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WFOR has been a better station than you're giving it credit.

This is from 1994 when CBS originally accounced that they purchased WVEU with the intent of making it the CBS affaliate in Atlanta. This clip was from WAGA, which was in the process of leaving CBS for FOX.

The thing is, CBS doesn't need to run WUPA well as a CBS O&O for it to be a financial success to stockholders, which is all that matters. It just needs a better balance sheet than WUPA as an independent. This paragraph is speculation, but the retransmission deal CBS has with pay TV providers likely is structured that so CBS gets more per subscriber for a station running CBS programming than an independent station. Plus, they get to keep all of it as opposed to negotiating a reverse compensation affiliation deal with WANF where Gray was paying CBS some percentage of the retransmission fees Gray collected. Syndicated programming costs will go down in the long-run since CBS network programming covers 11 hours per weekday in the time between CBS Mornings and Colbert. (Plus however many hours of CBS News roundup and CBS News Mornings they air overnight) There will be CBS programming where they can charge more for ads than they could with existing syndicated programming. They don't need to go big or expensive building a news department. That cost can be managed along with the expectations for it, and there is far more space to sell in a local newscast than in syndicated programming. Even if they attract lower quality advertisers, that revenue, ideally, gets made up in added availability to sell.

Local stations "bid" on the OTA rights of games that are otherwise streaming-only (Prime, Netflix, etc.) or on cable, no matter their affiliations. That said, the Falcons only have 2 such games, this season, so that obviously wouldn't be enough to prop up a station.

The NFL still requires it...for now. That may very well change in 2029 if the NFL feels such a change is in its best interests.

Gray doesn't really have a choice. To be fair, neither do any other broadcasting companies. They can't cut the cord and abandon traditional broadcast TV because that's where they've tied up their money, by investing in infrastructure and technology, and by relying on retransmission fees and --- to a lesser extent for some companies -- advertising revenue. Broadcasters missed the boat when it came to adopting a digital news and programming strategy that could also be effectively monetized. I also think what Gray is doing at WANF is a sign of what's eventually to come for broadcasters. Networks really don't need affiliates anymore. Certainly not as great a need as what existed in decades past. The time will come when the networks get rid of affiliates and rely solely on their streaming platforms. Affiliates will then either sink or swim. Those that do swim will rely on a heavy mix of local news and local programming. But the long-term sustainability of such a plan is in doubt. In 2029, the NFL can opt out of most of its TV contracts, and if it does so, then so goes what is perhaps the biggest reason why people still watch broadcast TV.

A reminder for folks when it comes to cbs buying stations. 1. their finances aren’t exactly in the best shape right now. Buying a non appreciating asset like a broadcast station would not be a smart move financially 2. The current administration has a vendetta against Paramount. Even if cbs wanted to it’s likely to be held up by regulators for petty reasons

What incentive would CBS have to purchase WANF? Gray poured a lot of money and resources into WANF and would likely not sell unless it was for a LOT of money. CBS is also not in the mood or the shape to go on a buying spree right now.

There may have been some personal issues behind it, or a negotiation with ABC. Neither of which need to become public. Whatever, I'd just accept the decision.

Most likely be a VR set, quicker setup

If he’s 75 now the odds of him simply disappearing one day aren’t near zero anymore. Sometimes you just gotta know when to hang it up.

Yeah. IIRC, KSBW is their smallest station right now in terms of market size, and its DMA was ranked around 100. (Also, I included KWWL as it'd give KCCI an in-state sister station.)

The only games Gray could get in Atlanta are if they bought a pre-season package of 3 meaningless games, and any local rights to a Thursday night Amazon Prime game if the Falcons are in the game. The regular season football package is exclusive to CBS, NBC, Fox, ESPN/ABC and to their O&Os/affiliates.

After it (WCIX ch.6/WFOR-TV ch.4) had a callsign change and a channel swap...

Yeah, it’s the end of an era indeed. This is exactly how it played out for Bill Beutel in the late 90s until he left the station in 2003. And most of the veteran anchors stayed on the 6 p.m. show till their final days. Bill Ritter, now his replacement from 2003, is now 75, so it’s understandable that he's slowly beginning his departure from the career. Hopefully, he stays till 2030! What a solid anchor and face he has been for WABC.

...and has been a CBS affiliate thrice previously: 1953—1958, 1960–1962 (both as KTNT-TV) and 1995–1997. So CBS leaving KIRO-TV and going back to Channel 11 in Tacoma won't be much of a stunning development as what's about to happen in Atlanta.

KSTW is technically already a CBS O&O.

