STOP and READ for a second...Nobody is attacking, at least not me, Amy G, personally. I said by all accounts she's a nice person. I'm judging her on HER WORK. Do we have to repeat this again and again?I had some media sage rip me for dare ripping KGO-TV's Cheryl Jennings because "she does so much for charity." Well that's fine and good for Jennings. Has nothing to do with her work.
I respect the fact that Jennings has had a multi-decade run at KGO. She does a good job but I'm not a fan of her cold stares and artificial personality. It may not be intentional but on the screen she comes off looking like a cold fish. You want personal? I don't play that game. Maybe talk to her ex-husband who one time half-jokingly told me on the phone to go personal and he wasn't kidding.
*The Ronn Owens playbook: This is a fact and something nobody will tell you except here at my 415 Media outpost: If the KGO Radio host takes a caller who sounds old, he'll CUT the caller almost immediately. If you're elderly don't call Owens--like someone over 65, you're history...On the other hand, if you're a white, young, female, sound cute and cuddly and calling from Walnut Creek, Ronnnnnn will talk with you for 2-3 minutes. Owens plays the Demo game. To be fair, he's not alone, but he's been doing it for over 30 years. Maybe Owens forgets that some people in their early 60's buy cars and vacations, take cruises and yeah, even purchase mattresses.
*It's not Jackie Bennett that's out of whack with Gary Radnich on KRON during the weeknight sports and pony show. Ditto Pam Moore. They're playing along --they may look annoyed but it's mostly part of the nightly KRON Masterpiece Theatre. On the other hand, the weekend middle-aged weather guy? He can't stand the Raddy but then again most people can't stand me but I don't give a damn.
*Yeah, imagine that: you're seeing ads on 415 Media. What a dire set of developing news! Means some people finally figured it out where there's lots of readers there's exposure. Bam!
*Penises and fake Asian names do not make for a successful long-term TV News business model but damn, they do wonders for the Internet.
*Gasia Mikaelian: Another overrated female torso who is pleasant enough and can read the teleprompter. Ho-hum. At KTVU they should groom Allie Rasmus for a full time gig on the weekend anchor desk. Yes, she has the potential to be network/cable bound.
*News of the day: over at KGO-TV, (ABC7), staffers were shocked to learn that veteran reporter, Wayne Freedman, actually laughed and projected a personality. Colleagues were so stunned they had to hit nearby Grumpy's for an endless set of mimosas.
*Kate Scott, Amy G, Ann Killion: The Golden Girls, circa 2014.
*Something you'll never hear on the alleged all-sports FM radio station: "Today's Damon Bruce Show brought to you by the National Organization forWomen."
*March Madness: I don't bet so I don't care. When's kickoff?
*Yeah, so KSFO beats KGO in the latest radio 6+ ratings. That's like Jello is more popular than plain yogurt. And KNBR dived too which only further reinforces that devoid of Giants and Niners and Dubs, KNBR's regular programming, while making globs of money within its MAN, Beer and boobs demo, isn't a big hit with the majority of existing listeners. Duh!
*KRON's Charles Clifford: up and coming.
*KTVU's Noelle Walker: sort of a cross between Gwyneth Paltrow and Annie Lenox.
*Follow me on Twitter
A couple of Radnich updates...His first wife is STILL collecting alimony. Radnich mumbled that he wished she had moved on with her life. I guess seeing Alicia get all the benefits didn't fit well with the ex..and she's still on the payroll.
ReplyDeleteAnd..the Bentley is a money pit says Radnich..and now he's falling back on a Mercedes He will find they too are not reliable and cost a fortune to fix. He's not a sports car or big SUV kind of guy I gather. He's old school land yacht with white shoes, Rodney Dangerfield mold.
Later with more of my thoughts on Jackie- Raddy skits.
Great stuff Stan, I thought she had passed.
DeleteKeeping with Stan's propensity to just randomly make comments that do not pertain to the blog's post, here is mine.
DeleteKCBS's Steve Bitker on Wednesday during his 12:45 update stated that former NBA player Sam Lacey had passed away. Now here is the "news" part - Lacey died on March 14th and it was reported on March 15th. Why did Bitker read his obituary five days later? Because the Wednesday SF Chronicle sports page had a short item on Lacey's death in it's Digest section. Memo to Mr. Bitker: quit reading the morning paper and delivering old content.
