KGO Radio Falls Further Into the Broadcasting Abyss; May '14 Numbers All-Time Low; Ronn Owens Murky Future; Staffer Morale At Worst Stage; 'Are We A Talk Station Or News Station?' Confusion And Frustration At 810 AM

 CAN IT GET ANY WORSE AT KGO RADIO?


Yes, check the latest radio ratings.


Mind you, nobody should be surprised. Then again, if I hear correctly and I've heard a lot lately, the mood around the studios has never been more down and out.


A staffer who has worked at the beleaguered 810 AM outpost tells me that morale is at its lowest --"even the most optimistic person is in the dumps."


There's been talk that KGO management is quietly and incrementally planning on changes but most people in and around the biz say other than a complete overhaul (and even that can't help)  there's no way KGO can be headed in the right path. Said a veteran broadcast observer: "There's no there
there."


On the rumor mill:


*The mish-mash catastrophe at night from 7-10 PM the "Drex Show" is about to be completely reworked and reinvented --maybe rebranded with KGO class yenta, Maureen Langan who's been filling in a lot lately for the talent-impaired yutz who currently occupies the microphone.


*Both the AM and PM news blocks saw significant drop in listeners, particularly in the morning. Maybe we can all come to the consensus that people are tired of the gigglers.


*Ronn Owens status: we'll talk about this at a future time but the mystery surrounding Owens finale is starting to make the rounds. Owens still makes money for the company but his numbers have deteriorated to the point where he's getting killed at 9-Noon. Both KNBR (sports) and even Rush Limbaugh beat Ronn now.


This much is clear. Owens will celebrate his 40th anniversary in November. There's already talk that Cumulus will roll out an honor for him and he'll say goodbye. This guy is waiting in the wings.


*The newsroom is a state of complete confusion and most of the staff is fed up with the boss, the clueless one, Deb Munroe. To put it bluntly, Munroe has lost the newsroom. Her loyalists even admit that Munroe continues to befuddle staff with incoherent management, questionable judgment and a favoritism that borders on the ridiculous.


Says a newsroom vet: "She has all the right intentions but she just can't lead, she can't. And when she tries one of her 'experiments, the whole menu gets worse. You can't fix something that was already broken."


Make no mistake, there are quality people--reporters, anchors, at KGO. The problems--and there are plenty--is that so many of the problems can't be quickly remedied and therefore, the frustration factor has settled in. "Are we a talk station or a news station?", asks a longtime employee. And therein lies part of KGO's problem--after experiment and throwing fecal matter up against the wall, no one knows the direction of the station.


Furthermore, mild tinkering with staff hasn't worked. KGO has been trying desperately to infuse younger, more "creative" air talent into the schedule, like, for instance, Jason Middleton, the tech and business reporter. Middleton can be interesting every now and then with his intriguing takes on the market and business, but at times, his delivery sounds forced and contrived. Plus, listener cohesion with new air talent takes time to percolate. Probably not enough time, unfortunately, for KGO management.


Larger issues confront the 810 AM juggernaut --like, what's going on at weekends? The current commitment to five hours of morning news both Saturday and Sunday is admirable but the increased amount of infomercials and taped, out-of-market, fake talk shows is beginning to take its toll.


KGO long ago lost its soul. Now, officially, looks as if the handwriting is on the wall.





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Friday PM Ender-Bender; Ashley Tribute to Johnson on KGO-TV; Kessler KGO Radio Anchor Escape to NY; KNBR's Radnich Punks Giants on 'Sellouts'; Must Be TGIF

 Friday PM Late Stuff:


*Dan Ashley will offer a few moments of tribute to Carolyn Johnson on tonight's KGO-TV News, probably 6 and 11.


*I'm told station management had a little powwow for CJ this afternoon in the newsroom.


*John Kessler, from KGO Radio, did a farewell on Friday and is off to an unknown NY location. I wonder what prompted it. I mean, it's not as if...wait a minute.


*Original Joe's counter on a Friday night at about 9--linguini and clams. A glass of cab. I'm sure it won't be crowded.


*Yeah, I like red wine with linguini without red sauce--yooooou gotta problem with that?


*Hey, Channel 2, that new reporter, Ms. Smith? Pretty sad when your own workers are sending me jokes. Must have been a Boy Wonder hire.


*When even Gary Radnich on KNBR is making fun of the Giants for announcing "sellouts" in spite of a whole bunch of empty seats at various games speaks volumes. Even "tickets sold" doesn't cut it here because someone high up in the food chain told me there's plenty of good seats available, like tonight, for example. Oh well, at the end of the day, it is what it is.


*Larry Baer just bitch-slapped the great Radu.


*Your 12,550th live shot from Southbound 280 --5, 6, 9, the 10 and 11. (We thank Cal Trans for its contribution to Bay Area TV)


*Have a safe Memorial Day Weekend. ("Happy" is sort of oxymoron, thanks), but be happy, pay your respects and be careful out there.


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KTVU and Post-Dennis Richmond Six Years Later; A Station in Crisis; Revolving Door of New Reporters; Management More Concerned About Tweeting American Idol Than News Product; Thursday Opener

 It'll be six years in May when Dennis Richmond retired from KTVU --May 2008--seems like ancient times. Six years in today's environment is like 20 lifetimes. Six years ago KTVU was still the legacy station with a roster of award-winning reporters, anchors, news writers and directors and some of the finest people working in TV News.

Today, after a series of debacles --the biggest of which involved the Asiana fake pilot's names read on the air, KTVU is a station in crisis. New reporters almost every day; the big ones still left being pushed my management to leave.

How bad is it when your News Director and Managing Editor of a once-storied operation are tweeting about American Idol?

Richmond wasn't perfect by any means but was respected and revered by KTVU staffers. He didn't get along with a lot of people and he often clashed, quietly, with fellow anchors. But he remained the face of the station and was credited with making and establishing KTVU as a news powerhouse. Especially at 10 O'clock.

Here's a story I told not so long ago: Richmond was ready to call it quits back in '08 and enjoy retirement and a steady game of golf. He had lingering health issues but was mostly fit and active.

I asked a prominent Channel 2 air personality if the station had asked Richmond to stay another year or so because he looked and sounded at the top of his game would he do so. The answer was yes. Emphatically yes. Only Richmond wasn't asked and in fact, encouraged to split. Let that marinate in your mindset.

I have both praised, admired and scolded KTVU since Richmond's retirement. Clearly it is not the same company. Sure, change is a constant in life and business but that should not have dramatically rearranged the furniture at 2 Jack London Square. It did.

I have been consistent. I was the FIRST to praise Channel 2 for its smooth transition post-Richmond into Frank Somerville anchoring the ship. I lauded Somerville as a quality lead anchor with solid credentials and news savvy. I was the FIRST to recognize Frank and Channel 2 for its immediate and tremendous coverage of the Asiana crash direct from the scene of the tragedy and eight hours of non-stop reporting.

I wasn't the one who wrote a press release about the coverage the Monday after.

I was not the one who read the fake names of the pilots on board that plane.

And today, I'm not the one who blasts out mind-numbing "BREAKING NEWS" silos every five minutes of NON-BREAKING NEWS. (Yeah, everybody does it here and around the nation, but 2's over-over-over is beyond embarrassing).

It would help that KTVU have a team of management that staff would respect and heed advice only the big boys who run KTVU are a bunch of low-rank amateurs. The GM has the people skills of a diseased cat. The News Director, Wonder Boy, is lampooned and satirized. At least Special Ed knew how to read the room. He knew what he was and what he wasn't. Wonder Boy thinks he Willie Mays but he's really Wally Pipp.

I didn't write the Monday Press Release. He did.

2008 was a long time ago but at least the anchors were not thanking viewers for trusting us. Reporters weren't coming and going. People weren't reading fake pilot's names on a teleprompter and tweeting out American Idol sweet nothings.

BREAKING NEWS: KTVU is the not the same KTVU.

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Cumulus Takes a Tumble; More Proof of How a Corporate Bully Destroyed a Legacy Station like KGO and SF Bay Area Radio

  Those of you that come here and can't figure out why I have heaped a lot of poo-poo on Cumulus for killing radio in San Francisco might want to be inclined to read this.


Facts:


Since buying Citadel, (which owned KGO and KSFO here), in 2011, the company that Ronn Owens said was a "class" organization and "treats me so well", has seen a ratings nosedive and overall destruction in its path.


