You nailed it about O'Brien and Zhender. I worked there at the tail end of that era, and when Zhender left and bean-counter Andrew "How Much Does That Cost?" Finlayson took over, well, it was like stepping off the best luxury liner on the seas and onto the Titanic. O'Brien and Zhender were terrific, and no one since has been able to do anything close, even though the people running the show now have huge egos, but not the accomplishments to match.
Class acts. They knew the business. These frauds whi now run our Bay Area TV newsrooms? 20 years ago they probably would have been working as weekend DJs for little backwater radio stations in places such as Red Bluff and Merced. No credibility and no responsibility. Keep ripping them Rich, and especially keep ripping these predatory mega-media operations which have essentially destroyed the broadcasting business. When I broke into broadcasting over 50 years ago, I started working as a news director for a little radio station in the foothills. I spent a year there and then 3 years in Eureka TV working on-air before getting a big break and getting to work in a major market. Now it seems they hire these young ‘eager beavers’ who are willing to work for peanuts but have little experience. Learning about the profession by working your way up through the ‘minor leagues’ of broadcasting? That was the way it was fine for generations. As a result, radio and TV outlets in areas such as ours featured professional, experienced, knowledgeable individuals who understood the media’s role. No more. Sadly, these huge, clueless companies hamstring their affiliates with extremely tight budgets so they csn only afford to hire cheap, inexperienced talent. It’s a disservice to the public and an insult to the profession of broadcasting.,
You nailed it about O'Brien and Zhender. I worked there at the tail end of that era, and when Zhender left and bean-counter Andrew "How Much Does That Cost?" Finlayson took over, well, it was like stepping off the best luxury liner on the seas and onto the Titanic. O'Brien and Zhender were terrific, and no one since has been able to do anything close, even though the people running the show now have huge egos, but not the accomplishments to match.
ReplyDeleteThis is frank somerville. Kevin and Fred were perfect together. They BOTH are the reason why ktvu was such a dominate force.
ReplyDeleteWho is the current ktvu GM? Is he/she/they respected the way O’Brien was?
ReplyDeleteClass acts. They knew the business. These frauds whi now run our Bay Area TV newsrooms? 20 years ago they probably would have been working as weekend DJs for little backwater radio stations in places such as Red Bluff and Merced. No credibility and no responsibility. Keep ripping them Rich, and especially keep ripping these predatory mega-media operations which have essentially destroyed the broadcasting business. When I broke into broadcasting over 50 years ago, I started working as a news director for a little radio station in the foothills. I spent a year there and then 3 years in Eureka TV working on-air before getting a big break and getting to work in a major market. Now it seems they hire these young ‘eager beavers’ who are willing to work for peanuts but have little experience. Learning about the profession by working your way up through the ‘minor leagues’ of broadcasting? That was the way it was fine for generations. As a result, radio and TV outlets in areas such as ours featured professional, experienced, knowledgeable individuals who understood the media’s role. No more. Sadly, these huge, clueless companies hamstring their affiliates with extremely tight budgets so they csn only afford to hire cheap, inexperienced talent. It’s a disservice to the public and an insult to the profession of broadcasting.,
ReplyDelete