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Looks like the press release was updated and... hmm...

Misused as a lukewarm opinion host, I'm going to miss Donlon, but this is an overall positive move for the network. NOT ENOUGH, but going in the right direction, ratings be damned. As for Joe, to be totally honest, there are no immediate vacancies for a 50-something white guy anchor in Chicago, so I'd maybe keep an eye on Portland, where he spent a couple decades at KGW, before his 4-year stint on the northwest side of Chicago.

Newscast Studio says this is part of a bigger update. The upstairs is still being renovated and the “new” video wall was placed in front of the old “tunnel” to allow work to continue. https://www.newscaststudio.com/2022/03/14/gma-set-updates-31422/

The 1on1 interviews which had been conducted at a rectangular desk to the stage left of the homebase desk might be gone. They conducted those at the homebase desk today. That and the windows of the second floor being entirely blacked out as of last week would hopefully indicate we’re getting some additional improvements! Slightly off topic but part of me believes that ABC could give up the Times Square space at some point in the next decade. The modifications over the years have seen them use the windows and outdoor area much less to none at all. The windowed era of morning TV around the world seems to be closing.

I hope it gets cancelled never been a fan of DBL doesn't do well in the ratings DBL comes on at 7:30PM on WZZM.

this is better than the mirrior within a mirror look. Agreed. The trend appears to be dying down. Even pre-covid "Today" was using the plaza much less than the past.

Matt might beg to differ with you on that...

I saw this while driving by an electronic billboard, but I can’t find any info online. But anyway, WSAV is apparently starting a 4PM newscast on April 4 (or 4/4 @ 4 as the creative department wants to call it). I assume it’s to compensate for their abysmal afternoon syndicated lineup (Dr. Oz/Good Dish at 2, Maury at 3, and Judge Judy at 4). Considering all of those shows are out of production and about to end, they decided to stretch their news team even thinner instead of paying for another show. At least it gives WTOC a bit of competition as they’ve been solo at that time for years. Found it. I’m not sure why they decided to pay loads of money to get a billboard but not put it on their website or socials for free. But I guess that’s Nexstar.

And with CBS right across the street doing more outside/Times Square stuff is important to re-establish dominance on the block Not that CBS has made effective use of their real estate outside of the first week of Gayle's relaunch...

Certainly and granted Covid has played a role but I was referring more to the first floor windows being blocked off from view and the upstairs area being converted to an audience studio (both pre-dating 2020). Even in the early 2000s when there was an indoor audience downstairs the show still used the outdoor space daily throughout the broadcast. It’s extremely rare these days. ABC is building a massive new complex and I could see the change happening sadly (but also entirely uneducated guess and speculation on my part so I’ll stop here now haha).

Outdoor stuff could build back up more much like today is slowly doing so with the Covid changing more and more

Looks great. This really should've been the design from the start (even if I did personally like the tunnel look the went with). A refresh or straight-up overhaul is totally overdue.

This is what the set should’ve looked like when it first debuted. So glad the obnoxious tunnel and light pillars are gone. The rest of the studio still looks pretty much the same, so there’s a mismatch happening. I wonder if this is a temporary homebase while other changes happen? They’re certainly due for a set refresh.

Ratings at CBS O&Os in the largest markets and at affiliates where it counts have lagged for decades. With a few exceptions, ABC and NBC just have stronger large market stations. The gutting of CBS on the news side started under Larry Tisch and has been a running theme for 30+ years. The Great FOX Station Swap of ‘94-‘95 only made things worse. Channel 62 in Detroit, anyone? When it comes to news, CBSViacom, er Paramount, either has to fix it, sell it, or close it. A perennially third-place product means it you’re forever doing just enough to stay afloat, throwing evening news talent overboard, tightening every budget screw so you don’t sink. But it’s exhausting and no way to live.

As if we needed more reasons to loathe Jeff Zucker and what he's done to two networks, as well as our society and daily lives, Rolling Stone pretty much confirms it all, and then some... https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/jeff-zucker-cnn-resign-affair-cuomo-trump-1319698/ It's just my opinion, but this man should never be entrusted with anything, or anyone, ever again.

