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Right or wrong on your assessment of NewsNation (you were defintely the former), you were acting like a self-righteous douche canoe then, too. That high horse might be depriving you of some oxygen. Might want to get off.

Couple folks in this thread acting like they are personally affected by a TV station changing the name of its newscasts. Chill.

I understand that you live in the market, so I won’t pretend I understand LA more than you or anyone else here. That said, they’ve already hit rock bottom in terms of ratings, and they needed to try something different. As far as brand sense goes, there’s more brand sense w/ “KCAL News” than there was when they were using two names for the same news operation. I think there’s room for criticizing how they went about it (I pointed out the lack of promotion), but most of the things you mentioned (like the name of the damn helicopter) are things most people don’t care about. And if you’re criticizing them for not telling people where to watch *CBS* Mornings... I can’t help you there. I’m happy to criticize when warranted, and this thing may end up not working out, but saying it’s DOA after one day is a bit much IMO.

Well 2 things: 1. KTLA didn't change graphics 2. They did have issues with navigating that weather wall without chroma. It looked uncomfortable and they had to do some tweaking. Overall, as others have said, hiccups are expected when new things are introduced. This isn't the first new set/graphics/branding we've been through...

Wait until the ABC O&O graphics launch.

Did they ever really need two sets? I get the feeling they only had them to emphasize two different brands for the same news operation. Now that they’re unifying everything together, it seems logical to unify studio presentation as well. Besides, the last few months showed that the two stations were able to operate out of one studio just fine.

Look, it's just the first day. Not everything goes as planned. Yes, it will take some take some getting used to but after awhile things will settle. No matter how many times you rehearse, there will always be hiccups. 1) KCAL is still the same without the "9" and is getting a lot more attention as the main brand. 2) CBS 2 is now CBS Los Angeles. 3) CBS News Los Angeles is their streaming service.

The meltdown of this forum over this whole thing is just absolutely sad.

I'm going to guess that KCBS hasn't had a problem attracting viewers to network fare in primetime, daytime, late night, etc., but viewers have seemingly gone out of their way to change the channel when CBS2 News comes on. No need to move affiliations, as CBS programming surely does just fine. KCAL has been the more successful news brand, so they're leaning into it.

Yes, that's what they're doing, titled "KCAL News on CBS Los Angeles." The primetime news on KCAL remains: KCAL and KCBS have always been one news operation since 2003, but with separate on-air brands (visual identities were basically the same). So nothing has changed with who "produces" the news, but now it's just all unified under the KCAL News brand.

Yes. All newscasts (regardless of what channel they air on) are labeled KCAL News. When the newscast airs on channel 2, CBS Los Angeles is ‘added’ to the title. It’s my understanding that ‘KCAL News’ is synonymous with breaking news coverage in the region, the decision was made to go with the strongest and recognizable brand/moniker, if you will. That’s what I read from a couple of articles I found online.

Dude no offense, but one rando on Facebook isn’t evidence that the whole thing is a disaster. It’s day 1. Look, they had a rough start this morning, but these things don’t always start smoothly (look at KOTV a few months back.) The assignment desk isn’t perfect, but as I said elsewhere, at least they’re peeling back the curtain on news gathering and trying something no other station is doing. That’s how you stand out. Keep in mind that the alternative was a morning newscast that got 0.0 in the ratings and a network that was airing morning infomercials instead of live programming. I’m happy to point out some flaws, but this is an improvement by every stretch of the imagination, and I think we’re overreacting if we say otherwise.

The graphics look very generic: big, white, flat, and boxy. As someone wrote earlier, it looks like a local cable news operation such as NY 1. The enforcer theme should remain, it's iconic and powerful. I hope more local stations don't go the Tegna route with video game sounding themes in an attemt to seem "hip and digital".

CBS is moving away from Enforcer for exactly that reason. It’s dated and doesn’t fit the direction of the network/O&Os. It’s been around long enough. It’s time for something refreshing and new. The graphics are modern and clean. They look good on mobile and streaming, which is the future. They’re far better than the current iteration of the O&O graphics. Overall, it appears this is a solid upgrade for the CBS O&Os. Despite some stations keeping calls or channel numbers (for now), I think this is a step in the right direction. I for one am happy to see some of the nostalgia go to the wayside.

It won't last that long. DOA. The public sees what a mess it is already. From CBS Los Angeles Facebook tonight. They're going to destroy KCAL 9 as well.

At the end of the day, I have a feeling layman viewers are going to be saying "I saw it on Channel 2 News last night" whether they watch the news on TV or online.

For me, the death knell was when old shows like "Hawaii Five-O" and "Magnum, P.I." were revived. However good they may be, it indicates to me that the Hollywood creative community is woefully dry on ideas. And all the game, reality (including news), and contest programs (such as "America's Got Talent") are ways to fill prime time as cheaply as possible (come on, do we really need two hours of "20/20" and "Dateline" on Friday nights?). One problem, I think, is that there are too many channels and not enough programming to fill them all. Also, I can't think of a lineup today that excites people like CBS's Saturday-night block in the '70s or NBC's "must-see-TV" Thursday block in the '80s and '90s. Further, it's the very fact that we have computers and online streaming that makes it so hard for television as we've always known it to attract an audience. The simple fact is what is happening is the same thing that happened to old-style "30s and '40s radio when television came in.

