Go to the mobile version of this Web site.

Login | Contact Us | Site Map | Paid archives | Electronic edition | Subscription Questions | Extras

SAUNDERS: 9News anchor Bob Kendrick hit by economy

By Dusty Saunders, Special to the Rocky

Published November 3, 2008 at 6 p.m.

Text size  
9News anchors Adele Arakawa and Bob Kendrick, center, laugh with sportscaster Drew Soicher during a commercial break in the middle of a newscast. Kendrick will be leaving at the end of November sweeps.

Photo by The Rocky File / 2004

9News anchors Adele Arakawa and Bob Kendrick, center, laugh with sportscaster Drew Soicher during a commercial break in the middle of a newscast. Kendrick will be leaving at the end of November sweeps.

More Television

More stories »

Bob Kendrick replaced Jim Benemann as Adele Arakawa's co-anchor on top-rated 9News five years ago. On the surface, things haven't changed much since. The Gannett-owned station is still the local audience ratings leader, despite inroads by CBS 4 News and the ongoing move to cable and the Internet.

So why is Gannett bouncing Kendrick from its anchor desk? He'll leave at the end of the November sweeps period that started Thursday.

The short answer: "It's the economy, stupid." Broadcasting is not immune from the nation's economic problems.

A broadcasting source said the 47-year-old Kendrick has been making nearly $400,000 annually. That, combined with Arakawa's nearly $500,000 annual salary, was enough to raise the blood pressure of Gannett executives, who have been in a major financial and employee cutback mode at its 23 stations since spring. At the time, only a handful of non-newsroom employees at 9News got the axe.

Kendrick's dismissal was "about 80 percent due to salary," the source close to 9News said.

"Bob is well-liked in the newsroom, professionally and personally. Still, Gannett officials felt Kendrick would never have the long-term impact or popularity of Ed Sardella," the source said.

Sardella was a co-anchor for nearly 25 years before retiring in 2000, giving way to Benemann, whose move to CBS 4 News paved the entrance for Kendrick, formerly from WFTS-TV in Tampa Bay.

But Gannett bean counters apparently have determined it is imprudent, in this sagging economy, to have an anchor team making around $900,000 annually.

Kendrick reportedly was initially offered a contract that would keep him at the station in a reporting capacity. After turning the offer down, Kendrick, possibly looking at the grim broadcasting scene, had second thoughts. But 9News executives had changed their minds about re-hiring him.

Although an official announcement hasn't been made, Kendrick's replacement will be Mark Koebrich, another source said. Koebrich is co-anchor on the weeknight 4 p.m. news and the 9 p.m. news on Gannett-owned KTVD-Channel 20.

"Mark has a lot of energy and would fit well with Arakawa," the source said, adding: "Mark is not paid what Kendrick was making."

Koebrich worked with Arakawa for three days last week because Kendrick "had some time off coming," according to 9News director Patti Dennis, who added Koebrich "could be part of our plans" as Arakawa's TV partner.

Although 9News executives remain silent regarding Kendrick's departure, they previously have been upfront about long-term economic moves, which include an increase of "backpack reporters" - employees capable of both reporting and shooting video. Example: Dave DeLozier, an award-winning 9News photographer, was on camera last week reporting a story. Several 9News reporters are being schooled in photography.

Kendrick's departure is a graphic illustration that the era of highly-paid local TV personalities is on the decline. And 9News isn't the only station in town facing tough decisions about high-priced talent.

Benemann, now the "face" of CBS4 News, is making about $700,000 a year, according to a source familiar with local broadcasting salaries. However, his contract is up for renewal next year. Obviously, the CBS-owned station will want to keep him, but at what price?

Weather personalities always have high profiles on the Denver TV scene. Meteorologist Mike Nelson moved from 9News to Denver's 7 in 2004 for an annual deal of more than $400,000. Kathy Sabine, who replaced Nelson as 9News' No. 1 weathercaster, then saw her salary move over the $400,000 figure.

Denver's 7 general manager Byron Grandy admitted the current economic environment could alter future hires at the station. "We're in an era when we pay for value rather than simply name recognition."

He declined to say when Nelson's contract expires. "We don't worry about that. Mike is valuable to us."

But the financial climate is changing. The forecast for local broadcasting salaries: Much lower with little chance of major increases.

tvtime@comcast.net

Comments

  • November 3, 2008

    8:06 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    mmlangdon2 writes:

    All I can say is that I am totally amazed at how much money these people make. Are there no news anchors that can do just as good of a job for less money.

    Our society is going to continue to be a train wreck until people finally realize that its completely unreasonable to pay these execs this ridiculous amount of money. Every day you see average citizens compaining about "pass thru" when it comes to taxes and petroleum prices - and they turn a deaf ear to executive salaries and bonuses. Then they turn around and give some Wall Street trader what little money they have left and let him siphon off what remains.

  • November 4, 2008

    7:33 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    UglyDuck writes:

    mmlangdon2, how do you feel about the exhorbitant incomes for athletes, movie stars and other entertainers? And, what is it they do that is so deserving of that kind of money? Do they make earth shattering decisions that affect the lives of many people? Ummm, no. Do they run large corporations that employ multitudes of people? Ahhh, nope. Let's see, they make millions because they can, ahhh, run fast? Catch and throw a ball? Memorize a few lines and create fantasy? But, in the end, they deserve to make that kind of money because people are stupid enough to pay huge sums of money for tickets to watch them do their things.

  • November 4, 2008

    8:05 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    BikerChick writes:

    ..
    Bob Kendrick will be sorely missed. He is a class act. Though he is the only TV-business person who ever blocked my email, he has my respect.

