KOGO and KFMB-AM -- HOW PATHETIC CAN THEY GET?

[sdwulfdawg]

This afternoon a major chemical fire incident occurred on the crossroads of two major freeways -- SR 94 and Interstate 15 -- which ended up closing the 15 in both directions and tying up Interstate 805 and caused the evacuation of residents in a one mile radius of the fire.

What were the two bastions of broadcasting of doing? KOGO was running Roger Hedgecock (who is sooooo pre-emptible) with their long commercial breaks and KFMB-AM was running the dark knight psychopath (in my opinion) Michael Savage with his contemptible show of hate (and I'm a right-of-center kinda guy). The impact of the fire was incredible, but NO WHERE could one get any traffic information, or any information which would have helped to reduce the look-y-lou factor the incident was causing.

There is all of this talk about the AM band for broadcasting becoming obsolete. NONSENSE. It is broadcasters as Cheap Channel and Middrift Broadcasting who are making the AM broadcast band obsolete because they are not broadcasting content people are interested in. They are irrelevant except for broadcasting commercial messages. (At least CC hasn't flooded its airwaves with the extreme right-wing crap of Sean Hannity, Michael Savage, Mark Levin and Jerry Doyle.)

x 1,000

 

[philosofy]

I was getting out of work at 4:30, turned on the radio which was left of KGB from this morning and Brian said "We've got huge traffic problems out there today. Cal will be along in 8 minutes to tell you more." Do the traffic reporters get PO'd if you give even a small hint as to what might be happening? I had no clue the roads were closed because I don't have internet access at work. But geez, at least say "15 and 94 stink, go another way."

 

[Q Tip]

agree so much for broadcasting in the public interest isnt part of the FCC License is to be available to broadcast emrgencies locally????? I thought KOGO is used as an emergency broadcast station.......time to look at these boys public files and see how they are looking.......

 

[oldiesfan6479]

Is San Diego the new Minot? <wink>

 

[Bob_Hudson]

agree so much for broadcasting in the public interest isnt part of the FCC License is to be available to broadcast emrgencies locally????? I thought KOGO is used as an emergency broadcast station.......time to look at these boys public files and see how they are looking.......

After the NAB bought each member of Congress sufficient rounds of golf and expensive dinners, all that stuff went by the wayside: broadcasting became a freewheeling business using "public" airways with no compensation to or responsibility to the "public."

 

[SDRadio]

After the NAB bought each member of Congress sufficient rounds of golf and expensive dinners, all that stuff went by the wayside: broadcasting became a freewheeling business using "public" airways with no compensation to or responsibility to the "public."

Stop it Bob. Your making sense, and that isn't supposed to happen. This is a BB that has Miss Information. People are supposed to watch TV to get traffic reports while in the car. Gawd, you're so 21st century.

 

[Garrett]

Chris, that was a very good commentary you wrote this morning, very eloquently said.

 

[SDRadio]

Chris, that was a very good commentary you wrote this morning, very eloquently said.

Thank you Garrett.

 

[Bob_Hudson]

If you want to read something even more pathetic, check out Cliff Albert's excuses at http://sdradio.net/ including the "Dog - er uh, computer ate my homework" excuse:

"Cliff also said that newscasts were prepared with the victory, but for some reason the computers didn’t play it. He added, “We’re not perfect.”

 

[sdwulfdawg]

If you want to read something even more pathetic, check out Cliff Albert's excuses at http://sdradio.net/ including the "Dog - er uh, computer ate my homework" excuse:

"Cliff also said that newscasts were prepared with the victory, but for some reason the computers didn’t play it. He added, “We’re not perfect.”

What a doddering fool....

I met him about a year ago and initially I thought to myself, "wow...the great Cliff Albert...journalist...racounteur..."

I left thinking that this man is WAY past his prime....he kind of stumbled around...couldn't really put two words together coherently. He should quit his job and work full time as spokesman for the Lakeside trailer park he lives in.

 

[DoctorWu]

Really. Would you say that to the man's face?

If not, then why post it here?

And if so, you're not someone I'd care to know.

Have a little civility.

-- Doc

 

[voice of reason]

You are claiming that a criticism of Cliff Albert not doing his job is uncivil? Mr. Wu whoever you are, this is a profession that many of us take very seriously. The point is that KOGO News is not delivering the news. I know other stations in town also are on auto-pilot, but KOGO bills itself as a news station. The blogger maintains part of the problem is that Mr. Cliff is in charge and he has the wrong stuff. Maybe Cliff should not get all the blame as KOGO becomes irrelevant. But this is an extremely important point that needs to brought up even if it is unsettling to all of us. Criticism is healthy just like media coverage is important to our democracy.

 

[Bob_Hudson]

Criticism is healthy just like media coverage is important to our democracy.

Radio is, as someone once said, the lowest echelon of show business and anyone who gets up on stage has to be prepared to accept public critique of their work, especially when their work involves using - or misusing - the alleged public airwaves.

 

[sdwulfdawg]

Really. Would you say that to the man's face?

If not, then why post it here?

And if so, you're not someone I'd care to know.

Have a little civility.

-- Doc

My compatriots have made my point for me.

Apparently you are not in the broadcasting biz, whereas you need to have a very thick skin and learn to accept criticism from your colleagues and your boss. News directors and Program directors will not spare your feelings...they are doing a job because they are there to be responsible for a station's sound, professionalism. They have been brought in by the station/general manager to make it so. If they don't, then they end up in the unemployment line.

