Roberta Gonzales moved to weekends

Gonzales

While Roberta Gonzales is being replaced as the weeknight weather anchor at KPIX CBS5, but she won't be leaving the station.

She said on her Facebook page on Friday that she has been in talks for the past five months to develop a new position in which she would report on the weather. A press release Tuesday from CBS5 said she will do weekend weather and have additional reporting responsibilities during the week.

"I want to thank all of you for your love and support during this time of change," Gonzales writes on FB. "And I need all of you to give me your ideas on weather stories."

As we reported on Friday, CBS5 has hired the No. 2 meteorologist at Seattle’s KOMO Paul Deanno to replace Gonzales as weeknight weather anchor. Gonzales has been at KPIX for 16 years and became the weeknight anchor in July 2007, replacing Samantha Mohr, who went on to the WeatherChannel.

A CBS5 press release on Tuesday said:

Roberta Gonzales is taking on a new role anchoring weekend weathercasts, with additional weather reporting responsibilities in the field during the week. Gonzales has brought a unique blend of talent and enthusiasm to morning and evening news for many years at CBS 5 and CW Bay Area, and she has been extensively involved in the community. 

“I am very excited both to welcome Paul and to have Roberta in a dynamic new role,” said Dan Rosenheim, Vice President and News Director. “With Paul, Roberta, and morning weather anchor Lawrence Karnow, we have three exceptionally talented weathercasters, and we will now be the only station in the Bay Area with three full time staff weather anchors.”

CBS5 replaces Roberta Gonzales

Gonzales

CBS5 has decided to replace Roberta Gonzales as its main weather anchor with the No. 2 meteorologist at Seattle’s KOMO, Paul Deanno.

The move was first reported by media blogger Rich Liberman and now by others, such as the CCTimes' Chuck Barney.

Barney quotes sources as saying Gonzales contract is up and CBS5 has offered her a lesser role as its weekend weathercaster. She has yet to accept that offer. Barney says that a source at the station says Gonzales "has never been a favorite" of CBS 5 news director Dan Rosenheim, despite her high profile in the community and prolific charity work.

Lieberman put it more bluntly:

Deanno

“This move seems to be, early on, a direct power play by [KPIX news director, Dan Rosenheim], who likes to pick and choose his players. He's good buddies with sports anchor, Dennis O'Donnell, and has pushed hard for fellow weather bud, Brian Hackney. In fact, it was widely rumored that Rosenheim wanted Hackney to do weeknight weather and push Gonzales over to the weekend. 

This much is clear. Gonzales, in addition to being a popular personality with Bay Area viewers, is also an active charity participant. Frankly, this move by PIX befuddles me and is sure to draw the ire of many of its core viewers, most notably, women. And yes, of course, men too.

Money is likely an issue too, since several of the station’s anchors and reporters have been forced to take pay cuts as local TV revenues continue to decline. That’s a familiar story at every local TV station.

Vernon Glenn jumps from 4 to 5

Glenn

Vernon Glenn, former weekend sportscaster at KRON 4, has been hired by KPIX CBS5 and will replace freelancer Kim Coyle, who had been doing weekends. Glenn started at KRON in 1990, back when it was the Bay Area’s NBC affiliate. In 2009, the independent and struggling KRON cut his pay and turned him into a VJ, in which he reported and shot video for his own stories.

CBS5's new set is drenched in blue

Blue is the new color for KPIX CBS5. The station has unveiled a new set that’s drenched in blue. The set has been under construction for the past two months, and the Channel 5 news team has been doing the news on a temporary set with a fabric background of the old set during construction, so that viewers wouldn’t notice. These photos are from Newscaststudio.com. The set was designed by Jack Morton PDG and built by FX Group. FX's KRON set won an Emmy in 2004 for design.

Report: Kohara demanded an on-air farewell

Kohara

Bay Area media blogger Rich Lieberman reports that Sydnie Kohara, who was let go by KPIX on June 3, demanded — and got — an opportunity to bid her audience farewell. He also reports that she was escorted out of the building by a security guard.