    Mark Koebrich is also a class act.

    Mark Cornetta had tough choices to make, and he made those choices.

    This scene will repeat many times, driven by economics and a new paradigm approach.

    Recent election coverage bias portends the demise of the dumb-and-dumber media businesses. The 'news business' team members must awaken and listen to their customers, reporting Truth only - or TV will follow the slide now in progress in the print media.
    ..

  • November 4, 2008

    11:15 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    5thgennative writes:

    UglyDuck - Not to mention the tabloids (both magazines and television)

    mmlangdon2 - You cannot complain about a problem that you help make. I'm sure that you watch the news, loyal to your favorite station/anchor(s). I can bet that you watch television, movies, root for your favorite sports team, catch up on which of your favorite star is pregnant, etc. You help feed the fuel, as do the rest of us. Is it fair that these are the people who make the most money when it should be our REAL heroes? Is it fair that police officers, firemen/firewomen, teachers, and soldiers don't make millions, but some girl in a lot of make-up getting her picture taken for a magazine does? No. Hell no it's not fair, but that's how our society is, and that will never change.

  • November 4, 2008

    11:25 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    Seanchai writes:

    >>mmlangdon2 writes: All I can say is that I am totally amazed at how much money these people make.<<

    Me, too! Holy crap! Half a million dollars a year?! I get that they're valuable, have skills and training, etc., but...I really need to lose ten pounds and learn how to read a teleprompter! - John

  • November 4, 2008

    12:06 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    BLauren writes:

    Too much money. They should offer these jobs to recent graduates for under $100,000. These jobs don't require that their employees know rocket science, they should not make this kind of money. Adele isn't that great anyway. MAKE A STATEMENT, CUT THEIR SALARIES.

  • November 4, 2008

    1:04 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    wow writes:

    HOLY COW!!!
    $500,000/year? For reading the news?
    They're right though. I like Kendric, but he's no Sardella.
    I miss Ed.

  • November 4, 2008

    2:05 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    slackerjoe writes:

    Based on the Benemann, Arakawa, Sabine salary structure, Drew Soicher should be making about $1.98.

  • November 4, 2008

    2:21 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    5thgennative writes:

    slackerjoe - Hahahaha! How does Drew still have a job?! He's horrible!

  • November 4, 2008

    2:55 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    steve00 writes:

    Koebrich as co-anchor!!! C'mon, how about Bazi? She's way better and way hotter. I'm thinking she's making more than Soicher but less than Adele. If it was Adele, Kathy, and Bazi at 5:00 and 10:00, I'm sure I would never watch another newscast on a different channel.

  • November 4, 2008

    3:35 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    unhyphenated writes:

    UglyDuck - I've been saying the same things for years. When will people ever wake up? Never.

  • November 4, 2008

    3:41 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Sal writes:

    mmlangdon,

    The short answer is no, there isn't anyone out there that can do the same job for less money. When I was in college, I loved waatching the local news in Little Rock, Arkansas because I just had to see who was going to screw up and how they would do it.

    Sure, they could go out and pull a local news plunker out of a state like Arkansas, but you'd better believe that they'd lose their audience to a station that had real talent.

  • November 4, 2008

    7:48 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    9er writes:

    As a former 9News employee, I agree that Ed Sardella was the cream of the crop. I did, though, think Bob Kendrick turned out to be pretty good and am sorry to see him go. Of course, Mark Koebrich probably should have gotten the anchor job 5 years ago! Too bad he has been dedicated to the station forever and only gets the job as an underpaid runner-up!

    Anchors overpaid? They work their asses off and dedicate their lives to delivering news to the public, unlike million-dollar sports prima donnas that no one seems to think twice about. Journalism is a lot more than reading a teleprompter! Ed was one of the very best. I venture to say that Mark Koebrich is also. (And Adele is way more than a pretty face!)

  • November 8, 2008

    3:30 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    carlindenver writes:

    Adios Kendrick: Yes, Mark Koebrich is much better and a believable news personality. And he does "work" at being more than a pretty face on news delivery. Kendrick is, in the words of Doug Moe; "a real stiff." Kendrick was being groomed to be a possible "next Brian Williams." Did we ever see Bland Bob ever work up a sweat doing any meaningful reporting? Or do any real in-depth important investigative or memorable analytic reporting?
    The good news from all this is, hopefully, we will see a "realistic" news anchor. Mark Koebrich. Thank you Mark.

  • December 11, 2008

    12:54 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    ponch80524 writes:

    What a shocker. I like Bob. I also like Mark as a replacement to take over. Mark is a dinosaur with 9 news (that is a compliment). I remember when he started Good Afternoon Colorado with Linda Benzel. That is how old I am. Mark has always replied back to my e-mails in a timely fashion. 9 news, please stay with Mark as co-anchor with Adele and Kim at 4 o'clock.

  • December 16, 2008

    9:42 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    meesterbig writes:

    9News should dump that morning moron with the awful, high-pitched giggle - Gary somebody - and replace him with Kendrick. Only then would I ever consider returning to the morning news on Channel 9.

  • December 21, 2008

    8:05 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    ljt0602 writes:

    Bob Kendrick will be greatly missed. That was a really poor decision on 9 news. They fired the wrong anchor. Adele should have been the one let go. She is old and hardened and you'd think for $500K a year she could get her teeth fixed!

    Bob is a class act, a great journalist and anchor. I agree with the comments above. Move Bob to a different time slot perhaps. He is too good to be just let go.

    This does not exhibit good business practices at 9 news.