It was adjusted from the demo we saw a few months ago. The idea is that it is the maximum height, extending from the top of where the LIVE (or whatever they put there) bug would be, on top of the bug, to the bottom of the main line of the package's ticker, which would be gone, at this point. I can't understand why they're still using the old CBSN ticker. THAT is something that shouldn't have last beyond day 1.

These aren't hiccups. They are massive issues showing they are not prepared or don't have a major market quality professional staff. There is no branding sense here. It's a bunch of brands lumped together that only confuse. They had a preview of KCAL News Mornings on 11 pm but made no mention of what channel it is on. I'm sorry but the future may be to eliminate channel mentions but we are NOWHERE near that day. No other station in the market is doing it. Same as this morning on the simulcast, a preview of CBS Mornings coming next. But no mention of where to view it. Just prior, they had a preview of KCAL News Mornings. But again no mention where it would be on when the simulcast split at 7 am. Why is the KCAL News bug so small next to the huge CBS Los Angeles? Why does the Facebook page say KCAL News, CBS Los Angeles, CBSLA.com and CBSNews.com? Mass confusion. Why is the chopper called SKYCAL? The branding is KCAL NEWS. It doesn't reflect it. It should say SKYKCAL to be consistent even though that is just as idiotic as SKYCAL. A number of people on this board do not comment as an average viewer. Read the Facebook comments which get it more than many of you do and start understanding your viewer. I commented on NewsNation from Day 1. I knew it was a disaster ON DAY ONE. I got a lot of flack for it but it wasn't difficult to see what a mess it was. I was 100% correct. This is just as bad, probably worse. I am sorry you can't see it yet. This is Los Angeles. Not some idiotic market in the midwest. There is a certain level of expected professionalism. It starts on day 1 not weeks later.

I still think the programming strategy is smart. But there's no way of getting around it: that branding is clunky. It is most certainly going to confuse viewers, and I wouldn't be surprised if CBS tinkered with it again within the next two years.

KCAL: CBS Los Angeles:

Should've just been CBS News Los Angeles and CBS News Los Angeles on KCAL. But this, this is a clusterf*ck.

I'm sure morale is low so any news of a win can be helpful to the staff. (I love the way the table looks to be that anchor's left shoulder.)

…but KCAL isn’t CBS…

It all comes down to personal taste. The current O&O look is not great but this isnt much of an upgrade. For me, grand well composed themes like The Enforcer, ABC's Cool Hand Luke, or NBC's the Mission are timless as apposed to techno gumdrop beat sounding pieces like Tega does. Exactly. There is a perception that most mobile viewing takes place on a smartphone as opposed to a tablet, computer, or full blown smart tv. I still dont get the notion of why mobile must = flat. Even the glossy graphics of yesterday still hold up well on small screen phones playing old youtube clips. But again, it all comes down to personal preference.

Simple takeaway from this week: - KPIX showed us how to rebrand their newscasts the right way - KCAL showed us how to rebrand it in the most throwback, independent, weirdest way possible I mean, for those who worked with KCAL before moving to KCBS, this is a nostalgic moment for them. For the viewers and some here, it's either bad, or could've been better. For me: Well....good thing I don't live in California.

THIS! Couldn't have simplified the transition any easier than this.

I can’t imagine an ABC O&O rolling out a cluster like this. Imagine if Disney wasn’t forced to divest KCAL when it bought CapCities. Eyewitness News is a recognizable brand. Eyewitness News on ABC7 and Eyewitness News on KCAL9. What CBS is doing now isn’t that different than their attempt with the Newscentral branding. It’s just CBS never sticks with anything.

Just pure curiousity on my part... If KCAL9 has higher ratings/profile... why not move the CBS affiliation from Channel 2 to 9? If I remember correctly, didn't FOX do something similar in Minneapolis, moving their network from Channel 29 to 9 because KMSP had a higher ratings and better news legacy as an UPN affiliate.

Moving to Chyron probably explains at least some of the teething problems on KCBS, I mean, uhh, KCAL. I believe they were on Viz before. Hopefully the other stations have a smoother transition. The assignment desk segments are interesting, though it’s not a new idea by any means. I can’t help but think the unions would kill it before anything else though. I don’t know what the contracts are down there, but up here, SAG-AFTRA is pretty clear that anybody who’s not hired to be on-air never appears on-air.

