BIG DECISIONS LOOM for some
Bay Area TV News stations; among them...
* At
KPIX, there are a myriad of issues on the plate; the uncertainty; the chaos; the lack of viewing numbers in the morning; those are just trivial in comparison to the future of longtime, Bay Area native and evening anchor,
Ken Bastida.
Bastida's status at
PIX remains murky at best. He has been at
855 Battery for almost three decades but time has not been gracious to the veteran news reader. Bastida is just average on most nights and when he's not average he can be painful to watch; ad-libbing was never his biggest strongpoint and now, he's almost embarrassingly inadequate. Moreover,
CBS isn't in the mood for paying going rate for mid-to-high market money for a guy late in his prime and whose "
it" factor long ago left the news screen. In other words, Bastida doesn't generate the buzz he used to albeit in an industry that doesn't possess the status it once held either. That said, local TV News, here and beyond, still garners significant revenue even with declining viewership.
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| Ken Bastida: future murky at KPIX |
Bastida makes in the mid $500K range, a significant number even today and is under contract until the end of the year. Word is that he might be tempted to take a company buyout and retire. I don't think
CBS would extend him such kind of money and even if they did he'd most likely have to take a significant pay cut.
We should know sooner rather then later.
*
KGO-TV management hasn't officially begun negotiations with ace veteran news anchor and star reader,
Dan Ashley, in spite of his impending contract closure next year. By all indications, a deal will get done simply because KGO needs Ashley more then Ashley needs KGO. That doesn't mean a deal is front and center on the plate of the big suits at
ABC7 but it
should be. KGO can't afford another
Carolyn Johnson embarrassment and lose one of its most valuable anchors. The Johnson loss still haunts KGO today and losing Ashley, who has offers on the table from back east outlets, could make for another departure and leave the ABC O and O in dark waters.
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Dan Ashley: new contract looming at KGO
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This much is certain: Ashley, according to sources at
900 Front wants to remain in the Bay Area. He has family here and is comfortable. On some days, he works an astounding 5 shows a night (4,5,6, 9, and 11 PM) He is an extremely hard worker and the face of
ABC7. He is mostly well-liked and admired by his peers. He is the highest-paid anchor in the Bay Area and deservedly so. And deservedly so, he would like to be paid in accordance with that status. Disney is not known for lavishing big bucks to even its most prized talent even someone in a larger market but Ashley might be the exception. I've heard a three-year extension somewhere north or south of $2M is destined to be offered to Ashley, probably with a few option years. That sounds just about right.
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| Pam Moore |
*Mass confusion at
KRON: what else is new? Plus, rumors are very strong about
Pam Moore leaving and looking for suitors. Moore, my contacts tell me, is still quite comfortable at the lowly albatross in spite of significant departures by key personnel including EPs and anchors like
Gary Radnich and
Stanley Roberts. Those are not earthshaking developments and the station is not going to hemorrhage but whatever star appeal KRON possessed, it has lost two of its most popular air talents (although with Radnich, it was KRON MGT that gave Raddy an ultimatum he rejected and was summarily dismissed)
Moore could be a valuable asset for someone like a KNTV (maybe) or more prominently, KTVU, which ironically allowed
Ken Wayne to trudge to KRON. Moore has a strong Bay Area identity especially with women and women of color at that. She makes in the neighborhood of $300K a-year. She's not actively working the negotiation trail with others but she's made it know through friends that she would definitely listen to offers. Stay tuned.
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| Juliette Goodrich: MVP of Bay Area TV News |
*
MVP on the loose and could be had for the right money:
PIX's underrated
Juliette Goodrich is quite comfortable reading news on the anchor desk during the weekend and reporting in the field during the week. That said, she is too valuable a commodity in her current role. KPIX seems to take her for granted and I wouldn't be surprised if someone out of the blue swooped in and offered Goodrich a primetime anchor weekday shift. Goodrich is not just a pretty face; she's a damned good news reader and commands the screen. She could easily be a #1 anchor in LA or NY but she has kids here and doesn't want to leave the Bay Area. That said, a Goodrich departure from
PIX would not surprise me because she's simply too good to be wasted on the weekend. Watch this closely.
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| Holmes (l) and Haener |
*
KTVU staff manning the daytime computers resenting
415 Media could be better spent laying out the various 4-5 thousand grievances on display (and not on display) at
Fox-owned Channel 2 which seems to have a new controversy everyday. The station with revolving anchors and out-of-place reporters somehow, to their credit, carry on in an environment that at best could be called troublesome. There is no mojo at KTVU; there is quite a bit of uncertainty and weary staffers afraid of a management that rules by intimidation and force. (
Just the other day, an intern was read the riot act and screamed at in the newsroom because the person was a minute late on getting info from an email to the assignment desk)
YOU WANT TO SEE GLOOM? Take a look at KTVU anchors especially at night.
Frank Somerville is sullen because he has a bevy of issues off the scenes and is trying his best to squelch rumors;
Bill Martin can't wait to leave the station at night and become a kid at
Disneyland when he's in his car leaving. Watch him forecast, you'll see.
