How about Liz Cook and Brian Hackney as a possible duo for the 5? I'd like to see that.
*If Mike Mibach didn't have the quarter-brain to know you DO NOT even remotely tell those kindof "jokes" to a few female staffers, this day and age, then he's a lot dumber than I thought.
*KTVU is at a tipping point with diminishing viewers, no confidence in its news managers, lack of faith in the overall direction of the news operation, lousy ratings, an entire funk in the newsroom, that I'm surprised it's able to carry on--a BIG change is coming the first of the year.
*KTVU News boss, Amber Eikel, sent resumes around the LA area and even back East, see above.
*At Circle7, they're breathing a sigh of relief: ABC/Disney named old CEO, Bob Iger, its new boss. Iger has an appreciation for the ABC O and O's, including KGO and notably, Dan Ashley, who's been floating in lame duck status for awhike. Iger feels TV stations are a key cog in the Disney profit center. He's right. He's also a guy who might single-handidly get Ashley's deal done--after that, oops.
*ABC7 managed to do better than average in Sweeps, in spite of itself.
*Another issue hitting the KCBS newsroom: the use, again and again, of a NON-UNION sports anchor in PM drive and the union ain't happy either.
*Sports-talk radio in the Bay Area as you know it is on KILL dial. The future is clouded with mass uncertainty and fiscal purgatory. KNBR without the 49ers and Giants is mush and "The Game" (95.7 FM) is in total recall.
*Mibach could have huddled with ALL staff at KTVU --when he took over for Frank Somerville --and launch a preemptive strike--tell staff he would work hard and long to reinstall faith in the operation and win back not just KTVU staff but the Bay Area viewing public; instead, Mibach just went about his business and tried to go on, with his juvenile behavior in tact and the rest is history.
*Don't be surprised if Mibach is a goner sooner rather than later: paging Alex Savidge.
*Remember, it was Eikel who basically let Kyla Grogan go and allow KRON to snatch her up. Which is why The Firm is examining Eikel once again.
*If the Giants sign Aaron Judge, their TV rights will TRIPLE, ya hear that, NBC Sports Bay Area? Be prepared.
*KSFO makes money--not a lot; with literally NO ONE in its studio --which is why it still exists and KGO does not.
*Another vaunted KCBS news person I MISS: Rebecca Corral.
*Another vaunted KCBS news person I MISS: Rebecca Corral.
ReplyDeleteRich, I totally agree with you about Rebecca Corral.
Mike career at KTVU might end when contract is up and ratings sinking like Titanic. Andre would be a better choice bringing back the symbol of Dennis Richmond, first African American anchor in the Bay Area on Prime Time.
ReplyDeleteA normal tv station would send Mibach packing the second his contract his up but ktvu has shown time and time again they don’t even have the brains to manage a 5 year old’s Saturday afternoon lemonade stand.
DeleteThough wouldn’t sexual harassment be a valid reason to terminate his contract before it officially ends?
Meanwhile the Amanda Starrantino hair extensions experiment is officially over. They got trimmed last week and this week she's back to pre-extensions hair length. I think it's an improvement as she didn't need them.
ReplyDeleteI’m guessing Mibach didn’t do the right thing purely because he’s gotten away with similar behavior for so long that he no longer fears consequences. People do all sorts of stupid things despite all the known potential risks. We’ve all seen what can happen to careers when people go overboard or harass the wrong person. (Paging Matt Lauer)
ReplyDeleteMaybe Mibach will finally realize he’s not the Rico Suave he thinks he is and women aren’t going to tolerate his inappropriate comments and sexual innuendos just because he’s on tv. If anything, it just puts him under a bigger microscope.
"KTVU News boss, Amber Eikel, sent resumes around the LA area and even back East, see above."
ReplyDeleteTaco Bell is hiring.
If the Giants sign Aaron Judge and let my boyfriend go, I won't do the pregame show on the weekends as a silent protest. Signed, Carmen Kiew
ReplyDelete"How about Liz Cook and Brian Hackney as a possible duo for the 5? I'd like to see that."
