Sunday, July 5, 2015

You're The Boss

 YOU'RE THE BOSS...


You have the tittle of Operations Manager, Program Director, content provider, you control the ship--so, tell me what you'd do. It can be running a certain radio station, TV station, Internet site.


You have the power to redo KGO Radio. You can tweak KNBR or KQED Radio. For example. It can be any station, go for it.


Be specific. Be creative. It's your game. The best ones get published.




*You can also be creative on my Twitter and Facebook feed.



37 comments:

  1. I think that you can from new media and traditional news radio and here's how:

    1. crowd source - encourage and pay anyone to submit short audio reports on news, sports, food, tech, art, neighborhoods, interviews and over a period of 6 mos- 1 year the best reporters will emerge with talent and get paid more.

    2. Do a live evening talk show with guests from the arts, politics, music, comedy for an hour or two like Ira Blue or Les Crane did and then repeat it during the day.

    3. What I call "Megalopolis" which was a show in the evenings on KNX-AM (CBS radio) in Los Angeles which had a constantly roving reporter in a car (Bob Ferris?) giving reports on news, lectures, etc. going on in the city.

    Recruit reporters with or without experience and pay them something. Over time the best will provide vibrant, thoughtful reports and then pay them more.

    There will be mistakes and a growing period but tell listeners that it will get better every day.

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    1. #2 could be a really good show. Model it after network TV morning shows...celebrities with something to promote...an assortment of experts (doctor, pet trainer, wine/food, etc.)...authors...short-and-sweet packets of news/weather/traffic at :00 and :30.

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  2. If it were up to me, I'd cancel Karel's fundraising efforts & make him truly broke & homeless...take that, you fat bastard. As Scott Baio once said, "I'm in charge, goddamit!!"

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    1. You are a little late with your suggestion Karel was fired months ago, he no longer associated with KGO. Wishing homelessness on anybody is mean spirited beyond belief, and calling them fat bastard on top of that is beyond comprehension. Obviously you don't believe in karma? You know what goes around comes around.

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  3. Turn KGO into an all-Lawrence Welk station. It would sound a lot better and surely get better ratings.

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    1. 9:52 AM Funny you should suggest easy listening music. For some reason
      I have had an earworm jammed into my mind playing and replaying at will.
      Theme From A Summer Place" by Percy Faith, one of the first songs I remember hearing on the radio. I remember hearing it before I could speak.
      I'm 58 y/o. It's a clean and beautiful song, almost forces you to smell those roses.

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    2. History shows a nostalgia music station has worked in the Bay Area before (KFRC 610 ,KABL and KSFO). Advertisers and the rating services are just beginning to embrace the older demos.The revenue is there. I listen from time to time to KIXI in Seattle. Wonderful station. And my age is 55.

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  4. What someone would do and what someone can do are two very different conversations, especially in the Bay Area. Ron Escarsega was trying to develop shows at KSFO and KGO, but corporate wanted him to get rid of all the weekend shows for syndicated shows. He pushed back and asked how they were going to develop any shows if not for the weekends. Corporate didn't care because they don't care about live and local programming, or programming in general. They were fine with someone like Metheny just throwing up shows like Drex as long as the weekends were paid for. You can't work at KGO and make a difference because you don't have the capability to develop any shows. All of the former hosts are too old and dated to capture a new audience, and you can't pay anyone with real talent enough money to come work at KGO.

    It's a lose lose situation.

    The only way you can build talent is the way it has always been built: through weekends and subs. Unfortunately KGO was not doing that for the last 10 years and now they have no talent.

    There's no way to build a station under Cumulus, and probably the same goes for iHeart. There are some decent broadcasters in smaller markets developing shows where the cost of living is much lower. That enables hosts to live a bit better and it's why a show like Armstrong and Getty comes from Sacramento and is now on in San Francisco and Southern California. It's not a good show but at least it's a show. Someone developed it because they had the time and resources to do so in a smaller market. You aren't going to be able to do that in San Francisco.

