Dan Ashley and Michael Finney Enjoy Prominence at KGO-TV; Thursday 415 Media First Take

  Dan Ashley, KGO's (ABC7) veteran anchor, was making an early trip into 900 Front --the day had Ashley working a marathon schedule; he would anchor the 4PM, 5PM, 6PM, 9pm (on KOFY) and finally the 11 PM newscast --that's right, 5 shows in one day. This was not so unusual, in fact, Ashley has worked this schedule on a regular basis and handles every one without the slightest bit of annoyance --he loves the business and being busy is no negative; in addition, he's one of the highest paid anchors in the Bay Area. (Roughly $550K yearly) It's good for KGO because the Walnut Creek native has quietly become one of ABC7's "most influential" news readers with a rolodex full of some of the biggest shakers and makers; Ashley has both White House and State Capitol connections not to mention the ear of Mayor Ed Lee.

He also has the respect and admiration from a Circle7 staff both in front and behind the camera. A KGO source: "Dan is well-liked by most people here and in this business, that's really unheard of; he's a really hard worker and is dedicated to giving the very best broadcast he can. That means a lot." Especially to the folks at ABC and Disney (which owns KGO) In an era of instability and lots of turnover, Ashley is well past two decades at KGO and seems destined for a continued presence at Circle7's Embarcadero studios.

*Michael Finney is one of Ashley's close friends and considered by many to be half of the KGO "One-Two 'Powerhouse.'" Finney is the longtime Consumer Editor at Channel 7 with a personal staff of 10 people who work the phones and report any consumer issues by disgruntled viewers. It's a major part of KGO's newscast schedule and most popular too. Finney's daily appearances on almost all of KGO's platforms draw record numbers and has catapulted the Consumer Editor into an almost "Elvis-like" figure. 

*Finney and Ashley --two giants at 900 Front--enjoy considerable clout in the city's ABC Network O and O on the Embarcadero.

Not only does Finney have a large staff but makes public appearances on behalf of KGO throughout the week. Finney also does a weekend radio show on KGO.