Tuesday, April 28, 2015

KRON Malaise Aided And Abetted By ND Aaron Pero; Staff Morale Reaches Crisis Point; Station Legacy Tainted By Lack of Leadership And Vision

 Nobody; not a soul on the planet; not anyone in the universe; all living particles; disputes the incredible task of running KRON. More like making KRON be more un-KRON-like than anything else for the sake of KRON and its staff and the few actual people who watch what was once San Francisco's most respected and heralded TV News station.

It's been a rather downward spiral since all hell broke loose almost 15 years ago when KRON was sold, lost its NBC affiliation and was slowly on the verge of its impending demise. Staff morale was at its seeming worst. Attitudes exposed the general malaise. Productive people--on the air and off--sent out resumes and began pursuing other stations. In and out of the market.

KRON became so toxic that the people who worked in the old building at 1001 Van Ness thought the place was haunted. Seriously, haunted, like, for instance, a well-known producer who asked the assistant news director, in 2005, that the building be sterilized. He wasn't kidding. The building wasn't sterilized and the whole idea was lampooned (it made the rounds in the newsroom) but the point was the producer wasn't kidding. So much so that even when his idea was laughed at he wrote to HR to see if the job could be executed. They politely declined but the degree to which its own workforce felt about walking into the old building speaks volumes of how they acted and offered up crazy ideas. To this day, at the old fort (where a new housing development is coming) some of the old KRONvicts (ex-KRON staffers) walk peacefully by and take a look. The old building is still there of course but some still think there's voodoo in the ground. I didn't make that up, a KRONvict told me. She too wasn't kidding.

Today, KRON is loosely defined more or less by what it used to be than what it is and what it could be. It could be a thrifty news operation that centers on the Bay Area. It could be a valuable device when there's legitimate breaking news; an earthquake, a flood, a terrorist attack; in which KRON could utilize it's only asset: it is not burdened by network affiliations and their programming. In other words, KRON could try to model a local CNN (when CNN was in the business of reporting news) in which its forte was the "24/7 News Station", or something like that. Hire reliable reporters--they don't have to be stars and with KRON's budget, they wouldn't be--just basic benign reporters who can work the field and know geography. It sounds complicated but it really isn't. Unfortunately KRON can't seem to pull it off and is stuck in yesterday. Every day.

Part of that stagnation lies exclusively on News Director, Aaron Pero, who has been the recipient of my wrath a good deal of time on this site. Mind you, I've never met Pero but I have repeatedly made overtures (via phone and e-mail) to ask him if he'd like to clear anything up; issues like, for instance, reporters, producers, who have contacted me (and asked for anonymity because they feared reprisal) saying that Pero bullied them, belittled them, shouted at them, constantly. Bosses shout and are critical--its their job. It's called being a boss, but many of the letter writers said Pero went too far. One in particular said Pero's reign of rule sent a well-known reporter literally in tears coming out of his office. Many said Pero made it a living hell to come to work and be humiliated by the boss seemingly every day.

Again, for this article, I reached out to Pero for comment and was not answered. No problem because I never expected Pero to respond. He reads this blog because he's made it perfectly clear that anyone talking to me might as well update their resume and hit the door.

None of my correspondence about KRON was solicited. They come to me. I may have, at one point, sent an e-mail or made a phone call (in confidence) doing a follow-up to a note or something of significance sent my way. In other words, the weird things at KRON; the people who get bounced for no good reason, is something I didn't initiate. Whenever something bad happens it comes my way.

Pero, according to sources at the station, is still making life miserable for some people. He won't shout at the stars because he may be dumb but he isn't stupid. He is hellbent, say the sources, on making KRON relevant --at any cost, including the various scapegoats he uses as those he can pick off and tell corporate he's trying to make the station whole. Only corporate, it seems, isn't interested and instead seems to look the other way. The GM, as we've said in the past, is way, way over her head and the consensus is she doesn't know how to run the TV station. You get what you pay for.


It's not Pero's fault that KRON is and forever will be hampered by lack of money, a mostly indifferent staff frustrated by the lack of leadership both from the station and the owner. But he can help himself too. He can meet with staff and clear the air. It needs to be cleansed. Instead, Pero has chosen to rule by intimidation and fear. At least, that's what the rank and file tell me. If Pero and/or his minions want to counter that they know how to get a hold of me. I won't hold my breath.


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15 comments:

  1. Is that the guy Darya is humping?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Now I fully understand the saying..

      Bumping uglies!!

      What a gruesome twosome!

      I bet Stan, would still watch.

      Delete
  2. Amazingly, Pero looks just like Lee Hammer at KNBR,Jason Barret at 95.7,and also like the late pig vomit guy.
    What a coincidence.
    ALL Republicans too.

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    Replies
    1. Seriously just shut the fuck up sometimes you ignorant pos

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    2. Mocking a dead guy, fuck you.

      Delete
  3. Nice rehash infused with opinion.
    How is the situation there different than that of KGO or KTVU?

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  4. Why criticize without offering a solution? Sure the local news sucks, ABC 7 can't even seem to find cameras that focus. KPIX is a joke. KPIX will lose the May book big time because everyone that was worth anything left. And Dan will wonder why people won't tune in in droves to watch Ryan Takeo and Don Ford?

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    Replies
    1. Actually Rich has mentioned ways he thinks things could be made better. Why comment when you haven't read the whole article?

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    2. What is sad about the KPIX comment is I had to look up who Ryan Takeo and Don Ford even are.

      Does KPIX have any local talent anymore??? They need something/someone who will make a splash and FAST.

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    3. I watch KPIX in the morning for a few minutes. Takeo is funny - every report is breathless urgency and arm gestures, no matter how big or small the story.

      Delete
  5. Rich,

    Do you think KRON could make it doing an old style KGO Radio with live talk shows during the day and night along with local live news?

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  6. Mocking a dead guy? LOL. Hitlers dead. He and PV weren't my brother..ha! No,we weren't tight.
    What people will say that they think is "showing me'..

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  7. I moved out of the bay in 2009 and from time to time check out your blog. To say that now in 2015 the KRON legacy is tainted because of this guy is one of your more absurd observations. The KRON of the past died when they lost their NBC affiliate. They become nothing more than a infomercial station with some "news"

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  8. I worked for KRON for many years. Pero was always an ass. Everybody hated the guy. He had no clue how to be a ND. The weird thing is that corporate has never done a thing about him. They keep him like he is some sort of god. I remember people were going to HR with complaints but nothing was ever done. He never changed. There's a HUGE conflict of interest with Dariya. Everybody knew about it yet it was allowed to go on. Corporate never did a thing. The other thing I don't understand is why they have kept Gary all these years. The guy gets zero ratings. ZERO!

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