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So there are a few new details today from Broadcasting + Cable. It appears that Apollo won't be involved beyond the Texas and Boston station transactions. From B&C: "Originally, Standard General planned to acquire Tegna in partnership with Apollo Global Management. That deal proved too complicated and it was decided that Standard General go it alone partly to smooth the regulatory review process." Apparently the money from the Texas cluster was the financial kickstart for Standard to go it alone. With Apollo not involved in ownership, that would seem to eliminate the ownership conflict many folks are speaking out against. Unlike TEGNA's current structure, the new company will be private. Lastly, I originally found the whole WFXT transaction odd. But the NY Post (surprisingly) cleared it up for me. It is all about retransmission money. Cox gets higher retransmission fees so by owning just one current Cox station, the new TEGNA can charge a higher retrans rate for the entire group. Plus, Cox unloads an underperforming station. So now that part makes sense.

Rachel Maddow taking a break from her break to anchor tonight’s Ukraine coverage

New CBS New York website debuted today: https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/

Not bad but very small market. Just a few questions: 1) What is with the open? Why does the same logo animation appear twice at the beginning (once with the slogan, once with out) then again at the end (one without the time and one with the time). Whatever the deal is with that just makes it look more cheap. 2) Is a stinger really necessary for every story? 3) Is that a talent open or mugshot? The meteorologist practically looking to the left. It’s about as awkward and cringy as WJET’s talent open. Overall, I give this a ‘C’ - it’s definitely an improvement, but more could be done on the design/creativity side of the graphics and music.

As much as Nexstar is hoping for their "Peter Arnett" moment with NewsNation, they're still going about this wrong. (For anyone who doesn't know, he was the star of CNN's Gulf War coverage that pretty much put them on the map as a legitimate news source all those years ago!) Instead of trying to ram it down the station's throats as an alternative to regular programming, it needs to be an addition. Put it on a sub-channel. Get it out there on OTT. But don't pre-empt your own programming for what could be redundant coverage (once the networks kick in)...Thankfully, few stations are going this route and wisely are sticking to their regular programming. And ironically, NewsNation is in usual morning mode right now, being their former WGN America self at the moment (with In The Heat Of The Night)

Set by Gil Jimenez

Well, I honestly liked the WSB set of the mid-1990s, because it's my favorite Georgia TV news set of the time.

In Toledo, Melissa Voetsch announced her retirement from TV news. She worked at WTOL as an anchor from the late 1980s through 2012’ish, when she left quietly after facing some heart issues. She then resurfaced at WTVG where she was a reporter since 2014. Facebook Post

Wow, I can't believe they featured their competition. Great to see Don Harrison, later of WTSP and Headline News!

pictures always tell a thousand words...

I was rooting for Byron Allen to get most of all of Tegna

WJET/WFXP would got a new look a week ago. The new WJET open means the end of any Hothaus-era WKRC-like graphics package.

Soo Kim couldn't afford Tegna on his own so he had to sell two of their prime Texas stations just to cover the balance, and they give him a turd in WFXT. Tell me how that's a good deal.

Between this and Al Michaels possibly leaving NBC, this could be the offseason where only CBS's top NFL broadcasting team remains intact. This would exceed even the 2002 offseason in the number of changes in the top broadcast teams.