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It blows my mind to think you’d want to take these legacy Group W stations—market leaders with recognizable brands—and fold them into a network news brand that has been the bottom dweller for probably close to 40 years.

Sounds like something Nexstar would do.

Well, don’t paint us “New York types” with a broad brush. I’ve seen it and commented on it, as have numerous others. I think it’s been established that the CBS News (City) Now brand is being extended to the non-CBS stations (sans KCAL).

Initially, when CBS first bought the station, CBS said they would strengthen 10/55's news department and compete with News 12 LI. https://www.newsday.com/business/cbs-inks-deal-to-buy-long-island-s-wlny-55-u08340 However, outside of a short-lived morning show going up against GDNY and the Pix Morning News, 10/55 was sent to West 57th, where it's been ever since. Some years later, it was alleged that 10/55 was bought by CBS so Peter Dunn could have membership access to a golf club. https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2021-01-24/cbs-tv-station-deal-wlny-peter-dunn-sebonack

not to mention do away with the famous Eyewitness News brand that first began at KYW, then became widespread to other Group W stations. WBZ gave it up in 1993 (WBZ News 4/News 4 New England/WBZ 4 News/CBS 4 News/WBZ News). WJZ retired the EWN brand. KPIX took a break from EWN brand, then brought it back, then gave it up entirely. KDKA retired the EWN brand in the late 90s. EWN's founding station KYW also took a break from the EWN brand in 1991, but brought it back in 1998, and is still in use today. But, that could change, seeing that KYW could be the last CBS O&O (and former Group W station) to give up EWN for CBS News Philadelphia Now.

they could, but a consultant likely told them it wouldn’t capitalize enough on the corporate synergy of the CBS News brand and the local CBS station brand…. CBS News and CBS Local Stations are all one department now, so they want to emphasize CBS News at every local level possible. that said, I don’t see why it couldn’t be CBS (Location) News at (time).

Well, I guess recycling a graphics package from Richmond is better than having a station from Richmond produce your newscasts. (like WTVR did for WDCW under Tribune)... Still, shouldn't something in the nation's capitol be a little more original? But then again, this is Nexstar we're talking about.....

I think this is actually a good move, because like awards shows being taped and edited, the network morning show ending up with the same type of treatment when you've got it available live through SXM or your streaming service has gotten downright stupid; it's why Pacific Time stations are taking the 6:30pm ET newscasts more and more live at 3:30pm PT, and where the network overnight newscasts used to be live in all time zones, you only have World News Now done and out by 2:30am, then onto the morning newscasts by 3:00am. If you're a CBS station with no morning news, that means if you air the CBS Morning News at 6:30am PT...that's a six hour old newscast you're carrying (with a twelve-hour old newscast leading into that). And then you're leading into a morning show when Today is already onto Hota and Jenna outside breaking news days and CBS Times Square is empty and unused. It's an outmoded model, and there shouldn't be this artificial wall up around watching a morning show live in PT because 'that's the way it's always been'. I know KCBS will take a ratings hit, but you gotta start experimenting, and why keep KCAL in infomercial hell when they can be live 4-11? Most Fox stations are already in this mode, so it's basically CBS being adventurous and being the first here. I don't mind that they're going for it, and frankly, KPIX/KBCW should be next, and KOIN/KRCW should get incentives to try it themselves. You already basically had KOVR/KMAX as a half-model of this (their local show is active 4:30-11), and that seems to work pretty well for Sacramento.

Either way, that seems like an obscene amount of local news for the market. There’s a midterm election coming up, so they’ll certainly be raking in the ad dollars. Also, I suppose this gives doctor’s offices something to put on in the waiting room.

It sounds like Indie-Band News and Chris Crane had a baby.

I’d be fascinated to see the daily viewership of WLNY. I don’t think it’s a station people really watch, unless you’re really into sitcom reruns and court shows. It doesn’t have a legacy that’s known throughout the market, and it’s precisely the kind of station where a “CBS News New York” newscast actually makes sense. I hope they don’t move back to the CBSN studio though, as that set looked extremely low-budget.

3 could really use a new meteorologist or two. Andrew Baglini has been filling in since the weekend and he seems like a good fit. I wouldn’t mind if he stayed.

Definitely Arnold but sounds like a new/custom theme.

Agreed; I definitely see an anchor or network role for her in the future! Additionally, despite the return of a more TV-friendly newscast, there's basically been no mention of 'WLNY TV 10/55' on the 9pm newscast since 2020 (aside from the bug) so I don't view 'CBS News New York Now' as that big of a downgrade. Maybe they'll return to the old CBSN studio?

She's actually been there for awhile as they went through the whole mess with leadership. She was also a high up staffer at KYW back during their News Tonight era in the early 90s. It's a good hire as she knows the market inside and out so she can at the very least make the station watchable again.

WCCO, KDKA, WJZ and KYW share their identities with wholly unrelated radio stations. John Q. Public has no clue about KDKA not having any tie to it’s onetime TV sister, so of course the TV station got all sorts of flack when Wendy Bell’s career imploded at the radio station. Or that KYW radio is now co-located with, and operated alongside, WCAU. Call sign brand equity doesn’t mean as much as you think it does when it’s been split both ways for decades. How much do vehicle wraps cost? Something instituted by prior management (the GM that instituted the gaudy black-and-gold look left months ago) always can be reversed through a simple Paramount Global budget line item.

