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The new KRON makes a weak first impression Tim Goodman |
Wednesday, January 2, 2002
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On its first official day as an independent station -- goodbye to all that NBC programming -- KRON (Channel 4) didn't do Bay Area television viewers any favors. Particularly those brain-challenged by hangovers. That's because the first show anyone probably watched yesterday morning was the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, an annual tradition. Unfortunately, KRON decided to take the feed from KTLA (Channel 5) in Los Angeles, which repeatedly and prominently aired its logo throughout the long event. What -- KRON is on Channel 5? And what's this KTLA thing? As if figuring out the mess of numbers -- KNTV (Channel 11) is now NBC but calls itself NBC3 because that's its cable location -- weren't difficult enough. It wasn't a very good first impression, that's for sure. KRON came off looking as if it had the equivalent of $1.98 to spend on programming and, since it couldn't afford to smell the roses, left it to a station in hated Los Angeles to do the heavy lifting. And as if that weren't bad enough, the hosts were Bob Eubanks, best known for 'The Newlywed Game,' and Stephanie Edwards, whose claim to fame is a mystery but who less than deftly pronounced KRON 'kay-ron.' The heralded switch of NBC actually took place on New Year's Eve, when 'The Tonight Show With Jay Leno' appeared on KNTV at 11:35 p.m. -- the first time in 52 years that an NBC show wasn't on KRON. After delivering an extended monologue and watching the ball drop in Times Square, Leno mentioned the new affiliate, 'NBC3' -- just as someone in the audience yelled something out. So much for the grand introduction. KNTV took any remaining mystery out of the switch by plastering a large white '3' next to the trademark NBC peacock logo and the Olympic rings (NBC will carry the Winter Olympics next month). There was barely room left on the screen for Leno's chin. Yesterday, viewing habits seemed momentarily normal, no hint of the potentially bewildering channel swap. KRON had the Tournament of Roses Parade - - albeit with that SoCal twist -- and KNTV had a college bowl game -- two Jan. 1 staples. Every chance it had, KNTV would sneak in a promo for an NBC program, followed by its new logo -- 'NBC3' with 'Channel 11' written underneath. Numerically odd, sure, but the stunner was how KNTV rewrote tradition by listing San Jose first among the major metropolitan areas it covers -- San Francisco and Oakland came after. Perhaps that's a hint that the South Bay station plans on pleasing its longtime audience first, and wooing other viewers later with its unfamiliar on- air personalities. Of course, it was KRON that soon stood out as the station with the bigger change. After the Rose Parade, KRON had to explain its newfound status as an independent station. 'A new day has arrived on the Bay Area broadcast horizon,' a voice said, not tripping on the clunky expression. Then a mini-documentary of KRON began. And so did the spin. 'We've maintained that what made us special was not our network affiliation, ' the voice said, unconvincingly, 'but our connection to the independent spirit that makes the Bay Area a great place to call home.' So viewers weren't tuning in for 'The West Wing' after all, they were really in search of 'Bay Area Backroads'? Got it. The voice-over continued: 'As we shed our peacock feathers' -- yes, it really did say that -- 'to become the No. 1 independent station in the country, we have more time to focus on our viewers' favorite subject -- the Bay Area.' Forget the fact that KRON is nowhere near the No. 1 independent station in the country (it may be someday, but not in less than 24 hours). To suggest that losing all those unnecessary must-see TV shows will give viewers 'more time' to focus on, say, Vic Lee, is a bold idea. Hey, maybe KTLA has some programming it can share. The new 'kay-ron' certainly has its work cut out for it. That became clear after yet another 'Judge Judy' promo, followed by a syndicated dating show few people will want to watch. Yep, KRON is going to have to be bold -- perhaps unbelievably bold -- to keep viewers from changing channels in the New Year. E-mail Tim Goodman at [email protected]. |
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