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That announcement was so interesting that I forgot to watch it. And so did pretty much everyone else.

Former WCBS reporter and QVC host Katie McGee will be subbing for Heather on the traffic reports. She currently works for Total Traffic who provides the WABC traffic data.

What about localized versions of (classic) game shows? A game show could be designed such that the same questions/clues/puzzles could be used with the ground rules being that all all are taped at the same time/date. (Think a localized version of the $25,000 Pyramid or the British show Countdown (where each game is truly different and all depends on random draw made by the participants…) If there wasn’t dependence on secrecy of questions (e.g., Countdown) a portable set could be created that travels between locales for taping. Keep prizes small (two nights at downtown hotel with Dinner - or exchange between cities - a New York version has 2 nights at a DC hotel and vice versa. Or in the case of Countdown, a Teapot…) Just an idea…

Chris Cuomo just announced on Dan's show (as we suspected) is Joining NewsNation this fall with a primetime show

CBS oughta check in with the brain trust at Macy’s about how well standardization works.

WAGA reporter Janice Yu leaves the ATL for NYC.

That’s lame in my opinion. Ana has been part of the show consistently enough to test her chemistry with the others and it works. So what if she’s a Never Trump, she’s an established Republican strategist historically.

WGN's Midday News from February 24, 1988:

That's actually a lot more than I thought, at least when based on the number of people who attended games in person. As far as XFL 2.0, that wasn't really their fault. It was an unfortunate result of COVID hitting and shutting everything down indefinitely. Before that, they seemed to have everything going for them. They had managed to attract decent in-person attendance, a seemingly respectable fanbase, and their TV ratings were (if I recall correctly) relatively decent for a startup league. (I'm sure someone will correct me on the ratings.) (AAF, on the other hand, was just bad product. Not the joke that was XFL 1.0, but just lousy football. Plus, IMO, the coverage really felt like the "brokered time deal" that I believe it was... everyone involved in the production seemed to be contractually obligated to laud the greatness of the AAF. It was kind of nauseating.)

KBJR is stronger, yes. But with two states (three, if you want to get technical since there's a couple counties in Michigan's UP) they have done a good job after the "NewsCenter" breakup to make KBJR6 a Minnesota-heavy newscast and CBS3 a Wisconsin-Heavy newscast. Given that both stations share reporters and a newsroom, the only real cost differential is that Quincy has 2 studios and 2 control rooms in the Lake Avenue studio that they operate simultaneously. Each station also has their own anchor teams and meteorologists (Which Gray might keep- Looking at KVLY in Fargo, similar is done for the 4pm-7pm news blocks that alternate channels every half-hour). What I see happening in Duluth is consolidating Morning newscasts, Weekend Newscasts, and Breaking news/weather cut-ins, but leaving weeknights alone.

They probably won’t rebrand as “X’s NewsCenter” or “X News Now,” but I could see the Peoria operation rebranded as “21 News,” as both ABC and NBC are on WPTA now. I don’t know if Gray has been doing the same “consolidation via attrition” strategy in Duluth, but if they are, I imagine they’ll do something similar and take the name of the stronger newscast (KBJR I assume.) I agree with your sentiments of everything being boring and cookie-cutter, but they already do this now. Everything has been consolidated under the same umbrella for a while, and I don’t think having different studios and anchor teams changes that. Besides, the content is pretty much the same anyway. Gray doesn’t want to spend on different studios, anchors, etc. to put out essentially the same newscast from the same news department with the facade of looking different. It makes financial sense to consolidate everything under the stronger news brand (25 News) than to spend on a facade. It might actually drive more viewers to the ABC station. I imagine more people watch “25 News” than “Heart of Illinois News” even though they’re both from the same operation. Ideally, I would rather the two stations have completely different newscasts, staff, newsrooms, identities, etc., but we sadly don’t live in that world anymore.

I have mixed feelings on this. On the one hand, times have changed. Just like towns don't really need 10 newspapers anymore, do you really need three or four TV stations covering the same news with the same kind of boring newscasts? It's not like they do any investigative reporting or that there is anything interesting enough to cover on the municipal level. At the same time, having your own talent gives a station personality. Otherwise, it's just a jukebox of stuff being played from a server. If it was my checkbook and I were spending the money, I would have consolidate everything in the background, but have separate anchor teams, studios and sets just to give it the facade of being a different newscast.

