Tuesday, October 7, 2014

New GM At KTVU Tends To Be A Pain In The Ass Sort Of Like The Local TV News Business


Gregg Kelley has been a driving force at the WFXT, which has risen from a scrappy startup to a dominant force in Boston’s highly competitive television market.
Gregg Kelley

Gregg Kelly, formerly of WFXT, soon-to-be KTVU GM.

From a TV news guru who has Boston roots:

Kelley is a "hard-assed", mercurial manager. Doesn't pretend that he doesn't like to make friends. (That should go over real well in the newsroom).

*Cut, cut, cut. Looks as if the engineer union has already begun to do their own vetting.

*Supposedly long-term, wants to weed out some of the veteran, highest-paid talent, regardless of news acumen, viewer popularity, and presence in the news operation. That creates a laundry list of would-be targets but no doubt Kelley's bosses, Fox Network, (not Fox News), want a meaner and leaner news operation, (don't they all), and doesn't give a shit it's the nation's #6 TV market.

*KTVU is at a crossroads; their domination at 10 PM carries on but early evening newscasts--5 and 6 are being tarred and feathered by KGO most notably, and KNTV. Every now and then
 even KRON is beating 2. That's a bad omen.

15 comments:

  1. KTVU is already on the road to KGO radio ruin. I already watch KGO TV more than KTVU. Had a vsitor from LA who asked why KTVU kept repeating the same few stories during the morning news. So, sure. Replace the few professionals remaining and I'm gone for good. I see Tara M. becoming a big favorite. Hasta la vista.

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  2. That's what happens when you get people from outside the area who have no idea about nothing. They think they know, but they don't. The market continues to go to hell. It started with KRON 4 losing its network affiliation with NBC and is still in free fall. It's silly to see KOFY and KGO in cahoots with news casts. The number of radio stations owned by Clear Channel in one market takes away creativity, jobs and content. I know some "brainiacs" will see this take and roll their eyes. They're probably the ones who've "benefited" from this new way of doing business. But in reality, everyone loses. Quality and variety is out the window.

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  3. Folks are jumping ship like crazy. Nearly the entire sales management team is out the door and the AE's are not far behind.

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  4. I can smell the cologne from here.

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    1. Masks the smell of that shit-eating grin.

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  5. Ch 2 is gonna be a turkey shoot for this guy. 2 needs a hard ass turn around guy, not a warm and fuzzy camp counselor leading an sympathetic round of kumbaya.

    Gregg "pink slip" Kelly needs to dump Clark on day one.

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  6. KTVU MO2 doesn't have any news acumen,viewer popularity, or presence in the news room. We can only hope that Mr. Kelley can BRING these qualities to MO2. Dave and Tori must go.

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    1. Kathleen at 8:06AM
      You and I must receive different over the air TV2 signals. I find Dave to be a very knowledgeable newscaster. For a black man to be hired for that spot, he had to be good. Now that you have had a moment to rethink your comment; what is your real reason for not liking Dave. Is his vocabulary over your head?

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    2. 11:15 is making a dog whistle accusation that Kathleen would rather not watch a black person deliver the news.

      The problem with DC is his absolute amazement with the details of each and every story he reads, so much so that he feels that if he reads the story in his sing songy voice, the viewers will be equally amazed. It might work on toddlers and mouth breathers but the rest of us would rather not have a condescending guy deliver the news. I gave up on MO2 when DC started.

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    3. He also makes up his own grammar and makes his own "non" sentences. I don't know how one can tell if he's knowledgeable or not. I just know that he can mostly read and make inane gratuitous comments. I used to have Ch. 2 on from whenever I got up until whenever I left to work since the beginning days of Mornings on 2. Now, it is on just long enough to hear some local weather and traffic and a handful of stories before Ch. 5 goes on.

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  7. Damn--
    I am SO GLAD that I got out of the business ten year ago (after 22-years in SF& LA)...for a state (classified) Communications job here in Sacramento.

    Great benefits...pension (I'm fully vested)...holidays/3-day weekends...8am-5pm on most days).

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    1. "The first rule of Fight Club is: you do not talk about Fight Club"

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    2. Maybe having the new guy behind bars, as in your photo, makes sense.

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  8. Another egotistical blowhard takes station that used to have an iconic news department. What a joke it's become. I wonder how sportscaster Mark Ibanez feels when he looks around him and sees all of these rank amateurs who have taken over. I guess he is lucky to have been there during the good old days, when KTVU had one or the most respected TV news departments in the country.

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  9. KTVU continues to dominate the 10PM slot??? Really??? Hasn't KPIX's Night Beat on the KBCW taken any of the ratings share away?????

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