I Miss Rita Williams and Bob Melrose; KTVU and KCBS Never The Same; Reflections

Rita Williams

I MISS Rita Williams and Bob Melrose; she, the legendary KTVU reporter who retired a few years back, and he, one of the best radio street reporters in the business who also retired from KCBS.

Of course KTVU is not the same without Williams and KCBS has nobody even close to Melrose.

Rita is not only missed on the air but off too; her sense of humor and levity even in the most trying times was priceless.

Bob Melrose and I used to sit in the Oakland Coliseum press box and schmooze about the state of life and Bay Area media.

Bob Melrose

On occasional Saturdays, he would take me up to the 32nd floor of Embarcadero One when KCBS was headquartered there and allow me the pleasure of watching him broadcast and edit tape. Cool man, that Melrose guy.

It bears repeating: We have lost some of the greatest electronic journalists (TV and Radio) by way of simple retirement or other circumstances. It's life. It's reality.

But we have to acknowledge them and not forget how fantastic they were at their respective jobs.

We cannot forget.

I won't.

KTVU's Richmond would have stayed on if asked; Ken Wayne negotiations carry on; Tuesday Mix

KTVU News has lost one of its more prized assets, Rita Williams, who retired last week.

One of its other major air talents, Dennis Richmond, called it quits almost five years ago.

With an asterisk.

Contrary to local industry buzz, Richmond--who retired in May, 2008, after 40 illustrious years would have gladly stayed on a few more but was never asked to do so. How do I know? Because a KTVU veteran talent, (on-air), told me directly. "Had they asked, he would have gladly stuck around--no doubt," said the staffer, who worked with Richmond and knew him well.

Sure, Richmond had some lingering health issues, (he fought and beat cancer), and was ready to hit the golf course but at 65 and in pretty good physical shape, would have gladly stayed on a year or so but management, (which is different now), didn't approach Richmond. Maybe that was on purpose.

Calls to both Richmond and then, KTVU GM, Tim McVay were not returned. And a call into current GM, Tom Raponi, for comment, was not returned.

Not that Richmond's exit, nor Williams, in the long run, will have any real punitive effect on KTVU, nor Cox Broadcasting, its corporate owner, but a station known for its quality news programs and relative stability has lost two of its biggest hitters and might portend for more transactions down the road.

Ken Wayne, veteran weekend anchor/reporter, is in the midst of contract negotiations, (his original deal is nearing completion), and although Wayne wants to stay put, it's not known if management has the same idea. Although an industry observer told me recently that he thinks Wayne will stay on.

We shall see.

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So long, Rita Williams: KTVU Veteran Ace Reporter officially retires from Channel 2

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I've talked a lot about Rita Williams, KTVU's tough-as-nails reporter, who retired, officially, from the Oakland Fox affiliate last week, after her announcement last June.
 
Here's a link to her interview with Mike MiBach.

Williams speaks, in her typical unassuming way, about the pratfalls of the business when a broadcast wag asked what she planned on doing "after you turn 40." Williams will turn 66 later this week.

She managed to shine in a business, in her heyday, dominated by white men. She was dogged and persistent, but fair. She was hard on politicians but managed to earn their respect by being firm and tenacious, but polite. Her tireless reporting and pursuit of the story, any story for that matter, was both admired and respected in an industry that has turned away from such passionate style.

Rita didn't have to have the label of "Investigative reporter"--she'd already earned her brand. It's going to be tough to watch the KTVU News without Williams' work on their airwaves.

We wish her a spirited retirement.

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Best TV reporter in Bay Area; KTVU's Rita Williams; Eastbay Express on SFGate and BANG; Thursday media notes

Rita Williams is the Bay Area's senior local TV news reporter, having been at KTVU since 1980. She's also the best and keeps getting better.

Williams is tough, tenacious, and relentless, but fair. Her reporting is some of the most compelling content on almost all of Channel 2's news blocks.

Some of her best work is her interviews with local pols like Mayor Gavin Newsom and the like. Williams' is one of the few reporters, because of her credibility) that has almost universal access to most of the major lawmakers, particularly in both the city and Sacramento.

As good as CBS5's (KPIX) Hank Plante is at interviewing, I'd had hoped it was Williams who got Newsom one-on-one a few months back after his notorious disappearance, suddenly bowing out of the governor's race.

Plante managed to get under Newsoms' skin with direct questions that clearly flustered the mayor; it was good TV, but Williams probably would have got more information. Again, no knock on Plante; he's as good as Williams, although Williams has more presence.

In an industry where "consultants" have taken over the newsrooms, and when, quietly, women in their 50's in the business get more scrutiny, Williams has not only survived, but seems to only be getting better.

**KCBS All News 740AM/106.9 FM won four prestigious Associated Press Television-Radio Association's (APTRA) awards. The station was recognized in the 2010Mark Twain Awards competition for California, Nevada, Hawaii, Arizona, New Mexico, Washington, Idaho, Colorado, Utah, Montana, Wyoming, and Alaska.

**KNBR's sister station, 1050 AM, ironically, has some of the best shows on, while the big dog at 680 has less bark.

Damon Bruce' new four-hour program, (Noon-4 PM,) is off and running, fast and furious, (Bruce hasn't missed a beat--love the new music blocks, especially 'tea-for-two!) and Tony Bruno at night, (7-10 PM) is still rocking and rolling, although I do miss Dan Patrick.

**Eastbay Express has some great, lengthy stories on the state of the Bay Area's newspapers, including some solid work from Chris Thompson on SF Gate and Dean Singleton's BANG papers.

Oprah leaves; what will KGO do?; KCBS' Bob Melrose best reporter?; Friday media pulse

KGO-TV, (ABC 7, SF) faces an important programming decision once the Oprah Winfrey show concludes play in Sept., 2011. Winfrey announced Thursday that she would end her successful syndicated talkie.

Like most ABC stations, the sudden void creates key decisions: program news, sign up a new independent talkie, (Tyra?) or develop broad-based local programming. Bet on news here in SF.

According to many sources, executives at the ABC stations that serve as Oprah's key station group have long said they will fill the time slots by expanding their local news. The ABC stations remain strong--even in today's tough environment--and are news leaders.

If ABC replaced the show with news, it could easily produce newscasts for much less than what it's paying for Oprah. Even if the ABC stations' ratings dropped in the Oprah time slots, the cost savings would likely make up for those declines.

KGO reportedly pays 240,000 per week in license fees for the show; KABC pays around $270,000.

Expect KGO to expand its local news and hope that ABC has a strong lead in at 3PM.

**KCBS' venerable and dependable Bob Melrose is the BEST reporter in the Bay Area, with a close nod to KTVU's Rita Williams.

Melrose, who has been at the CBS station since 1975, is the epitome of a hard-nosed street reporter who doesn't mind the audio grit of say, covering a major story in the Caldecott tunnel. Indeed, it was the fire inside the tunnel that killed four people in April of 1982 that was one of Melrose' signature performances; another that comes to mind was the Loma Prietta quake.

Then there's KTVU's Williams, who in a day when too much glitz and puff stories dominate local TV news, Williams no-nonsense, steady, pointed reporting is a welcome sight on a nightly basis. Williams network quality work is a testament to her craft--she could easily be a correspondent on 'Nightline and make it look easy.

**Sports note: the Big Game will not be available to Direct TV subscribers, so look for a local bar that caries Versus network if you're planning on watching Cal--Stanford and don't have Comcast.

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