Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "local media"

FOX40 Reporter Plays Cruel Prank On Kings Fans Through Twitter

2011-03-10T08:25:07Z

Since it was first reported on radio station KFBK in January, the city has been waiting on pins and needles for an announcement from the National Basketball Association or the Maloof Family surrounding the fate of the much beloved Sacramento Kings.

Two months have passed since KFBK's Rob McAllister reported the Maloofs were debating whether or not to move the Kings to Anaheim -- news that upset Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson and put plans on building a new arena within the city in limbo.

The game of "Will they, won't they?" has been unbearable between city officials, sports fans and the talking heads of Sacramento television and radio, but it seemed as if an answer had finally arrived ~~Thursday~~ Wednesday evening from a news organization that touts itself as the leader in sports news.

Veteran sports director Jim Crandell with FOX affiliate KTXL sent out a tweet around 9pm ~~Thursday~~ Wednesday that had many Kings fans fearing the worse.

"Coming up in my show at 10PM, David Stern makes the announcement no Kings (fan) wants to hear," Crandell tweeted.

~~Thursday's~~ Wednesday's late night newscast on KTXL opened with Crandell saying he "felt everybody's pain," then playing an archival clip from 1985 in which NBA commissioner David Stern announced the arrival of the Kings from Kansas City ~~Louisville~~ to Sacramento.

The clip was followed by Crandell introducing a clip of "another announcement" in which Stern's original words were dubbed over by a FOX40 photographer, this time making it appear as if Stern was sending the Kings to Anaheim.

"If you don't laugh, you'll cry," Crandell said after the doctored video played.

Not the announcement most were expecting to hear.

"You know what the Kings mean to us," Juan Primo wrote on Twitter following the prank. "This isn't the time to be 'cute and lighthearted.'"

"You seriously owe the city an apology for that BS you pulled tonight," a Twitter user by the name of "LocalStreetHero" wrote.

Crandell seemed to shrug off the criticism following the late night newscast.

"You are one mad dude," Crandell wrote to an angry Twitter follower. "Sorry you got so upset. Thankfully, most people took it in the spirit it was intended."

Crandell has served as KTXL's sports director since 1984 and is one of Sacramento's most-veteran news personalities.

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Matthew Keys is a freelance journalist and former online news producer for KTXL FOX40 Sacramento. He can be reached at mail@matthewkeys.net.

KTXL FOX40 To Debut Two New Digital Channels

2010-11-20T12:32:04Z

Sacramento's FOX affiliate KTXL will soon take a third stab at launching a digital channel.

A person close to the matter at the station confirmed KTXL "FOX40" will launch the Retro Television Network, a channel showcasing repeats of old television comedies and dramas, on the station's digital channel 40.2 within the next few months.

The Retro Television Network, branded as "RTV," airs programming from the 1950s to the 1980s, mostly licensed by NBC Universal. Among the shows RTV currently airs, and KTXL is expected to air, include Leave It To Beaver and Dragnet.

RTV will be the third attempt at launching a digital channel on KTXL FOX40. The station launched its 40.2 digital channel in the summer of 2006 with the birth of the Tube Music Network, a revival of the popular music video format from the 1980s on MTV and the 1990s on VH1. Branded as "all music videos without the reality shows," The Tube folded in late 2007 after failing to attract an audience and a substantial source of revenue, leaving KTXL without a secondary digital affiliate.

KTXL's second stab at a digital network came in 2009 with LATV, a bilingual television network similar to NBC Unversal's mun2 with a target on English-Spanish language mix households. When the affiliation lapsed in early 2010, it was KTXL, not LATV, that failed to attract an audience and a stream of revenue for the digital channel.

RTV will be KTXL's third attempt at a digital network on 40.2, but it won't be the only one the station plans to offer.

KTXL will also launch "Antenna TV," a digital television station created by Tribune Broadcasting to showcase Sony television shows, in 2011. Confirmed programming for Antenna TV includes repeats of Married...with Children, The Flying Nun and The Nanny. Antenna TV is expected to launch on a new digital channel, KTXL 40.3.