They switched their Facebook from CBS Los Angeles to KCAL News this morning. Why wasn't this done on day one? But tell me this FB post THIS morning STILL isn't a confusing mess? You are contradicting yourself about the branding & my observations and can't even see it. Priceless! I can't help YOU if you don't understand how idiotic it is to tell people here is what coming up over the next 4 hours on KCAL News Mornings and then promo what is coming up on CBS Mornings when the brand is identified as the same & is being broadcast, simulcast on both stations in the 6 am hour - but not telling viewers where to watch it. They have the ability to split the broadcast, previews. They aren't airing the same spots, promos during the breaks - they are completely different on 2 & 9. For the record, they didn't air a preview of CBS Mornings today at all as they did yesterday.

I agree! I love these graphics, but that is literally the only thing I would change is to just use the KCAL square for the bug.

Ultimately, what is the endgame? Cable and broadcast shutting down entirely? Tv networks like ABC converting soely to free ad supported or paid subscription streaming services offering live sports or live news at fixed times, and producing shows that release a new episode at midnight on "Day X" every week? We're already seeing CBS O&Os demphasize channel numbers which is a sign of linear tv's growing irrlevance, even in news consumption. They're basically saying "what does a channel number matter if your watching this online?".

KTLA recently moved onto a new set. No issues. This is Los Angeles not Rapid City. You get it right on day 1. CBS 2 is not CBS Los Angeles. Both of the stations are. They're also CBSLA.com. CBS 2 airs KCAL News. It's all idiotic mumbo jumbo branding. If you wanted to use an example of a semi-sucessful newscast that wasn't on the primary channel, you should have used ABC 7 Eyewitness News on KDOC 56. That actually got some decent numbers unlike the Fox 11 newscast on KCOP. It would still be around today if the station handn't been sold to a religious broadcaster last summer.

The placement of the word "news" affects how smoothly the brand rolls off the tounge. Example, KPIX. "CBS Bay Area" rather than "CBS News Bay Area" allows the branding's use outside of newscasts, without having to cluster in the call letters. "CBS BAY Area News at 5", "CBS Bay Area News at 11". If we are de emphasizing channel numbers, I'm sure call letters don't really matter either on an o&o station. "CBS News Bay Area Evening Edition: 6PM" is a paragraph. *KCAL is a different story as CBS is the secondary brand*

Live SkyCal?

Now it says KCAL NEWS / CBS LOS ANGELES. Let's cram a few more brands in that bug? KCAL NEWS / IN-N-OUT BURGER / DISNEYLAND / CBS LOS ANGELES

I tried to keep an open mind about KCAL News CBS Los Angeles but *whew* CHILE, this is a mess. I truly hope it can be pulled off but, it's stressing lol.

I scanned by Great American Family one day during one of their Who's the Boss marathons done to waste time because they only care about existing during Christmas and Valentine's Day and Sony is happy to give them reruns for a pittance. The theme song was pitched to the point that Steve Wariner sounded like a eunuch, Tony, Angela and Samantha seemed to be on what Jessie Spano took for that one test and burning holes in the carpet as they did their scenes, and I could not understand much dialogue as even the captioning track was rushed. My spectrum brain noticed immediately and wished for everything to slow down. It was so disrespectful to the show, the actors, and the viewer, along with the creatives. All this...to shove in more ads.

KCAL has been having issues with the time and temp/ticker all day today. They’ve been using the outgoing CBSN ticker most of the day. I trust they’ll sort it out.

I know I keep complaining that the new bug is too big, but look at this. Is it really necessary to scream LOS ANGELES on a bug like that? Imagine if they just used the KCAL NEWS square. Would be a nicer minimalist look. Right now it's just a waste of screen real estate. At least incorporate the time and temperature if it's not going to be elsewhere on the screen.

This is New Coke. Bland and tasteless. And she made it that way. Just because you've worked in L.A. doesn't mean you understand it. Ask all those that have come through CBS Los Angeles for the last 40 years. This poorly executed product proves that.

This was the closest I could find on the fly. They painted the background blue at some point, but it started out as a beige color.

Don't think I recall that one that Channel 6 in Columbus had.

I blame the treatment of content as disposable as why TV is going down the drain.

How much wheeling and dealing is Kim doing to make these optics look good?

Anyone else getting Tegna vibes from the L3's?

The peacock isn’t the problem there. The rest of the logo is. Local stations need to get with the times and update their logos instead of holding the networks back.

Not a fan of dropping the white fill. As very clearly seen in NBC's own promos, feathers get lost depending on the color scheme. Might've been better served to make the feathers bigger and lessen the negative space.

The FCC approves event licenses for stadiums to broadcast radio audio on VHF channel 5, like the Packers do (they say you have to buy a 'special radio' but all you have to do is get a tuner like one that gets the Japanese band or an old Walkman with TV audio to listen to the 'stations' they air over the 6 MHz of channel 5). I don't understand why the FCC just doesn't abandon 5 and 6 for TV and expand the FM band. Outside a few TV stations in limited regions, it's not a good frequency for digital TV, but it would create a new land rush for radio, be it analog or digital-only...and it would please radio manufacturers (or car dealers that would re-program radios to get the expanded band).