The person who wrote this couldn't have done this with a straight face, right? Like, really? Nobody buys this excuse. Based on what was published on FTVLive yesterday, it sure sounds like they're taking steps to make that a reality in the Fort at least. https://www.ftvlive.com/sqsp-test/2022/7/24/the-news-director-is-out-at-this-gray-station The fact they haven't filled a lot of positions or hired a new reporter in a year sure sounds like the foundation for consolidation is being laid. Not filling positions through attrition. I knew this consolidation was going to happen the second Gray announced they were buying Quincy. There's nowhere else in their legacy group they operate like this with competing shows during prime viewing slots (this is more common with Nexstar in their older, smaller market holdings than anyone else; their Lubbock operation comes to mind). Speaking of Lubbock, KJTV's newscasts are now full-on "NewsChannel 11" branded products, and I saw that coming as well. Surprised they didn't go the "Lubbock News Now" or "Central Illinois News Now" route though.

If I was NewsNation, I would be hitting the NYC area hard in hopes there's enough people who might be interested. After all, he is a Cuomo. I can't for the life of me think of who those people are, but....

Meanwhile, Nexstar is still forcing their affiliates to have their footage credited as "NewsNation" when sent to their respective affiliate news services. Case in point, the deputy who was shot in Clark County, Ohio...the footage was likely shot by WDTN. Will it ever see the light of day on NewsNation itself? Or is it just another way to boost the ego of this "news" operation in it's futile quest for more viewers?

Based on the unfortunately COVID truncated "XFL 2.0," I'm hopeful for this iteration. Can't be any worse than the USFL. I think they got ratings of 2... not a 2 share, 2 people.

The breaking point has arrived. It's just that group owners (and some managers who refuse to adapt because "it's always been this way") won't change. Or they are straight up ignorant (Hilton Howell said that there hasn't been any great resignations at Gray.... I'm sure he's talking out of his ass, or maybe because he runs three insurance companies in addition to running Gray, he has no idea what really is going on there). I think a change will come, but it's going to take younger people at the top to make that change. That unfortunately won't happen for another 10-25 years, and by then, it'll be too late. In lots of these markets, there are independent filmmakers and theatre actors. I'd love to see a station produce a good quality drama or sitcom on a local level (or maybe as a group to share costs). It's amazing what good quality you can get with today's technology and some creative minds. Of course, someone has to pay for the production crew, for the actors, etc. But I'd imagine on a local level, for someone who is looking for a platform and a big break, you can produce something much cheaper than a network level series since it's not all big name actors or crew. Some of these stations are in states where tax film incentives are great. Or, maybe as an alternative, look at some PBS stations, many of whom do a far better job at producing non-news local content than the vast majority of commercial TV stations (maybe because PBS stations aren't owned by hedge funds so they have room to be creative and respond to their communities). One of my favorite shows from a PBS member is "Check, Please!" which originated at WTTW Chicago but has been licensed out to other PBS members as well. A show like this would work well for a commercial level too, if the creators were willing to license it to commercial stations, and it wouldn't take too much resources to put it either. Programming like this is far more useful to a local audience than "Local Steals and Deals" or a commercial for Power Swabs inside of "Podunk Living". And if you play it the right way, it can be easily monetized (maybe only feature restaurants willing to pay – might not be ethical, but a more entertaining way to make a buck than the crap stations put out now). Just, something has got to give. The status quo cannot and should not continue.

At 6:34, WFLD Fox News at Nine open (February 6, 1998) And here's the rest of the newscast from that same day. WFRV Eyewitness News at 10:00 (February 1986) WCCO 4 News at 5:00 story on the passing of Mrs. Minnesota, Mary Kay Sanders (February 3, 1998)

WBRZ reporter Earl Phelps will do his last story July 24. He's leaving after six years at the station to join the Delta News complex in Greenville, Miss.

The NOW aka NewsCentral 2 REPLACED the 9 pm WCBS newscast on WLNY in DMA 1. There is no other newscast on WLNY.

The better-performing newscasts on the non-CBS stations aren’t going anywhere. That goes for WPCW’s 10pm news and all newscasts on KCAL 9. I’m pleasantly surprised that WSBK kept their 8pm, which makes sense since they’re the only Boston station carrying news at that hour.

The CW logo need to be gold along with the rest of the package (that is my only complaint). KDKA-TV'S balck and gold look has grown on me and I still hope when the new CBS O&O package launches, that they keep it.

For now. WPCW (KDKA-TV's sister station) still has the 2020 KDKA look. Thank goodness.

If WABC follows its own pattern, hiring Dani Beckstorm is a bench building strategy because they anticipate an upcoming departure or additional airtime to fill. They are not suddenly in need of a 5th meteorologist to do what they’ve always been doing.

Sorry folks, my YT channel is off the air until I start a new one this fall. I'm sure by now you all know my YT channel was hacked.