Contractual agreements between most FOX affiliates and the FOX Television Network regarding digital television bandwidth means KTXL will likely be forced to stop at two secondary digital channels. FOX requires affiliates to allocate the most digital bandwidth to its station in order to carry network programming with a high definition picture and audio, which means the station's launch of Antenna TV on digital channel 40.3 will likely be its final.

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Matthew Keys is a former online news producer for a Sacramento television station and a local media expert. He can be reached by e-mailing matthew@sactownmedia.com.

FOX40 To Extend Job Offer To Conan O'Brien Wednesday

2010-01-20T02:51:25Z

Late night talk show host Conan O'Brien's career dilemma following his role as "Tonight Show" presenter at NBC may soon be solved -- with a job opportunity at KTXL FOX40.

On the Wednesday edition of the morning news program "FOX40 Live," hosts Natalie Bomke, Joe Orlando, Rosemary Orozco and Paul Robins will extend a formal job offer to the former host of "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" and current host of NBC's "The Tonight Show."

"We're totally serious," said FOX40 news director Brandon Mercer. "We're hiring producers anyway, and he's one of the most creative guys in the business."

"We are always looking for the best available talent," FOX40 general manager Bob Ramsey said. "There has been some reporting that he may (soon) be available."

O'Brien took over presenting duties seven months ago from Jay Leno as host of "The Tonight Show" on the NBC network. Leno later went on to host a 10pm prime-time talk program for the network. The program failed to make a wave, and as of two weeks ago, NBC suggested a half-hour program for Leno at 11:35pm, bumping O'Brien's "Tonight Show" to a midnight time slot.

That idea didn't sit well with O'Brien, who reportedly has decided to end his role as "Tonight Show" presenter in exchange for a $40 million buyout of his contract with NBC. It's been reported Leno will resume his hosting duties at "The Tonight Show," which leaves O'Brien looking for work.

"The guy needs health insurance and a little pocket money," Mercer said. "So why not take us up just for a few months, till the next gig comes along?"

FOX40 Live executive producer Leigh Anne Keys says one incentive for O'Brien accepting a job with FOX40 would be his excellent treatment as an employee with KTXL FOX40, owned by Tribune Company.

"I'm a great boss," Keys said. "I'll treat you much better than your bosses at NBC did. I just have one rule -- always remember to say 'please' and 'thank you,' and we'll get along great."

O'Brien's job offer as a morning show producer comes with his own office across the hall from FOX40 veteran sports director Jim Crandell. Currently, the "office" acts as a storage closet for the station underneath some stairs.

Sacramento is only a nine hour drive from O'Brien's current home in Los Angeles, making the capitol city an easy move for the former New York resident recently located to California. Mercer says, while the station is willing to pay for moving expenses, if O'Brien accepts the position with FOX40, he would be welcome to fulfill his job duties by telecommuting in lieu of moving away from Southern California.

The employment opportunity at FOX40 isn't the only job offer O'Brien has received since his late night drama with NBC began. The late night presenter also has offers from the FX program "Sons of Anarchy" to guest star as an Irish terrorist, as well as an offer from porn studio Pink Visual to appear in an adult video.

If O'Brien accepted FOX40's job offer, he would be the second person associated with a late night talk program hired by the station. In the 1980s, FOX40 Live host Paul Robins and Conan O'Brien were hired as writers of the short-lived FOX late-night talk program "The Wilton North Report" during the network's infancy. The show lasted one month.

FOX40 Live can be seen weekdays on FOX40 from 4:30am to 9am. The show also streams live without commercials on FOX40.com.

98Rock Morning Show Apologizes For Transgender, Child Abuse Comments

2009-06-11T17:59:22Z

Following nearly a week's worth of silence and with over a dozen advertisers lost, a Sacramento-based radio program returned to the airwaves with an apology in response to some off-color comments that drew national attention and criticism.

Rob Williams and Arnie States, two-thirds of KRXQ's "Rob, Arnie & Dawn Show," apologized Thursday morning for comments they made two weeks ago in which they referred to members of the transgender community as "freaks," "fruits" and as experiencing "mental defects" meant to "draw attention to themselves."

