The folks who have been there through thick and thin describe an atmosphere chock full of despair and resignation.
"We don't have any leadership," says one VET rank and filer.
CBS spent millions rebranding and reshaping its O and O's--incluidng its Bay Area PIX (CBS News Bay Area) --unfortunately, talent wasn't on the itinerary.
*Andria Borba, the noted reporter that's been on a self-imposed LOA for nearly six months is all but gone forever now.
*First Republic Bank, the SF-based, troubled financial player that was just bought out, was a heavy-duty ad buyer on KGO Radio. Soon after FRB pulled its adds, KGO was gone jessie last October.
*KRON morale, never in great shape to begin with, has suddenly gone into the toliet again and it's the worst in many months.
That might be a good starter.
*Not long after that nothing interview was aired and made into a big deal that really wasn't, Frank Somerville, sent a formal resume to KRON.
Presumably, it wasn't for the go-for job to pick up people at SFO.
*Not only did the crappy sports anchor on KCBS --in the afternoon--evade joining the union, he BRAGGED about it to various co-workers.
Matt Pittman is a worthless soul with a MAJOR problem at his place of work, not many people are fans.
Gees, I wonder why.
Is Borba still considered an empoyee of KPIX and being paid by them?
ReplyDeleteSo that means we won't see Hackney getting some primetime love? As far as KRON, with the Warriors game I didn't see them cover much in terms of the highlights. KPIX did a great job with it. Say all you want about Vern and Charlie but they did a solid job on this.
ReplyDeleteAnother fun fulfilled morning with ET on KCBS,
ReplyDelete"The News Director, Lisa White, is not exactly a people person. I'm being kind and diplomatic."
ReplyDeleteYou certainly are. She and Tracey Watkowski are the scream team of Bay Area news. In fact, add Jennifer Selig, Stephanie Adrouny and Amber Eikel to the list.
> She and Tracey Watkowski are the scream
Delete> team of Bay Area news. In fact, add
> Jennifer Selig, Stephanie Adrouny and
> Amber Eikel to the list.
All women I notice. But I thought they were supposed to be such better managers...
Good Day Sir! Ah.. In keeping with your perpetuitously languid and occasional vitriolic state of media affairs, I offer this: Zombieland is flourishing in the media. I am reminded of a line in the great George Romero's cine-classic "Day of The Dead". "When there is no more room in Hell, the dead will walk the earth!". The stumbling, itinerant corpses, floundering aimlessly. Zombies have no leader and are rat brain motivated to feed. That's it! I read a disturbing story this morning illustrating how far humanity has sunk. It's not enough to claim being "transgender". Oh, no! The mentally ill are elevating their game. Identifying as "transableist". Transableism is a term that refers to the desire to acquire a disability through choice rather than happenstance. It is an updated term for BIID or “Body Integrity Identity Disorder” to align with today’s trans community. What does this have to do with your column? Not a damn thing! Just annoyed. Oh, yeah. Forget the Subway Sandwiches. Jared was more than just a spokesman. Have a nice day Rich!
ReplyDeleteGreg Papa is the biggest tool ever. He said Trey Lance would be picked #1 last year if he was available after he was injured. Trey Area! They can't even get a 3rd round pick for him now. Greg Papa never played High Scholl sports and probably throw like a girl. John Lund said he sucked at sports. lol.
ReplyDeleteKRON's morale being in the toilet is not surprising as it's bleeding through over the air. Their newscasts are screwing up the basics now. Poor time management. They're blowing handoffs between the newscasts from 8-11 on a regular basis. Sometimes there's no handoff and you see Pam/Ken or Vicki/Grant come back for break just long enough to say the next newscast is coming up and they go back to break. Sometimes just one anchor for the next newscast is on camera for the handoff because the other ain't ready for it. The pacing is lackadaisical...especially by the sports anchors who riff badly and drag out what's supposed to be a five minute segment into a six or seven minute segment because they take 20 words to say what should be said in 8 and what they do end up saying is not particularly profound. All in all the newscasts look like they're being produced by a team going through the motions without any leadership. It's like Pero gets clipped and the wheels came off because that's when things changed. And to those who are going to say it, I'm not Pero. But anyone who follows KRON closely at all can see there's a "Before Pero got fired" version of KRON's newscast and a "After Pero got fired" version of KRON's newscast and regardless of how much of a bully/holy terror/asshat Pero was, KRON's newscasts were better than they are now. Someone needs to take the reins here and shape up the product and it's clearly not the current ND. At the very least even shops with poor morale should still be able to put out a newscast where the viewer can't tell they're going through the motions. KRON is utterly failing at that very basic and fundamental thing at the moment.