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  5. On KGO, though it may be too late, I'd, first, get a grip on reality. KGO will never be a 25-54 or 18-49 "leader" ... never was, never will be. It can't compete with KCBS. Network wise, CNN retreads versus CBS will never work. Go all talk. Shorten the morning news, do fewer traffic "interruptions" and do them locally -- not from Dallas. Dump traffic outside of "drive times". Relevant talk with both sides (Dem & Rep) represented -- even Libertarian, like the late Gene Burns. Go for the 35+ audience. Go get some decent sports. Cal is a loser. Pick up the Raiders and the A's, plus Stanford football.

    Less 5 minute stopsets for commercials. National news back on the hour, the top local story, traffic (as needed) local sports and weather -- back to talk.

    Different kinds of talk. Not DreX and Heather. Get a "lawyah" if not Tillem. Get a late night liberal and some kind of all night talk but not the guy on now. cut him to 10 to midnght period.

    Fix the weekends. Quick. Get rid of Pat Thurston (too extreme left and a giggler), get rid of Chrissie Crafter (extreme lib and a bitch), dump the chef into the Bay, say so long to the witch of NY - 'Mo Langdan. Do not replae with Savage. He's a nothing.

    Replace with real people -- from both sides. Do a real travel show on Sunday again. Hamilton could be salvaged, but make him pay for the time. Keep few in the newsroom as anchors -- Bristow, Kim Foster, the woman who was with Hamilton all those years, Libotini, Scott L., get rid of Mel Baker. Usher both DreX and Heather out the door. Quickly.

    Beg Rosie Alan to come back at least on weekends. Keep Brian P. in the field reporting ... not as an anchor.

    Get rid of Copie. Too much ego. And it shows.

    Screw the South Bay bureau.

    No ABC 7 updates.



    Bring back Rothman, maybe, or at least on weekends. He can still do nights but money will be a problem. He doesn't need any. Maybe give Ward a shot on weekend nights and see how he does. Give him back "God Talk". It might now be interesting.

    Put Ronn out to pasture.

    Put "Red Eye" on KGO all night. Thre is nothing good lib on all night interesting. Go for the masses.

    Bring back Lloyd Linsey Young.

    Hire Hal Ramey for sports and keep Wallcott.

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    1. 11;43 Has some really good ideas. He sounds like an insider, knows all the main characters, their selling points and their flaws. Someone needs to pay attention to 11:43!!

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    2. "25-54 or 18-49 "leader" ... never was, "

      Yes, it was.

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  6. I'd buy KGO for a few $ . Move out of the Cumulus building. Keep the 50K torch going.... pipe in Fox or CNN news. What revenue is left I'd direct it all to Ronn Owens (9-noon). Other host I'd have, all at minimum wage, Karel (10pm-1am...live from a (insert place)), Lieberman (1-4pm...live from Tommy's Joint) and Craft.(7-10pm...live from the animal shelter). Repeat Owens overnite. Infomercials all weekend

    Little revenue would be required. Karts 4 Kids and Sleep Train should cover it all.

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  7. 1. Between "The Bone", KNBR and KFOG, they have cornered the male demo. Could there a revenue opportunity for everything on 1050 to be moved to 810? Better signal reach.

    2. Donate/sell KSFO to KQED, to fill in those coverage holes and expand their signal. There is precedent for a non-com to have an AM.paired with the FM in other markets. Then move all the programming on KSFO to superior signal of KGO.

    3. Swipe Bloomberg from iHeart and put it on 810. Then collect the checks and a portion of the revenue from Bloomberg.

    4.Bring in syndicated programming from Westwood One and CBS Sports..

    5.. Music of your life station.

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  8. Find replacements for Radnich, Amy G, Kate T, and Low T (Ray Ratto).

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  9. San Jose Sharks: Bring back Drew Remenda!

    As a player, Jamie Baker holds a special place in team history. Unfortunately, his work on the telecasts has been forgettable.

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  10. I would sell or LMA KGO to Entracom let them flip KGO to Spanish , thus putting an end to this monetary and media mess.

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    1. Yes, LMA or sell it, but LMA it to anyone who wants a presence in the Bay Area. Like Donald Trump!

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  11. Easy. Program, innovate and embrace tech. If I said more the gigantic nobs who fired the great decision makers and believers who made the station great would know who I am. They hired me. And so would the beutiful people who know me. You've got some dick looking at valuation but he doesn't know how to run a biz. There are a half dozen tv shows with people who reacue businesses by connecting valuation with product. Cumulus is clueless and there is zero logic in thier movement. Share holders should revolt!