The ratings numbers:


KGO: down a whopping 58%, KSFO, down 38%. Is it any wonder that even offering multiple "bonus", free ads to companies, KGO can't get any advertisers? Most companies that run a business like this would be put out to pasture. The Dickey brothers who own the Cloud Company reward themselves handsomely as evidenced by this note in the piece:


... "The Dickeys have made a small fortune. In 2011 and 2012, Lew Dickey reportedly bagged $22,080,673 in combined total compensation; Cumulus VP John Dickey scored $6,626,687. This comes at a time when the Dickeys’ business strategy has been to radically slash costs and staff. 
“You try doing this damage on just one station and you’re fired,” said Jerry Del Colliano. “The Dickeys do it and they are compensated."


Mind you San Francisco had a rich radio heritage with legacy stations like KGO, which even as its ratings declined in 2008, was still a news-talk powerhouse that was the envy of an industry that marveled at its success. Making globs of money and possessing some of the most heralded talent in the business. 32 years, #1 in the ratings and billing more than $50 million bucks kind of success. Only to see this gobbled up by a ruthless bunch of corporate raiders who took over and DESTROYED a massively successful operation. These moronic people who don't know radio, don't understand any aspect of the broadcast business and hijacked a great community resource and threw it to the wolves.


But, as Ronn Owens said, "this is a great company and this is going to be a great format--I'm excited!" (Dec, 2011). How's that working out, Ronn?


Think of Cumulus as the ultimate corporate bulldozer only most bulldozers understand basic components of business and know how to run a company, know how to foster good intentions and endeavors even when faking it. Cumulus would fuck up a wet dream. Cumulus makes Clear Channel look like Levi Strauss. Cumulus makes Citadel look like the Cathedral of Notre Dame.


To this day I get frequent thoughts from mostly well-intentioned people who ask me to move on, please, things change, the world is a different place. I have moved on-- it wasn't me who trashed a virtual institution in this fine city; it wasn't I that was robbed of a community asset, a virtual listening force that people made their appointment radio. Think about it for a moment.


Oh, but Rich, the ratings were going down and only old people were listening. Yeah, how's the new format working out as I asked Ronn? Did it ever occur to the wonder boys that a mere tweaking of a legacy station be in order? An alteration perhaps. Hiring a few new, younger, voices? Not really. Instead of doing just that Cumulus and the dickheads took the dog to the backyard and shot it. See, they're not radio people; shit, they're not even good businessmen as evidenced by the article.


The real bad news here is that it's going to get worse. The consolidation is in full throttle-mode and what you will have is a model of what you currently have and that's a mosh pit of KGO gobbled up by KNBR and KSFO and The Bone. No one has an identity any more. Formats come and go, sure it's a part of the business and will continue to be so, everyone understands that only in this instance a mega-brand has been forever altered and severely diminished and marginalized. KNBR will always have its cash and sports affiliates that butters the bread, we know that and it is KNBR that is essentially fronting KGO and KSFO, both completely gutted and fretted out in the pasture.


San Francisco and the Bay Area are not alone. Cities across the nation bear the ultimate Cumulus scar. Good people have been fired. Budgets slashed. A bottom-line corporate Darth Vader that has produced a bunch of zombies. Ain't it sweet?


But at least Ronn is happy: "they treat me so well." Never mind.


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Tuesday Mid-Day Media Chatter; KTVU's Naylor on Maternity Leave; Star Rising; KRON does Newscast from Newsroom; Darya's Dough Second to Radnich; Back to the Storm Desk and Team Coverage

 KTVU newsreader Maureen Naylor has been on maternity leave--many of you have inquired as to her whereabouts and this explains it.

Moreover, and more significant, management is so high on the anchor they can wait for her return, or, as a Channel 2 source told me, "they love her."

What's not to love.

TUESDAY NOTES: KRON's main studio was down due to tech difficulties Monday they had to broadcast from the newsroom, funny--like KGO-TV, actually looked better...By the way, Channel 7 is killing everyone in the early evening news blocks, yes, ratings are very good...Darya Folsom makes more money than everyone at KRON except for Radnich...No, I did not listen to the alleged "all-sports" FM station with the "all- new" ID, (funny, they've been around over 3 years--all new? Huh?) programs in the AM and PM drive. From what I heard nobody else did either. Like restaurants, wait a month before visiting the buffet ..."Check Please" called--I wasn't interested...CSNBA "YSTL"gabfest doesn't want me on because the head warrior says the "writers" get annoyed when I did the show a few years ago. Yeah, I actually said something newsworthy and interesting as opposed to the vanilla wall-paper sect that spew forth Giants/49ers/Raiders sweet-nothings. They fear more than the beard over there on Third St...The orgasms are back: We go to 'TEAM COVERAGE", Pacifica is flooding!--yada, yada, yada...