ReplyDeleteAll those newscast have a high level of automation. From the cameras to the sound...all automated. The producer and director input all these cues and takes into the system, and at showtime you click on "start"...and pray like hell it works.
DeleteIt's almost impossible to take manuel control of the newscast, because nobody has been trained to run the boards on the fly.
Automation is crap, and every station has to deal with those horrors. So don't blame the people...blame the people that developed and bought all this shitty software.
Long Live Parker Vision!
Pero was a disaster and is not missed . The only problem holding KRON back from kicking ass right now is the technical side of things and a few lazy people from the old guard who work there in middle management and don't do their jobs and encourage others not to do their jobs. They need an entire engineering and directing overhaul and with any luck it's coming. New blood on the production side would solve literally every issue KRON has that's holding them back from being #1 in the market. The door is open. KTVU is going down. Hopefully the GM has the courage to power forward and replace the dead wood from the old guard. The door won't stay open forever.
Delete6:07 You are spot on. They can't keep anyone in production because the manager is so bad. Makes people empty promises and then they leave. Poorly managed area at KRON.
Delete"there's a "Before Pero got fired" version of KRON's newscast and a "After Pero got fired" version of KRON's newscast and regardless of how much of a bully/holy terror/asshat Pero was, KRON's newscasts were better than they are now."
DeleteNice try, Aaron, but that didn't work for Somerville when he came knocking for a job and it won't work for you. But you sure make a mean latte at the Nob Hill Whole Foods. Keep it up!
"It's almost impossible to take manuel control of the newscast..."
DeleteIs that like Manuel Labor?
With the hiring of small market “genius” Jim Rose as GM came the exodus of his GSM, ND, Chief Engineer, PD in one year all due to his arrogant management style. KRON continues to bleed talent and morale. It starts in the rudderless GM office.
DeleteThey should cut Borba loose. Plenty of other people (air traffic controllers, surgeons, lion tamers) have stressful jobs, and they're not MIA for over a year. If you can't do the job, do something else.
ReplyDeletePretty hard to find those old cushy PR jobs that used to be everywhere. Borba has aced herselff out of any decent TV job in the near future with this PTSD workmen comp claim.
DeleteIf you look at the KPIX Web Site, she's still considered as part of "the team." Maybe they're treading carefully with this, so they don't face any type of legal action as opposed to outright firing her?
DeleteWe'll all feel bad if its some kind of medical issues. Not saying it is....but the last time the blog harped on someone for being MIA for a long time and then it ended up it was medical we all had to eat crow.
DeletePTSD - from what?
Delete"We'll all feel bad if its some kind of medical issues. Not saying it is..."
DeleteI'm not saying it's not. But if it's been this long, they should cut her loose. Maybe bring her back if she gets over whatever, but it doesn't look like she's coming around at this point.
Total shitshow from 10-2 on KCBS today. Pat can’t run a board to save her life. Plus, she kept interrupting her own interviews with how smart she thinks she is.
ReplyDeleteThen Nikki Medoro jumps in to cover the end of Pat’s show. Both suffer from Diahrrea of the Mouth.
The missing advert revenue from FRB seems like the least of KGO-radio's problems.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the management at KPIX feels that all efforts to change direction are stymied by entitled, hostile and combative union members who think they run the place. Reporters afraid to go on outside stories because the public berates them.
ReplyDeleteAnd maybe management would say that Borba is "milking it" just like VDLC did for that "go-away" money.