When KPIX let go her long time anchor partner John Kessler in October, there was talk that Kohara would also get the ax. But Lieberman said she took a pay cut and kept her job.

Kohara's Facebook page includes numerous comments from viewers who are upset she was fired. One comment is from Kessler, who writes, "Sydnie, is the nicest person you could ever want to meet. Her intelligence, grace and talent are unrivaled. Hell, she kept me in line! I am honored to be able to say I was (and hope to be again) her 'TV Husband.' Sydnie, I love you."

On that page, Kohara writes, "Thanks so much for all your support and kind words. I'll let you know what's next, as soon as I'm done sleeping in."

Judge dismisses reporters' age bias suit

Schechner      Lobertini

The Chronicle's Bob Egelko reports that a federal judge today dismissed an age-discrimination suit by two KPIX-TV reporters, Bill Schechner and John Lobertini, who were fired when the CBS-owned station reduced its staff. Schechner, who was 66 when he was laid off in March 2008, and Lobertini, who was 47, claimed that management used money-saving layoffs to dump five of its older employees, all of them at least 47. KPIX denied targeting older workers and said it had dismissed non-specialty, general-assignment reporters whose contracts were expiring, according to the Chron report. Today's dismissal follows a ruling in June in which a judge found that there was insufficient evidence to support four of the five claims made by the reporters.

Nov. sweeps: ABC7 won at 11 p.m. on 7-day basis

Here's another follow up to our report on the November sweeps. We said that CBS5 won at 11 p.m. Monday-Friday, but ABC7 informs us that they won when weekends are included. As we said before, the battle at 11 p.m. between Channels 5 and 7 is extremely close.

On a Monday-Sunday basis, KGO-TV averaged 49,000 adult 25-54 viewers over the week compared to 45,000 for KPIX, 28,000 for KNTV, 29,000 for KDTV and 16,000 for KRON. Our previous posting looked only at Monday-Friday averages.

Another point worth noting is that KTVU's big gains at noon were partially due to Giants parade coverage.

Our thanks to KGO-TV marketing and research vice president Ellen Conlan for bringing this information to our attention.

Nov. sweeps: CBS5 narrowly leads ABC7 at 11

Please note two corrections at the bottom of this item. Incorrect information is crossed out and new information is underlined.


KTVU Channel 2 is crowing about its ratings during the November sweeps when it was first for every weekday newscast in the 25-54 demographic except at 5 p.m., when KGO is tops, and 6 p.m., when KDTV Univision 14's "Noticias 14" is No. 1. 

KTVU's dominance isn't news since it's been at the top for decades. But among the four six stations airing local news at 11 p.m., KPIX CBS5 leads KGO ABC7 by just 1,258 viewers, while NBC Bay Area has fallen off the cliff.

If you define "late news" as including the "10 O'Clock News" on KTVU, then obviously Channel 2 is No. 1 with 88,479 viewers in the demo. At 11 p.m., KPIX draws 49,061 viewers, KGO 47,803, KDTV Univision 29,427, KNTV 28,112 and KRON 16,454 and KSTS Telemundo 3,098.

For some perspective, we pulled out the November 2007 25-54 numbers and spotted several trends:

• In the morning news battle, KTVU and KGO are gaining ground while KPIX and NBC are losing viewers. At 6 a.m., for instance, KTVU is up 43% from 37,000 viewers in 2007 to 53,000 last month. KGO is up 150% but with fewer viewers, going from 12,000 in 2007 to 30,000 last month. KPIX is down 24% and NBC plunged 40%. 

• The total number of 25-54 viewers watching the late news (10 p.m. on Channel 2 and 11 p.m. on the other four stations) only fell 3% during the three years, from 236,000 to 229,000. The decline isn't a good trend for local broadcasters, but it's not the doom-and-gloom story you usually see in the press about TV viewership either. 

