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Between here and the Discord, we've seen multiple people confirm that this is a new package for the group, so there's been a thread title change.

At least Larry Tisch managed to give CBS the image of a pristine broadcaster. CBS looks so much like a network that rests on its laurels, just like all the other networks that Paramount Global owns. I really believe CBS will be the first broadcast network to cease operations at this point, especially considering the turmoil that every department in CBS is going through. CBS News has always lagged behind it's competitors but never has it been this desecrated and ruined. There's no "pride in it's coverage, history and integrity" anymore, all because Paramount Global couldn't manage itself to save it's own life and now needs to merge with Skydance to survive. ABC and NBC have been affected by Trump but never have I seen so much damage done to them than CBS. Disney and NBCUniversal have made wise decisions when it came to cable negotiations and shutting down cable networks that dragged down the company in the US at least. NBCUniversal also made the wise decision to spin off their cable properties except for Bravo as Versant. Paramount Global has not bothered to shut down any of it's vast amount of cable networks that barely matter or do well at all. Even flagship cable channels like Nickelodeon are not given the care or attention they need at all. I don't think any of the new shows that Nick has announced will make it to a second season, it's all SpongeBob now and that has been milked to death but it refuses to die. Sure there's The Loud House and various preschool programming but how long can they milk it for really? Even Warner Bros. Discovery is highly considering spinning off their cable networks as well. Never have I seen a company so grossly incompetent and mismanaged than Paramount Global. I don't think Shari should of taken on the job at all.

The design has VividZero/Defiant vibes ?

I can't wait until WXYZ gets this package

While a bit generic, the graphics are an upgrade from the Powerpoint package they've had. I'd be interested to hear what other cuts the music package has because that one was quite underwhelming and forgettable.

Better than the current Scripps package! Would be nice if local markets can customize color though... I've always associated WFTS with reds and whites, not blue.

Apologies for pushing up this thread but "The Source" has debuted new graphics and moved into a "new" set, made out of CNN's Washington Newsroom. The new package features Collins and her work at the White House prominently, a departure from the city imagery of the last package, it kind of reminds me of their packages for Chris Wallace.

I was told by the assistant news director at KJRH back in April that Scripps was working on a new graphics package and looks like Tampa Bay is the first to get it.

You read that right. KWQC commissioned it (thanks to Cyle Dickens' help nonetheless) and will debut on June 10th.

Wow he's come a long way since reporting traffic on the radio - He was the first person to report on the 9/11 incidents.

These graphics are a huge upgrade from what she previously had. The tight shot on her is also framed incredibly well.

We’re veering off topic here but I’ll add that I think a lot of these points are extremely valid and the primary one is just that the window on the world doesn’t attract the same hype it once did, similarly to the morning shows themselves. I walk by Today pretty often on my way to work and the size of the plaza crowd these days vs 5-10 years ago is a stark sign of the times.

I think the boat sailed around the time when Ann Curry was gaslighted out of Today and when Trump became president in 2016. The peak of the plaza was in 2012 during the 60th Anniversary of Today. That was the last time the show really valued the plaza and the initial legacy of the streetside studio. I don't think anybody really values or cares about the plaza anymore except for the diehard Today fans. The main show has been split into 3 distinct shows. The main show, the 3rd hour and the last hour. I understand that morning shows aren't really the hot commodity they used to be but damn I can't believe Today is just two hours long now. How is Today with only two hours, 3 distinct versions, significantly low viewership compared to even 2012 and a lower budget supposed to incorporate a plaza of people, the sole thing that was a defining feature, into its format? Al Roker doesn't even interview random people in the plaza anymore so what's the point of keeping the plaza and incorporating it into the Today show? As much as I want the plaza to stay, I feel like there will come a point in time where the plaza will be retired. I know they will celebrate the plaza's history and final day with a bang at least considering how important it is to the show's history in the 50s and 90s but after that, will anybody really miss the plaza?

YES. This one (attached) is one of the arrangements (over a number of years) I did for my original 'WTNCF' theme that I composed for KCRA-TV Kelly Broadcasting in late 83 ... Thanks.