ReplyDeleteBrian Hackney? You feeling okay, Rich?
Rich has a point, but last year and the year before that we have seen this happen on Thanksgiving & sometimes in the Summer and Christmas. Not much this year since we have 2 new anchors Yamamoto & Donchey.
DeleteI liked when Hackney and Cook paired together during certain points. If that happens, they need to find another weather anchor, if in a situation Darren Peck works an entire week (morning shift) and takes the weekend off and Hackney doesn't work weekends or do the weather. Or have Mary Lee in the interim.
Hackney turned 65 a few weeks ago, so hopefully he doesn't retire anytime soon (my dad retired at 65 and he's 2 years older than Hackney).
What with Emma Goss, has her voice always been that annoying, I almost threw myself out the window other than listen to her, just awful.
ReplyDeleteReed Cowan what a f-ing phony, really irritating to watch on TV
ReplyDeleteHow is Reed phony? He seems to be fine to me and does a reasonably good job in terms of delivery.
DeleteAnchors aren't the bosses of newsrooms. why would any anchor pretend to be so, calling a meeting and telling others they he or she is in charge?
ReplyDeleteI'd love to see Brian Hackney do the 5:00 weeknight shows, with anyone. But he and Andrea Nakano are great together on the weekends and I'd rather see him with her than with Elizabeth Cook (who's fine, but Nakano is better).
ReplyDeleteAgreed about Nakano, she is a great anchor.
DeleteGoodrich is solid and trusted. Does a great job, I like the pairing of Cook and Hackney. Egos? Mibach is a dead man walking. Savidge deserves and has earned his stripes. He delivers a good read and has presence. Iger will right the ship and clean up the mess left behind. KTVU is in quicksand. The harder you struggle, the worse it gets. Eikel should be strapped to the roof of her car and run through a carwash, repay her salary for theft! Would like to see more of Grogan. Reads well, polished, succinct. Giants have to go all in for Judge. After Posey there was a power/star-vacuum. It became all to apparent by the empty seats and mediocre product on the field..interest had waned. When Bonds came to the plate, people froze. No food,beer runs or idle chatter,just fixated on the man in the box. Make it happen and you have just given yourself a license to print money. I was always big on Kate Kelly myself. My turkey stuffing should be illegal!
ReplyDeleteOff Subject:
ReplyDeleteI was looking at a list of Bay Area AM & FM Stations on Wikipedia that shows the format of the stations today, and all I can say is holy s&%@ what a difference from years past. I guess I'm getting old.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_radio_stations_in_the_San_Francisco_Bay_Area
DeleteWhen Bonds came he was in his prime. Judge is past his. Also, Yankee Stadium is a home run friendly ballpark. The Giants' stadium is home run hostile. The Giants should pass on Judge and use the money saved to acquire better pitcing and utility players. It's not glamorous but it wins games.
ReplyDeleteLarry Baer doesn't care about winning games. He only cares about selling tickets and swag.
DeleteThey used 65 players last season. Let that sink in. The Sacramento Rivercats in Giants jerseys were on the field many games last year. It was like watching a submarine crew "hot racking'' it last season. No bueno.
DeleteFrom a Baseball perspective, you are correct. From a business perspective (marketing, TV ratings, tickets etc.) signing Judge makes more sense than bringing the typical undervalued Farhan guy. Ideally, Farhan does both---signs Judge and more pitching+utility players.
DeleteThe business case only works if Judge keeps knocking yhem out of the park. Once the Giants' ballpark shuts him down, the business case becomes a dumpster fire and the Giants become Texas after it signed A-Rod...a team stuck with an unloadable contract it no longer values so much.
DeleteSavidge is, by far, my favorite male anchor on KTVU. They should have gone with him in the first place.
ReplyDeleteMibach sounds like a slimeball. Imagine your daughter or wife or sister going into work and having to endure sexual harassment from this guy all because he’s a skirt chaser.
ReplyDelete“…all because he’s a skirt chaser.”
Deletewhat’s scary is that his current behavior is child’s play compared to when he worked in Tucson.
Let’s just leave it at that.
