I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO HAD A BEEF WITH CIRCLE7--I'M NOT ALONE
There's a multitude of reasons why Eric Thomas decided to un-retire and get back into local media (he's going to KCBS to anchor/report in January--as reported here) --as I've said in this column repeatedly, Thomas all but begged for a buyout from KGO/ABC; his last few years at 900 Front were painful. He detested most of the staff and I can't blame him. It wasn't all a matter of grossly incompetent staff, but a complete distaste of the Disney premises. Thomas is no Mister Sunshine but he was a respected figure at ABC7. He got a sweet buyout from Disney but he also wants to leave the house. He'll do well at KCBS where a droll personality fits well.
*Thomas, like everyone else, respected, but HATED the News Director. She barely tolerated him but she wasn't about to mess with him. Even she knows a little if she's still no people person. She couldn't lead an Eskimo to an Alaskan Ice cream stand.
*Remember, Ama Daetz ca't stand Kristen Sze. So can't a lot of people. Kristen has built up a wall of folks at KGO who think she's a complete power chick and that she'll do anything to gain firm control. Trixie, the ND, curries favor with Ming only at the expense of staff who know all too well that Trixie will bust your proverbial balls to keep her reign at ABC7. Yeah, she is the ultimate ball buster. Ming knows that and thus, why she continues to kiss Trixie's ass. It's a good way to keep a 3PM show even if no one watches.
*Spencer Christian --a good guy on air but a real jerk off and I'm not talking about wine, numbers and other things.
*Spencer hangs out with Larry Beil; birds of a feather...
*If Ama stopped playing with her hair, she'd probably move up the totem pole.
*KGO-TV might possess the worst, most amateur-hour reporters this town has ever had. KGO's reporters make KRON a relative journalistic sunbath. "Luuuuuuse Payna? Are you serious?"
*The weekend sports guy with the doofus smile? He gets heckled by the janitors. For good reason.
*Spencer also had a thing with the late, great Cheryl Jennings, who still has some fake title as "anchor emeritus." Yeah, right. It now makes sense: Jennings' ex-husband wanted someone to publish dirt about her. Now I know why. Jennings was not so warm and fuzzy. Supposedly, she's teaching now. God, I'm sure that's a treat.
*KGO hasn't been relevant since Van left. The closest thing to Van, Dan Ashley. And although he should sign an extension, I'm not so shocked if he doesn't. I can see Beil sneaking his way into fatso's office (Cibrowski) and saying he'd gladly take Ash's place. What a guy.
*Don't invite Beil to a Ashley/Mark Ibanez party.
*Beil makes Kevin O'Brien look like the Pope.
*See, Trixie, wants Cibrowski's (Tom, the GM) job. If he doesn't know that by now, the guy is dumber than I thought.
*Doin Lim: getting better by the day. Watch out, Ama.
> Luuuuuuse Payna? Are you serious?
ReplyDeleteSadly, they are. Affirmative Action at its finest.
a "staple of reporters'??? As for Cheryl Jennings, she was in the streets, reporting every dangerous story imaginable, long before she was a very successful anchor. I remember her well from my KPIX days in the seventies. She was smart, tough, very likable then, and now. Very, very few people survive in a highly competitive and cutthroat business as long as Cheryl did. It is not evil to teach communications.
ReplyDeleteSpencer Christian is one of the nicest people I've ever known. When I left KGO he sought out my phone number and called to wish me well in my future endeavors. Ask anyone who actually knows him. He is kind and genuine.
ReplyDeleteThat's my impression too; I worked with him about ten years ago and he was one of the nicest people in the newsroom. Don't know why Rich is bad-mouthing him, other than for clicks.
DeleteI'll agree. Spencer spoke to my broadcasting class many years ago and he couldn't have been warmer or friendlier. This is the first negative I personally have ever heard about him.
DeleteSimilar to many companies/employers; just go in and do (your best at) the job; then go home; you don't have to be liked by everybody there and you don't have to like everybody there; you don't have to answer the the RL Blogspot (RLBS) and probably shouldn't. If you're on TV, you are your own product, too. Selling yourself on social media can/might help, just be careful and control the content. Just because you don't give a good or any interviews or comments to RLBS could result in RLBS telling folks you're an awful person; oh well, just be pleasant and go home at the end of the day.
ReplyDeleteSidenote. Heather Holmes KTVU, thanks for taking all the evening newscasts last night from 4pm to 11:30pm or so. I don't know where the others were but you did great. Those become some long hours. KTVU should take care of you should/when you might need some time off someday. A. Senor, same goes for you.
At 73 years old Spencer Christian is currently the Oldest Full-Time Bay Area TV News Station on air personality even older than fellow KGO reporter David Louie who is 70 & KTVU Reporter Tom Vacar who is 71. With his easy going lucid style Spencer still "has it" as a solid TV Weather Forecaster. Rich: I absolutely love your Blog! Cary SF
ReplyDeleteCalling Sze "Ming"?? Man, that's nasty and racist, BUT she deserves it!!
ReplyDeleteReportedly this is what *she* wants.
DeleteRacist to use her proper first name? The PC police have really jumped the shark.
DeleteDion Lim has been on point, from day one
ReplyDeleteEric worst enemy at KGO, Reggie and Natasha stealing his spot kicking him out back to the street and on weekends for 6 years. Next, Ming Sze who one day want to be the next Ama, main anchor of KGO. You forgot to mention, hiring Asian female reporters might be a big mistake for KGO. There use to be a former female reporter just like Kristen as main news anchor and not to easy going and years forward, Kristen, wait, Ming Sze.
ReplyDeleteGood luck, Ming try to force Ama and Dion out. Ama is the main reason I watch KGO, not Ming who should go back to morning news or an advisor.
- RL must be flashing back to Christian's post-gambling addiction withdrawals. That was at least a decade ago, maybe more.
ReplyDelete- Disney/ABC knows which local anchors nationwide move the affiliate needle. No meddling board member who may be close to a personality-impaired ND can get in the way if ABC HQ demands that Ashley get his contract extension. ABC HQ will keep Ashley WITH AUTHORITY! May be much to Beil's chagrin, but they can always say, Go Back to Hawaii! And still, if anybody from Trixie on down tries to get in the way of either Ashley or Finney, there will be a price to pay. Even Trixie and the Countess (& Kreutz) know better than that.
- Thomas will do fine at KCBS. Don't know what hours Thomas prefers, but a viable successor to past-prime Bunger?
When they started "ABC7 BUILDING A BETTER BAY AREA" is when I quit watching my go to news station.
ReplyDeleteI’d still rather watch Kristen than Ama.
ReplyDelete