• KGO has lost 62% of its 25-54 viewers at 6 p.m. over the past three years, going from 37,000 in 2007 to 14,000 last month. During the same period, KPIX's 6 p.m. viewership in the demo went up 47%. 

• The big winner at 6 is KDTV Univision 14, which has led all stations for several years. KGO, KPIX and KNTV have each lost about 30% of their 25-54 viewers at 6 p.m. in the past three years. KRON lost 38% while KTVU is about the same.

• KTVU's noon news has doubled its ratings in three years, from 12,000 to 24,000. 

• NBC Bay Area's numbers over the past three years have drifted downward. At 11 p.m., they're down 33% at 11 p.m., down 29% at 6 p.m., down 40% at 6 a.m. and down 14% at 5 a.m. However, NBC had no change at 5 p.m. or during "Today" from 7 to 9. 

• While KTVU still leads from 7 to 9 a.m., Channel 2 has lost ground to "Good Morning America" on Channel 7.

• Of the national network newscasts at 6:30 p.m., "Noticiero Univision" on Channel 14 is first with 30,799 viewers in the demo, followed by "ABC World News With Diane Sawyer" with 27,324, "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams" with 17,025, "The CBS Evening News with Katie Couric" with 12,488 and "Noticiero Telemundo" with 5,503.

The figures here are from Nielsen data released by KTVU and KDTV.

Corrections:

1. Our analysis posted on Wednesday left out an important player, KDTV Univision 14, which leads the pack at 6 p.m. if you include both English and Spanish language channels. We only looked at the English language stations, although in the past we've noted the dominance of Channel 14 during this time period (here and here), but we should have this time as well. We wish to thank Melanie Wellbeloved, research and marketing director at Univision 14, for pointing out this error.

2. The top graphic (Nov. 2010) has also been corrected. It was sent out by KTVU. However, it transposed the 6 p.m. numbers for KGO and KPIX. The figures now are correct.

Below is a graphic showing more detailed Nieslen figures, comparing this November and last November.

Update (Dec. 16):

We reported that CBS5 won at 11 p.m. Monday-Friday, but ABC7 informs us that they won when weekends are included. As we said before, the battle at 11 p.m. between Channels 5 and 7 is extremely close.

On a Monday-Sunday basis, KGO-TV averaged 49,000 adult 25-54 viewers over the week compared to 45,000 for KPIX, 28,000 for KNTV, 29,000 for KDTV and 16,000 for KRON. Our previous posting looked only at Monday-Friday averages.

Another point worth noting is that KTVU's big gains at noon were partially due to Giants parade coverage.

We appreciate KGO-TV marketing and research vp Ellen Conlan bringing this information to our attention.

CBS consolidates KCBS, KPIX websites

Click on to the KCBS Radio or KPIX CBS5 websites and you'll land at the same place — a new site (sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com) labeled "CBS San Francisco" with news from both stations.

The consolidated news website is similar to one CBS launched last month for its stations in New York (WCBS-TV, 1010 WINS, WCBS News Radio 880 and WFAN-AM).

While the CBS5 site has had a corporate look for several years, the previous KCBS Radio site looked more home grown, though it has won first-place awards from the AP and Radio and Television News Directors Association (RTNDA). There's no reference on the first page of the new site to KCBS's 100th anniversary or that station's rich history. But it can be found by clicking on the KCBS icon at the top and scrolling down. There's a link to the story about the station's founder, "Doc" Herrold.

Video shows McElhatton anchoring in a crisis

Dave McElhatton and Hank Plante

One more post about Dave McElhatton, the longtime KCBS and later KPIX anchor who died on Monday. A few years ago, KPIX posted several historic films and videos on its website, though they're a bit hard to find. Where it says "top stories," toggle down to "Classic KPIX."

Here's a link to a riveting 39-minute tape of Channel 5's coverage of the 1989 earthquake showing McElhatton anchoring during a crisis. While he's on the air, he rolls through aftershocks at the newsroom's flash desk.