Was my criticism harsh, yes. But it was just an observation, as was pointed out, the station has billed itself as "San Diego's News Station" and is clearly not fulfilling its mission. CA is clearly in middle management and is having a lot of decisions made for him by CC in the cluster and in Texas, and he has to implement them. They may ask for a cursory suggestion but it will go no further than that. In my observation of CA, it was more than clear to me that day that he was not in total control....just a minion who is in the twilight of an outstanding San Diego career trying to earn as much as he can for his daily needs and for his retirement.

Still, in the broadcasting biz whether it is radio or TV -- there is NO ROOM for excuses. You get the mission done and if you don't and your ND or PD takes notice, you answer "it won't happen again" or "I have learned from my mistake" -- nothing else. The newspaper quote by CA about how they didn't carry these bigger local stories is pathetic and shows how much CC cares about San Diego as much as they cared about Minot, North Dakota when they faced a similar disaster.

I'm PASSIONATE about radio and TV broadcasting, just as someone might be passionate about their field of interest. TV and radio is a magnificent obsession for me and for others. It bothers me no end when local broadcasting stations have been reduced to being redistributors of commercials, maniacal partisan hate speech, and hours no end of brokered shows for colon blow.

If you can't accept criticism in this biz, you might as well just be a bagger at VONS or Henry's.

 

[RadioDiv]

If you want to read something even more pathetic, check out Cliff Albert's excuses at http://sdradio.net/ including the "Dog - er uh, computer ate my homework" excuse:

"Cliff also said that newscasts were prepared with the victory, but for some reason the computers didn’t play it. He added, “We’re not perfect.”

That was an insult to all professional broadcasters and newsers. We are not stupid and we know the intricacies, computer problem GUESS THE THEY DON'T KNOW HOW TO AD LIB.. If a news reader was there, they could have just gone LIVE. KOGO is irrelevant and now combining the traffic reporters with a couple of news readers = That's the live and local KOGO news department. Truly pathetic. May as well just simulcast every single thing from L.A. at least they're on the ball. How long did it take to break the Merriman thing?

 

[sdwulfdawg]

Quote from: Bob_Hudson on August 25, 2009, 10:03:43 pm
If you want to read something even more pathetic, check out Cliff Albert's excuses at http://sdradio.net/ including the "Dog - er uh, computer ate my homework" excuse:

"Cliff also said that newscasts were prepared with the victory, but for some reason the computers didn’t play it. He added, “We’re not perfect.”

That was an insult to all professional broadcasters and newsers. We are not stupid and we know the intricacies, computer problem GUESS THE THEY DON'T KNOW HOW TO AD LIB.. If a news reader was there, they could have just gone LIVE. KOGO is irrelevant and now combining the traffic reporters with a couple of news readers = That's the live and local KOGO news department. Truly pathetic. May as well just simulcast every single thing from L.A. at least they're on the ball. How long did it take to break the Merriman thing?

Tonight the automation was TOTALLY off on KFMB-AM.

What's funny is that they were running a story about the bridge repair in San Francisco and the news geek was giving the warning "Cal Trans advises you to find alternate routes to bypass the bridge."

Then they gave the slogan "I'm Jim (somethingorother) 760 KFMB news on the half hour and when it breaks."

So are they so advanced with their automation at KFMB during overnights that their IBM PC that they're running will know to break into a show with a news break and start speaking. C'mon, guys.... Or does it patch into Dave Sniff's home phone or cell phone and wake him up for him to start giving details about a breaking news story.

Does KFMB-AM even have a program director?

 

[Dr. o Fun]

Does KFMB-AM even have a program director?

Sniff's got a lot on his plate right now.

dr

 

[RadioDiv]

Does KFMB-AM even have a program director?

Sniff's got a lot on his plate right now.

dr

Does KOGO have a program director? :

 

[DoctorWu]

Really. Would you say that to the man's face?

If not, then why post it here?

And if so, you're not someone I'd care to know.

Have a little civility.

-- Doc

My compatriots have made my point for me.

Apparently you are not in the broadcasting biz, whereas you need to have a very thick skin and learn to accept criticism from your colleagues and your boss.

Look, I have been in broadcasting for a very long time. As for criticism, I can take it just fine, and dish it out as well.

But criticizing someone's job performance is a LONG way from calling someone a "doddering fool" - that's just plain malicious.

Is Cliff doing the best job possible right now? Maybe not. Perhaps he's lost the fire after all these years. Maybe his job performance deserves a good basting. What I'm saying is, don't use personal attacks to impugn someone's character as a crutch to make your point. First rule of reporting.

And I hope that if I ever shot off my mouth with such a rude comment in a public forum, someone would take me to task, too.

-- Doc

 

[sdwulfdawg]

But criticizing someone's job performance is a LONG way from calling someone a "doddering fool" - that's just plain malicious.

Is Cliff doing the best job possible right now? Maybe not. Perhaps he's lost the fire after all these years. Maybe his job performance deserves a good basting. What I'm saying is, don't use personal attacks to impugn someone's character as a crutch to make your point. First rule of reporting.

And I hope that if I ever shot off my mouth with such a rude comment in a public forum, someone would take me to task, too.

So far you're the only one complaining. If you're so unhappy with what you read, you have two alternatives, 1) don't come to this website anymore, 2) start your own website.

CA's comment that "the computer didn't play the right cut" is the most lame comment I've ever seen, and reflects my original observation. And I didn't make about CA's weird ass right wing Bible commentaries.