The comments made during the May 28th broadcast angered child advocacy and transgender groups, the effect of which was the withdrawing or cancellation of agreement to financially support KRXQ by Chipotle, Snapple, Sonic, Bank of America, Verizon Wireless, Carl's Jr., Nissan North America, AT&T, McDonald's, Sleep Train and Guitar World.

However, Rob Williams say it was the show's fans who made the presenters realize they had pushed the line too far.

"We are here today to make things right with the people who give us our free speech -- our audience," Williams said at the beginning of today's program. "Our audience made it clear that our initial comments were over the line, that they expected us to make things right."

"My ignorance prevented me from understanding how hard a transgender's life is day to day...and I am very sorry for that," States said today during KRXQ's two-and-a-half-hour, commercial-free broadcast. "I ignorantly thought that name-calling was just that. Due to my ignorance, I was wrong."

Thursday's show aired following Williams and States' initial response to their May 28th comments on June 3rd in which Williams and States defended their comments and refused to apologize.

"I think it's ridiculous to think that I'm advocating violence against kids," States responded on the program June 3rd. "I know a lot of people don't understand this, that's a joke. Maybe you find that to be a tasteless joke, but I have never advocated for parents to beat their children."

States also pointed out that the show has held 29-hour broadcasts benefitting the U.C. Davis Children's Hospital Network annually since 2007. In a letter to station management on June 8th, Dr. Claire Pomeroy announced U.C. Davis Children's Hospital Network was severing their ties with KRXQ over the controversial comments.

"The events of May 28th and the station's lack of a publicly articulated response to those events are inconsistent with UC Davis' values and mission," the letter read. "We are, first and foremost, an institution of learning and teaching, committed to advancing health and well-being for all. We affirm the right of freedom of expression, within the bounds of courtesy, sensitivity and respect. The statements made by [Williams and States] were outside those bounds."

U.C. Davis Children's Network said they will re-evaluate their relationship with the station at the end of 2009.

Thursday morning's program solicited phone calls from the community and featured transgender advocates Autumn Sandeen and Kim Pearson. The show was heavily promoted by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) organization, which encouraged supporters to listen and call in to this morning's program. The organization had previously encouraged supporters to write to the station's advertisers.

A statement by GLAAD regarding this morning's program on KRXQ was not available as of 11AM Thursday.

The Rob, Arnie and Dawn Show, which is owned and produced by Williams, continues to air weekday mornings on KRXQ 98.5 FM, known on-air as "98Rock" in Sacramento, and in syndication on KDOT 104.5 FM in Reno.

98Rock's Rob Williams To Fans: "We Have Failed You"

2009-06-07T22:10:28Z

Amid a sleugh of advertiser withdrawals and facing heat from the GLBT community, Rob Williams, one-third of KRXQ's "Rob, Arnie & Dawn" morning show, posted a statement on the show's website that can be summed up in four words: "We have failed you."

"We presented our opinions on a very sensitive subject in a hateful, childish and crude fashion," Williams wrote on his website, RobArnieAndDawn.com in a letter to listeners, "and then, given the chance to retract those remarks, we defended them."

The response comes nearly two weeks following an on-air segment in which Williams and co-host Arnie States called members of the transgendered community "freaks," "fruits" and describing them as having a "mental disorder" in which transgenders "bring attention to themselves."

"God forbid if my son put on a pair of high heels, I would probably hit him with one of my shoes," States quipped during the May 28th segment.

Since then, nine advertisers -- Chipotle, Snapple, Sonic, Bank of America, Verizon Wireless, Carl's Jr., Nissan North America, AT&T and McDonald's -- announced through the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) that they were withdrawing support from KRXQ. A tenth advertiser, Wells Fargo Bank, issued a statement saying they were not advertisers of KRXQ's breakfast program and had no intention of advertising with the station in the future.

On June 3rd, Williams and States, along with co-host Dawn Rossi, addressed the May 28th segment following an outcry of opposition from listeners throughout the United States and as far away as the United Kingdom. Williams and States appeared to defend their right to an opinion on the show and clarified that they, in no way, advocated violence toward children.