Above, McElhatton gets a first-hand report from Hank Plante, who tells him that he saw "people shouting 'This is the big one.'"

Wayne Walker, Barbara Rodgers and Wendy Tokuda

During this 39-minute span, viewers see the first grainy pictures of the damaged Bay Bridge and the collapsed Nimitz Freeway. They also see in a live shot from Candlestick Park with Wayne Walker, Barbara Rodgers and Wendy Tokuda. Also on the tape are Kate Kelly and Dave Ryan.

At one point McElhatton reads a bulletin that the third-floor of Hillsdale Shopping Center in San Mateo had collapsed. What he didn't say is that his daughter worked at that shopping center. She wasn't injured, but he didn't know that at the time. A few minutes later, however, he says, "People are going to be trying to call to find out if the people they love are OK, if they survived this. And I've got a couple calls I can't wait to make."

Report: John Kessler leaving CBS5

Kessler

Media blogger Rich Lieberman reports that John Kessler, morning co-anchor at CBS5, will leave the station after his contract expires in mid-October.

"I'm not in their plans," Kessler told Lieberman. "I'm very disappointed I was not able to deliver the audience they expected from me. For those that did tune in, thank you. It's been a great ride."

Before he got to KPIX in 2002, Kessler was an anchor at KRON. Before that, he was a radio disc jockey, working in Detroit, San Diego, Jacksonville and Charlotte. Kessler studied journalism at San Diego State and is the father of two boys.

How McElhatton got into TV: reluctantly

Dave McElhatton
1928-2010

Former KPIX news director Joseph Russin wrote the following letter in today's Chronicle:

I read with extreme sadness of the passing of Dave McElhatton ("Respected TV and radio news anchor," Aug. 25). 

As your story says, Dave was one of the sweetest people in the business. He was not, however, immediately enthusiastic about television. I was news director at KPIX and wanted an anchor knowledgeable about the area and able to beat Van Amburg at KGO. I had heard Dave on KCBS radio for years and felt he was perfect. He thought he might flop on TV. 

The folks at Westinghouse also were less enchanted. Dave, they thought, had a face for radio and was overweight for TV. Good sport that he always was, Dave agreed to a series of secret training sessions and auditions on camera. We met in motel rooms at Fisherman's Wharf, hoping no one would see us. 

Dave proved to be so likable on camera that KPIX management was willing to sign him. And Dave launched himself on an eight-glasses-of-water-a-day diet to become camera-svelte. 

That completed the package: a wonderful man whose good nature burst through the camera and whose knowledge and judgment could always be relied on. 

Joseph Russin, Glendale

Anchorman Dave "Mac" McElhatton dead at 81

Dave "Mac" McElhatton, a long time anchor at KCBS Radio and KPIX Channel 5, died this morning from a stroke related illness at his home in Rancho Mirage, surrounded by loved ones. He was 81.

McElhatton, an Oakland native, retired from the CBS5 KPIX anchor desk on Nov. 30, 2000 after nearly 50 years on the air in the Bay Area.

Among the major stories McElhatton covered were the 1978 assassination of Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk, the 1989 earthquake and the 1993 murder of 12-year-old Polly Klaas.

The following is from the obituary CBS5 posted on its website:

Mac was an Oakland native who was in one of the first classes from then San Francisco State College and now San Francisco State University. He used his G.I. Bill money to finance his education. He graduated in 1951 with a B.A. in liberal arts. 

McElhatton and Kate Kelly in 2000.

Just two weeks after earning degree, he landed his first job at KCBS Radio. It wasn't long before McElhatton shot to stardom. 

Newsman Al Hart, another legendary KCBS anchor, was McElhatton's producer. "He was so funny," Hart once recalled. "So quick-witted, Dave could do so many things and that's why that period of radio back there in the '50s and '60s was so much fun, because we could do whatever we wanted to do." 

