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The comic strip Doonesbury made fun of this all the way back on Sept. 20, 2015: https://www.gocomics.com/doonesbury/2015/09/20

ABC has been reading the news in the present tense for a while, although that really accelerated after David Muir took over WNT. I guess that style of delivery is supposed to make the news sound like it’s happening in real time, but it’s devolved into being unintentionally hilarious, given that they aren’t even speaking in complete sentences anymore. It’s certainly a departure from Peter Jennings’ style of delivery.

David Muir does this a lot on World News Tonight as well

Replying with my best news anchor impression: Speaking in participles, right or wrong, the broadcast news equivalent of verbal shorthand. Televised news programs, competing with other news sources—social media, on-demand, news sites, etc.—for viewers eyes and time. Every second matters, needing to be efficient when telling stories, packing in as much useful and relevant information as possible.

Seems like a useless move. I get they are moving closer to DC since more money can be made in that area, but at the end of the day, it's still a rimshot signal most of the DC metro wouldn't be able to receive. I mean, can't they just stick WDVM on a WDCW sub and vice versa? Seems like a better use of spectrum to me and continue to give the people of Hagerstown some OTA broadcast outlet.

If you can't beat them, join them!

NBC's Today (1956)

"From the heart of the Tri-State area...", a few minutes of WCBS News 2 at 11 from 6/21/2000. Previously uploaded in early 2021 before I lost my channel(s).

For some context, Nightcast was the then-new name name of WCBS' 11pm newscast in the early 2000s. In 2000, Joel Cheatwood changed the name of its news department from News 2 to CBS 2 Information Network, using "content partners". He also gave its newscasts a tabloid feel, thus the "Nightcast" name. https___rr4---sn-q4flrnss.googlevideo.com_videoplayback_expire=1648366466&ei=Ir8_Yoi7Lorf1gKtwpvICA&ip=185.199.231.239&id=o-ADMHZcWu7BGID0gA-i6MaSRnZQkbdBIrjj85KC8YNbRx&itag=18&source=youtube&requ.mp4

And now, here's a 1993 WRGB newscast: