KCBS traffic is on the air, just not in the air
“Da plane! Da plane!” Sorry, Tattoo. No more airborne traffic reporters on KCBS. Ron Cervi is gone from that station after 29 years, many of them on his beloved Sky 1; so are Alan Brooks and anchors like Mitch Thompson, who signed off his last midday shift by telling news anchor Rebecca Corral, “It’s been a wonderful ride.” And, just like that, it’s mostly new voices “on the 8s” on the allnews station.
What happened? That’s exactly what I asked Jack Swanson, KCBS director of news and programming.
“CBS Radio nationwide created CBS Traffic in each of its core cities,” he replied. “We had a long relationship with Total Traffic.” But CBS Radio chose not to renew its contract with Total Traffic, which is owned by competitor iHeart Media. The move was reportedly made for financial reasons.
However, Swanson noted, “We’ve created our own traffic center in the newsroom. We’re hired 20 people, full- and parttime, reporters and producers. It’s a busier place now. Did it save some money? Yes, from grounding the aircraft, but we’re spending as much in staffing human beings.”
The aircraft had been part of Total Traffic, and so were several reporters and anchors who had become familiar voices on KCBS, chief among them Thompson, Cervi and Brooks. “Most of them were under contract to Total and were on loan to us,” said Swanson, and Total chose to keep them. “So change is inevitable.”
Thompson and his colleagues can be heard on other stations served by Total Traffic. Cervi, who posts photos of views from the air on Instagram and Twitter (@sky1ron), hopes to resurface on TV. He has reported for KPIX from Chopper 5.
KCBS did manage to retain popular afternoon anchor Sheryl Raines. “We tried to get as many of them as we could,” said Swanson, “but they wouldn’t give us everything. We really wanted Sheryl, so we pressed the point. And they said ‘OK, you can have her.’ ” Morning anchor Kim Wonderley is a KCBS employee and stays in place, while Thompson has been replaced by Bay Area veteran George Rask.
Other new staffers include Sherry Brown, John Atkinson, Jennifer Hodges and sportscaster Bruce Magowan, who replaces Dave Lewis on the evening shift.
As for the elimination of helicopters and airplanes, Swanson said airborne reporting is being replaced by technology. A helicopter, he said, “is very expensive, and could only be in one place at a time. With technology, we have a network of traffic centers, and we’re replacing two airplanes with access to 416 live cameras in traffic positions.”
The new setup includes an advertising deal resulting in a commercial popping up between traffic and weather reports. But, Swanson said, the total minutes of spots per hour remains the same.
Swanson, who joined KCBS after 30 years, on and off, directing KGO’s newsroom in its years of market dominance, from the late ’70s through 2011, has announced his retirement. It’s only been two years, but, he said, “I thought it’s time.” When GM Doug Harvill approached him about replacing the retired Ed Cavagnaro, Swanson responded, “Yeah, OK, for a while. … I tried to move the direction of the station three degrees, maybe a little younger and more stimulating.”
He believes he succeeded, and helped KCBS maintain its high ratings. “What a great time to step off the stage,” he said. “They’re happy with me. I’m happy with them.”
The end comes Monday, May 1. “It was a great run,” Swanson concluded. And despite his many years at the helm of KGO, he added: “I do consider the KCBS gig the pinnacle of my career.” Heartaches by the numbers: It’s been a while since we looked at the Nielsen radio ratings. These are through February and are the overall ratings, for pretty much everyone at all times. Not the numbers advertisers look at. They want specific age ranges and specific times of the day. But this gives you an idea of who’s rocking and who’s reeling.
KQED is killin’, with a 7.7 percent share of the audience. KCBS is hurting the competition, too, with a 6.8. KOIT, which scored a ridiculous 9.2 over the holidays, settles into third place with a 4.9, followed by new rival KISQ (the Breeze) at 4.5. Two CBS music standouts — KLLC (Alice) and KMVQ (Now) — are knotted at 3.8. Close behind are KIOI at 3.7 and KYLD (Wild) with 3.5. On the eve of the Giants, KNBR posted a 3.2, just ahead of KBRG (3.1) and KMEL (3.0). Sibling talkers KSFO and KGO are 2.8 and 2.4, sandwiching KSOL (2.6). The ’80s jukebox KOSF and hip-hop throwbacker KRBQ (Q102) are tied at 2.4, followed by R&B dispenser KBLX (2.3). KDFC and KSAN, classical and classic rock, respectively, each have 2.1.
Hey, where’s KGMZ, home of the Warriors? Despite the Dubs’ strong run toward another championship, The Game is only 1.7 in the overall ratings, behind KITS (Live 105) with 1.9, and KFOG with 1.8. No doubt KGMZ is doing better among basketball Jonesers. Help wanted: On the air, he was “Grappone.” Gra-PONE. Bay Area listeners probably remember him best from his eight-year run on KFOG, where he did afternoon drive beginning in 1992. But he also logged time on KSAN (The Bone) and two long-forgotten stations, KKWV (The Wave at 93.3, now Spanish-language La Raza) and KKDV (The Drive at 95.7, now The Game). Since 2005, he’s been in Portland at the eclectic rocker KINK. And now he’s reaching out to listeners, past and present, for some help.
“I had brain surgery last October,” he wrote, “and needless to say, I’m in a financial crisis.” So he’s started a GoFundMe page. “Otherwise, it’s one day at a time — and music. It heals, believe me.” You can find his page through Facebook. Oh, yes: His full name: Grappone. John Grappone.