Someone needs to remind KTVU the Raiders moved to Las Vegas nearly three years ago. The scrolling bar on the bottom of the screen referred to the “Oakland Raiders” on Sunday night and again last night.
ReplyDeleteI swear to god no one there has a brain.
This isn’t the first time they’ve done this. I noticed the same a couple weeks ago.
DeleteTonight on the KTVU sports report with Jessie Gary: highlights from today's big matchup north of the border between the Giants and the Expos, and a battle of NFL titans as the Washington Redskins take on the Houston Oilers.
DeleteIt’s under appreciated how much Iger gets local TV being a Cap Cities guy
ReplyDeleteThanks for pointing that out
To 3:07, was the reason I quit watching ch2 I hear its gotten even worse.
ReplyDeleteEmma Goose has gotten much worse. She’s become unwatchable. I first began notice the ‘nails on a chalkboard’ nasally voice thing a few months ago. It was never like that before.
DeleteAt first I’d just mute her but eventually I just turned the channel whenever she came on.
Now I’ve gotten into the habit of watching other channels and rarely watch ktvu anymore.
Her voice is annoying and people who know her often refer to her using the same name as a female dog.
DeleteNot to make light of Miebach’s appalling behavior, but I often laugh about the dumb and egregious “moves” men make to chat up women. All women can tell you several stories about lame, angry, and offensive conversations that men thought would enthrall them. Even Neil DeGrasse Tyson made some stupid attempts to woo women. Miebach might have better success in Phoenix.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. For better or worse newsrooms revolve around those in front of the camera and those who hold primetime slots are always at the top of the food chain.
DeleteWithout knowing exactly how far Mibach went with his sexual harassment, I suspect he played right into to the newsroom culture which tends to give male anchors an overinflated ego and overinflated sense of importance. This often results in male anchors feeling like they can get away with anything, and females feeling like nothing will be done if they bring bad behavior to management’s attention.
Hopefully those who’ve been victimized will have the strength and opportunity to tell their stories.
@9:18, when I see men of Mibach's age clearly so comfortable engaging in inappropriate workplace conduct it tells me they've gotten away with it for so long that the fear of consequences left their consciousness many moons ago. What really surprises me is how so many men in the public eye apparently think they can just get away with this type of behavior, as if no one will ever mention it.
DeleteAt least KPIX finally stopped entitling the weather lady as “LT”. It was much better in the days when the forecasters had AMS credentials, rather than flying copters a few times a year in khakis.
ReplyDeleteI couldn’t have said it better myself. This entitled brat serves as a reservist in the CA national guard. Big f’ing deal. I served two tours in Afghanistan and saw members of my unit killed in action, yet never once have I gone around showcasing my rank. Neither has anyone else I served with unless it was necessary for a military-related publication or to designate rank in some official capacity. The fellow combat vets I’ve talked to about this are disgusted that anyone would display their rank for a reason as frivolous as this.
DeleteShe’s a 25 year old girl who reads numbers on a green screen. So let’s keep in mind, she’s not a veteran, she has never ‘served.’
5.06pm. Thank you for your service!!! And Thank you for the service and ultimate sacrifice to those who gave their lives for this country!
DeleteBurch is not too bad, but I agree about this. Even Mary Lee was better, at least there were a few screens she had to use in detail when trying to get to the point of weather forecasting, just like Paul. Darren does this but explains a little too much and takes him so long to get to the actual point.
DeleteHonestly, I do miss Mary Lee; maybe she can come back in the evenings or maybe just a weekend morning, while Darren takes care of this in the evening (and ofc filling in during the evenings).
I think it's the first Thanksgiving in 2 years that Peck is not substituting for anybody. Heggen worked both those years.
The thing about AMS credentials really gets me especially at the time when it's only randomly next to Brian Hackney who is certified and the smartest guy. Saw the same for Mary Lee, but no doubt she is certified and knows how to do the weather. But when Emily Turner was there, it was also next to her name, but no one said she was a "true" meteorologist. That's why I'm questioning is KPIX just putting AMS sticker for any meteorologist just for the heck of it?
