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It definitely seems messy from our perspective of comparing different stations across the country. A new package IS coming, but it seems there were delays (possibly with management changes) and stations were eager to get something in place for the fall. So they're using elements that were given to them or creating their own takes of the network look in the interim.

I definitely agree with that sentiment, and I’m beginning to understand your point; debates are a public service, and should be treated as such (just as they are for the presidency). In an ideal world, every station would carry (or at least have the option of carrying) a gubernatorial/senate debate live. My broader point was that Nexstar isn’t doing anything radical in having exclusive rights. The network O&Os, Tegna (in TX), and many other station groups have organized similar arrangements in the past. I wouldn’t hate the player (Nexstar), but rather the game (in which political parties allow certain companies to have exclusivity in the first place). That said, I didn’t realize Nexstar’s guidelines about crediting NewsNation, and I’ll concede that those are excessive. NewsNation isn’t even conducting the debate; the stations are. It would be like NBC requiring other outlets to credit MSNBC for an event covered by NBC News.

Given the recent streak of internal promotions, I frankly assumed the role would go to Kim Dillon or Peter Kunz, both of whom were elevated to the role of AND and co-led the newsroom throughout Aslam's medical leave.

I think all debates should be public domain. During 2019, CNN had two democratic debates, and they didn't even bother uploading live to YouTube or upload it after it was done. They even put copyright claims on people giving commentary about the debates. People should have easy access to the potential nominee's takes on hot-button issues.

Here's a promo for CBS News Detroit that features the graphics from that sizzle reel posted a few weeks back.

I see absolutely no organized plan or blueprint for this long-touted "rearchitecture" (to use member Samantha's term) of rendering O&O newscasts as local replications of the CBS News brand. All that can be seen after many months of hype is just a grab-bag of different looks, styles, and sounders that vary from market to market from day to day and hour to hour, an awkward muddle of branding.

Yes!

Agreed. How Kristine Sorenson was ever promoted to a weekday anchor job, and still has it nearly 20 years later is beyond me.

I'm sure getting Aaron back on the air at WRC was part of it (he's much more recognizable locally than Vicky Nguyen), but the promos are basically saying they're starting with the "News that Matters from around the world" at 3 leading to the "News that Matters on your street" at 4 (I don't recall if they actually used "News that Matters", but that's the general gist) - I'm surprised they're not promoting the non-stop news lineup from 3 until 7:30 (yet...)

One month in to the new season, and WRC 4 Washington DC is already futzing with its schedule: Dateline and NBC News Daily have switched places (Dateline now at noon and NBC News Daily now at 3pm). Access and Kelly kept their 2022-23 season timeslots (1pm and 2pm, respectively), so far... Jim

Good Lord, bring back the Group W 2. is there anyone recognizable left at KD besides Ken Rice and Pompeani?

Yeah, I think do Fri & Sat nights during the winter, spring & summer for Sat nights. I'd only do 2 nights and not go for 7 as One Chi does quite well for NBC on Wed nights.

I can't help but think that maybe NBC should test the waters on one or two nights of the week before committing to this big a change for all seven nights. Friday and Saturday nights would be a good place to start.

I barely have any info on this but some sad news from Denver tonight Suzanne McCarroll a former reporter from KCNC has passed away. No word on a cause of death. However she was diagnosed in 2008 with Non- Hodgkin Lymphoma. As for when she passed I have no idea. Here's a tweet from Jim Benemann.

New retrans scuffle. Nexstar & Verizon Fios. Blackouts could happen on Friday.

A couple of updates. I'll start with the bad news and work up to the good news. 1) It looks like John Marshall has parted ways with Fox Weather. When they were shorthanded during the overnight hours for Hurricane Ian coverage, I was thinking to myself, "Wow, I can't believe they're not putting John Marshall on the air to help with the overnights and weekends." From checking his social media, he updated his bio to say, "The forecast was delivered for ch.2 ch. 4 & Fox Weather." in the past tense, and he changed his profile pic from a Fox Weather headshot to a personal pic. Based on his Twitter, he suddenly stopped posting Fox Weather material after September 16th, so that must have been his last day with them. https://twitter.com/johnmarshall_wx 2) This past weekend, they aired all long-form programming after 2pm ET instead of automated weather maps. Live weather didn't return until 1am ET when Night Light started. I sure hope this was just being done to make up for no long form being aired during Hurricane Ian coverage. I have my concerns that it might be permanent. Seems like the execs keep flip-flopping on long-form programming versus automated maps. We'll have to see what they do this upcoming weekend. 3) After a 10-month hiatus, America's Weather Tonight has returned in a new format. It is now a pre-recorded show with a runtime of ~13-15 minutes, airing during the 11pm-1am ET slot that used to house "Fox Weather Live" automated weather maps. I didn't tune in and see it until 12:30am ET last night, so I don't know how often it airs. I'm guessing top and bottom of the hour? The show is solo-hosted and pre-recorded earlier in the day. Last night's show was hosted by Ian Oliver; unsure if they'll have rotating hosts or if he'll always be the main host. There were only short weather map segments detailing the national forecast for that evening plus the forecast for the following day. Much of last night's show was spent airing pre-taped field reports from Hurricane Ian's aftermath. I'm curious how the format will evolve when there's less big stories going on; if they'll keep airing mostly taped reports or if they'll mix it more weather maps on slow nights. After the 13-15 minute America's Weather Tonight ended, there was a commercial break, followed by Fox Weather Live automated weather maps to round out the half-hour block from 12:45am-1:00am. Fox Weather Live didn't go without changes itself; they have replaced the background music they've been using since Fox Weather's launch with smooth jazz instead. It's definitely music with a more modern feel than what TWC used to use. I'm having a hard time telling if it's commercial music or if it's perhaps production music. I'll have to tune in tonight, if I remember, to see if this format holds true for the entire 11pm-1am ET block.

