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It's a minor change, and it's....ok. Still way too much mix and match on font weights, the now no-longer rounded edges on things like location bugs feel misaligned since I think the space is still there for the curve but now it's just an edge, the gaps between the name of the reporter and title like above feel way too big, that all caps on the flipper is a big no... Ok, so maybe OK is a little strong. Slapdash feels better. I wonder if they might be experimenting a bit to see what may or may not work rather than just loading up the old graphics template and calling it a day.

Looks like the graphics change has been implemented. Keeping the new graphics but making some adjustments: Person's name and title is again displayed under the headline, which is bolder. Locators have been squared off, as has been the CNN bug (except for the top-left corner, not pictured here), but the curves remain elsewhere. The flipper is now written in all caps and is often nearly impossible to read (I'm sure this will be addressed quickly). So definitely not the "back to the old style" that Dylan Byers reported but more of a hybrid adjusting the new design.

Watters may be the dumbest and most lightweight host Fox has (and that's saying a lot).

I should've known; I really don't trust Puck to get story basics right, so this is just another confirmation of that and it was just the graphics people adjusting, so my last post doesn't really stand (though I'm sure the meddling is there all the same).

Actually, The Weather Channel ran live cut-ins during their docuseries block, at least in the afternoon. I caught one that ran during their 2:00 p.m. CT airing of Mayday: Air Disaster (about 20 minutes before the Greenwood, Indiana tornado touched down). Wasn’t familiar with the meteorologist they had doing the updates.

Why do I get the feeling Zazlav watched NBC Nightly News and threw a tantrum that his graphics '(censored) (censored) (censored)' compared to their 'new (censored) package)' and told everyone 'start (censored) over' after who knows how much work was done? I would not be shocked if CNN's graphics department hates him just as much as those at TCM right now (and since CNN+ was scuttled, it trebled). The only time I can really think of a reverse being done was WPVI (we all know THAT story), or probably in the 70s or 80s because a newer machine just didn't work with the news department's ENG conversion yet and had to be back-burnered until it was fixed, or more rarely, a network switch forced an old system to be implemented as they were no longer licensed to use the network's software and devices (a la CBS).

I was flipping around to sample the cable news coverage of this big moment happening in Russia right now. The other cable networks are wall to wall on this. "News" Nation is airing Blue Bloods, of course. And when I turned them on for a second, they had a banner promoting anti-vax conspiracy theorist RFK, Jr. This is not a real news channel.

CNN+ wasn't canceled due to it not working. They had invested $100 million and something like a year of preparation, only to announce its cancellation about three weeks into its existence. They shut it down because it did not align with Warner Bros Discovery's streaming plans. Sure, if more than a handful of people had signed up in the first three weeks, perhaps the calculation would have been different, but it was never even given a chance to succeed. Anyway, no change to the graphics this morning. Maybe it takes 2-3 weeks for them to load them back into the control rooms and we'll see the change after that.

Tegna's CW agreement runs through the end of August 2026. It does not contain any clauses about removal because the network has bought a station (other affiliation agreements I have read do have such provisions). The CW can only terminate the agreement: If the station's technical parameters change so drastically that "the Affiliate becomes of materially less value to The CW" If the station owner is bankrupt, or if the network is bankrupt In the event of breach of contract If the network announces it is ceasing operations, six months' notice required If the station enters into or terminates an SSA or LMA without network approval I believe it will be three years before KUSI becomes The CW in San Diego, unless the agreement is amended. But you are right to point out that the call letters are newly prominent as of May 24...

This is so stupid, the graphics were great for what they were, and miles better than before. CNN has had the WORST graphics for a while. CNN will stay in 3rd place until they sell it to someone who cares about the news.

This is a weird thing to get hyped about. Geez.

Okay, relax. Did it create bias in their presentation of the weather? I think you’re making a big deal out of nothing.

Wow, weird to see a total reversion to a previous graphics package in the TV news biz. I've seen cases where someone new takes over shortly after a graphics change, and there's a swift changeover to something completely different (but new), but it's super strange to see a revert back to a previous package. Is there any time in the past that this has ever happened anywhere across the TV news landscape?

