MONDAY STARTI NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD HEAR embarrassment radio but that I did on Monday Morning Drive on KCBS' suddenly silly and bereft of news judgment AM show with Stan Bunger and Susan Leigh Taylor.
What embarrassment? TWO HUGE ones all in the same half-hour. It was maddening to say the least.
FIRST, we hear Taylor say a "KCBS 'Special Report' --and just what is the special report?
How about an elderly couple in the South Bay who kill time at a thrift store, by, get this, solving jigsaw puzzles; (I'm not kidding) both in separate rooms at the center. We're then hearing dual actualities, one from the wife and another from the husband who both have heavy "New Yawk" accents. Are you kidding? This is a special report? And this is news? Veteran street reporter, Mike Colgan, had to be gritting his teeth.
I'm all for light news --especially these days, but to place a, frankly silly, fluff piece like this on morning drive is ridiculous and totally bizarre to say the least. Who made this call?
Later on, another winner: a 30 sec dumb report about a couple of kitty cats that have their own apartments. I won't even link the piece because it's so utterly pathetic and crazy for a major market radio station to report on this absurdity.
KCBS is my go-to on legitimate breaking news that affects the Bay Area but this latest doozy of asininity and incompetent news judgement leaves me wondering.*The only contracts that are rock solid; those that are honored even if air talent are let go are referred to as "personal services" contracts. They are rare these days only given out to very few people that a company deems extra special and worthy of such a perk.
Therefore when you hear radio people brag on air they have been extended "for another three years" it's not guaranteed.
I thought I'd let you know.
Strange times indeed, Rich. It seems like even the once "go to sources of hard news" are becoming more like "lifestyle programs." Kind of sad. On another note, my cat wants to know how to get his own apartment. He said he's "outgrown me and my home!" Keep up the good reporting and entertaining commentary.
ReplyDeleteSince KGO went haywire years ago I listen to KCBS. I know I'm an old fart... Anyway KCBS is going down the tubes, Stan Bunger and Susan Leigh Taylor are like fingernails on a chalkboard. Besides repeat, repeat, repeat... some stories repeated in the same hour. KCBS "Just Bury It" like you said in your last blog Rich.
ReplyDeleteAgree about the jigsaw puzzle couple, but FWIW the cat story got picked up by the networks and has been a national story all morning.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Rich, 1:05, 1:08 and 1:24 there are no news editors any more or for that matter newsrooms who can enterprise a story. It's all rip-and-read or use the crap they put on the air from the various subscription sources IE: what at one time was AP's daily call or that other dumb service newsrooms subscribe to called: News you can use. It's a headline grabber who gives editors a one or two sentence headline and if they like the story all they do is click on the link and walah, the story magically appears. Boy that was tough work, use two keystrokes and you have an entire story written ready for air. Some don't even check it for editorial content, misspelled words or the like. They just load the story into the show rundown and the idiots in front of the mike will read it on air. I know, I did this for too many years. Now retired and don't listen to radio let alone watch local TV news cause they're just as bad only difference is that they add video to the story. What a pathetic sight this industry has become. Oh! Don't forget to plug the social media sites. Dumb idiots don't realize the more they plug social media, the sooner their media will seize to exist.
ReplyDeleteWhen the media has to "seize to exist", all hope it gone.Seriously???
DeleteRich, what do you have against pussies, anyway? I assure you that those cats would much rather be with their human. The story is that his current address doesn't allow pussies. He's just trying to keep them safe while he finds other digs.
DeleteI don't know what you're all complaining about. I had an early lunch today, turned the TV on, expecting to watch Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, and it turns out that Channel 7 now has another half hour of local programming with Front Street's local Rhodes Scholar, Reggie Aqui. I am sure that your tragic KCBS listening experience was far more professional and informative than my experiment than my early lunch programming. Around here, when you grade on a curve, KCBS probably still wins.
ReplyDelete"Therefore when you hear radio people brag on air they have been extended "for another three years" it's not guaranteed."
ReplyDeleteCertain on air hosts at KNBR like to brag about their "employment contracts".
Contracts worth nothing.