Like nails on a chalkboard. Why anyone hired her for anything local with that NY accent is beyond me. It's horrible. While I love Michael Savage's accent, he's not representing the SF Bay Area, so it's a different thing, and even when he WAS a local, he was always considered an opinion person.

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