Eh I'm mixed, while the new lower third's were only evolutionary and not revolutionary, admittedly they were a lot cleaner and simpler, with the ticker and such. This will be a confusing change for viewers but hopefully a new CEO will actually implement NEW, more modern L3'S, that goes for most of the shows as well.

I think this can have the potential to be a bit sleazy, but if we’re being honest, the ship has sailed on the era of “no sponsors on the news.” There are stations that put sponsorships for car dealerships and ambulance-chasing lawyers on the headline ticker and the 7-day forecast. Of course, there are also the pay-for-play advertorial shows that are disguised as talk shows, which John Oliver did a good job of pointing out. Those are far more egregious imo. While this was a news program, I think it was apparent that this wasn’t a news segment. It’s not as though we had coverage of the Russian coup attempt sponsored by Legoland.

CNN will undo its graphics changes.

You see this all the time on Fox station morning shows like Good Day. Most of the segments are paid for by the business being promoted and aren't just the reporter just coming into a business looking into something new at random, but coordinated in advance (you don't see a trampoline park open at 7am or a restaurant with their dinner menu at breakfast, usually). This is downright tame, especially for a Saturday morning show. At least they were completely transparent about it being a sponsored segment; most in smaller markets just aren't.

The key here is that this wasn't a news segment. I see it as the equivalent of John doing a feature story on Legoland and interviewing people. Did he say or do something that is questionable/improper? I don't think this rises to the level where the journalistic integrity of John or CBS 2 is in question [or should be in question].

Yeah.. this isn't a big deal. It's a weather segment presented/sponsored by a well-known, family-friendly company. Not unlike seeing a small logo for a local car dealership during the weather segment for example. Now if the new set is made out of Lego and they rename the newscast 'Lego presents...the CBS 2 News at...', that would be something to be concerned about.

CBS is a corporation after all. I’m not bothered by this in the slightest, it’s a weekend morning show. It would be interesting were one of the flagship network broadcast doing this but even still I’d not be overly concerned. Actually weren’t NBC and ABC leveraging sponsors to skip their usual ad breaks on the nightly broadcasts for a bit?

You read my mind. This is a fun segment for a weekend morning, and John Elliott is the perfect person for the assignment. However, the Legoland sponsorship is concerning to see on a news broadcast. I guess we can at least be happy that they did not try to hide the fact that Legoland is sponsoring at least a portion of the newscast.

High is blue cause it's usually dry and cool, low is red cause it is warm and wet, there is no reason for the H to be red aside from someone who knows nothing about weather maps trying to be different with their artistic opinions. Hence, why I said you made up almost everything you said because you wanted to sound smart. It's not rocket science, and anyone who went to school and knows at least how to read, if not produce a weather map knows this.

It would have made natural sense if WANF let CBS go because of the SEC...but really, that was the only reason I could've seen them bailing. CBS's other event programming, the Masters across the state in Augusta, and the Falcons no longer stuck to WAGA most of the season because of the end of 'conference exclusivity' deals? That easily sweetened the pot for Gray to pull the trigger on renewal. The big Atlanta unknown now is where the CW goes, but I don't see it going on a prime station without compromising on NXT's end or time-buying being the result; it isn't going to be on WPCH though just because of Gray's current overall Atlanta blueprint.

They're throwing all the money at one creator (Taylor Sheridan, who refuses any script help and writes nothing but worn-down tropes) towards one demographic (which mostly watches INSP and FNC) while starving promotion from their other shows and creators outside the SpongeBobs and South Parks, and like any PG cable channel has been for the last ten years, you have to watch the content at the time it comes out before they pull it back because they refuse to let it thrive or give unknown creators security (the Heathers situation). Their model is unsustainable, and that their cable portfolio is now in the infomercials and home shopping level of filler nobody actually watches...they're lucky they have CBS primetime and Tom Cruise, because everything else they've touched is just not doing well.

The industry is such a mess, the streaming services can't even afford to keep EXISTING content that PAYING customers either are watching or want to watch. I sense another A.A.P. situation where a equity firm or consortium of companies buys up dead content to license elsewhere. What good is it doing sitting in a warehouse when it could be monetized, streamed or purchased outright?

