My Two Cents on the Plainly Elegant and Solid CBS Anchor, Norah O'Donnell

SOMEONE ASKED ME TO OPINE about  CBS News prime anchor, Norah O'Donnell --I must admit I'm in the minority; I find O'Donnell to be pretty damn  good and solid. She does her job very well. If CBS was hoping for fireworks and explosions (figuratively, of course) ratings-wise, then I think someone in marketing seriously fucked up because even not knowing O'Donnell personally, I know just by watching her that she doesn't roll that way. Maybe they wanted her to do gymnastics while reading her notes but Norah didn't get the memo which is fine with me.

The traditional network anchor is no more. It's all about numbers now (and recent years too) but we're in a different world. There's far too many options out there including network news at 5 and 6 which along with the other millions of people on line, aren't glued to the TV set because the TV News division is getting clobbered by the Internet  and smart phones and streaming devices. O'Donnell didn't put a gun to a CBS exec and say, "you better give me the network news gig, or else!"

They put her there and she's apparently underperformed, but so what, that's life in the big city. I like her sane disposition. I think she's simple and elegant in an otherwise crazy environment and that's the way it should be, especially at a place where news used to be measured by a different standard and not wholly controlled by ratings. That all said, there's good news of late.

Leave Norah alone. She's fine. She's solid. She has a decorum that works and although she hasn't so far panned out in ginormous numbers, she's still attracting viewers and makes money for the company which in the end is the only thing that counts.

Tony Bruno: 'Game Changer'

TONY BRUNO


*95.7 FM 'The Game' continues to struggle ...especially in the key morning drive (5-9 AM) ; despite repeated new morning shows and experiments, Entercom's FM All-Sports outlet is lagging behind its own projections.


*Enter popular and talented Tony Bruno--I've learned through the grapevine that Bruno was contacted by a key Entercom (which owns The Game) exec out of its corporate SF office making initial contact. It's not known what was discussed but put two and two together.


*Bruno already does a weekly half-hour spot with Damon Bruce. It's funny, smart, edgy, and often controversial --in a good way. It's one of the most compelling thirty minutes of content in local radio.


*Bruno, out of Philadelphia, is a very special, ultra-talented personality but who is deemed difficult to work for. Often times, good people fit that description --Bruno is not alone. But he would need to change his professional MO otherwise he'll forever be stuck here.


*The Game has a new PD--his first project is well-known in local broadcast circles: Get rid of these guys. Because they're a disaster. Enter Bruno. Maybe.


*Game Changer: Again, Bruno comes with baggage but a "Bruno In The Morning" would rearrange the ratings deck for 95.7 FM. Bruno is expensive too (try about $300K a year and 3 years guaranteed --just for an example) but good people are expensive.


*Bruno loves the Bay Area and would probably JUMP at a chance to host his very own show but there is one significant problem (among a few others): Bruno's mother is 91 and lives in Philly. Bruno is thought to be against moving to another city while his mother lives out her sunset years.  Then again, that's why you talk and negotiate--anything is possible.


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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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Happy Times at 900 Front; KGO-TV Beats Competition Handily in November '14 Sweeps

 Happy (ratings) times at KGO-TV, (ABC7), where November Sweeps numbers are in and the worker bees are happy. Handily

Quick Notes--

#1 at 6PM:

ABC7 News 6PM continues as the top-ranked 6PM news station among Bay Area households with 35% more viewers than #2 ranked KPIX and 67% more viewers than KTVU.  And ABC7 News 6PM has more House Held viewing than KNTV and KRON combined.

ABC7 News: #1 at 11PM

In the 11pm news race, ABC7 News beat stations by huge margins in households and key demos, including  A25-54 and  A18-49. ABC7 had impressive growth at +14% A25-54 and +23% A18-49 compared to November 2013.

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KNBR Cleans Clock In September; KCBS/KOIT Hold Serve; SF Radio Ratings

KNBR VAULTS INTO #1 --KCBS HOLDS SERVE; KGO MODEST JUMP; THE GAME FLATLINES


Here's the full numbers.


