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WSAZ has flipped.

In my personal opinion, it is completely unfair to consider NewsNation a fail less than one year after they launched (as a newscast). I think it is self-evident that there are those who literally want NewsNation to crash and burn, because Nexstar had the idea of creating a news channel. I think we can all agree that any start-up has to make changes as time goes on with plenty of room for improvement -- and this is no different. They are undoubtedly experiencing growing pains and people should keep that fact in mind. I also think it is also unfair to tie NewsNation directly to the decline of WGN America. WGN America had seen better days before Nexstar, to put it mildly. And now Nexstar is injecting new life into the channel under the new NewsNation brand. As much as people want to say otherwise, WGN America was not going to survive long-term without major changes. And now Nexstar is making changes that, in my opinion, puts the channel on the best possible path to being successful. I personally would've preferred that they kept the WGN America name, at least nominally, to maintain continuity of the brand. But nonetheless, I think NewsNation has a solid concept and they are well on their way to fulfilling their mission. I agree that NewsNation cable feed should be more accessible to digital users, but we should also remember that they have to turn a profit and just making it free over the Internet, while trying to be successful on cable, can short-circuit their success on cable. Finally, referring to the NY Times piece, I think it is ridiculous to suggest NewsNation has some kind of unique bias. I'm sure if the shoe was on the other foot, the NY Times would have no objections. I perceive NewsNation as being objective and trying to be fair. There is no such thing as a perfect news outlet. But I would say NewsNation is among the best on cable right now for straight news.

It's a nice new look for them I believe! They have a few different opens also! And the bug is supposed to have some animation, they must be having some glitches.

I'll give it six more months or so. If it hasn't picked up any sizable traction by Septemberish, it might be gone a month or two after that. And with COVID restrictions probably loosening up even more by summer, people are going to want to do other things instead of sitting at home & watching TV. Especially news... and especially a new news network with a weak lineup... in a slow news cycle.

GRAY doesn't offer much, so they have really no option and have to use what they can.

Wow, as I expected nothing exciting. I feel for these stations that will be stuck with these packages for years now.

Some screenshots from WSAZ First Look at 4. The Rock, and Al Vanik have been retained.

Keith wasn't the only one at KTUL that got the axe 9 other KTUL staff got axed as well but Keith was the only on air talent that got it compared to the new on air talent. And Keith had just celebrated 20 years at 8 in December of 2020.

WGN America was only semi-popular from from the start of being a non-superstation to the end of the WGN America branding nearly a week ago. Outside of originals like Salem and Underground, it was mainly a dumping ground for long running syndicated shows like In the Heat of the Night and COPS. A channel of mostly reruns is not a great strategy in the long run. They even tried Canadian shows for awhile in primetime too and a Dog the Bounty Hunter spinoff. Agreed it was time to try something really different on the channel. I'll give NexStar credit for trying to make things accessible to more people who don't have linear TV. It's great that NewsNation is now on several pay streaming services. Launching a new channel on cable or satellite is a risky move in 2021 with cord-cutting at all time highs.

hour long version of NewsNation...That's what I said! I said it before and I'll say it again. How about an hour-long version of NewsNation? Or, even a half-hour version? Air that version on Nexstar-owned FOX, CW and MNTV affiliates that DON'T HAVE a national nightly newscast. It would be like the days of the Independent Network News. Produced by WPIX New York, and distributed to independent stations without a national newscast, even indies owned by Tribune back then.

(The post above this one came in as I was writing this.) I DEFINITELY don't want to speculate too much, but thinking about some things he talks about on ESPN1000 and then these few tweets, I'm left to wonder if he's dealing with some "self improvement," if you will. He's been vocal about how hard some deaths of friends hit him this last year (including Jerry), he's been very self-conscious about his weight and eating habits, and not being able to see his family hasn't helped. Whatever he's up to or dealing with, I hope he gets right, and I'd love to see him back, when he can.

Kari Lake resigns from KSAZ https://www.ftvlive.com/sqsp-test/2021/3/2/kari-lake-resigns

Well congratulations to her! I missed watching her on tv. I think CBS did her a disservice when they got rid of her in 2010. She was one of their better anchors on the now defunct The Early Show.

Legendary broadcaster Roger Mudd (CBS, NBC) has passed away at the age 93. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/roger-mudd-dead/2021/03/09/78ddf308-8117-11eb-9ca6-54e187ee4939_story.html

Former CBS Sports man Irv Cross (he of The NFL Today on Sundays, alongside legends Brent Musburger, Phyllis George, Jimmy "The Greek," et al.) has passed on at 81. https://nypost.com/2021/02/28/irv-cross-nfl-veteran-and-cbs-broadcaster-dead-at-81/ Also, a 1982 edition of The NFL Today, in remembrance: