Hey Recto - Check out this "Tabloid" Story

[LKellerIII]

You're always addressing the subject of "tabloid" news. Check out this bit of history. A Mike Wallace 60 Minutes story about the dominance of Channel 7 News Scene (KGO-TV)with Van Amburg in 1974.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Td_qGilgtdQ

 

[LKellerIII]

Wallace interviews Van Amburg - who ever addresses the "Penis on railroad tracks" controversy.

 

[recto101]

Wow its strange that KGO was criticized for being tabloidal. When Most people think of Tabloid News on Local TV they think of Los Angeles KTTV11, KTLA5, KABC7, due to the fact that they have to include a TMZ type story of a celebrity in parts of their newscast. I know Miami's WSVN during the Jessica Aguirre and Rick Sanchez era was seen as a Tabloid station.

 

[LKellerIII]

Wow its strange that KGO was criticized for being tabloidal. When Most people think of Tabloid News on Local TV they think of Los Angeles KTTV11, KTLA5, KABC7, due to the fact that they have to include a TMZ type story of a celebrity in parts of their newscast. I know Miami's WSVN during the Jessica Aguirre and Rick Sanchez era was seen as a Tabloid station.

Not strange at all. The Mike Wallace story is almost 40 years old, but if you'll watch it, you'll understand how KGO-TV rose to the top of the ratings in the early 70s by being sensationalistic - "tabloidal" to use your word. "If it bleeds, it leads" was a popular newsroom philosophy of the time.

I had just moved to the Bay Area from LA at that time, and I couldn't believe how tacky Channel 7 News Scene was. In those days, the LA stations were slick, but not particularly sensationalistic in how they presented news stories - at least that's how I remember it.

 

[recto101]

Wow its strange that KGO was criticized for being tabloidal. When Most people think of Tabloid News on Local TV they think of Los Angeles KTTV11, KTLA5, KABC7, due to the fact that they have to include a TMZ type story of a celebrity in parts of their newscast. I know Miami's WSVN during the Jessica Aguirre and Rick Sanchez era was seen as a Tabloid station.

Not strange at all. The Mike Wallace story is almost 40 years old, but if you'll watch it, you'll understand how KGO-TV rose to the top of the ratings in the early 70s by being sensationalistic - "tabloidal" to use your word. "If it bleeds, it leads" was a popular newsroom philosophy of the time.

I had just moved to the Bay Area from LA at that time, and I couldn't believe how tacky Channel 7 News Scene was. In those days, the LA stations were slick, but not particularly sensationalistic in how they presented news stories - at least that's how I remember it.

I know Roger Grimsby who worked at KGO in the 1960's did criticize KGO-TV news standards before ABC moved him to WABC 7. I had no Idea that Mike Wallace was one of many Media critics who called for San Francisco to reform to the current TV News standards San Francisco have today. I know around this time Dave Machellatton was a radio anchor at KCBS 740. Wow Wallace had the balls to even confront CBS affiliates that did not meet the Cronkite standards. By the 1980's the Kickers guts Orgasms left San Francisco and the current journalistic standards in Bay Area TV came into play when Pete Wilson, Dennis Richmond and Mac took over to replace the 70's tabloid stars like VanAmburg, and Jerry Jensen.


"If it bleeds, it leads" mantra still exist today on HLN, TMZ, ABC World News and local TV stations in NYC, LA and Miami. Thanks for the History Lkeller I never thought of San Francisco as the birthplace of Tabloid Journalism. I always thought of San Francisco as the were the anti-tabloid town.

 

[LKellerIII]

The 60 Minutes story was from 74. Both KRON and KPIX tried different anchor teams and tactics to put a dent in KGO-TV without success until KPIX brought in Dave McElhatton - about 1977, if I remember correctly. "Mac" was beloved by Bay Area listeners from almost 3 decades at KCBS, so he had more success against Amburg, and they competed until Amburg was fired in 1986.

KRON stayed in last place until the 90s, when they snagged Pete Wilson away from KGO-TV, then they shot to first place for awhile under Wilson.

 

[recto101]

The 60 Minutes story was from 74. Both KRON and KPIX tried different anchor teams and tactics to put a dent in KGO-TV without success until KPIX brought in Dave McElhatton - about 1977, if I remember correctly. "Mac" was beloved by Bay Area listeners from almost 3 decades at KCBS, so he had more success against Amburg, and they competed until Amburg was fired in 1986.

KRON stayed in last place until the 90s, when they snagged Pete Wilson away from KGO-TV, then they shot to first place for awhile under Wilson.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKMMndq1CKs&feature=related

Check This Video Out Ed Beebout of KFTY did a segment for Sonoma State on How Local TV news in San Francisco is adapting with the Twitter/Facebook age.

 

[michael hagerty]

"We didn't cut that thing off and put it over there!"


Oh...my...GOD! Now that's a quote.

 

[michael hagerty]

And I've seen guys taking the Fifth who talked more than the KPIX News Director.

 

[LKellerIII]

"We didn't cut that thing off and put it over there!"


Oh...my...GOD! Now that's a quote.

Yes - "Van" (really Fred Van Amburg) was...uh...special. Reportedly a text-book case of fame "going to your head." You can tell from the Wallace interview that he had a healthy ego, and he was reportedly very difficult to work with. And this was a guy who had been an MOR jock on the low-rated pre-Drake KFRC, and a sportscaster at KNEW being hired as a TV sports anchor at KPIX.

After Jerry Jensen died of cancer, Van anchored alone for quite a few months - even though anchor "teams" were the big thing back then. When they finally brought in a co-anchor (Suzanne Saunders) Van pitched such a fit that it got into the local press.

Cap Cities let him go in the mid 80s - reportedly because he was making too much money for the tight-fisted new owners of ABC. After his firing, Ronn Owens interviewed Van on his KGO radio show, and Van indicated that he was willing to negotiate a lower salary, but Cap Cities wasn't interested. I think everybody at KGO-TV was happy to see him gone.

 

[michael hagerty]

"We didn't cut that thing off and put it over there!"


Oh...my...GOD! Now that's a quote.

Yes - "Van" (really Fred Van Amburg) was...uh...special. Reportedly a text-book case of fame "going to your head." You can tell from the Wallace interview that he had a healthy ego, and he was reportedly very difficult to work with.

I switched to TV news in 1981. Our consultant, Mitch Farris, had been News Director at KRON in the mid-late 70s. Mitch told me that Van disliked co-anchoring with Valerie Coleman so much that he had a clause put in his contract that KGO would have to pay him a $1,000 penalty in cash anytime she was in the studio when he was on the air. Needless to say, the easy thing was for KGO to either let Van anchor the show alone or choose someone else as a sub for Jerry Jensen.

 

[LKellerIII]

"We didn't cut that thing off and put it over there!"


Oh...my...GOD! Now that's a quote.

Yes - "Van" (really Fred Van Amburg) was...uh...special. Reportedly a text-book case of fame "going to your head." You can tell from the Wallace interview that he had a healthy ego, and he was reportedly very difficult to work with.

I switched to TV news in 1981. Our consultant, Mitch Farris, had been News Director at KRON in the mid-late 70s. Mitch told me that Van disliked co-anchoring with Valerie Coleman so much that he had a clause put in his contract that KGO would have to pay him a $1,000 penalty in cash anytime she was in the studio when he was on the air. Needless to say, the easy thing was for KGO to either let Van anchor the show alone or choose someone else as a sub for Jerry Jensen.

Which might explain why Coleman left KGO-TV for KRON, as did Suzanne Saunders. I met Valerie once, and she seemed like a very nice person. Out of curiosity, what was Van's problem with her?

 

[1069_KIFR]

I would guess, as portrayed in "Anchorman", A WOMAN Co-Anchor????? That was an insult to be seated next to a woman back then.

 

[LKellerIII]

I would guess, as portrayed in "Anchorman", A WOMAN Co-Anchor????? That was an insult to be seated next to a woman back then.

I don't know about that. Perhaps in the early 70s. But Jerry Jensen didn't pass away until 1984, and that was a few years after Dave McElhatton began working with female co-anchors at KPIX (Colleen Williams, then Wendy Tokuda, and I'm pretty sure there were female co-anchors at KRON and female weekend anchors at KGO-TV (like Cheryl Jennings).

So that kind of sexism would seem out-of-date, even for a guy like Van Amburg.

 

[michael hagerty]

"We didn't cut that thing off and put it over there!"


Oh...my...GOD! Now that's a quote.

Yes - "Van" (really Fred Van Amburg) was...uh...special. Reportedly a text-book case of fame "going to your head." You can tell from the Wallace interview that he had a healthy ego, and he was reportedly very difficult to work with.

I switched to TV news in 1981. Our consultant, Mitch Farris, had been News Director at KRON in the mid-late 70s. Mitch told me that Van disliked co-anchoring with Valerie Coleman so much that he had a clause put in his contract that KGO would have to pay him a $1,000 penalty in cash anytime she was in the studio when he was on the air. Needless to say, the easy thing was for KGO to either let Van anchor the show alone or choose someone else as a sub for Jerry Jensen.

Which might explain why Coleman left KGO-TV for KRON, as did Suzanne Saunders. I met Valerie once, and she seemed like a very nice person. Out of curiosity, what was Van's problem with her?

No clue. But his contract clause effectively killed Valerie's chances for advancement. Promoting her to a co-anchor with Van would have meant paying Van $1,000 for every weekday newscast they did together. That's an additional $260,000 a year.

 

[michael hagerty]

I would guess, as portrayed in "Anchorman", A WOMAN Co-Anchor????? That was an insult to be seated next to a woman back then.