More updates....
DeletePutin still thinks barry is a pussy.
There's a missing jet.
There's no need for celery in potato salad.
Oh no, I must disagree! Celery is an important part of potato salad.
DeleteIt's common practice for older-skewing AM stations to filter out older sounding people. It's been going on for years. If your name is Myrtle or Hiram, good luck getting through the call screener.
ReplyDeleteTalk radio stations have been screening callers for at least 20 years. What year were you born? They also have been known to ask where do you live so that people from "undesireable" locations are disconnected and others get their calls through.
DeleteOh it's been going on longer than 20 years. I was Assistant PD at an AM full-service AC station back in the early 80's. We had a few talk shows, and our screeners were instructed to not let anyone on the air who sounded old. We didn't go so far as to ask their birth year or screen out "undesirable" locations. But the PD definitely got pissed if someone who sounded old got on the air.
DeleteAnd worse, we would sometimes do contests with mail-in entries from direct mail or newspaper ads. It was the typical "hear your name and call to win" contest. The entries were supposed to be randomly drawn, but if an entry had shaky handwriting, or an old-sounding name like Pearl, they were thrown back into the box.
I have called KGO and been asked my age. Fact.
DeleteWhere can I stand in line to buy my $32 beer and $11 large coke?
ReplyDeleteI completely concur as regards Cheryl Jennings. I've been around her at a number of industry related events, and even walked up to her and introduced myself. She looked through me as if I weren't standing right in front of her, then blew me off in favor of someone else she guessed would be more interesting. The 60's word "plastic" leaps to mind, and I'm not just referring to her demeanor. Too bad.
ReplyDeleteShe treats the writers and producers like hired hands on a plantation too.
DeleteShe reminds me of the rich b*tch who drives the Cadillac and lives in the mansion with the butler and the maid and doesn't even know their names.
We have Amy G and the NY Yanks have Suzyn Waldman
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzyn_Waldman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fdtn0Z4o8cM
Amy G rocks!
Wrong! Suzyn Waldman can call a baseball game. Ms. Ding-a-Ling couldn't call home.
DeleteRich, your persistent attacks on Amy G are, in my opinion, unwarranted, and in any case, excessively nasty.
ReplyDeleteYour frequent habit of surrounding ugly personal attacks with the gratuitous claim that it's "not personal," is silly and unconvincing. Your recurring personal attacks on Ronn Owens, Radnich, etc. all make the same unbelievable claim.
She has a public job and therefore is open to public scrutiny and criticism.
DeleteAs such, I have a right to criticize her just as you have a right to criticize me.
"Ugly personal attacks?" Where? She's god awful and adds zippo to the broadcast and sounds terrible, my OPINION and others too.
This is a CRITICAL blog here, not press release central --I give a fair, up-front, HONEST assessment and not all of it is going to be rosy and cheery ---you don't like it? I guess you shouldn't come here because obviously you're more Pollyanna --sorry, wrong room.
But what you don't get Rich is Amy's moments are scripted during the game by SF G productions, Chris Gargano, Jim Morehead from Merchandising and Alioto from the Brass. If it wasn't Amy it would be some other talking head.
Delete"She's god awful and adds zippo to the broadcast and sounds terrible"
DeleteRich, your words speak for themselves.
If you are going to rip into people in this way, please don't waste everyone's time with your entirely self-serving, "it's not personal."
Have the guts to recognize what it is.
Meh; If Ronnnn is cutting off older people (those who make it past the call screener, that is), it's because he's a "good company man" and is doing what his Cumulus masters are telling all of us to do. Yeah, we attract an older audience. Rather than embrace the audience we have, we are instructed by Atlanta to hang up on them in favor of people who we think resemble the audience we WISH we had. Of course, the logical outcome of such a policy is to have no audience at all, but then again the Atlanta guys are just bean counters, not radio people, so what do you expect?
ReplyDeleteYou think Ronn listens to what he's instructed to do? How long does he have? Was this guy Weintraub fired? If he wasn't fired then I'm guessing Owens has no pull and that he doesn't listen to what they tell him anyway. probably just riding out some contract.
DeleteRonn probably takes younger listeners because he thinks it makes him sound hip. Too bad he doesn't know how to do it. The worst part about Owens these days is he sounds even older than he is! What is he? 60? He sounds like he's 80!
KGO has fallen far. That we know. But I'm not sure the station has fallen as far as Owens has.
I get a kick out of people who are sooooo offended when Amy G. gets ripped, especially her super-sensitive hubby, who is also a Comcast shill. Just because she's a woman, that means people aren't supposed to comment on her lousy work? And whydoes Paul G. get his feathers all ruffled because some anonymous posters want to take shots at Amy G? That's what blogs such as this one are all about. Amy G. is a baffoonish character who obviously doesn't know much about baseball, and knows even less about broadcasting. Okay...we've established that. Now do we need to keep repeating the obvious? Let's just stop giving her any kind of attention and maybe she'll just go away. No, that probably won't happen unless Larry Baer or Ted Griggs come to their senses, and the chances of that are extremely nil!
ReplyDeleteSee above. You are a turd and in spite of what myth busters say: You cannot polish a turd.
DeleteRICH TURN THE VOLUME DOWN ON THE POP
Delete@1:29 you are a bitch here
DeleteEverybody ripping Amy G, and rightfully so. Fans should be encouraged to pay attention to the ballgame, not all the stupid recreational stuff going on in the crowd. But, the one who really needs to be ripped....is 'Renel'. That's right, your proud-black-woman-hear-me-roar PA announcer that goes by only 'Renel'. The only Public address announcer in the game that screams "now batting, Buuussstterrrr Poooossseeyyy!!!!!" In the bottom of the eighth with the Giants down 12-1. She just doesn't get it and I wish the giants would get rid of her and hire an old guy with a cool baseball voice, or just let Jon Miller do it as well as radio.
DeleteWhoah, Rich, that audio ad that blares *every time* you click on a link on the page is beyond obnoxious. If you want to kiss your whole audience goodbye, just keep it up there.
ReplyDelete[Cheryl Jennings] "I'm not a fan of her cold stares and artificial personality..."
ReplyDeleteIt's not artificial, Rich. That's the way she is in the newsroom too.
I'm not familiar with the "don 't talk to old people" practice. But you are aware that Ronnnn himself falls into the demographic you claim he dumps - yes??
ReplyDeleteCheryl Jennings is competent enough, I guess, but my problem (and yes it is mine) is the "Botox Effect". She's got the facial range of Mount Rushmore. Am I provincial enough that I look back on Dave McElhatton (older, balding, had personality, professional) with a great deal of fondness. Those qualities count for nothing now. I'm getting old.
ReplyDeleteMen are allowed to age on TV. Women lose their jobs if they do.
DeleteThe most successful anchor in the United States is a 65+ woman named Diane Sawyer.
DeleteWayne Freedman has the biggest heart and does stellar reporting. When my musician boyfriend, Ron Thompson, had his car and everything inside (three guitars, a mandolin, a keyboard, and much more stolen--Wayne jumped on the story and in fact did two and helped us get back three guitars! He was professional and sincere. Any staffers at KGO making fun of Wayne must be jealous wannabes.
ReplyDeleteSorry Rich, but you are dead wrong when it comes to Gasia. She's one of the smartest, most down to earth, and talented anchors I have ever worked with. Seems like you have Gasia and Allie's personalities reversed, Allie is the prompter-reading vaccuous talking head, Gasia is the best breaking news anchor I have ever seen. Take it from one who knows
ReplyDeleteI'm a big fan of Gasia, and have been for a few years, but am impressed with Allie, at least on this end of the screen. I've never worked with either.
Delete@7:38 it is vacuous with one "c." Your effort albeit valiant was obtuse.
Delete@12:15, your lack of punctuation was vacuous, even if your superciliousness was valiant.
DeleteThe "middle aged weekend weather guy" at KRON is Brian Van Aken, and he's probably 40 years old if that. He also is one of the most underrated weather people in this market but he's stuck on the island of misfit toys. He does deserve a little more respect from you, though, no matter where he works
ReplyDeleteAgree, he is no non-sense and pleasant. When he first started at KRON I thought he came across a bit audioanimatronic, but loosened up after hes ettled in for a few months.
DeleteI was not impressed by Allie at all. Needs polishing.
ReplyDeleteThe Mattress guy will never take calls from older adults, He is too hip.
ReplyDeleteCome to think of it, Mr Cool Cat Ronn Owens.