Leaderboard

Not a moment too soon, because I think they ran out of breaking news in the 8am hour this morning.

If you're of a certain age, you can remember the glut of first-run syndicated dramas, sitcoms, and musical/talent shows that were around during the 1980s and '90s...a lot of that had to do with more TV stations signing on the air during that aforementioned time (thus needing the programming, besides old off-network reruns and whatever live sports they could cobble up), and already-established stations having more control over their programming inventory. Over time, with the launch of Fox, and later The WB and UPN, plus the growth of cable TV (both in terms of subscribers and the number of networks), a lot of these same kind of shows that would be meant for first-run syndication eventually migrated to those outlets, and now 25-30 years later, much of that same type of content has migrated to streaming. The more I think about it, these local stations (including the likes of WPLG) may have to try "re-invent the wheel" in order for them to survive in the long-term...going wall-to-wall news (like a certain CW station in my home city) may not cut it everywhere.

I grew up during that era, so I watched a number of syndicated shows (mostly sci-fi and fantasy), though little of it regularly as there usually wasn't a TV available in the house when I wanted one. The thing that always annoyed about syndicated programming was that it'd end up in weird time slots such as late at night or weekend afternoons. Even the most of indie stations would do that, saving the 8-11pm hours for movies. I remember being down in Florida one summer and discovering that one station was showing either Hercules or Xena during primetime hours on a Tuesday night.

Good Morning America is planning to depart its iconic Times Square Studio this summer https://www.adweek.com/tvnewser/good-morning-america-times-square-move/

Here's some more highlights to add to what @ekt8750 has: Video Tour via NBC 10 YouTube Page

GE ultimately sold NBC and WTVJ to Comcast plus lots of investment made WTVJ a player in the market again

CW and NASCAR are debuting a new set.

Just announced last week. They're moving to the Evening News set later this year.

Ryan was off most of last week, but was back on Friday night, Dionne was reporting from Milwaukee on Thu/Fri, and Mark must not have been available on Thursday, so that's where Marshall slotted in. Dionne was then off for the weekend, so Mark was sent to Milwaukee for the Illini's 2nd round game, and Marshall was in-studio again. They'll all co-exist, at least for now, with baseball starting, Bulls & Hawks winding down, pre-NFL draft coverage, and the usual Spring break time off.

how do the news heavy indies do in prime time?

You beat me to it. Syndicated options aren't much better. Cheap Byron Allen Court shows like The Verdict with Judge Hatchett, countless Family Feud reruns, Pictionary? Some stations have stooped as low as having paid programming blocks on weekdays. I totally agree that all the good stuff is on streaming while broadcast primetime goes for the generic procedural types. When I overcome my cynicism and actually watch some broadcast primetime shows they're not half bad. ABC's Doctor Odyssey for example. The problem is, shows like that don't encourage me to give them a chance to begin with, because they look like recycled crap.

The issue that I don't understand is with the sports programming. What will happen with the sports programming that appear on USA, CNBC, & E networks once they officially separate from NBCU? Will NBC move the sports to bravo and / or Peacock? When Comcast made the deal with NBA to show games, they included wnba games to be shown on USA. What was the point of doing that when they were considering spinning off USA with the other networks?

I haven't been on here in some time! Latest clips

isn't sports the only thing keeping linear TV in general afloat? In STL, would ABC be happier on a subchannel of KSDK, KTVI, KPLR, or KMOV instead of a station with no news dept? But maybe Sinclair has more leverage than Scripps

Part of the reason I question if WSVN will eventually go for a full ABC affiliation, is the thought that a big three affiliation is greater/more prominent than a Fox. Does that still hold true (especially for CBS after the 1994 realignments)?

Bingo. Correct. I believe WSVN started their morning news in 1983 as Today in Florida at 6:30 a.m., six years before they would later lose NBC.

Yeah, this feels like a stopgap measure. A bandage, even.

That shouldn't matter. WSVN still uses Today in Florida which (correct me if I'm wrong) was a title it got during its NBC affiliation days. WTVJ calls their AM newscast NBC 6 News Today to differentiate. It's ironic that WSVN is often called the model Fox affiliate despite distancing itself from the Fox brand. Yes the business is changing... but as people have said before, I don't see ABC being content on a sub channel long-term in a top 20 market. If this were a smaller market, the CW or My Network TV, perhaps. We may be looking at another shake up in the next few years.

Exactly. I really don't understand what the point was. It must be really annoying to work at CBS News with all the cost cutting and then see them spend money on stuff like moving "CBS Mornings" (what a dumb name) to Time Square with a set that looks like it could be a green screen. Honestly, all the networks have gotten really lazy with set design. The new trend seems to be make a fake digital set and then display it on a huge screen as a background.

Good for him getting out there like that then.

Too bad they clip sports out of their on demand recordings. Is third fiddle at WLS a step up from Sports Director at WBBM?

They could go back to Studio 57. CBS News 24/7 has been embracing VR/AR studios anyway..

Not surprising. A rapidly changing reality at the macro and micro levels sometimes necessitates substantial changes. By no means unique to any company or industry, just the way life goes.