He worked for KCBS radio for 25 years in a variety of capacities including the Bay Area's first telephone talks show, "Viewpoint" and eventually news director and moved the station to its current all news format. He then made the shift to television. 

A critic at the time questioned McElhatton's move to television, calling it "either a flash of genius or an incredible blunder." 

Wendy Tokuda and McElhatton in 1986.

Some of the new technology did prove challenging for McElhatton, but he met it with a smile every time. 

"Mac was very good humored about it, he knew he looked funny compared to the typical anchor man. He wasn't a young guy, he wasn't handsome, he wasn't perky and energetic, he was McElhatton," recalled Harry Fuller, who produced McElhatton's first television newscast. Fuller, later as news director and general manager, was there for some of the biggest moments of McElhatton's career. 

"McElhatton was unflappable. I watched him work through the '89 earthquake, I watched him through period after period of election coverage when we'd go on and on for hours and hours without a script," said Fuller. 

He co-anchored for 10 years with Wendy Tokuda and also with Kate Kelly, both of whom are still at the station. 

"He was just rock-steady and I was nervous and green and insecure and he was so generous," added Wendy Tokuda, who shared anchor duties with McElhatton for more than a decade.

"What you saw really was him, he really was that nice. In fact, he was nicer. And he really was warm, and he really was that genuine, honest person that you saw."

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations be made to:

The Dave McElhatton Scholarship in Broadcast Journalism
Check Payable to: San Francisco State University Corporation
Attention: Carma Zisman
University Development
San Francisco State University
1600 Holloway Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94132

The CBS5 obit has a secure link to donate funds.

(Photo credits: Top photo by Ray Chavez, Oakland Tribune. Bottom by Roger Ressmeyer, Corbis)

Investigative reporter let go for financial reasons

Media blogger Rich Lieberman reports that KPIX CBS5 investigative reporter Anna Werner has been let go due to financial reasons. News director Dan Rosenheim would only confirm that Werner is no longer at the station, but Lieberman said he was told by a source that it was a financial move. She has been at Channel 5 since 2004 and has earned several Emmys. Previously she was an investigative reporter at the CBS affiliate in Houston, KHOU. Her bio page at the CBS5 website, which had described her as "one of the nation's top investigative reporters," has been removed. But the "CBS 5 Investigates" page, showing her most recent work, is still up as is her CBS5 Facebook page.

Judge drops most bias claims against KPIX

A federal judge has thrown out most of a discrimination lawsuit that John Lobertini and Bill Schechner had filed against CBS and KPIX-TV over their firings in 2008.

Lobertini (left) and Schechner (right) argued they were victims of age and sex discrimination because they part of a round of layoffs involving five on-air employees who were all older men. At the time, Lobertini was 47 and Schechner was 66.

U.S. District Judge Marilyn Hall Patel, in an 18-page order released Wednesday (download), dismissed four of the plaintiffs' five claims, finding their evidence was "insufficient."

Schechner claimed that a pattern of discrimination against older reporters led to their firings. He said that in 2005, prior to his firing, KPIX news director Dan Rosenheim replaced him with a 39-year-old, calling Schechner's performance "lackluster."

"Despite plaintiffs' protestations to the contrary, the word 'lackluster' is not generally used as a synonym for 'old,'" she wrote. "Rather, it means “1. lacking brilliance, radiance, liveliness, etc; dull or vapid. 2. a lack of brilliance or vitality," she wrote, quoting from a dictionary.

Attorneys for Lobertini and Schechner also hired a statistical expert who concluded, "If age were not a factor in the selection of the five (5) individuals to be laid off, then there is only a 1.58% probability (or a 1 in 63 chance) that the mean age of the five (5) laid off individuals would be as great as it was ...”

Later in her order, the judge wrote, "Plaintiffs have failed to present any other evidence that independently or viewed in tandem with the statistical analysis, could give rise to an inference of age discrimination."