September 2014 Portable People Meter (Updated: 09-29-14)12+ Population: 6,377,900 (Black: 451,400) (Hispanic: 1,446,000)

SF Bay Area August '14 Radio Ratings; KCBS/KNBR Hold Serve; KGO/KSFO Tied; 95.7 FM 'The Game' Continues Into Oblivion

KGO's transformation can't come too soon as it ties KSFO. (Must be a real party at 55 Hawthorne).

The Game --95.7 FM all-sports foray is still an abject failure, (how does the PD keep his job?)

KNBR holds serve, as does KCBS.

*Once again, the so-called "beauty-contest"-PPM numbers are not the ratings advertisers use to buy time but reflect who's being listened to and who is not.

Here's the complete August-'14 Ratings.

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Len Tillem, The 'Loyah', Is Ready And Willing To Get Back On The Radio But KGO Needs To Make The Phone Call

 KGO Radio, in its new talk reincarnation --and who knows what the particulars are at this point, it's months away--could start off with a great acquisition, a proven hitter, an across-the-board winner who is a proven commodity with all demos---the Loyah himself, Len Tillem.

First things first though; I called Tillem and asked about his future plans and it's real simple at this point. He refuses to even think about anything until the big suits at 55 Hawthorne contact him.

"There's no point in my speculating what I'd do about being back on KGO at this point. All I've heard is rumors so far."


Let's be blunt here. KGO, if it's serious about its new re-branding back to a talk/news-talk/personality-driven hybrid should go all out and get Tillem back on the airwaves--but at this point, KGO needs Tillem more than Tillem needs KGO. Tillem is perfectly happy at his law offices up in Sonoma devoid of the broadcast biz. Then again, and this is just a hunch from me, he's itching to be back on Bay Area airwaves.


Jack Swanson, the former KGO Opps Mgr and now an industry consultant once said about Tillem:

"Sure someone can send me one good tape or audition--what I need is someone who can be fresh, alive and most importantly, larger than life 1 to 3 hours a day every weekday, week after week, for years...now THAT's hard." 

No question Tillem would make for an immediate buzz hire for Cumulus not to mention his presence would produce instant traction and notice. Tillem had the highest ratings on KGO when he was doing his wildly popular talk show. Moreover when he appeared as a guest on other host's programs, their ratings went through the roof. No surprise.

As I said, Tillem is the rare bird who transcends all demos and figures. He's popular across all fronts; young and old, Black, White, Yellow and Brown, Tillem's loyah show is a potpourri of advertising nirvana, a virtual can't miss with a zest for the funny and legal stories bonanza.

I've often told Tillem that his legal show --in a tight, two-hour format would be even more popular on the syndicated level--a legal version of Dr. Dean's show only more comedic and unpredictable given Tillem's "why you callin' a loyah?" routine.

But let's stick to the present. Tillem awaits the call from the KGO management team. They are aware, at least most of them, of the Sonoma legal ace. They can begin a successful transformation of their reimaging by calling Lenny.

I think they know the number.

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February '14 Radio Ratings and Analysis; Monday PM Starter

 The February radio ratings came out a week ago and we didn't have a chance to comment on them but now we will.


KCBS is the most dominant station in the market. The all-news 740 AM powerhouse, recorded a solid 6.0, from its previous month, 5.3. There's no doubt that KCBS, firmly #1, has seized its niche as the go-to outlet for breaking news, traffic, weather, and sports.


We always have to remind people that these ratings are not the ratings advertisers use to buy time on each respective station but they do present a fairly good gauge as to what stations are gaining traction, what are flat-lining what others are struggling and just hanging on.


KNBR, for example, fell off the cliff, on the overall 6+ numbers, going from a respectable 4.7 to a paltry 3.1 --as baseball season begins those numbers will increase but KNBR makes its money from a certain key demo: the beer and boobs, male-dominated sports-talk genre that is a hallmark of its 24/7 format. When the Giants are playing, KNBR pretty much goes fulltime baseball. The Warriors impending playoff push will help too although the NBA on radio has always played second fiddle to MLB and the NFL.


