Rabbi Goodman and his buddy Mo asked me a simple question: "Rich, why do all the anchors stand lately? Is it supposed to make them look more important?"
I laughed.
Yeah, Rabbi, I agree. I don't get the standing deal. Not that it's gonna ruin my day but I've seen it and it's another modern-day irritant, as if I need that in my life.
Anchors belong behind a desk and their duty is to read the teleprompter. God knows that job is difficult enough. Just look into the camera and read. It's not a big task. What, by standing now, is this a new feature, are we supposed to celebrate and do a couple high-fives by watching you anchors stand in front of the screen? Is the story more impactful by you standing? And this standing phenomena is spreading--from the networks to all the local stations, it's like a virus.
I wish this frenzy would stop. It's another gimmick, like putting ketchup on a hot dog, it should be unconstitutional. Read the news! And sit down! And then toss it to sports and shut up.
*Some stations have poor news production but at least they look good.
KGO-TV (ABC7) is a little too bland for my taste; the anchors look and sound robotic, but I'll give Circle7 this: their set is nice. It's a crisp look and that lends itself to a decent newscast (for the most part) and I know it's weird, but I like looking at their news presentation.
Same thing with KRON, although I wish they'd cut down on their weather screens, maybe by a few thousand. The bridge background and the bay is a good look. Of course it is.
On the other hand, there's KPIX. Good, how cheap can you get, CBS? I see PIX and I see grainy and dirty. Maybe it's just me but I can't umagine how old and sad PIX looks. You'd think CBS would spend a few xtra bucks on it Bay Area O and O but you'd be wrong.
KTVU? The Firm has been spawning new looks for years now but I think Fox2 is stale and boring.
*Thanks for the idea but KQED wouldn't have me on their Check Please because, A. they hate me and B. I hate most restaurants. I like old-style Chinese food places where I can eat and read the paper and that doesn't fit KQED's demos. They prefer the Marin/wine/cheese crowd with art books and alfalfa sprouts.
By the way, sprouts on a sandwich should be treated like a crime and deportation should be considered.
*Great, Peter Hartlaub told you in a thousand words in the Chronicle he won't renew his 49ers' season tickets. Great, wonderful essay, next time, Pete, maybe a manifesto on what's more satisfying: a tuna sandwich or burrito for lunch.
*The KGO Radio reunion had a certain look: the Marin first-wives club. And Mickey Luckoff and Ronn Owens there just to confirm eternal smarm.
*Damon Bruce: it's been awhile since you posted pictures of your kid on Facebook, maybe now every five minutes as opposed to the standard two.
*KCBS: where Alisa Clancy must have pictures.
*John Daly, the smallshot producer at KGO, was once again trying to look powerful at the KGO party but even the janitor was laughing at that.
Agree on the sets KGO and KRON the only watchable, professional and appropriate sets in the market - they accentuate, not overpower the talent and are distinctly Bay Area
ReplyDeleteKNTV trying too hard to be network and stand up cute to the point of distraction
KTVU straight outta Akron
KPIX white wash harsh on the eyes
KPIX in what sense? One of the senses I figured was switching from the O & O Gari Enforcer music to Cbs Local commonly played by CBS/NexStar stations.
ReplyDeleteWhile thats the small details that don’t matter it is different from many CBS O&O stations though in some promos they play the old enforcer music (that was played on their 7PM newscast till Dec 2021)
Only San Francisco Goddess Phyllis Diller could make some paint and fresh carpeting look great ! She had style, panache, glee, and self-deprecation. Nowadays everyone takes umbrage about not being the best. Here’s something novel to ponder - just try your best and not be too serious about out-doing everyone else. We can relate to real people, we cannot relate to Movie Stars. In the meantime, “go freshen up!”
ReplyDeleteI actually just saw US Government choppers force the KPIX chopper out of a no fly zone on television this morning. True story.
ReplyDeleteOutbreak, good movie.
DeleteRene Russo in her prime.
Ugh, sprouts on a sammich (or anything for that matter). To quote Brando in Apocalypse Now, "The horror, the horror."
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Completely self-indulgent “me, me, me” story by Hartlaub. How cares about his season ticket-holding status? Only in the Chron.
ReplyDeleteLuckoff, Owennns, who cares? Where was Maureen Langan, Leo LaPorte, Jim Gabbert? oh wait, Gabbert is spending lots of time cleaning the brightwork on that large, wooden tugboat he keeps at the Sausalito Marina. Langan is spending way too much time with her Latin L-O-V-E-R and LaPorte is trying to convert his Mach-E to run on Duracell batteries...
ReplyDeleteI miss hearing Leo LaPorte! I don't receive KGO very well with my current radio, so I don't know if he is still on that station or not. Last era when I used to listen to Leo was back when Kim Komando (another tech show) was on. She too was a fun and fresh personality,
DeleteWhat about ronnn Owens favorite cabana boy the ubiquitous "chef" ryan scott?, lifestyle personality Ethan at night bearman??
DeleteKNTV is a San Jose station, and, fair or not, for a lot of the Bay Area viewing world, that means it's still on a kind of lower tier than the others. Though it has all the resources of the Peacock network, still, and you can't put your finger on it, after twenty years the station and its news operation is still kind of an outsider. I invite all who disagree to weigh in, you might see it differently. Weren't Terilyn Joe and some square-jawed guy named Allen Denton the first anchors?
ReplyDeleteYes Denton. They were last authentic during the Doug and Maggi San Jose NewsChannel days.
DeleteTerry was one of them from those days and he’s refreshing.
Why not embrace the South Bay again be unabashedly local and stop trying to be KNBC North. KUSI in San Diego does a great job of this sans some of the political slant.