"They never meant to advocate any form of abuse," station manager Jim Fox told The Sacramento Bee's 21Q blog.

Williams went on to say in his statement posted on June 7th that no new "Rob, Arnie & Dawn" shows will air on KRXQ until Thursday, June 11th, at which time the breakfast show presenters will "say what needs to be said."

"Apologizing in a written, posted statement is a form of cowardice," Williams wrote.

The Rob, Arnie and Dawn Show, which is owned and produced by Williams, airs weekday mornings on KRXQ 98.5 FM in Sacramento, known on-air as "98Rock," and in syndication on KDOT 104.5 FM in Reno. The 12-year radio program has been no stranger to controversy in the past; in 2004, the show was fined $55,000 by the Federal Communications Counsel for "on-air indecency" following a complaint filed by James Peak.

98Rocked: Ten Advertisers Withdraw Over Transgender Comments

2009-06-07T01:13:55Z

In the wake of controversial comments made by morning show presenters Rob Williams and Arnie States on KRXQ 98.5 FM, nine companies have responded by either discontinuing or agreeing not to renew advertisement support on Sacramento's rock station.

The nine companies -- Chipotle, Snapple, Sonic, Bank of America, Verizon Wireless, Carl's Jr., Nissan North America, AT&T and McDonald's -- all announced through the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) that they were withdrawing support from KRXQ, known on-air as "98Rock," which is the flagship station for the popular "Rob, Arnie & Dawn Show."

"McDonald's has a proud legacy of diversity and inclusion," read a statement prepared by McDonald's USA LLC. "The views expressed by (Williams and States) are not consistent with our core values. As such, we are in the process of withdrawing advertising from KRXQ until further notice."

Wells Fargo Bank, whose logo was removed from the KRXQ website shortly after May 28th, issued a statement saying it was not an advertiser of the May 28th broadcast and had not advertised on the station for more than a year.

The withdrawal of support comes nearly two weeks after Williams and States made controversial comments regarding transgender children, referring to them as "freaks," "fruits" and claimed that transgendered people suffered from "medical conditions" in which they felt the need to "bring attention to themselves."

"God forbid if my son put on a pair of high heels, I would probably hit him with one of my shoes," States quipped.

Williams and States addressed, but did not apologize for, their comments in a follow-up segment on June 3rd. They also expressed disinterest in commenting to the media on the current controversy.

So far, the withdrawal of advertisement does not appear to affect station KDOT 104.5 FM in Reno, which syndicates the "Rob, Arnie & Dawn Show" along with KRXQ 98.5 FM in Sacramento.

Local Radio Show Takes Heat, Loses Advertisers Over Transgender Comments

2009-06-05T07:12:30Z

Three companies have decided to pull their advertisement support from KRXQ 98.5, better known on-air as "98Rock," following a controversial discussion about transgendered children on the station's breakfast show "Rob, Arnie & Dawn."

During the May 28th discussion, show presenters Rob Williams and Arnie States read from a news article describing a male child in another state as being permitted to enroll in school as a female.

"God forbid if my son put on a pair of high heels, I would probably hit him with one of my shoes," States quipped.

Williams and States then took turns receiving listener phone calls, during which they called transgendered people "freaks," "fruits" and claimed that transgendered people suffered from "medical conditions" in which they felt the need to "bring attention to themselves." The shows third presenter, Dawn Rossi, appeared distressed during the segment.

"Those that really have this, it is a struggle for them! It is heart-wrenching for them! They have always felt like a different sex! And they've never felt like themselves."

In response to the May 28th discussion, the organization GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) issued a statement on its blog, saying it was working with the organization Trans Youth Family Allies to bring attention to the segment and solicit a response and apology from station management.

"GLAAD has reached out to KRXQ management to communicate our serious concerns and demand an apology. We are waiting for their reply," the blog read on June 1st.

"They never meant to advocate any form of abuse," station manager Jim Fox told The Sacramento Bee's 21Q blog.