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The Most-Watched, Successful, Profitable, Legendary, Local TVNews Franchise in the History of the Bay Area

 It was the birthplace of Happy Talk." The industry tag line, "if it bleeds, it leads", for better or worse, originated from its old studios on 277 Golden Gate Ave. In the 70's until the mid 1980's it made the most money of ANY local TV News operation not just in the Bay Area but entire USA.


Local TV watchers made it a point to watch this very San Franciscoish news program complete with its own unique name, "NewsScene." It even born the invention of the lapel called "Circle7".


Live from the unsavory and gritty streets of the Tenderloin; across the street from the famous, (or infamous depending on your stomach); Studio Café; a block from St. Anthony's Dining Room and a stone's throw from City Hall; Van Amburg, Jerry Jenson, John O'Reilly with Sports and Pete Giddings with Weather.




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*KGO-TV
*NewsScene
*Bay Area TV History

Clear Channel's Mist Man; No Wonder They Don't Have Any $$; But They Do Have Gil Gross and Frosty

Ah, gotta love it. Clear Channel, a slightly lighter shade of the Cloud company only facing about $21 billion, (that's B as in BILLION), in debt with a slew of layoffs and impending misery through the entire division. We've been down this road before.

















Slight question: Here locally, they don't have any money, just enough to hire Gil Gross and Frosty the Snowman but we digress.


Now, via Page Six we learn that the new big head cheese in NY, (a guy named Pittman), has a mist fetish. I'm not kidding. Remember, this is radio--maybe they got tired of looking at ads on Craigslist for "advisers" and "consultants."


Jerry Del Colliano, who runs the Inside Music Media Web site, reports that Pittman’s visitors will walk through a fine mist when they get off the elevator.
“As you walk through the mist, you hear directed speakers playing Clear Channel stations across the country,” a source told Del Colliano.


Oh Dear God.


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Amy G and Cheryl Jennings: Nothing Personal; Ronn Owens Doesn't Like Old People Callers; Radnich and Pam Moore/Jackie Bennett KRON Masterpiece Theatre; Penis TV; Thursday 415 Media Notes

 STOP and READ for a second...Nobody is attacking, at least not me, Amy G, personally. I said by all accounts she's a nice person. I'm judging her on HER WORK. Do we have to repeat this again and again?


I had some media sage rip me for dare ripping KGO-TV's Cheryl Jennings because "she does so much for charity." Well that's fine and good for Jennings. Has nothing to do with her work.


I respect the fact that Jennings has had a multi-decade run at KGO. She does a good job but I'm not a fan of her cold stares and artificial personality. It may not be intentional but on the screen she comes off looking like a cold fish. You want personal? I don't play that game. Maybe talk to her ex-husband who one time half-jokingly told me on the phone to go personal and he wasn't kidding.


*The Ronn Owens playbook: This is a fact and something nobody will tell you except here at my 415 Media outpost: If the KGO Radio host takes a caller who sounds old, he'll CUT the caller almost immediately. If you're elderly don't call Owens--like someone over 65, you're history...On the other hand, if you're a white, young, female, sound cute and cuddly and calling from Walnut Creek, Ronnnnnn will talk with you for 2-3 minutes. Owens plays the Demo game. To be fair, he's not alone, but he's been doing it for over 30 years. Maybe Owens forgets that some people in their early 60's buy cars and vacations, take cruises and yeah, even purchase mattresses.


*It's not Jackie Bennett that's out of whack with Gary Radnich on KRON during the weeknight sports and pony show. Ditto Pam Moore. They're playing along --they may look annoyed but it's mostly part of the nightly KRON Masterpiece Theatre. On the other hand, the weekend middle-aged weather guy? He can't stand the Raddy but then again most people can't stand me but I don't give a damn.


*Yeah, imagine that: you're seeing ads on 415 Media. What a dire set of developing news! Means some people finally figured it out where there's lots of readers there's exposure. Bam!


*Penises and fake Asian names do not make for a successful long-term TV News business model but damn, they do wonders for the Internet.