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  12. Are there any Spanish language news/talk stations in the Bay Area? Why not?
    Music on AM sucks.

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  13. I would not hesitate bringing back KFRC. Why Not? It would be better than all of those redundant talk shows on the air now.

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  14. The biggest problem with local radio today is that they don't want to spend any money. So they go cheap and hire part timers, writers, or people who have to 'multi-task,' (like Kate T. Scott) who do sports and traffic. That's no way to run major market radio.

    I know, the ad dollars are not there, or at least as not as much as they used to be. But stations, and the companies that own them, should have some sort of an obligation to "serve the public." At least that's what it says on their radio license.

    The problem is that because of deregulation, predatory companies such as Cumulus, which are run by people who know nothing about the media and could care less what the role of a radio station should be, have been allowed to buy up as many stations as possible and then downsize and destroy them.

    The biggest reason that people aren't listening to the radio anymore is that the product, for the most part, SUCKS. KCBS still does a good job, KGO has some very good news folks too, and KNBR has the 49ers, Giants and Warriors and Tom Tolbert, (but not much else). Otherwise, it's better to listen to KQED 88.5 FM for news and information on the local scene and the world.

    Sadly, we live in a society where this "junk food for the mind," has been a part of our upbringing, so people are used to blather and nonsense on the radio. With the exception of a few professional broadcasters that are still out there, radio today is pretty much a wasteland of syndication, informercials, the same music playing over and over and over, (playlists instead of letting DJ's choose their own music), and other crap like Rush and Hannity and Savage that simply gives you a stomach ache.

    America is a mess, and radio simply reflects how far this country has fallen.

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  15. 6-9a - Christine Talks Anti Zionism and Dating Dogs
    9-12p Ryan Scott on Politics
    12-3p Live and Local News from Dallas
    3-6p Brian Copeland's Black Lives Matter Comedy Roundtable
    6-9p Gil Gross Ummm Show
    9-Mid Computer Problems with Gene Burns

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  16. 9:49 mocks people who help abused dogs. In any event, since the city of San Francisco has more dogs than babies, his programming instincts are off the mark. I do fill-in, am always delighted to do so. I don't hate Israel. I despise Netanyahu for his genocidal policies in Gaza and his manipulation of the United States.9:49 is entitled to adore both of those things, if she wishes.

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    1. Christine proving how little she understands markets again. Dogs and children don't listen to radio but jews do. Maybe thats your problem is that you don't get the audience? And since the Muslims treat each other like dogs in the middle east it explains why you support them as well.

      If you're a attempting to broadcast to SF then you have no idea what you're doing. It's the suburbs, lady. Has anyone told you this by now?

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    2. Christine's got a great sense of humor, doesn't she ladies?


      Sincerely,
      AE

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    3. Firstly, I am not now, nor have I ever aspired to be a "lady". Secondly,I must have missed your reasoning that people who have dogs don't listen to the radio. Re:Israel, you are phenominally ignorant if you believe that all Jews like the policies and practices of Mr. Netanyahu. You see, in the United States, we are still free to criticize how our tax dollars are used for foreign aid, and how our military is used. Did you think that all American Jews are itching to go kill Persians for Bibi? Did you think American Jews were such control freaks that they don't want such views expressed? How racist of you.
      I also didn't t realize I was "attempting" to "broadcast to SF".. Unlike working and living in a San Francisco where people(other than techies) could afford to live when I did television at KPIX or KQED), radio allows voices from other parts of Northern California or anywhere else to be heard. It's called technology. I commuted from Sacramento to San Francisco thousands of times to do fill-in on KGO. Thanks to the Telos corporation, I'm not required to drive a five hour round trip to do fill-in anymore. This is good for the environment. I'm also very connected to the politics in Sacramento, where much of the fodder for talk shows in San Francisco originates..
      Your blanket and unfounded insults to all Muslims while you hide under the veil of anonymity says it all.

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    4. I think what 12:43 was trying to say is the San Francisco audience that you alluded to (the ones with all the dogs) don't really make up a large share of the radio audience. At least that's how I understood it but it seems you often miss the point. As a Jew I will say I don't care much for Netanyahu but I certainly care less for the Palestinians whose maps are drawn without Israel existing. You seem to miss that point as well.