Honestly, it would not surprise me in the least if this hypothetical new 3A set ended up being for Nightly, NBC News Now, and Today. Not only is a bunch of studio space and newsroom space about to open up, but technical spaces as well. It would not shock me at all if NBC chose to consolidate everything inside 30 Rock. The streetside studio thing has to be becoming more trouble than it's worth, and they're about to have at least two full control rooms open up.

Cool, what was the story / process / inspiration that got you to that arrangement? Pretty iconic, nailed the newsy urgency and authority with some ebbs and flows. I remember it being used for many years.

It won’t happen again. WABC will forever be known as Channel 7. The rebranding of years ago was disastrous - not that people stopped watching, but no one ever referred to WABC as ABC7. Btw - for those who didn’t know - Lee Goldberg is an ABC news meteorologist now. He does WNT W-F and prerecords the AM weather for WNN and GMA First. The move to 7 Hudson has allowed much more integration between network and local. It has been playing out as had been hoped. GMA moves next month.

Haha, as a nod to KABC, maybe we can take a piece of their identity by signing off as ABC 7 Eyewitness News, considering they took a piece of ours by pretty much using our music theme now. , the last time this was done was back in 2004. These days the ABC O&Os and affiliates often share resources when WABC uses KABC's reporters, especially for bigger stories that take place on the west and east coast's largest cities (wildfires, natural disasters, etc) and vice versa, they usually sign off as "ABC 7" Eyewitness News.

so Shari Redstone is the second coming of Larry Tisch?

I understand some of your points. it's overkill for every network to have a street side studio. it's especially unnecessary for budget constrained local stations. I don't mind Today keeping the plaza however. Yes, the W 49th street view being blocked by police is understandable. The Rockefeller Plaza portion however is a lot more controlled. Onlookers have to go through metal detection to enter the plaza and security reviews your signs before you walk on. Why not showcase it more? Today already does an occasional weather hit or concert series on the plaza so a few interview segments wouldn't hurt. Sidenote: GMA's in-studio audience experience was better. There were security guards in the audience monitoring everyone. There was a hype man in the crowd between commercial breaks. You could actually hear the audio of the anchors and guests speaking. GMA 's audience is also more controlled than Today in that you have to book tickets. My only issue was people on standby could get in before ticketed audience members just for showing up early.

You called it, Per Tv News Check McLaughlin will also become KPRC 2's Vice President and General Manager while serving as VP of News for Graham. https://tvnewscheck.com/business/article/grahams-mclaughlin-adds-kprc-vp-gm-to-role/ SIDEBAR: what exactly does the title "/Vice President" mean for a general manager. As far as I know general managers are the highest authority at a local news station so who is the "president?"

Bring back Linda Church from retirement

Wow. So now they’re down to 3 meteorologists. 2 of whom are on the evening shows and none on the weekends.

The ability for stations to preempt programming has always been maintained in affiliation contracts, even if they're much rarer now. There's nothing currently stopping any station from not airing tonight's After Midnight, much less this replacement.

Yes. I wrote the original theme in’83/‘84. Would you like me to tell the back story?

Welcome Earl, was this one for KCRA your baby? The brassy Stan Atkinson “we have news for you…next” intro march. Your name sounds familiar from trying to lookup the author info for “Where the News Comes First” themes.

The streetside studio was an interesting concept when NBC brought it back in 1994. But, it's no longer 1994. It says a lot that everyone else has abandoned/is abandoning their streetside studio concept. It doesn't magically make the show better, or increase ratings. It has become a magnet for weirdos and people with an axe to grind, and that can be seen by how the area outside 1A's home base has been filled with a bunch of giant planter boxes over the last decade. The only way you can end up on TV now (and that seems to be a lot fewer people clamoring for that than before) is by being in the area that their security and/or the NYPD can shoo you away from the window. Look at the stark difference between this pic from a 1999 wild feed and nearly the same anchor position from this morning, and another similar one from this past week. You can't even see across the street anymore. Are they in New York City? Can't tell, it's entirely obscured by plants (and not even an actual plant in half of the second image, it's a screen showing a plant). The shots have all been adjusted too, go back and look at late 90's/early 2000's clips and match them up with the modern look... New York City is hidden from view. So, I ask, what is the point?