*Gasia Mikaelian: Another overrated female torso who is pleasant enough and can read the teleprompter. Ho-hum. At KTVU they should groom Allie Rasmus for a full time gig on the weekend anchor desk. Yes, she has the potential to be network/cable bound.


*News of the day: over at KGO-TV, (ABC7), staffers were shocked to learn that veteran reporter, Wayne Freedman, actually laughed and projected a personality. Colleagues were so stunned they had to hit nearby Grumpy's for an endless set of mimosas.


*Kate Scott, Amy G, Ann Killion: The Golden Girls, circa 2014.


*Something you'll never hear on the alleged all-sports FM radio station: "Today's Damon Bruce Show brought to you by the National Organization forWomen."


*March Madness: I don't bet so I don't care. When's kickoff?


*Yeah, so KSFO beats KGO in the latest radio 6+ ratings. That's like Jello is more popular than plain yogurt. And KNBR dived too which only further reinforces that devoid of Giants and Niners and Dubs, KNBR's regular programming, while making globs of money within its MAN, Beer and boobs demo, isn't a big hit with the majority of existing listeners. Duh!


*KRON's Charles Clifford: up and coming.


*KTVU's Noelle Walker: sort of a cross between Gwyneth Paltrow and Annie Lenox.


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SF TV's Retro Black Widow Terilyn Joe; Former KGO-TV Anchor Left Quite an Impression at 900 Front

 Terilyn Joe used to be a part of the Bay Area TV News landscape. She anchored at KNTV and KGO-TV. It was at KGO where she made her mark, well, sort of.


Hard to believe it's been nearly 15 years since Joe left 900 Front.


The stories still make the rounds. She swore like a sailor. She threw eggs and tomatoes at construction workers at her pad, but beat it. It's good to be a local celebrity.


I liked Joe. She read the news well and seemed to evoke a sort of don't fuck with me persona-- pretty reasonable in my book, but so many people hated her guts. I mean, despised her.


One KGO staffer referred to Joe as the "evil bitch."


The last I checked Joe runs her own production company these days. She's in her mid 50's, a minefield for some women television anchors particularly those who work in major markets or the cable outlets. Diane Sawyer is an exception.


One thing's for sure. During and after Joe's tenure at KGO she left an indelible mark on the local TV broadcast scene, for better or worse. Some say that may have been her intention. It's a rough world out there, ladies and gentleman.


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KTVU's New GA Reporter Cristina Rendon: Work Well and Be Prosperous

 We welcome Cristina Rendon to the Bay Area.

KTVU's new General Assignment reporter knows how to rock the boat. I especially liked her work on the BART derailment story. Relentlessly tough and fierce we hope her presence on KTVU is long and prosperous.


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Furthur Proof The Cloud Company Knows Nothing About Radio Nor Gives a Shit Really

Further proof that the cloud company doesn't know anything about radio.


They are, once again, all about acquisitions and consolidation. They have squandered any semblance of the benefit of the doubt. The pricks.


They hire guinea pigs as consultants. They rely on the aspect of fear as a prerequisite of employment by the zombie workforce that encompasses much of their personnel. From Atlanta to San Francisco, New York, LA to Chicago.


They destroyed radio in this city. Destroyed legacy stations that were once the embodiment of entertainment and variety in a city rich with broadcast pathos and distinction. An indelible mark that was thrown out to the wolves.


They have made life quite miserable for a number of hard-working people who somehow keep on performing under the most dire of circumstances. Too bad someone would not come forward and said, "enough is enough!", but this isn't Hollywood. You got to sell those mattresses you know.


Try as I might, I cannot ignore these miscreants and their destruction of the radio in this market. God only knows what they have in store for the future.


The bastards.


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Colin Kaepernick Doesn't Hate The Media, Just The SF Media; Fox Makes Hard Pitch For Bay Area Station; KGO Radio; KCBS Re-Run Orgy Has Become Major Irritant; Tuesday Rundown

 Colin Kaepernick doesn't dislike media people, just most of the sports media here in the Bay Area. He's done numerous interviews and several out-of-SF-market radio and TV shows.

I'm not defending the 49ers prickly QB image as a prima donna --he very well could be but watching and listening to him he seems like a natural guy with a tremendous story to tell, most notably, his upbringing as an adopted child.