They just renewed yesterday. They renewed after the whole argument was made here that CBS was itching to move their affiliation to WUPA. Now we’re speculating that they’re going to move again after they just renewed? I’m sure you’re right that CBS sees some value in WUPA. Maybe they generate enough revenue from the station that they don’t feel the need to sell. Perhaps they’re looking to pursue local sports rights. Maybe they can’t find a buyer even if they wanted one. None of that means that CBS is guaranteed to make such egregious terms for WANF in future negotiations to the point that they’ll force the affiliation to WUPA. Furthermore, if I’m Gray, and CBS forces my hand in Atlanta, what’s to stop me from switching the rest of my 80+ CBS affiliates to other networks as well? Maybe we disagree, but I really don’t think CBS is in a rush to piss off “the largest independent owner of CBS affiliates in the country,” as the TVNewsCheck article notes.

So you’re still arguing that Gray is going to balk over the terms of affiliation when they already renewed with CBS? Given that Paramount is dealing with more important issues, like cutting content on their streaming service, I seriously doubt that pissing off Gray over one Atlanta TV station is a high priority. Hell, TV stations in general are not their priority. Why are they going to pour money into starting a local news operation from scratch on a channel few watch when their affiliate is not only doing the job, but also showing ratings improvement? And it’s not as though CBSMV fare can’t air elsewhere; the only CBSMV show on WUPA is Drew Barrymore. That’s it. At the end of the day, CBS renewed with Gray, and they’re not going anywhere in Atlanta.

Agreed. Agreed x2 Hopefully it looks like KCAL's set.

IMO from a viewer and from an employee perspective, we don't need further narrowing of the media landscape. On the other hand, maybe the far superior journalistic quality of CBS News might rub off on CNN.

Good. CBS doesn't need to build a new local news department from scratch. It's genetic format wouldn't hold up againt WSB, AGA, or XIA, (not that WANF does well).

Keep that guy away, especially with how Zuck ruins everything he touches. NBC, CNN, etc.

Update: The L3 replaces the right half of the Eyemark on the far right with an uppercase G.

Actually, it’s that logic that’s killing TV news… Anyway, here’s an article from Deadline on this: https://deadline.com/2023/06/missing-sub-news-nation-oxygen-remaining-countdown-clock-1235422766/ I think the most interesting takeaway here is that there are people out there who watch News Nation.

Just as I expected. The best move for CBS would be to sell WUPA.

Y'all don't have to worry about a switch in Atlanta. WANF will stay as a CBS affiliate. Gray has renewed its CBS deal in all of its 54 markets.

I suppose this confirms what a lot of people suspect; Nexstar’s management team is filled to the brim with f***ing idiots. Hey Susan, maybe if you and your company had nipped this problem in the bud months ago and listened to your employees, maybe you wouldn’t have dealt with a leak and a PR nightmare. Susan Tulley needs to go touch grass.

Bill Steffen winding down his schedule to emeritus status times out to when they came there and I'm beginning to wonder if there might also a component to that, along with the change to a more generic image/theming away from its longtime 'good friend to the community' framing.

It's been bare bones, but at least they have a weather show throughout the day while the weather channel is playing that Pattern BS.

This week so far: - They had barely sufficient staffing to run a live full schedule until 10pm ET on both Monday and Tuesday. Amy is out this week, so Stephen has been hosting Weather Command all week. Staffing wasn't great enough to have a three-person show on Monday and Tuesday, so Weather Command was reduced to a 2-person show both days (this has been happening a lot lately). Kiyana had to do a double shift on Fox Weather First/Weather Command on Monday, while Michael had to do a double shift on Weather Command/America's Weather Center on Tuesday. - Brigit is back in NYC, and she indeed appeared on Fox Weather Now both Monday and Tuesday. It's not a full host role, as Ian is still considered the sole host of that show. I guess you could say that she's a "contributing meteorologist" on the show, appearing multiple times per hour. - Jason returned from his initial paternity leave today. Like we saw with Steve Bender earlier this year, I would think Jason will probably defer the rest of his paternity leave until a few months out from now. If that happens, plus we know that Marissa goes on maternity leave in a few months as well, this is a major wake-up call that the network needs to staff up if they have any hopes of functioning in the second half of 2023. idk if they want to hire staffers or just go with freelancers, but they need some sort of plan for when Jason and Marissa are out later in the year.