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    5. Can't 12:43 speak without you hand holding? or interpreting? No smart programmer would ignore the fact that dogs outnumber children nearly 2-1 in San Francisco. I'll always remember on KGO, the morning I happened to be fillling for Ronn and Mickey Luckoff came into the studio during a break. I had been talking about the prosecution of a nineteen year old man in Oakland who had taken an 8 month old black lab puppy, strung it in a tree, and in front of two young children, hacked its legs off with a machete. Mickey urged me to use the power of that magnificent radio signal to get KGO listeners to participate . We collected 39,000 signatures on a petition to the sentencing judge.I represented the aggrieved dog owner in the victim impact statement in court. For the first time in Alameda County history, a state prison term of four years was handed down in this case. That was a good thing, and great participatory radio.
      No one is stopping you from opining on the air or otherwise about the ill will between the parties. That's a basic stipulation.in the Israeli/Palestinian discussion.

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    6. She really doesn't get it 12:43.

      What the person is saying is SAN FRANCISCO is NOT THE AUDIENCE. Even if dogs out number children 2-1 (which they do not - it's more like 1-1) people don't care more about dogs than people. It's a dog!

      The audience is the surrounding areas of Alameda county, South Bay, San Jose and places where people are in their cars. The audience is NOT people in San Francisco. Why is all of this so hard for you to understand? Ask a salesman at the radio station for a demographics break out so you can begin to understand where the listeners are.

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    7. Mickey must have loved Christine's participatory radio thing because he hired her soon afterward. She's turning jobs down one after another.

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  17. News until 8
    8-11 Alex Bennett, with news staff still around for cut ins and banter with host
    11-1 Syndicated News Talk-middle of road or conservative
    1-4 Shawn Nix
    4-7 News
    7-10 Copie

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    1. Shawn Nix! A blast-from-the-past name! We were somewhere between acquaintances and friends when she was on KGO as we lived in the same town and drank at the same establishments. Might just have to do a search for her and see what she's up to these days!

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  18. "Firstly, I am not now, nor have I ever aspired to be a "lady"."

    Oh, no no. I didn't say you were or were trying to be, and I certainly don't think you are. I was addressing the LADIES, not you. Reading is fundamental.


    Sincerely,
    AE

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  19. More diversity. Get a local activist in the black or Latino community to discuss hot topics. Middle of the road white programming is boring even to white people. I only listen to Brian Copeland but turn him off if he's not interesting like the book club stuff, which I hate. CSPAN's Book TV does it better. Have a youth program. Get a real progressive female whose voice doesn't pierce your head like a nail or isn't a knucklehead. There isn't a single person I can listen to on KGO for more than 5 minutes besides Copie. Loved Bernie Ward.

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  20. All newstalk all the time on KGO! Go to KCBS for all news all the time! Problem solved!

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  21. 6 am to 10 am The morning line- sports gambling talk show.
    10 am to 2 pm TV talk
    2 pm to 7 pm Social Media show- keeping you updated on all you're missing while working/driving
    7 pm to 12 am Life show- family, health, love, and food show
    12 am to 6 am People behaving badly radio show - people can call in and bitch about all the bad stuff people are doing in their cities.
    On weekends syndicate college football/basketball games on Saturdays and NFL/NBA games on Sunday.
    Hire a bunch of recent LOCAL broadcast graduates and use them on all shows. Let them gain experience and an audience. If they don't improve try others.

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    Replies
    1. I put up the first comment ("AnonymousJuly 5, 2015 at 9:32 AM") and want to agree with some of Andre's comments and add to them. KGO should partner with local talent and develop it such as working with -

      - sports talk with talented posters at warriorsworld.net and other sites;

      - food talk with the SF Bay Area board of chowhound.com and

      - in depth local news with berkeleyside.com, UC journalism students at oaklandnorth.net, bloggers at sites like oaklandlocal.com, ouroakland.net, eastbayexpress.com, sfweekly, etc.

      Learn the lessons of instagram, facebook, twitter, blogs and make stories vibrant, wide-ranging and drawing on local talent.

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