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After reading that article, the biggest red flag for me is that I don't understand Licht's vision for CNN. What is the mission and purpose of the news organization? A clear mission statement is often a rallying point for culture change. After spending time with that lengthy profile, you don't walk away with a crystal-clear picture of where he wants to take the channel. I understand what he's against, like boxes...he hates boxes to the point that the control room can say it in unison. He seemingly spends a lot of time trashing anything that was built in Zucker's vision. Fine. You don't like how he managed the channel. But what is your vision? Staff and ultimately viewers need more than a generic "under new management" type message. Here's the unfortunate reality for CNN; the competition has defined identities, and they don't. MSNBC captured the liberal lane. FOX, from its inception, laid claim to the conservative lane. So that leaves CNN to claim the middle. While the center of the ideological spectrum is a huge potential audience, it isn't exactly an audience that shows up night after night for cable news. The other two channels have built in audiences looking to see what mud their favorite host is going sling in the opposite direction. To me, the middle isn't a long-term solution. You are just Fox lite to one group and you are MSNBC lite to the other. Stand for something different! In my opinion, CNN should transform its primetime into storytelling and original reporting. Two of the most watched shows on television (broadcast or cable) are 60 Minutes and CBS Sunday Morning. Each do in-depth original reporting and that old-school style reporting gets people talking. And given CNN doesn't have the same time constraints as 60 minutes, you could air the report and then bring the reporter (and other appropriate guests) in for a debrief. Plus, it gets you out of covering politics every night. This is a huge country, there are plenty of stories to tell beyond the political ones. That is just one of a dozen different directions CNN could go. It is a costly and time-intensive idea, so it might not feasible. But at least it is a clear vision, something in 15,000 words I didn't get from the head of CNN.

Personally I really miss good investigations of consumer issues like pricing and grocery store issues, but Food Lion and Pink Slime pretty much scared ABC and NBC into full time crime on their newsmagazines, and you don't see CBS even cover many of those stories any longer.

I say that because most times you turn on the news you hear the same subjects: immigration, healthcare, climate change, and politics. While those issues are important, there's certainly more to fill up a newscast. Years ago I saw a story about kidnapped children in Africa (not the bring back our girls story) on PBS' BBC World News America. In contrast, all the other nightly newscasts were glued to Trump. Unfortunately it would take an industry wide moving away from politics in order to force audiences into different news consumption habits. If CNN continues with panel discussions have it be thoughtful conversation and not argumentative scream television. (...And I don't mean put together an MSNBC panel where like minded people parrott each other) The CNN documentaries are pretty good. I suppose I'm dreaming of pre late 2000s CNN when you got actual serious news coverage. *edited because of voice to speech errors

Certainly the best thing at this point would be for executives to stay 100% behind the scenes. If I never have to know a TV station/network's executive or general manager outside the context of image campaigns or editorials, that is a very good thing. This is 100% junk news about people we'll never see on-screen yelling at the people on-screen (except with payroll screws to turn rather than just pointless yelling).

I obviously have no experience running a cable network, but as a viewer what I think Licht needed to do was: -bring back the CNN Newsroom look for dayside -stop mega focusing on one subject -keep Trump coverage brief and non-partisan -diversify network coverage outside of politics, climate change, and the usual stuff -Allow some CNN International material to air domestically (during the daytime and night) -get rid of problematic commentators and keep opinionated content (if any) in primetime to compete with MSNBC and FOX. -have that primetime opinionated block me a mix of conservative, liberal and independent/libertarian voices - poach *good* ex-jornalists (I'm talking like Ann Curry or Elizabeth Veargas *both too good for CNN* not Chris Cuomo)

This is a good example of "if you need auxiliary elements to explain the main element, the main element is too complicated." I get what they were going for and credit them for shaking it up, but some things work best in their simplest, classic form. It's just too busy.

As a lifelong viewer, WLS changing their wordmark honestly just doesn't phase me. Outside of the 1984-96 'Eyewitness News' logo, they've changed things up with every new graphics package.

Rory McIlroy this morning:

This graphics package is called Depth. Definitely an older one. I believe WCTV in Tallahassee still has the graphics package called Tech Rings.

