MEDIA / KEVIN BRASS : Unknown Eater a Slippery, Ever-Changing Superstar

The man of mystery, the local media superstar who remains cloaked in a veil of secrecy, was on the phone.

“You wanted to talk to me?” he asked, with a hearty laugh.

For nine years, this shadowy figure has been reporting on San Diego for KFMB-TV (Channel 8), operating on the cutting edge of television news, refusing to reveal his identity, telling people where to eat. The Unknown Eater was on the phone.

He defended the need for secrecy.

“I can go into a restaurant with my wife and family and we’re just another obnoxious couple,” he explained.

Ah, a personal tidbit. The Unknown Eater is married and has a family.

The search for the Unknown Eater, Channel 8’s anonymous restaurant critic, began two weeks ago. A call to a former Channel 8 employee, the type of person who wouldn’t mind spilling a few beans about the station, revealed this fact, which wasn’t much of a surprise: Several people have been the Unknown Eater in the last nine years. It wasn’t exactly like learning Batman had let Robin wear his suit a couple of times.

“I think Jim Holtzman was the first one,” said the erstwhile Channel 8 employee of the news director. “Barbara Lange, an assignment editor, was the Unknown Eater for a while. I think Holtzman ran out of time and he handed it to her.”

After several current Channel 8 employees did not return phone calls--apparently they were either unwilling to discuss the sensitive subject or miffed at recent references to anchorman Stan Miller as a “Stud Puppet”--a call to another former employee produced a new lead.

“I think Eileen Brennan was it for a while,” she said.

Ah, a good clue, a live lead, a chance to put an end to this breathless search. Brennan, now a project director with Channel 8’s “Eight Cares” unit, was surprised by the call. But she soon confessed.

“Yeah, I was the Unknown Eater for a while,” she said. “I guess, after we’re done, we’re allowed to reveal ourselves.”

She was working as a special projects producer for the news when she began living the double life of the Eater. “I got the job the same way everyone gets it, I tried out for it,” she said. “Obviously it has to be an unknown person.”

After a year she gave up the glamorous life style and the extra pay.

“I just got so tired of going out to eat,” she said. “I just don’t like to eat that much. It got to be a drudge.”

“OK, so who is the Unknown Eater now?” she was asked.

“Want me have him call you?” she quickly replied.

Jackpot. A few minutes later, the anonymous gourmet himself was on the phone.

He said former Channel 8 producer Erik Sorenson, now with KCBS-TV (Channel 2) in Los Angeles, was the first to assume the role, not Holtzman. There have been, he said, six Unknown Eaters.

Unknown Eater VI said he has held “the best job in town” for 2 1/2 years, earning the post in an open audition. He admits to giving only two really bad reviews in the last year.

“Occasionally, I just get really lousy service,” he said, a subtle ode to the power of his anonymity and the fear it should strike in all waiters and waitresses.

As he talked, he let down his guard, and more personal details slipped out. He has been with the station for 16 years, has an Emmy Award for writing and works as a photographer, writer and editor.

He wouldn’t give his name, though he conceded that his identity isn’t a very well-kept secret.

But the search for the Unknown Eater had come to an end. It seemed better to leave him his veil of secrecy, to allow him to freely roam the night, an unknown figure in search of rotten pizza and lousy waitresses.

North County listeners of KKYY-FM (Y95) may have noticed a dramatic drop in their ability to pick up the station. Don’t worry, the signal drop is only temporary. The station has turned down its signal to North County while work is being done on its transmitter. The signal is expected to be turned up again in a few days. . . .

Surely many KNSD-TV (Channel 39) viewers thought that the station sent reporter Kim Devore to London to cover the crash of a Pan Am jetliner. In fact, she was there on vacation and decided to call in a couple of meaningless, but impressive-sounding reports about the scene in London. . . .

Mark Williams promised to be an activist when he took the morning talk job at XTRA-AM (690). Now he’s found his first cause. He has joined half a dozen other radio talk hosts from other cities in opposing congressional pay raises. Billed as the “tea bag revolt,” listeners are being asked to send tea bags to the station. All the stations will collect the tea bags and send them to the White House in January. The publicity stunt . . . er, campaign, was started Dec. 16, the anniversary of the Boston Tea Party--hence the name.

Why don’t the local television sports departments consistently follow common style (and common sense) by showing the home team second when they list scores? In basketball, especially, the home team is an extremely relevant piece of information.

Candace Armstrong, the producer of Channel 39’s 5 p.m. news for the last six months, will move over to produce Bill Ritter’s investigative reports. The station has hired Gina Karides of KSBY, Channel 39’s sister station in San Luis Obispo, to produce the 5 p.m. news.

Channel 39’s “Third Thursday” is an excellent attempt to explore issues in-depth, but the production quality has got to improve if they expect people to watch. The sound is terrible.

It takes guts to put wildman Country Dick Montana of the Beat Farmers on the radio, live for four hours, as XTRA-FM (91X) did on Friday. It made for some of the liveliest, unpredictable radio this town has heard for awhile. Country Dick’s greeting to listeners, in his bottom-of-the-barrel voice:

“Welcome, scum.”