Results tagged “kron4”

Get out those water wings, kids! The worst of the rain is expected to fall today between, um, right now (7 a.m.) and 7 p.m. tonight, and there's a wind advisory in effect until 11 a.m., at which point the gusts of 60 to 70 m.p.h. should subside and leave us with just mildly unbearable wind and rain through tomorrow. The 280-101 connection at 6th Streetis closed due to flooding. PG&E is already out there fixing power lines, Pacifica is bracing for wind damage, and Santa Cruz is bracing for mudslides in recently burned areas.

As KRON4 is telling us, a 62-year-old homeless woman named Fafa Chan, who police recognized at a bus stop after seeing her starting a fire on a surveillance video, is the prime carsonist suspect in that string of auto fires last month, and also in that string of porta-potty blazes this past winter. Both strings of fires were centered around the Russian Hill vicinity, where Fafa likes to hang, but so far police haven't put together much evidence of Fafa's guilt besides the fact that the fires stopped as soon as they had her in custody. Obviously she isn't much of a talker.

SFGate 'City Bright' Rich Lieberman has word that, behind the joy that is Darya Folsom and Gary Radnich in the morning, turmoil is brewing behind the scenes at KRON 4. (Which would make sense since they've got creditors on their tail, filed for bankruptcy, can't find a decent buyer, and have an estimated worth between "$150M and $200M.") According to Lieberman, "Three independent sources said the relationship between staff personnel and news management; notably news director, Aaron Pero and assistant news director, Stacey Baier, couldn't be more 'toxic.' The sources, who have been at the struggling SF TV station for several years, requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the story." (Gulp.)

So, um, this strike thing still looms. Or does it? Wake us when it's over.

SFist's post on Gary Radnich's on-air blood loss made it on KRON 4 News this morning via the loverly Darya Folsom. (Woo hoo! Even though they don't read us! Ahem.) The newsteam (who, by the way, run neck-and-neck with Good Day LA to win the title of Most Entertaining Morning News) brought up yesterday's blood talk again. Why? Well, it seems TMZ ran a bit about it, and Inside Edition called to interview the KRON 4 sportscaster about the mini-hemorrhaging. (Radnich, in a stroke of genius, turned down the interview because he can't stand their shit.)

God, we love KRON 4 so very, very much. Here one reason why. (Not seen: Darya Folsom almost retching over Radnich blood.)

At the risk of sounding un-democratic, we hate the whole voter-approved proposition system and we think you do too. Even the most educated voters don't tend to know enough about both sides of issues -- particularly when it comes to esoteric accounting procedures and the issuing of multi-billion-dollar bonds -- to vote intelligently, let alone voters who don't like to read, or think. Prop 8, and all similar discriminatory propositions in the state's history (Prop 6 in 1976, which figured in the Milk film, and Prop 14 in 1964, which was overwhelmingly approved and which allowed landlords to discriminate based on race) are perfect examples of how easily the system can be abused, and how dangerous a role it can play.

KRON 4's parent company, Young Broadcasting, (finally) filed for bankruptcy today, according to sources. KRON, once the Bay Area's NBC affiliate, has been for sale since last year. Most recently, Young Broadcasting Inc., skipped out on a $6.125 million interest payment to lenders. Back in November of 2008, Young made public that "it had been unable to sell KRON and might have to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection." Looks like that day has finally come for the beleaguered San Francisco station. KRON bills itself as "the Bay Area's news station," featuring original programming and syndicated shows (like Dr. Phil and Sex and the City reruns). We'll update as soon as we know more.

Even more bad news for local news station KRON. It seems Young Broadcasting Inc., which owns KRON, skipped out on a $6.125 million interest payment that was due Jan. 15. The interest payment was on a "8.75 percent senior subordinated notes due in 2014." And we have no idea what that means. Young owns 10 TV stations. According to SF Business Times, "it lost $22.2 million on sales of $36.2 million in the September quarter. In the nine months ended September, Young paid $2.625 million in principal payment on its credit facility." Young has 30 days to make the payment. Although Young is trying to sell KRON for almost a year, they have been unable to rid themselves of the former NBC affiliate. In addition to their fantastic morning news team, KRON airs original programming Henry's Garden, Bay Area Backroads, and... and we think that's it.

Jan Wahl -- KRON 4's leading lady of film reviews, fag haggery, and rating movies using a numerical hat system -- will no appear on the beleaguered new station's broadcast every week. Her contract, according to Leah Garchik, was not renewed. (God, why!) Garchick says that Wahl has "been contacted by many sponsors enthusiastic about following her elsewhere, supporting a Jan Wahl call-in movie show." We hope so. This woman is absolutely fucking nuts. Delightfully so. Why Gary Radnich remains on the air, while Wahl gets the boots, is a mystery. Anyway, Wahl will appear every other Thursday and for special events, like the Academy Awards and co-hosting the homosexual pride parade with local trannies, and will continue her movie-reviewing gigs on KCBS-AM and Live 105.

Not since Quentin Tarantino obliterated hat-fetishist/movie reviewer Jan Wahl has KRON 4 become THIS irrelevant. (Pam Moore aside. We love Pam Moore. Moore = relevance. Pam Moore = San Francisco.) Take, for example, how the struggling news network recently booked and then unbooked Charles Feldman and Howard Rosenberg, media critics behind No Time to Think: The Menace of Media Speed and the 24-hour News Cycle, which they planned on promoting on the former NBC affiliate.

Compelling television's loss is the bargain bin's gain. KRON 4 is up for sale. Again. Amid a "high level of interest," it seems, Young Broadcasting plans on possibly peddling the network to the highest bidder. KRON 4, once the golden child as the Bay Area's NBC affiliate, was sold eight years ago and turned into an independent station. After seeing much of the KRON 4 news team jump ship - like Pete Wilson (RIP), Wendy Tokuda, and wet dream-inducing Ross Palumbo - the place was renovated into the Fox News Corp's MyNetwork TV. Ta-da. (Really, the station could have saved itself if they had planned a local reality show on the lives of crystal meth-infused trannies. We're not kidding.)