There are multiple factors to blame if we're going to do a full accounting of what killed traditional TV. I agree that greed is definitely one of them. Overpriced cable/satellite bills, extreme and intrusive levels of advertising, etc. It simultaneously got more expensive and more monetized while being less worth it. You could argue that the introduction of ads to cable TV, even though the original premise of paying for cable was that you were paying to avoid advertising, was the "original sin" that doomed the future of television. I posted this theory a few months ago, and I still believe it: I also think the historic laziness of American TV presentation is a big part of it. Compared to other countries that had idents, live announcers (sometimes on camera a la MTV's VJs) and all sorts of other extras that made TV feel like a big event, the presentation of American TV has always been minimalist and impersonal. In the long run, I think it's cost the networks dearly since they never developed the same brand loyalty as, say, the BBC that might have helped them hold out for longer against streaming and make the eventual transition more graceful. That laziness and lack of ambition extended to the programming, too. Networks started cancelling shows before they could even find an audience because it was safer to just recycle the same formats over and over again. Cable networks that started out with specific visions all drifted into being the same general-entertainment channels with the same programming before decaying into a worse version of Netflix binge-watching with ads every five minutes. And of course, the lack of local programming besides news doesn't help either. Most broadcast stations' schedules are full of syndicated crap that clearly nobody misses on streaming. Streaming is already heading in the same direction. It's becoming more expensive and fragmented, more encroached with advertising, too quick to cancel shows, and so on. It shows that the real problem was never traditional TV itself, it was the corporations behind it who simply can't help themselves.

How many people total are watching? Having 46% of the audience sounds impressive, but if the total audience size is -- for example -- 10,000 people, then big whoop. Ratings no longer matter as they once did. Broadcasters typically earn more-than half of their annual revenue from retransmission fees versus core advertising. Who needs to fight for viewers when you're getting the same check every month from the cable companies?

"Whatever you have ongoing in thte next few hours ... I hope it's profitable!" - Richard Quest /ding!!! God I love Richard Quest. -- Matt

I thought that was Nonstop or 615 Not my favorite because it displaced the Ray Ellis retro theme…although funny that one originally aired 82-85 and less than 10 years later resurrected then updated as “retro”

Thought I'd keep this thread alive by asking a question. A friend of my family that watched a TV station that used the theme and promo in question is wondering which composer came up with it in the 1980's? HINT: It was a nod to a longtime slogan famously used by American Express. The two station IDs attached will explain. WNOL Station ID 1986.mp4 WPMT (Independent, Now Fox) Station ID 1985.mp4

Amara Walker is leaving: https://deadline.com/2025/02/amara-walker-cnn-departure-1236280236/

Frank Gari Productions 1989, The Diversified News Reel

So, the NMSA site identified the WTVD Eyewitness News Theme that some of you have heard, as currently used on WTVD. It is by 4 Elements Music. It's titled as Eyewitness News 2024. It was not done by Gari/Warner-Chappell. Said it before in one way or another, it's sad to see the slow death of the Warner-Chappell catalogs. No updates, no desire to serve broadcasters in a way that they had in the niche areas of news music. Once ABC pulls away, there goes a lot of royalties, which I guess are all that they are interested in when it comes to the news niche. http://www.newsmusicsearcharchive.com/#3,1,2661 https://www.4elementsmusic.com/

KSNB has been using Tower V.6 since August 2022, and kept it for midday news open, but the evening shows now have the Seize the Day theme as well like KNOP does (both are controlled in Lincoln) and are ending the show with a live shot of their control room at KOLN in Lincoln.

WVVA has updated its logo, and is now using a secondary slogan, "Here for You", which is not referenced verbally in the opens (unlike the primary "Two Virginias' News Leader" slogan). The station has also replaced "The Rock" with "Stream". Note the error in the voice track, compared to the open used, and the text misalignment/overlap in the time/temp bug: KSNB and KNOP have also adopted new graphics, but, curiously, what they adopted isn't GrayONE, but what appear to be modifications to the graphics they introduced in August 2022, with new opens in tow. Both stations have also changed news themes (swapping one Warner-Chappell package for another): KNOP switched from Gari's "The NBC Collection" to 615's "Seize the Day", while KSNB switched from said Gari theme to 615's "Tower V.6".