DeleteLuckily not for Burch, who we know is inexperienced and don't know if she is on a path to do AMS certification (just yet). If she is on a path, I feel she has a lot of potential.
HR professionals or employment lawyers: does ktvu have an obligation to investigate the allegations against Mibach now that they’re in the public discourse? Im wondering if they can still investigate and take disciplinary action even if the women are too afraid to file formal sexual harassment claims.
ReplyDeleteYes, an employer has an obligation to investigate any credible allegation of sexual harassment, regardless of the source. The keyword is "credible." If a comment reads "Mike Mibach is an ass who has a history of sexually harassing women" well that won't be enough because there's no level of specificity included in that statement to substantiate the claim. People can say anything on the internet and very often do, especially about those in the public eye.
DeleteBut if the comment is more specific and names or implies a specific victim, specific timeframe and/or the specific alleged misconduct then that would almost certainly be enough to warrant a further review to determine if there's veracity to the allegation. Or, there are instances when information in the public discourse further corroborates or supplements already known information, and may be used to initiate or advance an investigation of misconduct.
The key here is avoiding fishing expeditions and being consistent in what the thresholds are that trigger an investigation.
So to answer your question, yes, they absolutely can.
-20+ year HR employee relations professional
One other thing I should add: Based on all the reporting and information shared by those who work(ed) with Mibach, I have little doubt he engaged in the alleged misconduct and has made statements ranging from hostile to sexually harassing. What I haven’t seen is a specific victim. So as an employer KTVU is a tricky situation. They can’t poll all women in the office to ask if any have been victimized by Mibach, but they also can’t ignore the fact he has almost certainly engaged in conduct that is terminable, puts the employer at risk and has traveled beyond the walls of ktvu.
DeleteA reasonable approach would be for HR or an outside counsel to initiate an investigation which begins with discussing the allegations with Mibach while also speaking with close colleagues and others who have worked with him to better understand what others may have witnessed or become aware of.
The fact he recently apologized to one of his victims makes me wonder if he has reason to believe this issue may be bubbling to the surface. These types of delayed apologies are often given by those who fear the consequences of an impending investigation.
Saw Juliette Goodrich today on the KPIX 6 PM slot. She was professional and did a great job. She was dressed attractively in a black leather skirt and knee high boots and a brown jacket. Very attractive and turn onto all enamored by Milfs. She has lost a few pounds/Kgs. All in all a great competition to KNTV.
ReplyDeleteI didn't think it would work, but y'know what? Goodrich looks like an old pro up there.
ReplyDeleteSeeing Goodrich anchor at 11PM instead of Donchey is great. Why can't she also anchor 11PM?
ReplyDeleteSomeone needs to remind ktvu that the virus currently circulating is ‘RSV’ not ‘RVS’ as Frank Mallidope has said twice.
ReplyDeleteThese people need to wake up and get their heads out of their asses.
Reed Cowan is good in anchoring and I really like how passionate and caring he is with going and anchoring and helping multiple food banks. He also has a great sense of humor. The one thing I don't like about him is the way he rubbed off on Paul on an inappropriate topic.
ReplyDeleteYes, he is gay, but he doesn't need to act like this with other anchors or meteorologists who are straight. Today, in the 3PM newscast, after the topic on some 'cha cha' dancing and transitioning to the weather with Heggen, it seemed that Heggen got a little bit angry saying 'not that you know of' since it seems that Cowan was rubbing off the topic in the wrong way. I bet Peck or Hackney would have been more upset on this.
Also, Mary Lee is appearing on multiple segments at 11PM almost each weeknight, even one night she was in the newsroom with Donchey. Sometime back she took a tropical vacation (as I also did a few weeks ago for Thanksgiving and doing the same for Christmas). Is this a possible sign she COULD be a fill-in weather anchor in case Heggen is on vacation during the holidays? Remember, just because Mary Lee left the Morning Show weather, she did mention that she will be filling in on weather when it's needed. It would be cool if she does, she's definitely a great meteorologist with a great personality, as good as Darren but no ego or temper.