No, it is. I'm just saying that once KABC's news on KDOC goes away (and it will, thanks a lot TCT), there will be that 7:30 p.m. break.

Exactly. And the “ratings hit” that KCBS will take on isn’t the worst thing in the world. They’re already ratings-challenged in the morning, so they might as well blow it up. They’ll at least have the distinction of being the only LA station airing live national morning news, while the morning shows on 4 and 7 will be 3 hours old. Meanwhile, KCAL can compete in the morning with something other than infomercials and “The 700 Club.” If they do it properly, they might be able to provide a more straightforward alternative to the infotainment-oriented shows on KTLA and Fox 11.

THIS!! KPIX needs to hire more staff and ramp up KBCW again. Why don’t you just cut the KPIX 5 News 6am simulcast off in place of gospel programming that currently airs at 7am. Then this is when you take advantage and air CBS BAY AREA NEWS at 7am that you just launched yesterday that’s only available online and on PlutoTV in that 7am time slot. 10pm is when you bring back an evening newscast since you cancelled Bay Area Nightbeat. However KRON and KTVU have been dominating Mornings and the 10pm slot. It would be hard to try and enter the competition race.

Just saw a promo during Jeopardy on KTXA.

So much News on every channel in LA except from 2-3pm, 3:30-4pm, and 11:35pm - 4am More car chases to come…. 4am - 2pm News Hour Break from 2 - 3pm 3 - 3:30pm News (:30 min break) 4 - 11:35pm News

I feel bad for Cheryl honestly. She’s been there so long and paid her dues but she’s just not very good. Watching her feels like you’re watching someone who is trying to play an anchor rather than be one.

I wonder where all the court shows are gonna go?

In reference to the KCAL announcement - the new national CBS management has recognized what viewers in LA know - the CBS2 news brand has been so damaged since the early 80's it was was time to play on the remaining strength of the KCAL brand for breaking news and power of their 8-11pm news. CBS will get to count the numbers for both airings of the national news on CH2 and get local news revenue for KCAL from 4-11. Sure, it's a risk but give CBS national the benefit for FINALLY trying something new with the duopoly. It's a bit late given the shrinking broadcast audience but let's see how they integrate the stream and social media. NOW, with powerhouse KTLA in the same block and the weak KTTV with the rest of the numbers, how long with CBS hang in for a good demo? See you in September!!!

I've actually found the 7pm to be Cheryl Burton's best newscast, because I always thought she'd be better-suited for a looser, more conversational, morning-like format. That said, I still agree about her, overall. Scott not being in the studio makes the banter difficult, and I think Larry and Phil are okay on the show, but Greg and his chemistry with Rob is definitely the star combo. As for the morning hour, I don't watch it as much as the early morning and 11am, but I've caught Terrell stopping himself from cursing on the OTA newscasts. It's all about finding a balance.

I got some indie band news vibes too! They run some IDs and it is sounds like it, I’ll try to capture that too

I captured audio of the close - it’s def sounds like something new.

Terrell Brown just cursed on the digital newscast. He said "worked their asses off". They are trying to be like WGN Morning News and it's a better alternative to GMA. Terrell and Val's chemistry if perfect. The Evening Digital newscast is almost unbearable. First of all. Cheryl Burton is on that newscast and I'm sorry. she is ditzy and annoying and should not have that much airtime. Also Phil, Larry and Cheryl Scott look like they don't want to have that digital newscast, it seems like they don't want to be there. Greg is the only Meteorologist that wants to be there. The Morning newscast is perfect, great chemistry and they all want to be there.

Can't they just shorten the name to CBS (location) Now? It's much easier to say.

That’s a big loss. I liked when she filled in on the anchor desk, too. Best of luck to her!

I don't know if this is the main reason why these takedowns occurred. Sony and CBS have always been strict with J!, WOF and JJ long before these channels and content were made available. David Downs's and Sam Mitchell's channels were terminated about Memorial Day. Fremantle does a better approach by blocking instead of striking, meaning no harm to the users. They've done this every time new episodes are set to debut on TPIR the Barker Era channel.

Longtime WCAU assistant news director Kathy Gerrow is the new news director at CBS3. https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/cbs-news-and-stations/releases/?view=100531-kathleen-gerrow-named-vice-president-and-news-director-at-cbs-news-and-stations-philadelphia-properties

While I’m leaning toward this argument, I wouldn’t be so sure of it. I’m not sure if this was covered (my apologies if so), but CBS Pittsburgh’s YouTube channel looks to have changed their profile picture and banner to “CBS News Pittsburgh.” Their icon was previously “CBS Pittsburgh,” in line with the old CBS (City) idents of years past. However, their new channel banner is noticeably missing references to either KDKA or WPCW, which were present in the old banner. This isn’t conclusive evidence of a change on KDKA’s end, as their channel has (AFAIK) always gone by the CBS (City) brand, but the complete absence of KDKA branding certainly supports the standardization hypothesis. Again, I don’t think we’ll be able to gauge what will happen until we see station promos closer to the fall.