Agreed. The new color scheme, logo, and anchor desk are all pretty decent. The branding is questionable. I'd call this a better looking WANF. I'm not against the use of red as main station colors but it conveys unncessary urgency just like the "First Alert" branding.

WBRC doesn't emphasize their Fox affiliation much in their current logo - it is at a secondary line.

The guidelines made clear it has to be added anytime the station does a logo refresh; as all three haven't done that in decades, they get to keep their logos plain (though there are wedged-in added logos for use on Hulu and ABC's live streaming portal). Hearst's stations could have also done technically with their stations like WISN and WCVB but they complied voluntarily to add it in.

Given that Fox has historically had more rigid branding conventions than the other major networks (the only ones to deviate from using network-centric branding including WSVN, KHON, WDRB and KVRR), I think culling network references from Gray’s Fox affiliates would be much harder to implement. ABC has apparently been requiring affiliates to include the “circle” logo into their station logos, making it also unclear whether they can pull network branding.

Well that makes sense, and I completely understand why. Everyone probably knows what network each station is affiliated with in their area, so that's not an issue. And if not, a quick Google search will solve that problem. I just don't think it should be a group wide thing...

I heard this from a colleague who works at an NBC Gray affiliate. It's not an NBC thing. It's a "Gray" thing. Eventually all stations will be removing their affliliation from their logos. The reasoning is to distance the stations from the affiliates and to separate itself from the fake news movement that the national media gets. Basically it's so people trust the LOCAL news and to take on their own branding and identity.

Another News 12 Long Island veteran has left the station. Virginia Huie was there for 17 years. https://www.facebook.com/huie12/posts/pfbid028d65nJxCn12uWns2ETrUx5o1jjZzc4mfaRVD11597Zz1adXZ3Hqnss2jNcWv5E8Hl?__cft__[0]=AZXdj605ou5nJYxGcrw_FNL5TbVTQsIV4JD-h1lxcfUbyqh78A_0o2lz9I8CQ_ek-elSWxc9lRjPjD0Gc20_hgpw3EL4y_0as4Ph34VPdkTkWzRNQYWftvrVB2qeIGhPJ4YYzoltRaNAzYHAgTWVyIP-aavWV0xe6d9EC1WMBvdYh8NC_UhPN7PhQ5jEUB_k_Hs&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R

News 12 Long Island original Doug Geed signed off from the anchor desk last night. He will continue hosting the taped/on location "The East End" weekend show until the end of the year to help transition it to new hosts. Doug's also been using his Facebook and Instagram to showcase some of the behind-the-scenes people he's worked with. https://longisland.news12.com/doug-geed-signs-off-from-anchor-desk-after-37-years-at-news-12-long-island

Are News 12 anchors that well known to require a non compete clause? I find those strange. We want you out because we dont want to pay you a certain amount, but we also don't want you working anywhere else. Agreed. NYC is a saturated media market. The entire appeal of News 12 was hyperlocal focus on overlooked areas in a massive media market. Now that News 12 has lost it's defining trait, the only reason to watch is a quick news update at anyhour.

What a shame for viewers to hear that Doug and Danielle are out. Even though News 12 often felt like a cheaper version of the city stations, it was nice getting local news from people who know the island and you've trusted for decades. But with more and more veterans leaving, and the station apparently covering more city and national news, there's less of a reason to watch, unfortunately. Still plenty of good people in front of and behind the camera (and the new people may be fine as well!) but it's feeling much less familiar.

Here's a full link to the story: https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/tv/doug-geed-danielle-campbell-news-12-nt71t5wb With that, Doug and Danielle might be the last surviving true veterans of News12. I also found this part interesting. I'm guessing this clause wasn't in place for the people who were let go earlier (Eileen Lehpamer wound up a PIX pretty quickly after):

Also taking a buyout is station veteran Doug Geed. His last day will be in July.

Longtime News 12 LI anchor/reporter Danielle Campbell is out at the station effective Friday of this week. Notably, she was part of the 2018 age discrimination lawsuit against Altice, who tried to layoff Campbell at the time.