Thursday, June 22, 2017

Give Us Expanded Heat; Jon Miller Doesn't Have To Be Funny All The Time; Gabbert Could Buy KFRC But He's El Cheapo; More Radio Foolishness on Sunday Bridge Incident; Gene Burns, Lee Rodgers: Professionals and Damn Entertaining

Related image IT's LEGITIMATE NEWS NOW; The Heat Wave ...for a change, weather is the story in the Bay Area but instead of the usual off/on shore winds ...high pressure...heat advisories...all legit stories, wouldn't it be great if the weather mavens gave us something a lot more substantive?

Why are we having a week-long heat-up? Where's all the fog? I'm not suggesting an all out "climate change" package. I'd settle for a Bill Martin and Paul Deanno five-minute rundown but that seems DOA in today's brain dead quickie environment.

*I'll get branded sacrilegious but does Jon Miller have to include a funny, little anecdote every five minutes? Don't get me wrong, I like Miller. He has a great voice and he's pretty good on play-by-play. There's no denying Miller is serving up more stories given the Giants season-long swoon but his (Miller) constant cackling and endless tales make the radio broadcast seem like a comedy loop. And if Miller says "...so goes" one more time I'm going to the broadcast police.

*The old KFRC is now "Family Radio" --actually it's been religious quite a while ...too bad someone with the money like, say, Jim Gabbert, couldn't buy up the call letters and frequency and turn it into a retro, old-style KGO. For one thing, there'd be a market. Secondly, Gabbert would become a Bay Area radio hero.

Here's the problem: Gabbert, who made hundreds of millions profit on his KOFY-TV purchase and sale, is notoriously an el cheapo. He'll probably die rich. It would take roughly 4-5 million bucks to turn KFRC into a KGO-lite; Gabbert simply doesn't want to spend the dough. How do I know? he told me. More like, lectured me.

Image result for jessica castro kgo
Jessica Castro
There's an age-old line about Gabbert's thriftiness: "Why did Gabbert use dogs on his KOFY promos? So he wouldn't have to pay 'em."

*OK, so sue me, KGO-TV's, Jessica Castro lights up the screen like no one ever has since the days of Kate Kelly.

Image result for gasia mikaelian
Gasia Mikaelian
*I pick on Gasia Mikaelian because she's so darn easy. She MUGS the camera. She cackles at the worst time. Not everybody wants to see you cackle, Gaas. You work for a NEWS station. Nobody says you have to go all out CSPAN3, I know you're a FOXite but dang, show a little deference. You're capable.

* Last Sunday early morning, when a police shooting on the Bay Bridge snarled traffic for over 5 hours this happened: KCBS began mentioning the incident on its regulartraffic reports --even when the situation was described as "police activity" countless times by anchor, (who else) Jon Bristow. Yet, it was well into the day until KCBS sent a reporter to the scene. As poo as that is at least KCBS eventually went into protocol...on KGO Radio, some guy was talking about fish oil.

*Gene Burns, Lee Rodgers: yes, they were special. Professional broadcasters that didn't have to rely upon audio gimmicks and acting like fools on the air to attract listeners. They were the attraction. And they were entertaining as all get-go.

I need to say this again: I mostly disagreed with Rodgers politics but still found him so terrific on the air; he was one of the best interviewers; he could take a boring topic and make it listenable; he took no prisoners.

*Ray Taliaferro is writing a book and alive, well, and kicking in case you wanted to know.

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16 comments:

  1. Dave McElhatton Fan Club in PetalumaJune 22, 2017 at 12:39 PM

    ...For as Kate Kelly would say, "Where the Fuck's my Nanny?!?".

    ReplyDelete
  2. I think Steve P. or Brian Hackney would do a more clear an concise explanation of the weather... Bill Martin.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Paul Deanno reminds in in looks and mannerisms of Mr. Opportunity from the early aught Honda Commercials
    http://tinyurl.com/y9j3rnfv

    ReplyDelete
  4. Jessica and Gasia could be sisters, they look and even smile alike.
    I won't say who the older sister would be.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Why would anyone want to buy what's left of KFRC just to have another talk station? There's already too much talk on the air now. Why not let KFRC be KFRC with the classic hits?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree, make 610 classic hits and bring back the old jingles. He would need to get the calls away from CBS or whoever owns them now.

      I was irked when 99.7 went from KFRC to the crap on it now.

      Delete
  6. I'm still not convinced Ray Taliaferro isn't George Takei in disguise.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Who want's another talk station? The BA can't handle more talk because the host and callers are all idiots.

    How about this...
    Open Phones Talk radio 24/7...
    Just callers blithering about anything they want to for 2 mins each.
    The op runs the board with the right hand, and the left hand hovers over the "dump" button on the Eventide.

    Mira...
    Gabbert and Zwierling are all correct. The biggest problem in BA centric talk radio is the labor cost.
    Dump the host in favor of the "host/board-op/producer"model.

    Open the pfones and let the fur fly!
    I would call it..

    "KGO Radio Beat Down!"
    (pause).....810!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I have notice for the past couple of seasons that Miller is no longer at the top of his game. Don't know if it it is an age related thing or perhaps he is just starting to get bored. He makes mistakes with players names and at times his call of a play doesn't come until well after the play has concluded.

    ReplyDelete
  9. A Special Male Reporter Bestie -- On Scene

    Henry Lee for his coverage of the Santa Rosa murder/suicide on Father's Day, and his brief but sensitive interview on scene with a relative of the man which brought the tragedy of the story immediately to the viewer emotionally in a way that was both moving and though provoking.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 4:44 PM "though provoking." Should read "thought provoking."

      Delete
  10. Give me the calls of Jon Miller and Dave Fleming every game,
    and stifle Kruk and Kuip. Miller and Fleming will be objective
    and criticize the Giants when they have it coming -- like the great Giant announcers of the past -- Russ Hodges, Lon Simmons, and Hank Greenwald. K&K are shills and their homerism
    is wearing thin.

    ReplyDelete
  11. With Vin Scully's retirement, Jon Miller became the best announcer in baseball.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Interesting how ALL Giants announcer DO NOT discuss EVER where they're currently at this season, and no more "out of town scoreboards", gee, I wonder why?

    I don't expect them to dwell on the negative but maybe occasionally discuss the future, after all I'm sure Kuiper/Krukow talk to the brass on a regular basis.

    I assume they're on strict orders NOT to discuss what's going on and simply broadcast the game as if it really means something, which at this point, it really doesn't.

    And who gave these orders? Larry Baer of course...too bad, a little openness and honesty would go a long ways right now, unless there really isn't much to be hopeful for, i.e. maybe their prospects really do suck, which is what I'm hearing...

    Get used to it Giants fans, there's 2-3 teams in the NL West with loads more young talent, especially the hated Dodgers who are absolutely loaded...sorry, but this may last awhile.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Very true @9:18 AM. Also, what is the deal with these
      backloaded contracts? The Giants will be sellers this
      year. This season, Brandon Belt (a candidate for trading), is making 4 million dollars. From 2018-21,
      Belt is making 17.2 million per season!!! Would any team
      deal for Belt and take on 68 more million in salary??
      Melancon -- 7 mill this year, 13 mill next year, and 17
      mill in 19-20. Crawford (whom I like) is making 8.2 mill
      this year, and 15.2 in 2018-21. Don't understand the backloading. Is this Baer's doing? Bobby Evans??

      Delete