I'm assuming this is the team actually purchasing time on KJZZ rather than Sinclair having the direct rights (though still holding marketing rights), which allows much more flexibility with the contract overall than they had with AT&TSN.

Sadly, like TWC, Fox Weather buys into the "Weather Doesn't Happen on Weekends" mantra. If severe weather is hitting on a weekday, they'll be happy to cover it all night, but if it happens on a weekend, they don't have the resources to cover it unless it's pre-forecasted to be a major event several days in advance. As for the overall schedule, I never noticed this before, but I see that they actually publish program guide data on the Roku Channel. The new weekday schedule is officially: 5am ET - 9am ET: Fox Weather First (Britta solo during the first hour) 9am ET - 12pm ET: Weather Command 12pm ET - 3pm ET: America's Weather Center 3pm ET - 6pm ET: Fox Weather Now 6pm ET - 10pm ET - Fox Weather Live 10pm ET - 5am ET - Fox Weather (overnight half hour loop - runs later until 6am ET Friday night into Saturday morning) Weekends remain essestially unchanged: 6am ET - 10am ET: Fox Weather First Weekend 10am - 2pm ET: Fox Weather Live 2pm - 1am ET Various long form programming 1am ET - 6am ET Night Light (Only runs until 5am ET Sunday night into Monday morning) As we've seen, on weekdays, the end time of Fox Weather Live is realistically all over the place. When short-staffed, they'll end at 8pm ET. If fully staffed, they *may* go until 10pm ET, but it doesn't seem super reliable at this point. We'll see what happens going forward. So yeah, Fox Weather Across America is officially dead. I'm assuming Stephen will remain on Weather Command going forward. Hopefully Brigit is back from her field reporting this week, so maybe we'll get to see if she also joins Weather Command or if she joins Ian on Fox Weather Now instead. From the two days that I have stayed up/woke up to watch the 5am ET hour of Fox Weather First, it appears that the first segment of the hour is now called "Britta's Basics," to help give some personal ownership to Britta for her solo hour of the show. Edit: Watching deeper into the hour, they also have a segment called "Britta Knows Best" at about :20 past the hour. This one actually has its own lower third graphic. They're definitely trying to brand this new 5am ET hour around Britta. Edit 2: There is a reprisal of the "Britta's Basics" segment at the bottom of the hour as well. Edit 3: Janice Dean joins Britta at roughly :40 past the hour for a discussion-oriented segment. Apparently this is a daily thing, as Britta ended the segment by saying, "See you tomorrow!" At :45 past, the co-host of the 6am-9am ET show (today it's Kiyana) joins Britta at the desk to preview the upcoming 6am-9am ET show.

Thread cleaned up and unlocked. The user that initiated the disruption has been banned. In the future, I humbly ask members to use the "report post" function and the block tools built into the forum over "backseat modding" users disrupting a thread. -Weeters

Edit: Sorry, didn't realize there was already a thread in the Studio section... Looks like CBS 2 CBS News New York is on a temporary set.

Former Days of our Lives actor Kyle Lowder has signed on with Reno's KTVN as their new morning co-anchor. He begins July 1.

Tully spoke to the WOOD-TV staff. https://thedesk.net/2023/06/susan-tully-nexstar-wood-tv-lgbt-memo/

An update from WOOD-TV: Employees of the station have been complaining to Nexstar higher ups about bullying, harassment, and racism from the station’s news director, Stanton Tang, for months. The anonymous employees also state that many have been overworked, and the constant burnout has led to people taking multiple personal days or leaving the station entirely. WOOD-TV staff informed Nexstar corporate about Tang’s behavior, but their complaints were ignored. https://thedesk.net/2023/06/wood-tv-stanton-tang-harassment-allegations-nexstar/ Furthermore, regarding the pride memo, Tang apparently instructed assistant ND Amy Fox to write the memo on his behalf. It is also allegedly not the first time Tang has used his personal politics to sway WOOD-TV’s news coverage. https://thedesk.net/2023/06/stanton-tang-anti-gay-pride-memo-wood-tv/