The judge dismissed four claims by the reporters — age discrimination, gender discrimination, punitive damages and lost wages — but left open the door for arguments on the issue of "disparate impact." The argument is that while it can't be proven that KPIX intended to discriminate, its actions nonetheless harmed employees based on their race or sex. The judge gave both sides 30 days to file briefs on that issue. (The case number is C 08-05049 MHP.)

Editor's note: An earlier version of this posting didn't mention the "disparate impact" claim that remains open.

Update, Monday, July 19, 7 p.m.: Chronicle: Ex-KPIX reporters lose ruling in age-bias suit

Roberta Gonzales: Yeah, you can call me 'hot'

SF media blogger Rich Lieberman interviewed KPIX weather anchor Roberta Gonzales and could hardly contain his enthusias. Here's his first question:

Rich: So, Roberta, you are considered one of the most popular, jovial and sorry, yes, "HOT!" weather predictors in the Bay Area. What's your secret?

Roberta: “HOT?” Hahahaha! It is believed I have been consistently forecasting weather full time on television longer than any other woman in the country (since 1982). So, to be considered “HOT," well, I’ll take it! Let’s just say, my two sons keep me active, my love for the sport of triathlons and Marathons keep me fit and I have been blessed with my mother’s “Native American Indian” skin.

Gonnzales is married to Sharks play-by-play announcer Randy Hawn. Lieberman wanted to know if "you and Randy ever have an argument, do you threaten him with "Honey, keep it up and I'm spending another hour on 'doppler radar?"

Roberta: Actually, Randy is never in town long enough for me to have an argument with. Plus, have you ever heard him yell out, “He shoots, he scoressssss?” With pipes and a voice like that, I never want him screaming at me!

Rich: Give us a typical work day; when do you wake up? When do you get to work? The works?

Roberta: My day begins at 7 a.m. so I can spend time with my boys before they head to school. I then jump online and check the weather. Depending on the day, if I have no charity or speaking commitments, I am training for triathlons or marathons. Six times a week, I either, swim, bike or run. I also strength train at the gym. There is the typical grocery shopping, running of the errands, I try to figure out what the heck to wear to work and then the 40 mile drive into San Francisco. I usually arrive by 2:45 p.m. and have my first KCBS radio weather report at 3:18 p.m. I am on the 5 and 6 p.m. newscasts as well as the 10 and 11 p.m. newscasts. I usually leave the studio at midnight and arrive home shortly before 1 a.m. I hit the sheets around 2 a.m.

Then Rich circles back to his first question.

Rich: OK, I hate to break this to you, but ... YOU are considered very attractive by a lot of guys, men, whatever ... how much fan mail do you get?

Roberta: Am I hotter than my BFF and co-anchor Juliette Goodrich? Hahaha!!
OK … but please remember how very diverse the Bay Area is! I probably receive as much e-mails from my women viewers as I do the men! Hahaha! I receive roughly 500 e-mails a day ranging from “are you married” to “where do you buy your clothes” to “what is the difference between rain and showers?” to my favorite ... “My Grandfather loves watching you. Can you please send him an autographed picture? He is too old too type, so I am placing the request for him.” Hahaha!!

TV news pioneer Wanda Ramey dies

The Marin IJ reports that Wanda Ramey Queirolo, the first woman anchor in the western United States and only the second woman anchor in the country, died of cancer Saturday at her home in Greenbrae. She was 85. She is perhaps best known as the co-anchor of the noon news on KPIX in the 1950s. In fact, she holds the distinction of being the co-host of the first local television noon newscast in America, according to Bay Area Broadcast Legends.

When the program began, the opening described her as the "girl on the beat," but within a year girl was changed to woman.

From her Broadcast Legends bio:

One reason the Noon News became the top rated half-hour news show in six months was that viewers found the Channel 5 news exciting with Ramey's style of broadcasting. She put on a workman's helmet and from a construction elevator beamed out a KPIX special on the progress of the newest, tallest building in San Francisco. She rode with the S Squad at midnight to give KPIX Noon News viewers the lowdown on San Francisco Detail Police. She brought her viewers face to face with one of their new neighbors, a bearded beatnik recently moved to North Beach from Greenwich Village. She wanted to find out just what makes a beatnik tick.

