2 arrested in robbery of KRON crew

The Bay Area News Group reports that two men have been arrested in connection with an attempted robbery of a KRON 4 news crew Friday night in San Francisco.

Police said the KRON 4 crew was at Third Street and La Salle Avenue in San Francisco's Bayview district when the robbery was reported around 7:58 p.m. A short time later, a person with a gunshot wound arrived at San Francisco General Hospital.

On the station's 11 p.m. newscast, KRON 4 anchor Pam Moore read a statement saying journalist Jeff Bush had been the target of the robbery.

According to Moore, Bush was approached by two armed men who demanded his computer and photographic equipment.

While Bush immediately surrendered the equipment and took cover, an unidentified security guard that was with Bush fired on the robbers, striking one in the leg, Moore said.

No one else was injured.

Armani McFarland, 19, of San Francisco was arrested on suspicion of robbery, conspiracy and possession of a firearm. His accomplice, John Woods, 19, also of San Francisco, was arrested on suspicion of robbery and conspiracy, said Danielle Newman with the San Francisco Police Department.

Both men are in custody.

One of the teens was treated Friday night at San Francisco General Hospital for a non-life-threatening gunshot injury he sustained during a shootout with a security guard that accompanied the news crew, but Newman did not specify who it was that was shot.

The incident is the latest in a series of brazen robberies targeting media professionals in the Bay Area, most of which have taken place in Oakland.

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Merc selling headquarters for $30 million

The Mercury News reported today (Sept. 24) that it is selling its headquarters at I-880 and Brokaw Road to Super Micro Computer, which will covert the site to a manufacturing facility. The Merc said it will remain in the building until sometime next year, when it hopes to move 300 news, advertising and administrative employees to a new location "in Silicon Valley." The building’s sale price was $30.5 million. The building has been the Merc’s home since 1967, when it was built for $1 million.

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Brown signs anti-paparazzi law

Gov. Jerry Brown today (Sept. 24) signed an anti-paparazzi law sought by celebrities and aimed at protecting the privacy of their children, according to the LA Times.

The legislation by Sen. Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles) makes it a misdemeanor to attempt to photograph or videotape a child in a harassing manner if the image is being taken because the child's parent is a celebrity or public official.

“Kids shouldn’t be tabloid fodder nor the target of ongoing harassment,” de Leon said, adding his bill "will give children, no matter who their parent is, protection from harassers who go to extremes to turn a buck.”

The bill applies to photographs and videotape taken of children because of one of their parent’s professions, but it drew strong support from Hollywood celebrities.

Actresses Jennifer Garner and Halle Berry testified before California lawmakers recently that the bill is needed because when they take their children out in public, they are harassed by the paparazzi. The new law, which takes effect Jan. 1, also increases the penalty for violators.

The current penalty for general harassment is up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000. The new penalty for harassment of children by photographers or video camera operators is up to one year in jail and a possible fine of $10,000.

The Times reported that the California Broadcasters Association and California Newspapers Publishers Association opposed SB 606. The newspaper group argued that the bill’s penalties infringe on First Amendment-protected newsgathering in public places where public figures have no reasonable expectation of privacy. The bill, the group wrote to lawmakers, is "overly broad, vague and infringes upon legitimate and protected forms of speech expression."

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Examiner names new editor, managing editor

The San Francisco Examiner has promoted Mike Billings to the job of editor-in-chief and Max DeNike as managing editor, according to the paper's website. Billings has worked at The S.F. Examiner since 2006 as a page designer, city editor and online editor. He most recently was an assistant managing editor. Before The San Francisco Examiner, he worked at the Palo Alto Daily News as a copy editor and page designer. DeNike has worked at The San Francisco Examiner since 2007 as a copy editor and night editor. He most recently was the city editor. He came to the paper from the Santa Cruz Sentinel, where he was a copy editor and reporter. Billings replaces Stephen Buel, who is resigning after purchasing a number of East Bay magazines.

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Chron editor Ward Bushee retiring

Bushee

Ward Bushee announced today (Sept. 20) he is retiring as editor and vice president of the San Francisco Chronicle after five years in that post. No replacement was named.

His retirement comes four months after the retirement of Publisher Frank Vega. The paper and its digital operations are now led by Publisher Jeffrey Johnson, former chief executive of the Los Angeles Times, and President Joanne Bradford, who honed her online media skills at Demand Media and Yahoo.

Bushee, 64, came to The Chronicle in February 2008 from the Arizona Republic, where he had been editor since 2002.

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