States also pointed out that the show has held 29-hour broadcasts benefitting the U.C. Davis Children's Hospital network annually since 2007.

The presenters went on to defend their controversial dialogue, stating that opinions should be freely expressed regardless of how they're interpreted.

"That's what makes this country great," Rossi said in defense of Willams and States. "The minute we start telling Arnie he can't say that, then somebody's going to tell me I can't defend transgender people."

"You guys imply that all you have to do is...whack my non-existant child with a shoe if he goes clopping around the house in high heels," commented a listener who identified herself as a male-to-female transgender who previously had served in the US armed forces for 22 years. "Don't you think that all the abuse that I took in school would have changed that basic nature in me?"

"Thank you for your service, but let me just say this right now," quipped an angered States. "You fought (in the armed forces) for nothing! With the opinions that you have right there, you fought for absolutely nothing!"

Anyone who expected an apology from two-parts of the breakfast show trio were left with only points of clarification for the controversial dialogue, and that didn't sit well with gay and lesbian organizations.

"While it was heartening for us to hear that Rob Williams and Arnie States did not advocate for violence against children," GLAAD reported on their blog, "they also did not hold themselves accountable for their dehumanizing and defamatory words used to describe transgender children in last week’s show."

That didn't sit well with advertisers either. Shortly after Wednesday's show aired, the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group wrote an e-mail to GLAAD announcing they were pulling their advertisement-based support for KRXQ.

"We found the segment to be offensive," a statement released by the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group read, "and as a result, we are pulling our Snapple advertising from the station."

Chipotle Mexican Grill and Sonic Corporation also announced that day they, too, were pulling advertisement support for the station in response to the offensive comments.

"SONIC in no way condones violence toward children and does not wish to be associated with media content that condones or promotes such activity in any way"

The Rob, Arnie and Dawn Show, which is owned and produced by Williams, continues to air weekday mornings on KRXQ 98.5 FM in Sacramento and in syndication on KDOT 104.5 FM in Reno. The 12-year radio program has been no stranger to controversy in the past; in 2004, the show was fined $55,000 by the Federal Communications Counsel for "on-air indecency" following a complaint filed by James Peak.

Link: Listen to the original May 28th conversation

Link: Rob, Arnie & Dawn's response on June 3rd (part 1) (part 2)

Link: Local Radio Morning Program Upset Some Over Transgender Comments (FOX40, June 2nd)

Community discusses role of local media

2009-04-03T05:50:30Z

Representatives of local media outlets and community members came together Thursday night to discuss how to make local media better and more reflective of the community. The meeting was organized by the Sacramento Media Group, California Common Cause and Access Sacramento.

There was discussion and debate about the role and responsibility of our local media. Ron Cooper, executive director of Access Sacramento, summed it up when he said, “Media and your influence over media is really a local issue.”

The event was well attended by a diverse mix of community activists, students, and stakeholders. There were representatives of local broadcast stations, newspapers and online ventures.

The debate was lively, civil and structured. The most contentious issues surrounded bias, balance and facts presented by local media.

Another major topic of discussion was the lack of breadth or depth of local coverage.

Surprisingly, there was a lot of debate about the formation of community advisory boards to help media organizations be more responsive to the needs of the local community. Many thought the boards might have too much influence over coverage, and that their roles would have to be narrowly defined.

There was very little talk of the changes in our local media landscape brought on by technological innovation and the recession. But the structure and form of the discussions kept the focus on constructive criticism of the current state of local media.

The event was held at the Coloma Community Center.

All participants were asked to sit at tables based on their interest or primary media of choice. There were tables for TV, radio, newspapers, internet and general media. Each table had seats for 12, and all were filled.

The format was simple. Each group held structured discussions on public affairs, diversity, political coverage, community input and broadband internet access. Then, after the discussion, moderators from each group presented to all participants. Finally, there was time for individuals to speak to the whole group.

There will be a full report detailing the conversations of each media group, and when it is available, I will link to it.

The night was a great jumping-off point for discussions about local media, particularly the challenges that lie ahead.

More importantly, what do you think? Please continue the conversation below.