The IJ quotes Peter Cleaveland, news anchor at KGO-TV at about the same time Ramey Queirolo was at KPIX, as saying, "it was a time when you could have women reporting, but they were on the social side or on food. They weren't considered for positions doing hard news and daily news gathering. She broke that line."

Cleaveland added: "She was a thoroughly engaging woman and a classy lady."

(Photo credit: BroadcastLegends.com)

'Eyewitness News' goes VJ on Saturdays

Columnist Bill Mann reports that KPIX CBS5 has begun having reporters shoot, report and edit their own stories on Saturdays as a cost-saving measure. KRON was the first to switch to VJs for all of its newscasts a few years ago.

Mann reports that the Channel 5 newsroom is in an uproar over the VJ switch.

Mann quoted one longtime "Eyewitness News" staffer as saying the training for the switch hasn't gone well:

"Even before they started, one of the VJs came back with a 'negative roll' tape (she thought the camera was on when it was off, and vice versa).

"Another was caught using her husband to help her shoot in the field.

"PIX's first reporter proponent of VJs now says it's a bad idea. The whole newsroom is in an uproar as reporters are rushed through VJ training, while editors and videographers are essentially ignored and left to worry about their jobs.

"Management here wanted money from CBS to pay for a computer server for digital video but was turned down — a corporate vote of 'no confidence' that put it into a tailspin and has staffers speculating on how long the boss (Dan Rosenheim) will last.

"Meantime, Rosenheim just hired a 28-year old female MMR (multi-media reporter) just as the age and sex-discrimination lawsuit by two veteran laid-off staffers (Bill Schechner and John Lobertini) goes up to federal court. It's a mess."

Rosenheim did not reply to an e-mail from the Press Club for comment.

Former MTV executive joins KPIX in sales

CBS stations KPIX and KBCW have hired Kerry Andrews as an account executive who will be apart of the business development team. Andrews most recently was at Prime Point Media, which operates a network of pay phone advertising kiosks in the United States. He has more than two decades of experience in advertising, including television broadcast, Internet and alternative out-of-home. Prior to joining Prime Point Media, Andrews was vice president of sales for Autowrap-Freecar and vice president of national sales for Asphalt Media, placing ads on tractor trailers. He also spent over 10 years in New York, where he was director of business development for MTV Networks, vice president of Katz Television and executive vice president of the Network of Independent Broadcasters. (Photo credit:Prime Point Media)

TV innovator George Resing dies

Former KPIX general manager George Resing -- who helped create "The Phil Donahue Show," "Good Morning America" and "Evening Magazine" -- died of a brain tumor June 6 at his Novato home. He was 80.

Resing began his broadcasting career in the early 1950s as a stage hand for WLWD-TV (now WDTN) in Dayton, Ohio, where he worked his way up to management. His hunch on Donahue, a radio host in Dayton in the late 1960s, eventually turned into a nationally syndicated program that set a trend in afternoon talk television.

Managing ABC's WLS in Chicago, Resing later helped usher in morning competition to the "Today" show, developing a local show that would become "Good Morning America."

Arriving at KPIX in the mid 1970s, Resing was responsible for hiring Dave McElhatton away from KCBS radio and put him behind the anchor desk. He also hired Jan Yanehiro on his groundbreaking "Evening Magazine" that launched in prime access in August 1976. It became a hit and Westinghouse/Group W licensed the format under the title "PM Magazine" to more than 400 stations. The format is still alive in many markets, and many say it led to reality television.

"It was an exciting time in television," said Resing's daughter Crista told the Chron. "Local stations had a lot of money and did a lot of local programming."

Here are links to obits in the Marin IJ and the Chron.

(Photo credit: Courtesy of Resing family via Chronicle)