Mark Ibanez just recently signed a three-year extension in March but is sick to death when he enters the studio and reads the sports copy.
Julie Haener has now been exposed for the lightweight she is as serving as Somerville's gossip-filled caddy who couldn't ad-lib if her life depended on it.
Heather Holmes continues to advance the miniskirt doctrine and shout "
hey, I know I'm big here and although I'm sort of out of place, find me a home. Somewhere! Anywhere!"
Holmes and Haener could just as soon be senior saleswomen at the Macys cosmetics counter where they would be more valuable. Shocking? Harsh? You want the truth and you got it. Feel otherwise? Ask yourself this question: if BOTH Holmes and Haener were to vacate KTVU would anyone notice? Would anyone care? I rest my case.
*That angry
KCBS sports anchor at night went berserk when he failed to get his copy ready for the 8: 15 sports update. Good news: less of him means peace in the neighborhood hell he
SCREAMS every time he reports.
Karma is a bitch: if the guy stopped talking behind people's back (including yours truly) these things may not take place.
*
KGO Radio: talk about uncertainty. There is no formal plan evident yet. Same old tired format --basically, they've punted any concrete new idea and haven't a clue as to what they wanna do which is par for the course.
Still trying to find out the ID of the lame brain ditz that turned down a
Bob Woodward phone interview.
*Someone at night at
KNBR supposedly got the heave-ho which is good news for
Uber --more drivers. Maybe had he cut the "
what-up" shit he'd be getting his $15 an hour.
*
Kristen Sze: so much potential; so much looming large; a mini, bigger-than-market woman; KGO royalty. Sad now because so much is lost. Practice what you preach. Don't offer the world and produce Melba toast. Without any butter no less.
*"
I'm Julie Chen-Moonves." Yeah, I'm sure money has not an iota to do with that.
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| The GAAS! (l) and Alyana Gomez |
*
Alyana Gomez and
GAASian Mikaelian: birds of a feather...
*There's a rumor at KTVU that
Gasia would host the new morning quiz show, "
Chirping for dollars." I'm kidding of course but these days, why the hell not?
*Tough night on the street for
Amber Lee who actually did her report without looking at notes. Praise the Lord!
*
Melanie Woodrow Update: she hasn't stalked any man as of this writing.
*
Dennis O'Donnell:
Akron is waiting.
*A famous PR woman (she requested anonymity via email) went to KTVU to drop off a packet to one of the station's more higher profile female reporters: PR woman tells me she was flabbergasted when said woman blurted out, "
you don't know my name?" Take a wild guess who. Think ex-KGO temptress. Bingo.
*
Roberta Gonzales: hey, I'm not the one who posted a picture of myself on social media! And besides, there was nothing wrong with that photo, just all your ass' warped sense of humor so don't give me shit, take a cold shower too.
*
Randy Hahn: priceless.
*
Duane Kuiper: massively overrated.
*
Ray Fosse: too much homer stuff beginning to sound like
Monte Moore's ghost. More
Dallas Braden, less 'Foss.
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| Randy Hahn |
*
Chris Townsend: lucky to have family money as a back-up.
*
Brent Musburger: horndog with a microphone; perfect for
Vegas. Just keep him away from the cheerleaders.
*
Ted Robinson: I like and appreciate steady over fake theatrics.
*
Larry Krueger: the guy is such a poser plus talks out of both sides of his mouth.
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| Kate Scott: just why? |
*
Kate Scott: a nothing-burger with mayo and butter on the seedless bun. What a complete waste of time; she gets points though for exploiting the horny sports guys who she gives cover to: "
Gees, she's hot!, she's blond!, she's even gay!" Let's kiss her ass because, well, we have to.
Scott would be better served being the day waitress at a
Ruth's Chris, I'll say it again: she adds
NOTHING to a broadcast. She is vanilla pudding. She is Wonder Bread with a capital
W and she exudes about as much interest as week-old toe fungus.
She's lucky to have enablers like
Bruce Jenkins wax poetically about her "
greatness", whatever the hell that is and is proof positive of a PC world run amok.
She'd be barely passable in
Bakersfield. Wait a minute!
You want the truth, you got the truth.
Now put on a happy face.
RAIN/WIND STORM BRINGS OUT FULL-THROTTLE COVERAGE FROM BAY AREA TV STATIONS
I would hope that KNTV would do the right thing and extend Jessica Aguirre another few years at least (with a mutual option) because I believe she's still got it. A lot of it too. And not just her news acumen but a whole lot more.
Still on TOP of her game--a seasoned veteran anchor of the Bay Area TV News society, Jessica Aguirre, from KNTV (NBC Bay Area) is not only well versed and well respected, she's become one of the most powerful anchors in the market. 
NBC Bay Area has lost another reporter--my South Bay spy informs me that Jenna Susko is headed to LA to work for O and O, KNBC. 
Christie Smith --about as cool as they come. Reporter extraordinaire --was Eastbay correspondent for several years --now Morning News contributor at NBC Bay Area.
KTVU