There are 3 sides to this story....and you only think you know one side.
"Andria Borba, the noted reporter" Noted for what? Being over weight? seriously, what are or were her accomplishments?
ReplyDeleteclothinh; questionanble?
ReplyDelete*Deep down inside, Greg Papa is a very mean, insensitive, lout; a jerk with an EGO the size of Levi's Stadium. His talent is neutralized and muted. Papa never heard of the word. "brevity." He went to bed, (figuratively), with a putz, John Lund, who is talent-impaired and a forever teenager in a grown man's body, because Lund is no threat. Good observation from a reader.
ReplyDeletePapa lies to the audience. Every day he goes on and on about a certain vision company that advertises on KNBR and tells us how Lund went there as well, had his eyes done, and doesn't need glasses anymore. Then you see Lund on social media reading something for his podcast putting his glasses on to read it. Someone in the comments pointed out, "Glasses?". "I thought you had this wonderful eye correction surgery". That's when I knew the hosts were full of bs.
Thank you for ‘getting real’ John Lund
DeleteJulie Haener hasn’t worn her wedding ring the past two nights. Looks like her future with Mark Ibanez is already here.
ReplyDeleteWhere should I send the wedding gift for the Julie and Mark nuptials? Is it true they bought a lovers’ shack off Lake Ponchartrain?
Delete(Hint to Mark: eat a LOT of oysters!)
How exciting! I wish Julie and Mark all the best on their new life together. I hope we’ll get a chance to see them tie the knot. An Instagram Live of the ceremony would be fantastic.
DeleteIt’ll be interesting to see who Haener selects as her bridesmaids, and who she invites and doesn’t invite to the wedding.
We know one person Haener won't be inviting anywhere within 1,000 miles of her wedding. Hint: name starts with "Gas" and ends with "ia."
DeleteWhat's Julie Haener's beef with Gasia? Or is it that Gasia has beef with Julie? (I'm assuming the Gas is insanely jealous of Julie and her ostentatious lifestyle.)
DeleteI sometimes watch the transition between KPIX and Colbert’s show. I always see Donchey dressed provocatively acting silly standing between 2 dudes trying to appear cool like college frat boys. Cringeworthy. Sorry I criticized their old format! By the way, what is “gone jessie”? Google was no help.
ReplyDeleteIt’s cringeworthy sometimes. Yesterday Jules filled in for her. The only other fill in was Reed Cowan who was pretty good.
DeleteI hope by this Fall, KPIX makes some changes. Not counting on it but it’s not even been a year yet.
"Yesterday Jules filled in for her."
DeleteShe fills in for the princess a lot. Between her doing extra lifting and Elizabeth Cook, who is far senior and far better, getting booted to the boonies, I can imagine Donchey isn't very popular around the corridors of PIX. What a debacle...one of so many at that craphole.
As Donchey also fills in for Jules when she is off. But in Jules' 6pm & 7pm show, we even had Reed Cowan and Liz Cook fill in, so it's not always Donchey. I think sometime last month, we had Liz fill in at 6PM and Donchey at 7PM when Peck was filling in a full week. Normally someone will fill in for both those time slots.
DeleteI'm not surprised about Donchey not being popular at KPIX. One evidence I can see of that is usually towards the end of her newscast where she brought up a news item about some fashion stuff and she told Paul off that Paul was talking about Donchey in the hallway.
I agree, Liz Cook has been there for 11 years and is professional & anchors very well. She dresses quite nicely as well. I've seen her as a great anchor, even when anchoring with Ken Bastida and Allen Martin, both of which were great.
Let’s hope; I would not want to be picked up by Frank at SFO! Thanks Frank but I can make it on my own to BART.
ReplyDeleteInstead of Subway Sandwiches, I hope they order, Quizno's
ReplyDeleteJames
Orinda
Looks like I am the first to comment on Pittman -- mostly because
ReplyDeleteno one has ever heard of him. If you look in the dictionary under the
word, scab, he is pictured.....