They could've gone news and stopped the programming with the shooting in their own backyard even if it was just WGN in my opinion.

Yeah, I’m gonna have to disagree on this one. This package looks so cheap that it would actually be a downgrade from WAVY’s current package. If WRIC’s package debuted 9 years ago, it would still look dated. Hell, I’ll argue that WABC’s package from 2013 looks more modern than this 3D bathroom tile nightmare.

I know some of you New York types don't like to venture outside your little tri-state bubble, but you might want to check this out. The "CBS News [City] Now" duopoly branding is going out to almost everyone, with KCAL as one notable exception.

I hope KYW keeps the Eyewitness name, let’s not pull again what they did from 1991-98 (during the “NEWSDAY/beat/TONIGHT” and the “News3” era)…

Oooo... That looks good.

That's actually a pretty cool wrap as far as news vehicles go!

Especially after the paint on their vehicles, black and yellow nor KDKA ain't going nowhere any time soon.

Simple, catchy, it really rolls off the tongue. Whoever came up with that is a genius! I love it! /s

I suppose only 4/15 consistently good stations isn’t exactly a great track record for the station group, so you definitely have a point there. And it certainly makes sense to ditch Enforcer (if that’s in the works.) IMHO, that music had its day, and I wouldn’t mind seeing the back of it in favor of something new. That said, I still don’t understand how going the CTV route with local branding would increase ratings at the dead weight stations. WFOR, KYW, WBBM, etc. may not have anything to lose by ditching their local titles, but what would they have to gain that would make them stand out from WSVN, WPVI, or WGN? Considering that they might also ditch the local brands of the more successful stations, they’d be gambling away successful and proven names for the remote possibility that they improve in other markets. It sounds like cutting off one’s nose to spite their face in their competitive markets (one could include WBZ as being competitive for CBS too, given WHDH’s loss of NBC.) You’re right that WWJ will be branding as CBS News Detroit, but you could say that’s because WWJ (TV) never carved out any distinct identity whatsoever. This kind of branding actually works for their case, as it puts the power of a big network brand (even if their national news is incredibly weak) behind a station that has little to no news reputation to speak of. It’s entirely possible that you’re right, and they go the CTV route. I suppose there’s also a non-zero chance they go generic for their struggling stations while keeping local brands intact on their more successful ones. There’s also a chance that the local brands don’t go away at all, even with the new “CBS News” brand on certain newscasts and online (see posts from @Geoffrey in the WCBS thread for potential evidence of that.) The whole thing still seems like a bit of a crapshoot to me, and I know we’re just making very early guesses, but it’ll definitely be interesting to see what happens in the fall.

Dari was just... not that good. She wasn't good at FNC either.

I noticed a newer (new? I will admit I don't watch as closely as I used to) morning promo -- the one with the Chris, Mary and Elise talking to the camera in the studio -- just aired a few minutes ago, using a "CBS 2 News Mornings" logo at the end. But less than a half hour earlier, the version of the promo that has been airing for months had the "CBS 2 News This Morning" end page. Both times the announcer said "CBS 2 News This Morning," which is the current title of the newscast (and has been since around 2001). The station has used a "CBS 2 Mornings" (different font, no "News") graphic on the monitor array for months to more closely align with the network's "CBS Mornings" branding, but the newscast title has never been officially renamed. Rant time: I wish the station could change the branding all at once and not do this very slow rollout, if that's indeed what this is. And I also don't like the "CBS Mornings" title -- it sounds more like the way someone would refer to a daypart (CBS Daytime, CBS Primetime, CBS Mornings) and not a newscast title.

Robb was playing 2nd string for lack of a better term and was passed over for Bill Ritter. So I get it. WFOR offered him a job and he took it. He also stated he felt that the anchors had no input on the broadcasts and he wanted to be more involved. That being said, this hurts. Robb Hanrahan always seemed like the most genuine male anchor WABC had during the 1990s and early 2000s. Bill Ritter's fine and professional and stuff, but I really loved Robb and the outpouring of support, you can tell how much he was loved. It sucked to see him retire after his literally to death experience and after all that to see him alive and healthy again, just to die < 24 months later, sucks. I'm going to miss him and I'm pretty sure all over New York, Miami and Harrisburg he will be eternally missed.

Sinclair has completed the channel switch of KRCG in central Missouri from VHF 12 to UHF 29.

The Tony’s are for stage plays which is a vital part of NYC’s entertainment industry and economy. That might be why WCBS has their A team tonight even if other CBS stations don’t.

Tony Awards. Hoping for more “eyes.”

That's likely done in-house. Doesn't have any of the telltale flourishes of any of the major firms. By the late 90's AfterEffects was available to most individual stations' art departments.

New camera angle in use at the WOFL studio to match the type of camera angle that's typically used in the NYC studios. It's quite up close and personal, so up close, in fact, that you can't exactly use full lower thirds with headlines on them. They have to use just "slim" lower thirds in order to keep most the monitor visible.