• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

Elias Gone from Hapless ABC15

T

Teddyo

In case you hadn't heard this minor news, Jonathan Elias announced he's leaving KNXV for Boston's WBZ-TV (CBS):

http://www.hinghamweather.com/bostontvnews/

Guess Elias just couldn't take it any longer at 15 (or vice verse). I've heard he may anchor in Boston in the am, but that's evidently still unclear.

Meanwhile back at clueless KNXV, they've announced that Steve Irvin is moving from am to take Elias' place at the pm desk with the intern-made-instant-anchor Raml. Look for a lot of remotes from Blacksburg, VA.

I think Javier the janitor is taking Irvin's place as anchor in the am since there's no one left. They may put a life-size cardboard cut-out of Tracy Kornet next to him.
 
Wasn't it last year when there was a rumor that Jon Du Pre was moving to the weekday evening anchor desk and now he continues with weekends and gets stepped over by the morning anchor Irvin.
 
ihEARDtHAT said:
Wasn't it last year when there was a rumor that Jon Du Pre was moving to the weekday evening anchor desk and now he continues with weekends and gets stepped over by the morning anchor Irvin.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm not sure where that rumor came from but I remember someone posting it.

I would probably be pretty bent out of shape if I was Du Pre, with all his Valley anchoring experience. Irvin's morning newscasts have either been dead last or next to last. What does he bring to the pm?

Scripp's KNXV is one strange station. You would think they would use this situation of Elias leaving to do something --anything-- to shake things up instead of continuing to perpetuate their mediocrity. They are absolutely the worst performing major-market ABC affiliate in the U.S. Most all major ABC stations are now #1 or #2 in their markets these days, including the one in Boston where Elias is heading (he's going to CBS).

This isn't my dog in the fight but I would go ahead and start from square one. What have you got to lose? Put Du Pre or someone new in the pm slots, dump the ditsy Katie Raml and maybe try to hire a Latina with some substance.

Just my 2 cents.
 
This isn't my dog in the fight but I would go ahead and start from square one. What have you got to lose? Put Du Pre or someone new in the pm slots, dump the ditsy Katie Raml and maybe try to hire a Latina with some substance.

How 'bout Stephanie "Ojos grandes" Sandoval? Oh...you said some substance - my bad!
 
Teddyo said:
ihEARDtHAT said:
Wasn't it last year when there was a rumor that Jon Du Pre was moving to the weekday evening anchor desk and now he continues with weekends and gets stepped over by the morning anchor Irvin.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm not sure where that rumor came from but I remember someone posting it.

I would probably be pretty bent out of shape if I was Du Pre, with all his Valley anchoring experience. Irvin's morning newscasts have either been dead last or next to last. What does he bring to the pm?

Scripp's KNXV is one strange station. You would think they would use this situation of Elias leaving to do something --anything-- to shake things up instead of continuing to perpetuate their mediocrity. They are absolutely the worst performing major-market ABC affiliate in the U.S. Most all major ABC stations are now #1 or #2 in their markets these days, including the one in Boston where Elias is heading (he's going to CBS).

This isn't my dog in the fight but I would go ahead and start from square one. What have you got to lose? Put Du Pre or someone new in the pm slots, dump the ditsy Katie Raml and maybe try to hire a Latina with some substance.

Just my 2 cents.
Click to expand...

Seriously, what's the beef with Katie Raml? I understand she may be green and all, but everyone needs a chance.
 
newschannel said:
Seriously, what's the beef with Katie Raml? I understand she may be green and all, but everyone needs a chance.
Click to expand...

I agree 100%. There's plenty wrong with Channel 15, but Katie Raml is definitely not one of them. She may be less experienced than her peers, but she's ten times better than at least one wannabe-anchor I can think of (read: Sean "Stick with doing the weather, a field where you don't s*ck!" McLaughlin").

Katie's attractive, intelligent, reads well, and doesn't make a buffoon of herself. I think she does a good job at a bad station. But who at KNXV hasn't? Their news-people aren't the problem. The ownership is. Scripps is to TV what Gumpdusky is to radio.
 
I think Raml's an airhead, but we can agree to disagree.

My main point is that the Elias/Raml 5-year experiment has pretty much been a failure anyway you cut it. These numbers don't lie. Viewers don't care about who the station management is, but they do care who the on-air personalities are. KNXV is a distant 5th out of 6th at 10 pm in a major market (and evidently still losing many viewers). Yes, they fare better at 6 because they're wedged between the ABC network news which is now pulling in their best numbers in 11 years and Wheel of Fortune which is #1. But this crew can't bring decent numbers in at 10 pm when their lead ins are the first and second highest rated programs in the nation. ABC affiliates are #1 for their weekday nightly news in San Diego, L.A., Boston, etc. I don't know of any major market ABC affiliates that are less than #2. Frankly, it's really hard these days for an ABC affiliate to do as poorly as 15 .

I always figured that they must be Scripps' charity case or something. Anyway, only my opinion, but I would be making some major changes to try anything at this stage. And anyone who thinks Irvin/Raml is the silver bullet...

I will say that 5, 12, and 10 are mighty happy that 15 always takes the status quo approach. Cause it doesn't get any better for ABC than now, and 15 is not part of the party.
 
Teddyo said:
Frankly, it's really hard these days for an ABC affiliate to do as poorly as 15 .
Click to expand...

Unless you're an ABC affiliate owned by Sinclair (I know, KDNL and WXLV do not count because they don't have local news, but they've got to be performing worse than KNXV!)
 
This doesn't deserve a separate thread but funny...

On Thursday 6:00 Weatherguesser Rich Dahlquest on a live shot called ABC15 "the news valley leader." I played it back and he paused for a second before he said it so I think he got confused.
 
As a person who watches ABC15 Daybreak, I think Steve Irvin deserved a chance to try the main anchor desk. IMO, he did very well mornings.

While Jon Du Pre is okay, he had his chance doing PM news in Phoenix during his stint at KPHO. KNXV has nothing to lose with trying Irvin.

Will the Irvin-Katie Raml pairing work? Raml is a local person who also is doing a good job. Give them a chance.

Finally, KNXV have your anchors & reporters correct/clean up their bios on your website.
 
I agree with Brian4. Irvin reminds me of a young Peter Jennings-type. Give him a chance and, for heaven's sake, I hope that 15 stops the scare tactics ("a new form of identity theft at 10" and "a new virulent virus is on the loose -- stay tuned at 10").
 
formeraa said:
I agree with Brian4. Irvin reminds me of a young Peter Jennings-type.
Click to expand...

???

Well you guys must see something I (and a lot of other people) don't. Irvin wasn't exactly ripping up the am. In the May sweeps his 5-6 am ABC15 newscast was barely registering at 0.6/3 (last) and at 6-7 am, 1.6/5 (next to last). It wasn't any better earlier in the year. He's been there, what, nearly 5 years? Not a great sign.

If Irvin turns out to be the next "Peter Jennings" and Katie Raml is perceived as a mature, credible anchor by viewers (and she isn't busted again for her personal political activities) maybe they'll improve.

We'll see what happens, but kind of hard to believe that Irvin will succeed where Elias couldn't in this market.
 
Let me be clear. I am just giving you my initial impression of Irvin. I think that ABC15 has to put out a MUCH more professional newscast. I am not at all swayed by pulsating music and scare tactics. If they keep doing the same newscast, Irvin won't help at all.
 
Just like what formeraa said: while I like Irvin and thinks he does a good job with the news, he can do only so much to bring the ratings up. I think he deserves a chance to shine.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom