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Some screenshots from the new GMA studio:

What we’ve seen so far looks great. The new on-air package borrows a lot from the GMA3 look. I never thought the lighting in TSS was particularly bad but the lighting at 7 Hudson Square is a significant improvement.

I don’t love it. I don’t hate it. It’s just there. Kind of like Scripps as a company.

The set layout for GMA3:

WFAA recently launched a 7am stream a few weeks ago (originally during severe weather mornings, now daily). Won’t be surprised if they simulcast it on KFAA, as well.

I"m surprised it took this long for a station group to embrace such a move. It puts ABC, CBS and NBC affiliates on the same level playing field so they can compete with the FOX/CW/independent stations running local news during this time. With sports pre-emptions happening more often (as TV is putting even more second-rate sports on at primetime), a station can stream at their normal time, and just playback the complete show when the event is over, or regroup if they have to do an abbreviated show on broadcast if they are filling the time for another live event. And with network affiliations becoming more of a gamble, it's an easy move to repurpose the shows should the network drop their station. Plus, not having to wait around for a live show would cut down on overtime. If it was important enough of a story, they would be live with breaking news, anyways.

Pleasantly surprised. This looks great! I love the waxed floor look of Disney's new studios and the warmer lighting on each set. This easily beats the sets of CBS Mornings and Today. It gives KTLA loft vibes. The anchor desk is the biggest improvement, no more infinite hall of mirrors look. I wish there were more physical set pieces instead of a mostly barren floor space but great set none the less.

Yep, Tegna issued a press release today saying that all of it's stations will have 7-9am online-only newscasts by the fall: https://www.tegna.com/tegna-announces-major-local-news-expansion-adding-more-than-100-hours-of-new-daily-programming-across-50-markets/

So with GMA moving, is it correct ABC7 will have shows produced from 7 Hudson Square from 4am until 7pm (besides for the hour General Hospital at 3pm)?

Watched it on Hulu...call me old-school, but your news reporters shouldn't be literally changing clothes to do fitness segments on cheap fitness junk. There used to be a line between sales and news, and there still is! Just saw it last week in Milwaukee on WTMJ where the news side kicked The Morning Blend off the set before a court verdict during a commercial break, just threw the set stools somewhere and started news coverage! I don't care if it's Saturday and 'low expectations' and it's 'only a half-hour', don't make reporting talent do informercial/secret sale segments!

This is the new reality in pretty much in every market.

Paramount has started posting sales jobs in Atlanta. Interestingly, no news related jobs.

ABC News needs MANY new things...

GMA debuts their new studio on Monday https://pagesix.com/2025/06/13/entertainment/gma-bids-farewell-to-times-square-studios-with-boozy-breakfast-at-irish-pub/

I don’t know what I was expecting moving to the market 4 years ago, maybe something more akin to WGN in the morning or KTLA morning clips I’ve seen in the past, but I was fairly surprised at the shiny plastic sheen, AM to PM, of KTLA. I know it’s Los Angeles, but sometimes everything in-studio comes across artificial enough to the point of uncanny valley discomfort. Also, I’ve found the political leanings of both KTLA and KTTV are both fairly obvious.

The new set/studio's debut broadcast in full:

Seems so. Wow.

The Fox O&O cuts have hit Austin. KTBC has let go one evening anchor and one morning anchor. https://mikemcguff.blogspot.com/2025/06/rebecca-thomas-leaves-fox-7-austin.html

I understand there might be an “increased demand” for more local news… but this definitely isn’t what anyone was asking for.

I'm not mad with the WISH package... It's still waaaay better than their previous outdated package

According to our UK counterparts on Pres Cafe, this picture of the studio was heavily sepia-toned.

KGTV San Diego just moved World News Tonight on weeknights to 5:30 p.m., ending a 22-year run (starting in 2003) of carrying WNT in the 6:30 timeslot. The 6:00 pm news is now an hour and thus gives KGTV two 90-minute local news blocks in the early evening. The first from 4:00-5:30 and another from 6:00-7:30 p.m. It also ends an era in San Diego as, at one point, all three network newscasts aired in different timeslots with KNSD's at 5:30, KFMB's at 6:00, and KGTV's at 6:30. That changed when KFMB moved theirs a few years back to 5:30 (more likely did so after TEGNA started owning them), and now KGTV just did the same for theirs.

I'm really disgusted with how biased KTLA has become. They have always been biased towards the police, they employ many retired officers, but the last week or so of coverage has been like watching pro police propaganda. The way anchors and reporters keep injecting pro-police commentary while ignoring and defending anything negative that the police have been doing during these protests is just astounding. I don't expect opinions when I watch KTLA, I know they aren't going to express left wing views I agree with, but I feel like i'm watching FOX News with the MAGA opinions the anchors keep expressing.

the domain will most likely be cbsnews.com/atlanta or cbsnews.com/georgia depending on final branding

Here is the remake of the close. Nice alternative, hits a lot of the sentimental tone of the original that remakes often miss, at least for the first 3/4ths of it. When you get to the lead up to the close where the original had prominent strings and a crescendo into a horn floursh this version feels a little thin, almost like a mixdown that deleted those tracks. Feedback on the Youtube comments is pretty positive. Hope they keep the original open and close on Fridays or something like that. The opens/bumpers in the demo are a little generic sounding to me, not as distinct with the signatures as the originals or this remake of the close. I suppose mgmt wanted some updates and as far as that goes could have been a lot worse. But hope there are some more distinctly melodic cuts that get used.

Shifting to content for a moment, the second hour of Saturday GMA was almost entirely an infomercial. It could be for any number of reasons especially with TSS production mostly stripped but I just don’t like that.

I sincerely doubt Today leaves 1A. They have a long lease. Plus it’s something to advertise about.

Looks like some odd filtering on that studio render. If I imagine how those materials look in real life it’s warm woods. And a lot less cluttered. More inviting and professional. Refreshing from the sensory overload of their prior studios.

Wow... That's a lot of... Gold..... I hope to God these colors can change... that's waaaaay too bright

Is Hearst still moving forward with this supposed new look? It's been nearly a year since it debuted in Fort Myers, yet it has never been rolled out beyond WBBH/WZVN...

Because Scripps is a giant hot mess.

ABC News needs some new creative directors...

They did change up the background shot.

WSYX 1988

Yes pretty flat graphics but I give them credit for using a talent open. The “in action” shots work well.

Just saw the first promo with his image and name included alongside Shirleen, Brittany, Sam and Heather’s for 4:30-7am. These same promos did not include him earlier this week. I guess that makes it official.

People have very short attention spans. Those predisposed to dislike “mainstream” media are already not watching. To everyone else, it’s a meaningless blip in a flood of other things competing for their attention. The news cycle has already moved on a few times over from this- nobody is going to change viewing habits either way over this.

I would rather have the surfboard desk wings (and a real surfboard on the wall) rather than the 20+ surfboard TV screens. Aww, I'll miss the old set: https://www.The Other Site.com/setstudio/kswb-2/

As long as the journalists don’t have a non-compete or can be let out it, I’m sure one of the stations will soon.

I am shocked. I've always thought of WAGA's, WJW's, and KXAN's teams as the pillar of investigative journalism today. To think WAGA shut theirs down will create a chilling effect across Atlanta. WSB and WANF might scoop them up if they wanted to.

Update Abilene Christian University (ACU) has allowed KTXS to utilize its facilities to help set up a temporary newsroom on campus. https://ktxs.com/news/abilene/abilene-christian-university-opens-doors-to-ktxs-after-severe-storm-damages-station

You're not wrong; outside of political news ABC's enterprise and investigative journalism has gone down the tubes for true crime sleaziness and 'feel-good' stories which end up not being that (people having to pay lunch debt for instance, a thing that should not exist). A news organization shouldn't be doing trial re-enactments with paid actors like they're doing now with the Sean Combs trial; that's stuff for People and Court TV to do.

Agreed, and it was announced in August 2024 that Maurice was moving to the Evening News. Meaning they’ve had 10 months or more to make a decision. Very odd.

I’m wondering if we’ll see an “official” announcement about Pedro this week? Mike took over the 5 last Tuesday and Pedro was on vacation so it would make sense.

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.

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.

Glad he’s not retiring I’ll give him to 2035. But I’m glad he’s staying.

Now thats some extreme pettiness there. I rate NY1 over News 12 anyways especially nowadays since News12 is barely a newschannel now. I feel for the Cablevision subbers...

Columbus and Dayton. Dayton and Cincinnati. Pittsburgh and Wheeling/Steubenville. The former Hagerstown & DC. DC & Baltimore. There are bajillions of others.

Since there isn't a thread for the CBS O&O's yet, I thought of creating one here, especially with all the speculation regarding their parent company Paramount Global's potential merger with Skydance, which as of this moment, appears to be on life support if I'm not mistaken. Former O&O's (KEYE, KMOV, KUTV, WGNT, etc.), as long as they're still CBS affiliates or former O&O's that were part of UPN and/or The CW and are still affiliated with the latter even after Nexstar took over the network, can also be covered under this thread. Replies of CBS/Paramount purchasing or selling a station, a new graphics package being adopted, etc., or anything else that's related, can also be included.