Leaderboard

KDKA radio carries a format where the hosts are likely to say outrageous things. It wouldn’t have mattered if KDKA radio and TV were under the same umbrella, but they are not, and it’s a brand sharing with underlying liabilities. So of course KDKA-TV is going to remove the call letter branding and go by “CBS Pittsburgh”. It’s the path of least resistance. All this could have been avoided, by the way, if CBS ordered Entercom to change KDKA’s calls when it was sold. Sinclair made KOMO radio do just that when it was sold to Lotus, so nothing is sacred.

I think you mean KCNC.

KCNC has been assimilated.

I'm surprised it was a twenty-year grant of trademark for Audacy rather than just five. At least one situation's seemed to go well outside CBS; WTMJ-TV is "TMJ4", and WTMJ is still "Newsradio 620", and they both made clean breaks, while KMOV just changed it back in 1988 after being sold to Viacom I and there's never been an issue between them and 1120. Meanwhile there wasn't much issue with the WBBM stations in Chicago (which has finished the "Newsradio 105.9" transition without much issue, and B-96 just mentions calls at the top of the hour). And KYW...at least "CBS 3"/"KYW Newsradio" is easy enough to differentiate. Even WCBS is fine with "CBS2", "CBS-FM" and "Newsradio 88" (which feels like it'll be sold off sooner than later with the WINS newsroom merger). Then you have branding disasters like the LA/SF KCBS situation I mentioned a few pages back, and the WBZ stations with '''three''' different owners (and an FM with headache-inducing sports hot takes a la KDKA). The KDKA mess is a quagmire that can only be fixed with either a format blow-up (not happening) or AM being sunsetted (more likely), while KDKA-FM just kinda exists without a provocative sports format. And this isn't CBS-related, but Disney just needs to pay off Cumulus already to yank the KGO calls of 810; they in no way should be associated with degenerates talking about betting on Montana State-Glendive vs. Central Tennessee Presbyterian girl's volleyball, and KABC might as well just be sold off to VCY already because it wouldn't even be a good station under Salem. WABC just has too much tradition and differentiation, though (not a station I'd listen to, but at least the billionaire is putting in effort there).

Somara Theodore, who did weather for WRC-TV and Saturday Today, is joining ABC News as a New York-based meteorologist:

ABC adding a third on-air meteorologist. I wonder if we’ll see her take over weekend GMA from the revolving ABC O&O mets.

I'll also add this, since it was brought up. How much of a big deal is the Wendy Bell fiasco in 2023? It's been 2 and a half years since she was taken off the air at KDKA Radio. I don't follow her, I don't know if she's still on broadcast radio/TV or just on the internet. She's never going to be back on KDKA anything, ever. I would think by now many people have largely forgotten about her time on KD. I could be wrong, though, as I don't actively follow her. This is an aside, of course. Back to the main topic.

On KDKA's "KDKA 2.0" special last night, Wendy McMahon emphasized the brand equity of the call letters, so hopefully that means they're not going anywhere. https://youtu.be/C9hjNRXSfLc?list=PL-g6w-CsfQ1K_rDpCypnPJjtAG7UKe65C&t=408

Kirstin Cole posted a video of them rehearsing in the new studio. https://www.instagram.com/p/CpF8OIjD5rj/

The FCC wants a hearing on the Standard-TEGNA-Cox deal. (h/t @Samantha).

Yeah I have to add to that, but Jodi Applegate could’ve holded a 6pm show. Kaity and Jim would still be here if that stupid Bill Carrey move didn’t happened.

They would be good for CNN’s CNN This Morning and thrn move Don back to nights at 9pm. Poppy/Kaitlin and add them to daytime shifts.

Newsroom was fine. Was hoping they'd get back to an actual Newsroom look. Guess this goes with the reinvention.

CNN will launch its dayside lineup News Central in April. https://deadline.com/2023/03/cnn-daytime-lineup-cnn-news-central-1235275556/