When’s the last time CNN has even mentioned climate change? If anything that’s a story they need to cover more of. Otherwise I agree with your suggestions; they’re still politics-heavy under Licht, and that should change. I’d add that we really don’t need the endless parade of political pundits during dayside programming. However, can we honestly say that people would watch the network even if they followed through with all of that? People looking for impartial news coverage and thorough explainers aren’t going to cable news; if they were, BBC News and France 24 would be in demand. I get the impression that the average cable news viewer is just looking to be pandered to. Perhaps it didn’t have to be that way, but you can blame the cable networks, including CNN, for making it that way.

Baillie Burmaster from WOIO is the new sports director.

The deal has fallen through https://inforum.com/business/forum-communications-planned-purchase-of-kvrr-tv-in-fargo-kqds-tv-in-duluth-falls-through?fbclid=IwAR1FO4E8VRwnFGHpD8Itig8SzTiklH6PbJ9CNEpLWABHheHB6-H-2Hbl9tI_aem_th_AYT-VNOjffSwi2wh6P6nXaKGKwZCtz0MhX8d18RDM__eZybQgMnwawLbf-ygLk0qtww&mibextid=Zxz2cZ

Alternatively, what is the value of making them look different?

Quite the contrary. This is the Saudi's basically buying control of world golf.

Nope. They weren’t privy to the merger. Broadcasters aren’t all-knowing, all-seeing overlords of the leagues they broadcast. Even the players were blindsided.

They have a multi-year agreement so unless there’s a clause that would nullify said agreement; there’s no reason why things wouldn’t continue as is. I could see LIV becoming some type of junior league were players would have to work their way up to the PGA. Doubt the case can be made that both of these entities are equal in any sense. Regardless, this merger seems like a good thing for the CW.

The reason why many of CBS’s CW stations chose not to carry LIV Golf, competition with CBS’s telecast rights to the PGA Tour, will soon be rendered moot. The PGA is acquiring LIV. https://www.cnbc.com/2023/06/06/pga-tour-agrees-to-merge-with-saudi-backed-rival-liv-golf.html

The changes are supposed to "launch" this week at WTXL, according to an email sent by Adam Symson's to the company.

It's basically Bill Weir's beat. He fronts his reports live from some pretty interesting locations.

I just don't see good things happening... I wonder if WZZM cna stay in 2nd place with him...

Say what you will about Byron Allen. He's very much interested in buying Gannett TEGNA. https://www.npr.org/2023/06/04/1180059821/byron-allen-on-the-future-of-black-owned-media https://www.ftvlive.com/sqsp-test/2023/6/5/bryon-allen-wants-tegna

Surprised it took this long for this to happen. I guess Welker works for now.

I would call this an improvement, honestly. That gigantic box above the logo never looked good, IMO. Might look even better without a tab over it.

I wonder if AMG will swoop in and buy TEGNA now that the Standard General merger is dead?

WIS is adding a 7:30pm newscast in September, replacing Entertainment Tonight. Gray’s Investigate TV+ and a new lifestyle program, Soda City Living, replaces an hour of Hot Bench at 11am. Gray’s Local News Live replaces Kelly Clarkson at 2pm.

The question is, will the CW still air golf events? And will all the things we hate about LIV golf (aside from it's backers) trickle into PGA Tour events? I could care less about golf, but those who watch it may be in for a real surprise if some of the LIV-stuff makes it into mainstream golf.

Everybody's got a price. https://thestreamable.com/news/breaking-pga-tour-liv-golf-tour-agree-to-merge-into-global-golf-organization

This means not only the PGA tour, but CBS Sports, NBC Sports and Golf Channel (NBCU) are willing to accept Saudi blood money and promote events at trump properties. Ouch!!!

LIV and the PGA Tour are merging.

From WIS's release, it's the first time Local News Live is being offered on a station's main channel (at least from what I've seen). I expect it to be something that is part of Gray's schedule, and could easily be the "filler" of an otherwise local news-intensive schedule aside from network programming, and/or lifestyle programs.