I wish I could say I was shocked but as I've said for years, without the SEC and with CBS becoming what Moonves feared would happen under Viacom's rule, Gray wasn't going to keep paying them for a third-place product at major-market prices. They get a clean slate and now it's all CBS's problem. Like I was saying on the After Midnight thread, replacing it with Byron Allen repeats won't cause affiliates to dump the network, but underinvestment across the board and settling 'that lawsuit' and intefering with news judgement certainly doesn't help. These groups are not willing to pay for content like formless reality shows and Hollywood Squares that only a decade ago were full-on MTV2 and VH1 product. This was where WSVN was on January 1, 1989 and I feel like this is a similar situation, where the network felt no loyalty and was happy to let them go their own way, and it really didn't work out well for CBS, which is de facto irrelevant in Miami. It's never felt like they cared any way or the other for WANF. And yes, we're in an unknown, but TV has adjusted before. Gray has the Braves and the Hawks will eventually come to their own crossroads with FanDuel, and who knows what happens with United and Apple TV; they could offer more games from them, and I feel like in a few years if they keep on this track, they could be at parity with WSB news-wise. Meanwhile, WUPA is just...nothing. It has call letters from a network that died twenty years ago, a lousy lineup and all of its news product has been worse than if they did nothing at all. I don't think they're going to invest a lot in Atlanta; maybe ramping up their sports coverage as the Falcons official station (speaking of cursed entities), but they'll probably do enough to look relevant and not much more than that.

It's a little too late for Byron Allen to recoup what he spent for those stations. Even if the FCC totally deregulates TV broadcasting, Allen's stations are about as appealing to purchase as a rusted-out Ford Pinto. Plus, Allen Media gutted its stations to absolute bare minimums, and in some cases, the company doesn't even own the physical property. Anyone who's crazy enough to buy an Allen Media station will have to effectively un-Allen the stations by undoing the damages caused by hubbing master control, weather, etc. Kind of like what Gray had to do when it bought the Meredith stations and had to undo Meredith's dumb decisions.

End of an era. Interesting that he said he’ll remain at EWN at 6 for years to come. Mike Marza is going to do great alongside Sade.

Jesus. Blurred or not why would they even air those images? The content could have just been described. News in the 70s and 80s was RAW! History repeats itself. With news of CBS Atlanta leaving Channel 46 and going to Channel 69, here are some news reports of when the CBS affiliation almost went to Ch 69.

Gray has really put a lot of work into WANF to make it into a valuable station. Why CBS did not acquire WANF I do not know. Then again, I don't even know the logic behind taking the CBS affiliation and putting it on WUPA in the first place. I get that they own the station but they have to put money into WUPA to bring it to at least the bare minimum for a CBS affiliate like say... news department and such.

I found the whole 5pm send off /farewell really odd. For most of his career, he’s been known as the 6pm and 11pm guy… he’s been on at 5pm for a little less than 6 years (replacing Diana Williams in September 2019). It made sense to have a big announcement about the 11pm. They probably should’ve done the 5pm at the same time… or just made this a less over the top goodbye.

I'd probably feel it'd be more likely if it weren't for having WJZ in nearby Baltimore.

Which makes. you wonder if CBS might be looking at markets it can buy its way into. CBS DC, anyone?

I was surprised to hear Bill say that he'll be on Eyewitness News at 6 for years to come. Although it's customary for semi retired anchors to ride the 6pm until the end, in this cost-cutting climate I'm surprised they didn't make him fully retire instead of paying him to anchor for 30 minutes a day. Regardless it's cool to still have another veteran anchor around for a while longer. I grew up watching Bill and Liz together at six, so it's nice that she will be his final partner.

The morning ones were finally edited too to take out Mike, but they also took out Sam. I wonder if this is a sign of him slowly moving back to the network full time. Another note about Bill’s second send off - he omitted Michelle’s name when listing all the current long tenured anchors.

WMAQ 10PM News (8/7/1987) during the second month of the ongoing strike between NBC technicians and the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians

Since the NFL still requires streaming-exclusive games to have a local broadcaster air them, that would be an easy gain for Falcons games on Gray, without CBS prices.

Yes, this is a real YouTube video, but I didn't have this on my bingo card. Days ago, CBS News released a YouTube video of... Walter Cronkite and the CBS Evening News from June 1971, set to ASMR on a rainy night in New York City. The video is nearly 3 hours and 20 minutes long.

I don't see CBS buying KIRO (they couldn't for a number of reasons that have nothing to do with Brendan Carr). At the very least it heavily influences Apollo's attempt to sell off Cox Media and makes it very very hard to sell a station that might be stripped of a network affiliation. Especially if CBS extorts the buyer to make massive reverse compensation payments in order to keep the affiliation, that would make KIRO radioactive to anyone not a competing network. And since Nexstar can't legally buy into Seattle at this time...

Top Story is really good. Was hoping he would hand it off to Ellison Barber so he could focus full time on Nightly.

I agree with all of this. He’s such an underwhelming anchor and presenter that it’s hard to believe he’s the flagship anchor for NBC News. Maybe we’ll feel different about him when he’s had the role for a few years but then again I’ve always thought this of him. It seems like NBC just wanted to find a Muir answer.