He doesn't like the media culture here and who can blame him. Outside of a few writers like a Lowell Cohn, (who is one of his biggest critics), or Scott Ostler, (one writes and blogs for the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat and the other, the same, for the SF Chronicle), our sports medium here is largely a bunch of rank amateurs and softies from Pluto with not an ounce of conviction nor a residue of knowledge befitting a #4-market.

Said one of my insiders who has a firm grasp of what comes in and out of the 49ers headquarters in Santa Clara:

Colin thinks the local media types are petty and immature. He's not averse to answering good, solid questions but have you heard what they ask him? It's like, hey, get me something to talk about; be coherent, don't pander to me, just ask the damn question.

The fact of the matter is Kaepernick is right. Moreover, Kap's terse, one-sentence answers speaks volumes about his feelings toward the Bay Area media. He doesn't owe them anything. And truth be told, the fans don't really give a damn about the media anyway, never have--never will. His obligation is to his team and the organization. If he wins the Super Bowl, that's all they care about and that makes perfect sense.

*Fox desperately wants to buy a SF station --we've talked about this here many times, so their continued, hardy pursuit of, potentially, KRON, or KTVU continues to make the rounds. Why so desperate? Because as you just saw that 111 million people watched the Super Bowl and how the NFL is king, that's why. Beyond that, Fox isn't thrilled with its KTVU affiliation because of how KTVU has been performing of late.  An irony: Cox Media, which owns KTVU is also less than pleased either, but KTVU is Cox' cash cow. Before any real deal were to transpire there exists a multitude of issues, money is not one of them. Stay tuned.

*Schmucks who insist KGO Radio will be all-news are in for a big surprise but I'm not going into the specifics yet because there's too much to go over...for now. If the news/company shill weasel  that everybody hates in the building has thoughts of writing one of his brown-nose ditties to me, he can cease and desist. He has no cred and when you suck a lot of Cumulus hot air, you're not one of my sergeants. Take a hike, copy boy.

*I'm beginning to think I'm not alone with my disgust with KCBS' ridiculous replay-after-replay of story--it has simply reached a point where 10 repeats of one story on one day insults its listeners. Don't give me the TSL excuse or some phony policy--KCBS is great for breaking news and traffic but its rerun deal is one helluva pain in the ass and has me listening more to outside sources or going to the Internet.

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Could the KGO Radio Ship Be 'Blown Up' on Friday?; The Big Powwow on Friday at 55 Hawthorne

There's a lot of speculation that Cumulus is about to "blow up" the two-year disaster that is the "all-news" format afflicting KGO Radio.

Nothing is concrete but there exists these possibilities:

**A higher-up from Atlanta is meeting with all the air-talent tomorrow, (Friday) for what's been called a "meet-and-greet"--nothing more. Could that meeting involve terminations? Perhaps, I've been hearing from both sides. One theory making the rounds is that management might tweak the current format. The possibility of a hybrid system exists meaning they could keep both the morning and PM news blocks around and bring back the talk format in a limited schedule.

**Even by Cumulus, post/2011 standards, KGO's ratings have never been lower, to the extent that their ad lineage is significantly leaner. Outside of a few Sleeptrains here and Conklin Brothers there, nobody is buying air time on KGO. No surprise.

**The PD has taken a low-key position since taking over but has been irked and vastly disappointed by some of his worker bees who don't take direction.

Bottom line: Something's going down, and Friday seems convenient --it is, after all, the end of the month too. If I were an on-air talent at KGO, (minus Ronn Owens), I might head over to the Old Ship tonight.

**Developing...

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Your TGIF Mood Inside the Bay Area TV Newsrooms

    KGO: Disappointment, rancor, natives think the ND and her assistant are way over their head. Nobody watches the 4 PM; stories are fluff-central, disneyized, one veteran reporter told me. Way too many meetings by the divas. The Heather Ishimaru development adds to low morale. Grumpy's has been packed lately.

KRON: About as could be expected. Could it be any worse since the GM left? Yes and no. They're just trying to carry on. Surprising numbers in the early evening--they still occasionally do good work but ultimately, it's still KRON.


KPIX: Mellow and reasonably happy. Nobody at least in the lunch room bitching and moaning. The video exclu of the fire trucks at SFO rummaging near the still-alive Asian girl was nifty and Rosenheim seems to have the confidence of his boss, mysteriously quiet, Bruno Cohen.