Contrast KNBR to Entercom's all-sports FM outlet, "The Game", (95.7 FM) which continues to falter posting a disastrous 0.9 --as flagship station of the A's, the Game figures to pick up some mileage soon and a revamping of their morning show and a new PM show, however meager, can't hurt.


The big disappointments: KGO: out of sight, out of mind to the depth of darkness posting an all-time low of 2.0 getting destroyed amid a plethora of in-house turbulence and a growing sense of desperation within both the rank and file and management ranks. When KSFO beats you, (2.1), you know you're in trouble.


KQED held serve at a respectable 5.3 in second place to CBS--Clear Channel's "Talk 910" posted an embarrassing 1.0 --it's fairly obvious that they have yet to deliver on the "Bay Area only talk-station"--really? One problem: nobody is listening to Gil Gross and Frosty the Snowman. Among others.


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Michael Savage is Killing Sean Hannity in Big Markets; National Radio Talker Destroys in SF Too on KSFO; Big Hit With Younger Demo

 I must confess.

I underestimated Michael Savage as he navigated to a prime-time slot in the midday, (12-3 PM, KSFO and 3-6 PM drive in the East Coast), but after a month, the rambunctious, unpredictable, and occasionally extremely entertaining Savage is beating the bejesus out of his nearest rival, the boring and repetitious Sean Hannity.

As Politico points out, Savage destroys Hannity in big markets like New York, Dallas, Detroit and here in San Francisco.

Moreover, he's beating Hannity with key younger demos. Savage e-mailed this report to me.

Frankly, I was not impressed with the early tone of Savage's program. It consisted of repeated monologues debasing the Obama administration on frequent easy right-wing talking points like Obama Care, the NSA and IRS scandals. Granted, all legitimate subjects, but in the radio talk-show genre, hardly the epicenter of broadcast nirvana. In fact, as I have pointed out, the Groundhog Day gyration that doesn't move the needle, that grates the nerves of those ardent listeners-- Democrat, Republican, who are looking for something far more palpable on the audio domain.


It is that element of Savage's repertoire that captivates me. I could do without politics. Matter of fact, and Savage feels the same, political radio with the standard screamers and routine bits, is frankly, lazy radio. It gets to the point where you know automatically how the host formats their show and what nasty, repetitive thing is coming next. It's not just an Obama deal--it migrates to the left too even though there's considerably less left-wing talk shows on the dial mostly because left-leaning shows don't extract any entertaining radio these days. Stephanie Miller is a bore. Mike Malloy is an annoying twit and we all know how that Air America experiment turned out. Norman Goldman is an interesting listen but he too trolls down the political route much too often and often repeats the same talking points. Repetition radio is bi-partisan.


Savage is best when describing the Indian buffet that gave him indigestion. His Chinese food histrionics at Hunan is, in fact, brilliant radio, worth a thousand laughs. Meat ball recipes trump the pratfalls of Joe Biden. "Teddy", Savage's loyal poodle and his status, is an A ticket to Disneyland. Hillary Clinton and Climate Change are the 4700th ride on the Matterhorn. You get my drift.


There exists a radical lack of creativity on the trappings of AM terrestrial radio in the Bay Area and beyond. Savage at least provides a dramatic detour from the pronounced dreck that is the constant. And while his primetime palate is resonating with listeners nationwide thus far, I say, can the politics and stick to meat and potatoes. Teddy would approve too, Maestro Savage.


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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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95.7 The Game Drops Sean O'Connell And Matt Steinmetz Show

The Game, (95.7 FM All_Sports),  just bounced Sean O'Connell and Matt Steinmetz. A producer too. What a coincidence! It would appear ratings are the reason. They usually are.


A replacement is to be announced on Friday.


We'll follow this but it isn't at the top of our priority list.




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