This is both a win and a loss for Gray. The win? Gray gets total control of WANF and can basically run whatever it wants. What’s going to fill those extra hours? More news and more locally-produced programming, which will lead to more advertising revenue, since WANF doesn’t have to share with CBS. It can also treat WANF as a testing ground of sorts for the rest of its stations. Plus, it’s not like CBS’ ratings did WANF any wonders. The loss? Gray is doubling down on a format that is losing viewers and revenue. Unless you’re a baby boomer who takes the prescription medicine advertised on the commercials during the evening news, you’re probably not watching local TV. WANF’s ratings are also a distant third or fourth place. Few people are watching. It’s been that way ever since Meredith ran and mismanaged the station. No amount of “more local news” and “more local sports programming” will change that.

Not trying to sound mean, but will we have another announcement in 3 more months that he is leaving Up Close. Not sure why he couldn’t have stepped away from both shows (5/11) at the same time. Also, did he make a Hebrew reference with Sade’s name? I feel like sometimes he forgets he has a very diverse audience.

Wow that was harsh got home later but i saw the last 15 minutes so i can really put a finger on it. I have some other opinions but id keep it to myself. I’m just glad I’m no longer on camera anymore, ehh I hate it one thing it made me realize is I don’t wanna be famous. Maybe someday I’ll return, but I like my sales job I was making more anyways. Austin will be fine he really likes small markets he’s not a fan of big markets because he cares and wants to mentor journalists like myself he’s a good guy who just a the wrong end of a deal he was passionate he wouldn’t be able to see potential like he did in me in a big market because he wouldn’t have been able to hire me without no experience or Eric or Marcus. He generally doesn’t care about market size he loves what he does I wish they were more people like that in all industries.

Tom seems like a nice guy. But his delivery for me lacks the gravitas of Brokaw, Williams and Holt that preceded him. He has a delivery similar to that of David Muir. Im not a fan of the breathless clipped style. That NBC and ABC now uses for the past decade. The reporters dont even use complete sentences anymore. After watching Tom Llamas for a few minutes. I had to switch to CBS. I was Night News viewer for decades. But Im kinda done now. Ive always had respect for NBC News as an entity. BUt i cant take it the tik tok style delivery.

I can only see Hearst buying WKOW and the Wisconsin stations to bolster WISN plus WAAY to bolster WVTM. The rest would be difficult for Hearst to imagine buying. I don't see them going back to Hawaii (for KITV).

Effective tomorrow Mike Marza takes over the 5:00 with Sade. Bill stays on the 6 with Liz. https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1AhpnvNR1h/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Will they hire, build and launch a newsroom and product in just 10 weeks? If it is outsourced again to WCBS, WFOR, KTVT, WBZ or other O&O, I just can't see how they will have an actual local presence and build viewership. Because there is a large Gray affiliation agreement part of all this, I wonder who pushed whom? It puts a little different light on this.

We have a CW55 logo!

KCRA Channel 3 Reports 1980 KCRA Channel 3 Reports 1975

IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME. The sooner it is off Allen's hands, the better. This means all of Allen's dumb moves will be reversed immediately. Stations like WJRT, KVOA, and WTHI must be rejoicing at this news.

The least surprised person has to be @Weeters, he suggested to me privately that WUPA easily could become CBS-owned after WWJ-TV finally got a news service. Or that they'd be used as a bargaining tool with the other groups. Now it's a matter of when WTOG and KSTW become CBS-owned, not if. As KIRO is already for sale; things could get spicy...

On the other hand, unlikely since they own the FOX affiliate there, but it'd be kinda cool if the Big 3 network stations in Tucson are owned by the same owner of the Big 3 stations upstate in Phoenix with Gray/CBS, Scripps/ABC, & TEGNA/NBC.

sooo, i recorded the first few seconds of kbtx's newscast and i can see they are getting close each newscast

Steve Wilkos wasn't aired for 2 & half years after FOX17 didn't renew it in fall of 2021 returned in Jan 2024 when CW7 changed things around after losing The CW which they didn't need make changes other than primetime in my opinion. Karamo wasn't added until March of 2023 on WXSP and now CW6.

They could also relaunch WJKW...WJW's infamous place-holder calls from 1976-1985 because of Storer's sale of WJW radio. When WJW-AM changed to WRMR, Storer restored the calls to TV8 and they've been there ever since. But what's probably keeping that from not happening is an FM station in Athens, Ohio with the WJKW calls that brands themselves as "Ohio's Christian Superstation". Even though it would be perfectly legal for Nexstar to do so for WBNX. Another thought....WJCW? (exists as an AM station in Johnson City, TN owned by iHeart Media)

I have been off my game visiting Huntsville for work: Missed this one today Missed WAAY’s most recent graphics change (while visiting) Missed WZDX’s TEGNA-fication by a day Missed WHNT’s Nexstar-ization by a week. all of which were without my capture equipment…