Year End Developments and Major Decisions Affecting Bay Area Media; 2019 Ripe With Intrigue; 2020 Could Spell Doom For TV/Radio Playors

*At KQED, both TV and radio, the party is over. The mass-spending free-for-all, is coming to an end largely because KQED is being forced to downsize as its revenue is sharply reduced. Member donations are down and corporate support, waning. KQED still makes tons of money and the goldmine is still there, but the oversight people in the finance offices are beginning to audit more religiously--put two and two together. Maybe they won't send anymore coffee mugs to subscribers--in which case, you could...never mind.

*Will KGO Radio be maintained as its latest iteration as news-talk beacon  by Cumulus? It's an election year which means healthy revenue by political ads and talk zeitgeist but significant revenue streams may not mean much. Cumulus, according to well-founded rumors, might be seriously inclined to sell its SF area 810 AM, 50K-watt, clear-channel behemoth --2020 could be another key time element in KGO's future.

*KRON has stagnated --its corporate owner, Nextstar, flailing away in economic turmoil, makes for more KRON mismanagement at the base of the new year. KRON doesn't believe in rearranging the furniture. It's been the same old story year in, year out. It's still very painful to watch the K-TEL-like news reports; the shuffling of anchors no matter how awful; the incompetence inside the alleged news director and his silly maneuvering; the god-awful news direction and presentation. At some point, KRON has to be sold and/or leveraged by an owner/corporation that will invest in a Top-10 market with a thirst for news and less amateur hour by the lawn-furniture style of KRON's present-day status.

*Will KGO and its Disney coffers sign Gary Radnich, late of LRON and KNBR? If the money is close, yes, they should and more importantly, could. Radnich isn't what he was twenty years ago but he's better than Circle7's talent now. Moreover, he would add immediate buzz to an operation owned by the Star Wars franchise. There's a connection. One BIG thing too on the KGO docket: signing veteran and staple anchor, Dan Ashley to a well-deserved extension --it's going to happen--just a matter of when, not if.

*The future of Ken Bastida at KPIX. Bastida has been rumored to be one of CBS' first major anchors to be told to take a hike, (with a significant salary cut) --the latest is Bastida wants to stay through 2020 but CBS might want to leave and retire right away. Ultimately, they make the call.

*Enjoy your core-4 KTVU "10 O'clock News" vets, Frank Somerville, Julie Haener, Bill Martin, Mark Ibanez--all 4 have existing contracts for 2020 but 2021 spells the end for the group as FOX begins its major decision to trim, severely, high-cost anchor talent. Quite simply, FOX thinks it can spend a lot less on local talent even if it involves some of its most successful O and O's and that includes the Bay Area.


*The Chronicle has Hearst money which means it ain't going anywhere anytime soon but its print edition, (like other print newspapers) is bleeding red ink. And the Chron isn't in NY Times status meaning it can't forever lose money and just continue to publish. Its digital operation is making dough but not enough to pay for paper. Paging a local Amazon guy like Jeff Bezos (who owns the Washington Post) but those are hard to find

*A significant moneyed player, (like a tech giant) is thought to want to buy the local Spanish TV players, (like a SF Telemundo) --the Bay Area's Hispanic language audience is large and very prosperous --but it's only a rumor.

*KNBR has its cash cow, the Giants in a lean, lean, lean, mode. Last year, the radio content (and TV/Cable too) lost significant advertising money because the home team sucked--like its sucked for the past three-plus years. Which means KNBR has been reducing its Giants' mega-bullhorn of pre, post, and actual games. Baseball used to be their bread and butter --now it's become its home for the halfway hose. KNBR is lucky to have the 49ers which essentially pays the continuing banality called the KNBR Morning Show.