KTVU: About the lowest in recent memory. Changes galore, mucho story count, seems like a new reporter every day, oh, and they hate the ND. When people miss Special Ed you know there's issues. Said a staffer, "thank God we got the Niners game!" --And the Super Bowl too. Now if only they could 86 the way too many weather teases.


KNTV: Surprisingly cool and relatively mellow. Olympics bounce bound to help and perhaps mute NBC's horrific nighttime schedule. Anchors and reporters are happy but the Investigative Unit is in-house mocked. Hey, Kovaleski? Buy the staff lunch and everybody will be forklempta happy.


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KTVU Did 5 Weather Teases On The 10 O'Clock News Last Night

 Seriously, I counted. Five times. 5! And that doesn't count the weather report itself at 10: 45. Mind you, this isn't because of the drought conditions--apparently KTVU has a weather fetish and figures by teasing it multiple times people will be glued.

I was annoyed. And I like Bill Martin but it makes Bill look foolish.

""BREAKING NEWS!!"

KTVU has a weather fetish.

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How 95.7 FM The Game Screwed Up Taking on The KNBR Big Boys; Product Is Still The Missing Equation; Plus Friday Media Notes

 When Entercom's 95.7 FM-The Game debuted in April, 2011, I was intrigued. I always thought sports radio on FM was a clever device and that in this market, it could work. It works in sports-heavy Boston, why not the Bay Area. Moreover, it seemed to me KNBR had worn out its welcome and was largely living on its Giants, 49ers and Warriors affiliations --their talk-radio, for the most part, was mostly meh.




As the latest dynamic duo hits the street, a few things need to be aired, so to speak.




*The Game has never been known to be bold and take a chance. I suggested something fairly radical, but it can't be any worse then their current presentation.




*It continues to mystify me that their, PD, Jason Barrett, is still employed. Barrett's programming menu has been nothing short of a disaster, with experiment after experiment going nowhere.



Barrett's tenure has been largely defined by a knack for bringing in out-of-town unknown loud-mouths who don't know the Bay Area market--this is not exactly rocket science, but SF is not NY. That's not in any way denigrating NY nor the city but the point is what goes in the 212 and 718 doesn't naturally resonate in the 415 and 408/510. Pretty much common sense unless your Barrett and it's still mind-boggling that his boss doesn't see that. I don't know Barrett, never met him, but you can learn a lot from a guy who does contests to get hired hosts literally off the street. That's a wise business model.




It goes on. Hiring human junkets like Brandon Tierney--(boy, that worked well, didn't it?), was a foolish move from the get-go. There's been other puzzling moves too. The concept of originality, I guess, is something that's not on the sticky pad in Barrett's office. And spending globs of money on radio-TV ads making fun and belittling the competition was a ludicrous move at best. What was that all about? "You suck, we don't---you have old, stodgy listeners, we're fresh and new--listen to us, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah!" KNBR was nervous enough to tweak their schedule and pass out a few memos but the bottom line is KNBR still has the dial position and the dominant teams, advantage Cumulus.




Truth be told, I welcome an alternative to the sports leader. But if you're going up against the big boys you have to have a firm, legitimate game plan, (no pun intended); you have to have original ideas and a long-term commitment and business model to implement. A Brandon Tierney, (who lives from radio suitcase to suitcase), is not a well-thought-out hire. Tierney lasted about as long as expected and never registered an ounce of traction on the local sports radar. His blustery was far more pronounced than his results.



Local, fresh, and engaging personalities make for successful radio. By and large, it's not a science but it goes a long way to reaching out to listeners begging for something different, something edgy, something, well, that's not the half-eaten omelet called "Murph and Mac". The Game's "Rise Guys" mostly do it right but the hodgepodge of manufactured shtick and reliance on a curious brand of humor isn't working. I like Dan Dibley, to a degree, but he's not a dominant personality. Of course, sad for the Game, neither are his partners.




The fundamental problem with 95.7 is a lack of original programming, a very lousy signal and extremely poor guidance. You can always help yourself as the flagship of MLB and the NFL because, like KNBR, you build your talk shows around your clients, (although Knibber does it better)--but franchises alone don't automatically lead to ratings nirvana particularly when one of your teams doesn't win a lot of its games. That's where the PD earns his living and in the case of Barrett, he's done nothing to earn any sort of respect let alone job longevity.




FRIDAY MEDIA NOTES...




