From Gerald Sanz
Sent: Friday, June 8, 2007 4:20:21 AM
Subject: MLS COM, KFMB says their negative, almost zero SOCCER coverage is “appropriate”

Commisioner Garber and MLS Communications,

I received this re: from the senior KFMB-TV sports producer Todd Villalobos, a veteran of the department responsible for omitting USA-MEXICO matches, for saying that “nobody cares” about USA-MEXICO in the World Cup, and countless other debacles, who refuses to cover MLS or local college soccer and HS championships, whose ticker didn’t name Beckham’s new league or team the day Galaxy signed him, who looks for negative pro soccer stories, especially oversees violence, who deliberately attempts to downplay positive news stories on soccer, to demean soccer, to distort news facts which favor the sport, to omit the major stories when positive (example, the vast majority of USMNT wins, including last night’s), and so on. The management has not yet taken corrective action, evidently. 

They even diminished positive facts and put in additional negative slants in two recent events they did cover: The Southern California Beach Soccer Championship in May, and the record-breaking match held at Qualcomm stadium on Wednesday, February 28.

This station shows the least soccer of anyone in San Diego, and always with a negative slant when they do show it, which is rarely.

This is what he must mean in the following’s last line when he says “appropriate” coverage is given to soccer by their station.

Your communications people should have some discussions with the station management as soon as possible.

Anti-soccer bias to this degree has no place on a broadcast TV station inSan Diego with soccer so beloved here !

Sports Producer Todd Villalobos is tvillalobos@kfmb.com

News Dir Fred D’Ambrosi dambrosi@kfmb.com
http://www.cbs8.com
GM is Ed Trimble etrimble@kfmb.com
tel. (858) 571-8888 fax (858) 560-0627

Note that they give no airtime to scores or covering ANY college soccer in season…
They get tips all the time (despite claims below), and have for many years, including stories on Aztec players into Hall of Fame (which they ignored), Aztec players in pros (ignored), Aztec signings to pros (ignored), Aztec nat’l awards (ignored), NCAA College Cup finals (ignored).

Villalobos: “your letter should be directed to those who run SDSU’s media relations department. If they wanted more coverage, they could call us every now and then with a decent story idea. We take all suggestions no matter the interest in the particular sport. A good story is a good story, soccer, baseball, or tiddlywinks.

Otherwise, as far as I can tell, we already do give soccer the appropriate coverage.”

Concerned advocate with Aztecs for more fairness in media: This bias has gone on uncorrected for far, far too long!

Sent Friday June 8th, 2007
To: news8@kfmb.com
From: Gerard Sanz

In Reply,
To Todd Villalobos, KFMB-TV Sports Producer:

A simple factual list of a small number of your department’s so-called “appropriate” decisions (you and the staff):

In the recent month, during the Southern California Beach Soccer Championship, your station used the one negative thing about soccer popularity that Marc Koehler said during the interview as the representative soundbite. I know because I was standing near your crew at the time.

Conveniently omitting any facts in same aired piece about record attendances set for soccer all over the USA recently, including two matches last year which got over 90,000 at LA Coliseum, matches which you ignored in your news, the all-time record attendance for MLS match, the all-time records set at NFL stadiums FOR SOCCER beating their own NFL team’s high attendances, the record set this year for Arizona Stadium and the state of Arizona, the record set this year for San Diego’s entire history of soccer, at Qualcomm stadium, all-time attendance record for any sports at Reliant stadium, a match which you personally refused to cover, even though it was USA vs MEXICO.
Your station was the only one in southern California who ignored that big match’s news.

Showing soccer violence overseas stories, but not big overseas positive soccer news stories that most other in San Diego show. Emphasing riots, violations and punishment of pro soccer players.

Choosing and looking for only negative MLS stories, and never airing positive ones in recent years. Never airing match highlights of MLS, no coverage of 2007 season thus far including local stars, no coverage of MLS Cup 2006 playoffs or final, no match highlights of entire 2006 MLS season.

Choosing to omit the most important facts in the sports ticker upon David Beckham’s signing: Name of team and league signed to.

Choosing to omit the most important fact on sports ticker from Qualcomm friendly, the fact that it set an all-time attendance record. Ticjer only stated that “thousands” attended (was 63,000+).

Choosing to bash soccer by saying it is boring while showing match highlights of the World Cup and USA Men’s matches. Choosing to bach soccer even in non-soccer sports news stories.
Choosing to omit news and video of virtually every win of the USA Men in 2006 and 2007, the vast majority of their matches. Choosing to omit entire USA Women World Cup qualifiers including USA vs. MEXICO match that clinched their berth in finals. Ignoring SD Native Julie Foudy’s HOF vote.

Stating falsely in spring 2006 that USA were having trouble in Europe, when they had just won a match in Germany against Poland, and one in USA vs. Norway, which set an all-time record, both which you omitted from your news entirely. Stating falsely on the air that USA record was 0-5 against European teams. when in fact they were entirely undefeated in 2006 to that point. Being alerted to erroneous coverage, you personally refused to air corrected version and denied that mistake occurred. You attempted to cover up the mistake with your bosses and enquirers.

Allowing anchor to come on the air and say that “Nobody Cares” about USA vs. MEXICO in World Cup, after THAT match that set the all-time ESPN TV rating record for any sport ant any hour, in any year’s second quarter, even though it aired in middle of the night !

Allowing anchor to come on the air on first day of World Cup 2006 and state hope that time would run out so that no World Cup news would air. Allowing same anchor to bash soccer unchecked.

You know about all of this and countless other examples. You have done nothing to improve.
No, Todd, it’s NOT “appropriate” !