2020 and '21 Coming Soon Plus a Few Year Enders

 THE YEAR END BS IS JUST THAT, BS. Frankly, it's lazy journalism -it makes for a sloppy summation and it allows for phony year-end writings and proclamations --this year, 2020, is a caveat. How many times have you heard, lately, "let's get 2020 out of the way" --and ""2021 will be much better?" Really, who the hell knows what '21 has in store for us, God forbid, it's worse than this year, but point being, who knows? 

I'VE NEVER gravitated to New Years. Even in my youthful days, the idea of mass consumption of alcohol and nearby explosives didn't mesh well with me, combined with end-of-year resolutions and so forth, it's the beginning of a new year, ho-hum, another day, really, not much more than that.

The year 2000 was a big deal only because it involved a new century yeah, I know that's 2001 but you get my point) Plus, added end-of-the-year doomsday scenarios and ridiculous calamity forecats based on numeric change brought about the millennium discussion and how the world would end. It didn't, we're still here. But you know the deal. 

There's little observational discussion about what 2021 portends about Bay Area media. It's all a matter of baseless predictions if any. I can tell you the Chronicle is in trouble but they've always been in trouble. Without Hearst money, they'd probably be dead like all other newspapers. But they trudge ahead even as their website, SFgate, gives more info on real estate than true, actual news. Welcome to the Internet, 21st Century.

I don't read the Examiner, maybe you do and can tell me what their goals are. The last time I read the Examiner, Rob Morse was pretending to be the next Herb Caen. That didn't go well. I hear the Examiner is tabloid and frankly, I'm shocked. Just kidding, but seriously, I don't know a single story the new Examiner has published. No knock, just the facts. I remember a time when SF had healthy Chronicles and an Examiner and both the Bay Guardian and SF Weekly. Now, it's pretty much the Chronicle and a handful of struggling weeklies. Sad, but true.

I don't know what KGO Radio has in store for 2021, I guess survival is number one. I applaud their goals but knowing the financial situation we're in plus the economy and Covid reality makes media business tenuous at best. I wish KGO were to broaden its schedule a bit and/or hire more vibrant talk hosts who don't yell and scream but that's just my taste, maybe you fell different. The morning show needs a whole lot of tweaking if not overall reshuffle. You have Dan Ashley from ABC7 doing a yeoman's job, why not just use him regularly, it beats the current guy broadcasting from LA, not really live and local and frankly, an utter bore.

I have more to say a little later on this won't be my last 2020 posting (aren't you excited?)

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