It seems like every time Thomas anchors the news on KCBS (like today filling in, yet again) for 10-3 PM anchor, Rebecca Corral, there's several technical glitches (again) and mistaken sounders (traffic sounders for sports and vice versa--plus lots of DEAD AIR) and today (Tuesday) was NO different.
Thomas's 1 PM hour was littered with lots of crap and mistakes like the goo that's been plaguing KCBS for MONTHS now and are not fixed. It's not only embarrassing and awful-sounding, it's TEDIOUS too. And it's a CONSTANT and it especially HITS Thomas seemingly all the time and hardly anyone else. Since Thomas can't add-lib his way out of a paper bag, the situation, (all of it) is magnified. Thomas is helpless. And he has zero support.
Well, Countess Seelig (ND, Jennifer Seelig) practice what you preach. I know Thomas would love that especially.
I really feel for Eric, I really do. He's a good guy who deserves better than this. Much better.
ReplyDeleteIt is quite amazing how often Eric is on the radio and screws up. They need to change the call letters to ERIC.
ReplyDeleteYou don't know if it's him screwing up. There's a lot of people responsible for what goes over the air. When he was on KGO he didn't screw up like this so I'll assume it's the incompetence of the crew at KCBS.
DeleteOK I'll take that back...
DeleteUh, there IS no "crew"....
DeleteThey don't care. Next is two empty soup cans and some string for a phone. Bring out the Smith-Corona typewriters.
ReplyDeleteWhy is this Drek allowed to continue, bay area radio used to be legacy now is desert there's nothing there there.
ReplyDeleteBecause all the advertising revenue is now on the internet, that's why. Ever watch TV anymore and see the *same* commercial two or even three times in one break? Sometimes a commercial ends and they immediately play it again. That's because they haven't sold enough ads to fill all the slots. TV and radio advertising is just a fraction what it used to be, as everyone jumps on the "ad tech" bandwagon that promises ad placement that garners amazing results because they track buyer habits and have all this information on us that will make us run to their ads and click away. Meanwhile one in three computer users have ad blocking software. (I'm one of them.). It's all bullshit, but as with string theory at physics institutes, as long as you go with the flow, even though there is absolutely no evidence for it, you will keep your job. If everyone believes BS, it must be true——that's how media works today.
DeleteDoes Eric have to run his own board at KCBS in a way that he didn't have to at KGO?
ReplyDeleteI worked with Eric for many years at ABC7. He was one of the best anchors there. He also had good producers. If he has to be a one man band at KCBS running his own board, then you can't blame him. The good old days of broadcasting are gone because management keeps cutting support staff.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I worked with Eric, at least a little bit. Great guy, and very easy to work with. A gentleman, he deserves better.
DeleteI've always have liked Eric when he was at circle 7. He had a nice presence and a great speaking voice. That being said, I do listen to him on the radio and I'm reminded that not everything is for everybody. He has a tough time keeping a flow to working on the radio.
ReplyDeleteRuss "The Moose" Syracuse must be turning over in his grave.
ReplyDeleteThe KCBS anchor, Eric in this case, does more than just talk and read stories. They are also running the board and triggering elements. Coming from TV, Eric simply cannot do this. You have to be able to multi-task, walk and chew gum. This is not a KGO problem, this is an Eric problem.
ReplyDeleteSome radio people are artistry in motion when running their own board. (e.g., find a Youtube video of Bill Brown at WCBS-FM back in the 80's and 90's, they're on there.) Others are superb talents but can't punch their way out of a paper bag if they have to run the equipment at the same time they're on air. Eric may be in the latter category, but the only way to know for sure is to have intensive training and practice sessions, until he's either fluid at talking and punching buttons at the same time or demonstrably incompetent. If he needs enough practice until it's second nature, it's management's responsibility to give him the training and time he needs. If it's determined he just doesn't have it in him, either get him a board op or find someone else that can do the job. I don't know Eric, he seems like a nice guy and competent newsman from his ABC7 days, but not every role is for every employee. It's management's responsibility to sort this out.
DeleteOne of my neighbours up here where I live works for a small station and during the lockdowns, she was running that station's board from home. Easy since everything's on computers nowadays.
DeleteWhat you say is correct if it's a music station, or one that broadcasts mostly syndicated talk programs. All-news is a different beast. The board op has to know what clip is next, have a few cued up to support the next few stories, and fire them off in the right order so they support the intro that the anchor has just read. Plus there's the commercial clusters, which fire off from a different computer and have been pre-staged by someone else, plus the remote traffic (6 times an hour) and sports reports (2x), the business report (2x), and the live weather read (6x/hr), two of which include a KPIX5 "meteorologist" giving a pre-recorded 6-day forecast. Plus he has to hit the CBS network at exactly the top of each hour. It's not trivial to just run the board in this format without adding the extra dimension of cracking the mic and reading the stories, giving time checks and sounding upbeat and smooth while doing it all. That's a *lot* of multitasking, and not everyone can do it well. It's really closer to being a old-school Top 40 DJ, and again, see those Youtube clips mentioned above to see one (of many) artists in that field doing it.
DeleteYet another reason we call KCBS Radio's owner Audacity. Smh
ReplyDelete