*That hot microphone that Michael Savage didn't know was hot the other day on his KSFO, (and syndicated), show created quite a storm. Savage was heard ripping another local host, (who frankly deserved it), and lecturing a producer rather, uh, pointedly. It wasn't especially juicy but it was enough to spring a rumor that a head might roll.




*I'll be filling in next Tuesday on KSCO from Noon-2 PM, (following Rush Limbaugh); we'll do some media material and a few surprises. Management is also talking about a weekend show that will concentrate on radio, TV, the Net, sort of a "Reliable Sources", stay tuned and be sure to listen on Tuesday.




*Changes, I'm told by a mole, are coming to KRON faster than you can say Van Ness Ave.


*Speaking of KSFO, have you noticed the frequent amounts of dead air lately? Maybe someone should wake up the engineer dept. On the other hand, the dead air is far more superior to the actual content at times.




*I figured it out: Maybe Raponi over there at KTVU doesn't have a computer.




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The Only Weather News That's Important; NBC Bay Area's Christina Loren Is a Star Meteorologist

 Christina Loren is a certified meteorologist. Fact.


The NBC Bay Area weather anchor is also a star too, pleasant to watch and smart enough, savvy enough to give you the very best, most accurate forecast.


We've been talking a lot about weather here in the Bay Area; now that we have a legitimate drought it's cool, it's OK and that's why I've been watching Loren more. She sort of keeps it real and I can appreciate that.


And yes, as I indicated, Ms. Loren is easy on the eyes and that's fine. In fact, I would suggest that is why I watch, is that a crime to admit? I don't think so--TV is a visual medium and that's why they hire pretty people.


Loren is a star too but you already knew that. I approve of this message.


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Silence Of The Lambs at KTVU

 The GM never talks even after repeated e-mails that would love to give him a chance to talk, to speak openly and set the record straight. And I'm not the only one he doesn't answer after endless requests.

 

--The News Director has also been silent. Never talks, never bothers to at least try to make his case and by extension, the station's case. That's not very bright.

 

Even before the Asiana name disaster, the station PR effort was mum's the word unless highlighting ratings which is fine, SOP.

 

But ever since that day, it's been abysmal from a once preeminent Bay Area TV News Masterpiece Theatre.

 

KTVU should know better.

 

God knows they could use a bit of transparency and injecting a whole lot of oil into a sputtering engine. That's what professional operations do, even the rank amateurs because the current silence of the lambs policy isn't working and only further revving up those in the newsroom and beyond who talk of dire straits at 2 Jack London Square.

 

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Gary Park Was a Talented, Mysterious, Anchor at KTVU

 Gary Park was one of the most powerful, talented, feared, misunderstood and eccentric TV News personalities in the Bay Area.

He anchored news, sports, culture and he loved good restaurants and fine wine.

When I was a kid in the 70's growing up, I distinctly remember seeing Park, always alone, in Oakland Chinatown a stone's throw from KTVU's old 1 Jack London Square studios.

He didn't like to mix it up, talk much, but he was always courteous and nice and exchanged hello's.

Few people really knew Gary Park that well which was just as well because he didn't like to socialize a lot. Just do his show, (and he always wrote his own script and was a helluva writer), get in and out and leave. He was married and had a daughter and lived in the Oakland hills.

Many people remember Gary Park for his work on Channel 2 with the SF Giants. He died in May of 2009 due to complications from cancer.

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49ers PBP Broadcaster Ted Robinson Goes off on Candlestick Crowd For Doing Wave While Injured Zona Player Lay Motionless on Field

  In Sunday's 49ers-Arizona Cardinals game, the Cards' Calais Campbell was injured in the fourth quarter and a stretcher was on the field. After experiencing "extreme numbness", according to some of his fellow players, Campbell was able to move all of his lower extremities. He was taken to a local hospital. (He's OK).

As Campbell lay on the field motionless several in the crowd began doing the wave.

On KNBR radio, 49ers play-by-play broadcaster, Ted Robinson, was outraged. Robinson emotionally called out the SF fans and was adamant, "Hey, people STOP IT--stop doing the wave!"

It was honest and forthright. It was also something extraordinarily appropriate in a day when this type of behavior might have been ignored by the local radio crew.

Robinson did the right thing calling out thousands of oblivious numbskulls who appeared to be brain-dead at the moment. He wasn't alone. Several 49ers players motioned for the crowd to stop the wave shenanigans.

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