Ratings were up modestly during his tenure (after the very recognizable Katie Couric). Do I think he was poised to take the newscast above #3? Of course not. But they should've left him alone until they found a better option, which they still haven't.

Tony will not bring the newscast to #1, but I'm sure the thought is that he'd cost less to be #3. CBS is in a no-win situation. Norah isn't connecting with viewers but changing anchors every few years isn't going to win anyone over either. I think the first mistake was letting Scott Pelley out of the chair. Edit: OK, that's far from the network's first mistake, but I do think it was a mistake

I'm not a big fan of the FOX company itself however FOX Weather is becoming one of my favorites. The Weather Channel used to be my favorites but they have been dropping the ball when it comes to Severe WX coverage. WX doesn't stop on the weekends as we all know. Two thumbs up to FOX Weather for being there when severe WX is in my area and for the awesome coverage they put on.

Say what you will about the 8am hour it was created for, but that upstairs set has been very versatile for the network. That said, I was surprised to see that it's almost 5.5 years old. It's likely due for a more serious overhaul.

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.

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.

What's going to happen if the FCC denies the deal? They're back to square one, or will Byron Allen gets another chance to acquire Tegna?

I imagine Tegna being put up for sale as a complete set and not piecemeal didn't help. None of the other broadcasting companies out there (Hearst, Graham, Hubbard, Scripps, Weigel, Bahakel, Griffin, etc.) could afford to buy Tegna because it was so big and expensive. Yeah, I know groups are sold in their entirety for tax reasons, but that's starting to feel like a loophole being exploited.

Well I certainly didn't expect Harry Jessell to effectively reject this deal like he just did. If Jessell, one of the most business-friendly writers/analysts in the industry, is saying this, then it may be more doomed than you might think.

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

Maybe replaced by Right This Minute on the stations switching to Coxpollo.

LMAO.. In all seriousness the more I think about it the more I think the press release was probably misquoted or something to that effect, I think that new group is probably setting up a "shell" for WFXT (and actually likely WFAA/KVUE/KHOU too) or Kim is essentially taking Tegna and using the divestiture tool to break up the whole Tegna chain knowing full well that the DOJ would probably treat all 3 entities as one large company. It actually puzzles me why they would actually form a separate company within Standard to run WFXT that would also have the voting rights to the new Tegna yet, Apollo (Cox) won't have any voting rights at all. EDIT: Just read the New York Post article about this deal and it's a holding company that's buying both Tegna and WFXT separately and it would be ran separately. This deal needs to be reworked a bit when they file the application with the FCC, I already have wayyyy more questions than I do answers.

My thinking is that I've completely disagreed with Myron on the part of the Government rejecting this deal outright, we need to wait until we see the papers filed at the FCC before jumping into conclusions but what my opinion is that unless it's structured something to the effect of Standard/Apollo making divestitures to include a spin-off of Cox into it's own independent company (which would consist of primarily the original Cox stations, the former Texas Belo stations and I will include KENS in that one and the current Standard stations) As it is structured now I DO agree with Myron that it will ultimately not pass regulatory muster.

Not when they're operated by private equity vultures who seek to cash out for maximum profits. Soo Kim utterly ruined MediaGeneral and made a killing offloading it to Nexstar. They have to prove they aren't any more than a silent partner in this deal, which I don't think Apollo has the capability to do. I don't trust them for a second even if they eliminated the entirety of their stake in this dumpster fire of a purchase. As @Weeterssaid on the Discord, "If this goes through, the (39%) cap is proven to be entirely pointless". And he's right.

The first of former TWC talent to be recruited, I see...

Big pickup here.

fox weather has tapped Brian Norcross to join their team.

Sad news from former WJKS (WCWJ) news and sports anchor Glen Fisher. It was on WJKS-TV Facebook fanpage that former WJKS, ESPN, FOX Regional Sports, and KCAL 9 sports anchor Alan Massengale had passed away today. Alan's wife, Elizabeth posted on her Facebook page said that Alan had a bad fall this morning which caused a severe brain bleed, and he was put on full life support. Alan's wife and her three adult children made the difficult decision to not have him suffer. Prayers and condolences go out to The Massengale Family in this exceedingly difficult time. UPDATE: Alan Massengale's bad fall/severe brain bleed was the result of his death due to his battle with colon cancer.