I don't know about that. Perhaps in the early 70s. But Jerry Jensen didn't pass away until 1984, and that was a few years after Dave McElhatton began working with female co-anchors at KPIX (Colleen Williams, then Wendy Tokuda, and I'm pretty sure there were female co-anchors at KRON and female weekend anchors at KGO-TV (like Cheryl Jennings).

So that kind of sexism would seem out-of-date, even for a guy like Van Amburg.

Sexists aren't ruled by the calendar. And it may not have been sexism. It may be that Van didn't want anyone younger and prettier sitting next to him. Jerry Jensen complemented Van...anyone else might have detracted, at least in Van's opinion.

 

[landtuna]

"If it bleeds, it leads" mantra still exist today on HLN, TMZ, ABC World News and local TV stations in NYC, LA and Miami. Thanks for the History Lkeller I never thought of San Francisco as the birthplace of Tabloid Journalism. I always thought of San Francisco as the were the anti-tabloid town.

TMZ is definitely NOT a bonafide news outlet unless your definition includes celebrity misadventures.

I moved from the Bay Area to NYC in 1969 and, as I recall, Roger Grimsby was already doing his schtick at WABC (or as we called it "happy news"). I do not remember anything like the described "tabloid news" in S.F. prior to leaving although most of my news watching was on KTVU which was an outstanding indie then.

I've always thought NYC, and specifically ABC, led the charge into network tabloid journalism (which seems like an oxymoron and should be mutually exclusive).

 

[LKellerIII]

I would guess, as portrayed in "Anchorman", A WOMAN Co-Anchor????? That was an insult to be seated next to a woman back then.

I don't know about that. Perhaps in the early 70s. But Jerry Jensen didn't pass away until 1984, and that was a few years after Dave McElhatton began working with female co-anchors at KPIX (Colleen Williams, then Wendy Tokuda, and I'm pretty sure there were female co-anchors at KRON and female weekend anchors at KGO-TV (like Cheryl Jennings).

So that kind of sexism would seem out-of-date, even for a guy like Van Amburg.

Sexists aren't ruled by the calendar. And it may not have been sexism. It may be that Van didn't want anyone younger and prettier sitting next to him. Jerry Jensen complemented Van...anyone else might have detracted, at least in Van's opinion.

You could be right - though I have to point out that the Amburg/Coleman contrast wouldn't be as great as the young beautiful Wendy Tokuda sitting next to the balding and portly Dave McElhatton. Of course, Dave was reportedly a great guy - easy going and certainly not vain, unlike Van - at least by reputation.

 

[LKellerIII]

"If it bleeds, it leads" mantra still exist today on HLN, TMZ, ABC World News and local TV stations in NYC, LA and Miami. Thanks for the History Lkeller I never thought of San Francisco as the birthplace of Tabloid Journalism. I always thought of San Francisco as the were the anti-tabloid town.

I moved from the Bay Area to NYC in 1969 and, as I recall, Roger Grimsby was already doing his schtick at WABC (or as we called it "happy news"). I do not remember anything like the described "tabloid news" in S.F. prior to leaving although most of my news watching was on KTVU which was an outstanding indie then.

KTVU still has the Bay Area's most acclaimed and well respected local news broadcasts, though (IMO) they've lost a bit of their mojo since Dennis Richmond's retirement. These days, KGO-TV's local news is also high quality...in fact, they're all pretty decent these days in my opinion.

Eveything I've read indicates that KGO-TV's "tabloid" era started with Van Amburg, after Grimsby. When I moved to the Bay Area in late 73, Van and company were already at the top of the ratings...reporting schlongs on railroad tracks, and the like.

Interstingly, the supposed architect of the "tabloid" presentation was News Director Russ Coglin (interviewed in the Wallace piece). He later anchored himself, and filled in as a talk host on KGO radio. Though I generally disagreed with his political views, I really respected the man.

 

[michael hagerty]

Interstingly, the supposed architect of the "tabloid" presentation was News Director Russ Coglin (interviewed in the Wallace piece). He later anchored himself, and filled in as a talk host on KGO radio. Though I generally disagreed with his political views, I really respected the man.

The real mastermind was a consultant named Al Primo. In a way, he was the Bill Drake of TV news. In 1969, he took over the ABC O&Os (WABC-TV, WLS-TV, WXYZ-TV, KABC-TV and KGO-TV) and gave them all the same set, same music, same graphics and same mix of happy talk and mayhem.

The "penis found on railroad tracks" is the most famous tease, but I've seen at least two others that I think were better. The first, from Van on KGO:

"He drove up to the tollbooth with a dollar in his hand....and left with a bullet in his gut. Film at 11."

And the other, from Jerry Dunphy at KABC in L.A.:

"Hollywood vice squad cops bust kiddie porn bookstore and our cameras follow 'em in! Film at 11."