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Sorry, as I read it I did not see you mentioned the date until I pulled up the article from the now defunct magazine. I have deleted my comment. The bottom line no one except insiders know ratings anymore. And that does suck for all markets.

nothing else. the syndication market is D.E.A.D.

So to break this all down, the new newscasts will be... Weekdays: - 7-9am (a return from when they did WSFL) - 10-11am - 6:30-7pm - 9-10pm (a return in the market since WFOR had to drop it for WBFS once they got The CW) The 10pm will be moved over from WSFL. Weekends: - 8-9am - 10:30-11am - 5:30-6pm - 6:30-7pm - 9-10pm (News + Sports) I'm surprised they're getting rid of the weekend 10pm. I mean, what will they do with that? Other than that, WSVN must be a bit nervous but ready to compete in what will be a WSVN vs. WPLG market.

I don't think it has anything to do with Fox News. They started de-emphasizing network branding when NBC bought WTVJ, and I assume they've stuck with that approach ever since then because it's worked for them.

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.

Instead, they'll live off of syndicated crap game shows or garbage programming. Hey, someone has to push the trash talkers and court shows on the unwashed masses. (Also, are there actually twelve episodes of Family Feud every day?) Scripted programming is not in the past; it just often ends up on streaming services because the broadcast networks generally only want shows that have the broadest appeal. Sports and reality shows succeed at that, partly because they're focused on physical ability (sports), competition (most reality shows on the networks), or relationship drama (the farmer wants a wife? Good for him, but absolutely none of my business). On the scripted side, these means a lot of procedurals, both police/crime-solving (CSI, NCIS, the entire Dick Wolf multiverse) and medical (The Pitt, Doc, House, etc.). The more intellectually-stimulating scripted shows wouldn't have a chance of being picked up by the broadcast networks, and cable channels are not grabbing as many of them as they used to as they themselves are dumbing their content down to widen their appeal. (Why do you think BBC America shows Law & Order repeats?)

We're getting closer to the days when the local affiliate is no longer necessary for network television. Case in point, my local CBS and CW stations are not on YouTube TV at the moment (but still on the air otherwise). YTTV just pops up a network feed that fills in the local slots with CBS News programming and PSAs, and on the CW, their eastern feed. Given the garbage that passes off as network television these days, I'd prefer a hyper-local station that doesn't have to pre-empt things for whatever crap sports or garbage programming is being sent to the affiliates to run.

It wasn’t a big deal for Fox because they don’t have a national morning show competing against TODAY. ABC does have a national morning show, GMA, who often is neck and neck with the TODAY show in the ratings. That’s the difference here. Also, the morning program on 6 used to be referred to as NBC6 News Today in South Florida.

WPLG and ABC stayed married for 69 years. Through it all, this marriage between network (ABC) and affiliate (WPLG) survived all the craziness with WSVN, WTVJ and WCIX/WFOR going on in both 1989 and 1995. Together, Channel 10 and ABC were (as the network's late 70s campaign said it) STILL THE ONE in South Florida! That was, until this week, when WPLG filed for divorce from ABC. The nearly 70 years of marriage is over. All because ABC was demanding more money from WPLG and its parent company Berkshire Hathaway. A quote fulled from the article in the Miami Herald - “[It] became clear that if we accepted the deal ABC was proposing, we too would have been forced to lay off employees in order to pay the hefty price the network was demanding.”

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

CBS Evening News sees more ratings growth in total viewers; slightly down on A25-54. Down -3% YoY.

Craig Allen mentioned something in a facebook post about how WCBS has been #1 lately at 11pm! Not sure if/how we can see proof of that, but that is surprising they are beating WABC?