The stunning news reported here yesterday that KCTV’s VP & General Manager Bobby Totsch had been unceremoniously dumped after exactly three years on the job is still reverberating throughout the media community.
His contract was not renewed by KTV parent Meredith Corporation in the midst of a hotly contested TV sweeps period.
One would be hard-pressed to find a GM who made more dramatic changes in such a short tenure at a TV station. He ruthlessly let veteran talent go like meteorologist Katie Horner and Chris Pisano and several others. He disbanded the station’s award-winning investigative unit. He canned his Web site staffers.
On the other hand, he introduced three new local shows in the KC market aimed at local advertisers.
Bottom Line reached out to several people who worked under Totsch at KCTV for their views on what transpired under his guidance.
All were guaranteed anonymity and all were very forthright in their comments.
One admittted, “Bobby Totsch – may he rot in hell forever – ruined my life and I have yet to recover.”
Here are are their thoughts:
“I would say too many changes. He upends the investigative unit, changes morning anchors like he changes channels at home and getting rid of Katie. No matter what anyone thought of her, Katie worked hard and had a connection with the audience. Is she the end all of meteorologists? No, but he certainly didn’t upgrade to anyone better.”
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“This was also his first GM job. No matter how much management experience you have leading an organization is hard and I don’t think he was prepared for any of it. What surprises me is that (former GM) Kirk Black let this happen. I mean, he was a VP with Meredith and probably had oversight of KCTV so he, I think, would have a lot to say about who succeeded him. And anyone who still calls themselves Bobby at that age simply can’t be taken seriously.”
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“My guess is that he and News Director Blaise Labbe locked horns on a lot of things and in an effort to save the ratings during Sweeps, Totsch was the lamb. His right-hand man Mike Cuychne is cut from the same abrasive cloth, so who knows what his future is.
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“Bobby was a salesman, and all he cared about was doing whatever it took to make money at the cost of the station’s integrity. He was the one who decided to put “Steak and Shake” mugs on the weekend morning anchor desk without thinking twice about how it might jeopardize the integrity of the news product.
“When Matt Stewart stood up to him and refused, he nearly fired the guy (and eventually did). He had Kelly Jones doing commercials for fast food joints during the 7am morning news hour on KSMO, having her eat a breakfast sandwich while talking about where you could go to get one.”
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“He didn’t understand the news or what the viewer wanted. He (and news director Blaise Labbe) were behind the exit of so many well-known personalities – Katie Horner, Chris Pisano, and Dana Wright, to name a few – because he thought bringing in new faces would provide a bump in ratings.”
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“He failed to realize that Kansas City viewers like to watch familiar faces, that it takes time for an anchor to build a rapport with an audience, that dumping quality employees lowers morale at the station, and that news experience on your staff goes a long way toward building a quality news product. He had no patience, and his impulsive decisions shattered the trust between KCTV and the community. It will take years for the station to recover in the ratings from Bobby’s mistakes in judgement.”
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“Totsch made the same mistake that infects all self-important, egomaniacal and bloviating TV management. That is, they think they know what ‘works’ because they’ve stumbled into success at their previous stations.
“In fact, it soon becomes all too apparent that they not only know nothing about the market they wish to dominate, but worse, haven’t the slightest idea how to lead or inspire. Instead they mistake fear for brilliance and change for the sake of it as the long-lost answer to increased ratings. In short, Bobby Totsch came to Kansas city and proved the emperor has no clothes.”
KC STAR’S REPORTING PARTNER
And KCTV, I might add, is The Star’s reporting partner. Perhaps the paper needs to find a new reporting partner, although I would hope it wouldn’t be those dancing clowns over at Fox 4. At any rate, morale at KCTV can’t be real high these days.
STAR’S REPORTING PARTNERS
The Star has already gone through its “reporting partners”, KSHB preceding KCTV.
Anyway, wasn’t that the big “convergence” thing Knight – Ridder and then McClatchy were going to launch when they brought in Dave Helling? All the reporters would have a video camera and shoot their stories while reporting them…
(sound of crickets)..
NOT FROM SAME CLOTH
Interesting comments. Totsch worked for years under KMOV Channel 4 GM Allan Cohen, a national legend and whose work I witnessed first-hand for many years. You’d never hear current and former employees write stuff like this. Guess Totsch wasn’t cut from the same cloth.
‘TOP 50 CHIEFS’
Channel 5 must also be loving their Top 50 Chiefs of all time promotion. With 14 places to go that means another two weeks….has anybody noticed that the Chiefs decline coincided with this promotion…..You can see Bobby Totsch’s fine hand all over this…
SUGGESTIONS
Bring back Saturday 9pm on KSMOTV and 7am to 8am Newscast but expand it to 9am,also Daily Buzz and so on.
NUMBER OF PROBLEMS
There are any number of problems with what the poster “matt” is suggesting, but I’ll start with the fact that the Saturday 9pm on KSMO was a logistical decision due to KSMO carrying Sporting KC soccer. The KSMO 7-8am hour went away to accommodate Better KC, (not to mention it’s barely-there ratings) and it’s not likely to return (ESPECIALLY to run all the way to 9am). What people don’t understand is the amount of prep work that has to go into shows, especially in an automated control room environment…you can’t just willy-nilly add shows without adding people, and that goes well above and beyond Bob Totch.
SERIOUSLY?
Seriously, a forum for all former employees to bash the man ?! Obviously you’ll only hear from those that have an axe to grind… crimony.
We reached out to former employees and they were free to comment positively or negatively. Yes, some were let go by him, but others left for better positions. Anyone who wants to comment positively about him can.
DON’T LOVE WHAT THEY ARE DOING
I rarely watch KCTV5. I still remember as a kid Wendall Anshutz and Anne Peterson. As an adult, the new anchors on KCTV seem different from other stations. It feels they are doing a “job” doesn’t come across as they love what they are doing. One thing I think they should change is the studio….every time I watch the news cast I feel like I am in a board room getting the information.
‘BORED ROOM’
You are absolutely right, Loren, but you spelled one word wrong.
It’s a bored room.
KIND WORDS FOR TOTSCH
Enough with the smear job of Robert Totsch. While some of these moves clearly rattled certain segments of the local community, this has been an unprecendented time for TV stations with consumers obtaining news from so many other sources.
There are multiple sides to every story and I’m sure the executive team at Meredith was consulted or had some level of input into the personnel changes Totsch made.
Totsch had a hugely successful career at KMOV in Saint Louis under the leadership of the legendary Alan Cohen, and it was Totsch’s insight and creativity that enabled KMOV to grow its revenue base, advertiser list which ultimately finances the on air talent, news and other community activities of the station.
Totsch has been successful at everything he has pursued and I believe we will see a renaissance in the very near future.