In the ABC case, there's only two possible markets and six O&O stations each (plus Univision and Telemundo here) that can host a debate (because WMGM or the Atlantic City-licensed infomercial farms certainly aren't), or NJPBS. Both are universally available through NJ, and ABC usually deems it a news event where a simple courtesy is all they need, not this 7-bullet point list to protect a scratch-rating-filled opinion network which has most non-NX stations like 'we're just going to read excerpts and you'll be happy with it, Sook'...plus they were streamed to YouTube live. And C-SPAN airs most debate, which everyone with cable or satellite has. NX stations posted it to YouTube after the fact and NX refused to provide it to C-SPAN. Nexstar sites, outside of WGN's, are a nightmare to navigate the video from, they refuse to work with any non-IPTV TV news streaming services that people actually use on a big screen, and it's not an acceptable solution when YouTube is the video standard. I just don't think a debate should be reduced to being limited to one station group, nor should it be on a low-tier station nobody watches just for FCC backpats and brownie points, or should be protected by copyright. It is a public service and shouldn't be subject to overprotective restrictions designed to obstruct constructive use of clips within it. Either put it on the PBS station or a Big Four commercial station in primetime or after the 11 pm news, or don't bother organizing it.

There’s no female at 11–it’s the old white man show. Taking KD back to its pre-Patti days.

While we're still talking about WANF/WUPA, and also considering the old CBS-Meredith contract ending in 2023 and the ongoing situation with Standard General and Apollo, I shall note of what could have been if not for the FCC + the Fed. If Cox and Tegna were to have merged together, formed a blind trust, compensated Byron Allen, whatever...CBS could have easily traded WUPA and WTOG earlier this year to the combined entity in exchange for Cox's KIRO in Seattle. This would have created the following: In Atlanta, Cox would have had a duopoly partner in WUPA that would have allowed WSB-TV to expand its Action News franchise into the morning (as in 7 to 9 am) and primetime hours, and provided not only direct competition for WANF/WPCH, but also WXIA/WATL and most especially WAGA which has pretty much cornered the market at these timeslots since December 11, 1994. (Most every other timeslot has belonged to WSB-TV since the days of kinescopes and 15-minute soap operas.) In Seattle, CBS would have had an O&O in the Pacific Northwest in KIRO, a CW affiliate with a restored news department + "Tacoma Bureau" in KSTW, and a "CBS News Seattle" streaming channel. As with Atlanta, it would also give KIRO opportunities to air newscasts directly against KING/KONG and KCPQ/KZJO. (KOMO has KUNS for their duopoly, but no direct English-language linear outlet to expand its franchise unless the FCC allows triopolies, dependent on whatever sort of "voices" test may apply.) And in Tampa, where CBS is not very likely to want WTSP given that it's apparently home to the TEGNA graphics hub (the master control hub is in Charlotte at WCNC), TEGNA would have a duopoly with WTSP/WTOG that would effectively compete with WTVT and WFLA/WTTA, and that's not even counting the possibility of WFTS making a swap with Hearst for WMOR (which is in the situation WFTS was in prior to becoming an ABC affiliate - when that station didn't even have space for a newsroom). There is a lot more of what could have been, but for now it is what it is, and the only question now, with the SEC going to ABC in a couple of years (which explains why WSB is very unlikely to want to part ways with ABC, if at all), is where does WANF go from here? Remember that the on-air graphics are effectively using the colors of the (rebuilding) Atlanta Falcons, with no telling as to how many Falcons games will indeed be flexed under the new NFL TV contracts, or even what the ratings will be compared to SEC Saturdays full of Chick-fil-A and Zaxby's tailgates (for which only the latter would be open during whatever Falcons games WAGA does not pick up on Sundays).