Along those lines, I wonder if ABC did pursue WSFL for an affiliation given the relationship between the Alphabet and Scripps. That said, good for WSVN if they can handle it, but we'll wonder long they'll keep ABC and Fox on their signal.

Sherri's gonna give you more in season 4.

Trying to push viewers to switch their sports rage opinion source of questions nobody asks from ESPN to FS1 by using the Super Bowl's momentum; all of these networks have lost the point of how to push viewers to other networks, including the Puppy Bowl now getting a Discovery and TNT simulcast while cannibalizing Animal Planet's own audience. Even last night the NFL Honors was simulcast on Fox and NFL Network, and for no real reason, it aired at 9pm ET to take out the 10pm news rather than the usual 8pm (ETA - Didn't know it was the season finale for Hell's Kitchen so it makes sense). I'm sure the viewer feedback and tip lines at Fox affiliates have a few unhappy viewers this afternoon, along with Harvey Levin, who gets TMZ Live pre-empted.

Further discussion of the likely new Fox NFL package here.

I'll have to wait until I see it in hi-res, but from this initial look, I don't like it.

My early guess is that the peacock logo goes so viewers still don't associate it with NBC.

Spring Weather, I saw that FOX Weather was kind of on this strange loop yesterday. The Weather Channel & Weather Nation TV were both on top of the multiple alerts as they were going out. FOX Weather finally started to show alerts 20-30mins after TWC & WN, SAD situation for FOX Weather.

Way back prior to being fully bought by NBCUniversal, the company that included USA and SciFi was called USA Networks. The down side is if SpinCo goes international, the name may not work.

I liked Tom Niziol he was pretty good for the winter forecasts. All the best to Tom wherever he goes.

When Comcast sells off it's cable networks, including USA & cnbc, will they just move whatever sports programming that currently airs on those networks over to peacock?

Good timing on the launch of the CMG thread... more news: they're shutting down the DC bureau.

I don't have any insight or information, but having a new job and an ongoing relationship with the station makes me think this was a planned exit by him. A quiet and short notice without the pomp and circumstance is the ideal departure for many people. News anchors come and go, and maybe he didn't want to make himself the news or at least minimize the time when he is the center of attention. The tribute and retrospective PKGs are awkward and have no viewer benefit. Newsroom cakes and speeches are just painfully awkward.

Or HDNet's obscure NHL package from the early 2000s

Thin vertical score bug on the left side of the screen? Reminds me of the shape of the early 2000s WGN scorebug, but of course, a lot more modern. The huge GOAL graphic that takes up the left side of the screen looks ripe for social media thumbnails.

You know Sinclair is right wing bordering far right? If they at least cared about the Spanish community, they would have some Spanish stations left in their portfolio.

Racist how? They dropped a Univision affiliation in Seattle for The CW.

For the third straight season, KTLA will carry a limited number of Clippers games--four preseason, and eleven regular-season contests.

The Portland Trail Blazers now have a new broadcast partner: KATU and Sinclair https://www.nba.com/blazers/news/portland-trail-blazers-announce-future-of-trail-blazers-broadcasting A multi-year deal that includes distribution on Sinclair stations throughout Oregon and Washington, mainly on subchannels including in Portland on KATU 2.2 (Charge!) until January 1, 2025, when Blazers telecasts move to KUNP Channel 16 (currently Univision); in Seattle, the games will air on KUNS 51.2 (TBD Network). Also as part of the agreement, the Blazers are creating a paid direct-to-consumer streaming service (BlazerVision) that will have live and classic games, pre and postgame content, and other team-oriented programming.

No changes preseason graphics-wise for the Bills, Bears, Bucs, Chiefs, Chargers, 49ers, Jaguars, Seahawks, & Titans. Raiders using MLBN/NHLN type graphics, while the Vikings & Saints use the current FOX scorebar, & the Cardinals, having moved from KPNX (NBC) to KPHO (CBS) went with a new custom scorebar.

A little bit far off, but it's been confirmed it'll be CBS Sports producing the Christmas games for Netflix. Likely we'll get both games locally in-market on the CBS-owned stations (including WJZ and KDKA). CBS talent is yet to be confirmed to be used. And no changes to the Packers package this year; still in house with the same look and CBS production.

That won't happen though. In the CNBC article that I shared, it said, In that case, Sony would have kept Paramount and the studios, while Apollo would have taken CBS - and likely would have started to sell it for parts like they have done with Cox stations, maybe even reorganizing Cox stations around CBS.

Raycom Sports is actually handling production; they just happen to use ESPN’s graphics. I believe they also produce a number of ESPN games as well (though I could be wrong). EDIT: The games they produce are sublicensed from ESPN, and they use the ESPN look, but Raycom is ultimately running production. https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/38007548/acc-cw-strike-broadcast-deal-air-50-football-basketball-games

Always keep in mind this is premiere week ratings. Let’s give it a month.

Per the NY Post, CTM seems to be clicking with viewers https://nypost.com/2019/05/29/gayle-king-already-a-ratings-a-success-for-cbs-this-morning/?_ga=2.93574365.1157626706.1559208938-amp-MSambGDh_qw5Tt1wjXe6Fg

Anthony Mason still anchoring CTM: Saturday.

In two to three years I predict the show will be a husband and wife hosted show with Tony and Katy.