jerseyfla

It will truly suck for TNT to lose the NBA. It would be worst than NBC losing it back in 2002 because at that time NBC outside of the Olympics and Golf were to me feeling like the sports department was “mailing it in”. They had Arena Football as football filler for losing the NFL in 1998 and they had NASCAR to fill the void of no NFL but IMO Dale Earnhardt getting killed in 2001 started a slow death (no pun intended) for NASCAR ratings wise.
 

TNT (Turner as a whole company really.) is still going strong with all of the high profile sports and events they have outside of not having the NFL. And they have the hottest studio show in North American Sports TV with Inside the NBA. TNT losing the NBA would be up there probably 3rd with NBC losing baseball in 1989 and behind CBS and NBC losing the NFL in 1994 and 1998 respectively. 

ESPN has their priorities. Have blank check in hand for the following sports

1. Monday Night Football 

2. College Football (sans Big Ten) and the CFP

3. The NBA and the Finals

4. NCAA Women’s Tournament and Final Four

As much as I and many others hate ESPNs coverage of the NBA, they do whatever it takes to keep it unfortunately and their daytime shows are heavily influenced by it when it’s not football season. 

Sports Anchor Dave Holmes who left WBNS in Columbus after 9 years at the station has moved across town to WSYX to be the Sports Director there.

https://abc6onyourside.com/news/local/dave-holmes-joins-abc-6-news-sports-director?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3q6yudfdzbmkqXMXhwpIPufEKLjiUcxjcDj4v0N1yd-AJ93mCox8wEdVQ_aem_AccA45lAf0UwTF1nRkwzwQlBQjg3zGAoRUBivKdkuT7wWk3gY_pZb5FN0k2SuDz4fQkbp0HHarJmv4bHjoWMrks0

On 4/13/2024 at 5:21 AM, bgiesing said:

Did they shut it down? They haven't posted a single newscast on YouTube since March 5th

It's from Wikipedia so take it for what it's worth but it looks like the news department was shut down.

Marcus Esparza officially left on March 12th. So guaranteed it's gone.

https://www.facebook.com/marcus.esparza.1/posts/pfbid0XUxzXi4ycYogTajXReEBPeW4UpTUYJv1DXnuQ2opu2tnphTY8D76bt7CN8aBMUAl

22 hours ago, MD TV said:

The first few minutes of WNBC News 4 New York from September 30, 1980 (12:37):

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5inuKzOHTEU&t=758s

 

At this time they just started using that name/music/set but I don't think I've ever seen that WNBC logo.

That logo only lasted a month. I don't think anyone knows why the logo was revised to the logo used for 9 1/2 years other than it was too similar to WTAE's logo in Pittsburgh. Notice the original 4 logo split to show the cities versus zooming into the screen and the counties flashed downward into the New York part of the logo versus falling downward into it. Awesome find!

Also the original 4 logo was displayed in parts of a News 4 New York "Best of My Love-esque" promo that ran for over a year on the station from the premiere of News 4 New York in September 1980 until sometime at the end of 1981.

23 hours ago, MediaZone4K said:

Yes! CBS shows appeal to an older audience.

 

I can also see why CBS stations do well in rural smaller areas. Historically the network has run rural comedies like Green Acres and in the 90s procedurals like Murder She Wrote, Diagnosis Murder, Walker Texas Ranger etc. Today they've got an endless portfolio of procedurals. It's definitely a watch with your grandparents kind of channel which must trickle down to the newscasts.

To put sports into it. CBS losing the NFL (NFC) in 1994 was a huge blow to the network along with their subpar prime time programming at the time. CBS then started to turnaround in 1996 and started what would turn into a 27 year relationship with SEC football before getting the NFL back in 1998 but with the AFC it wasn't the same as the majority of their original NFC crew were already at Fox. One has to wonder how losing SEC football this coming season will come into to play for those Southern large and rural markets.  Yes, the Big Ten is a much bigger market conference but I bet those newscasts on Saturdays in the South will take a hit with the exception of places where the CBS affiliate is the only choice like WMAZ in Macon.  (I'm so glad I left that area! It's the only TEGNA station that was ran well. The competition there is a joke! They should be absorbed into Atlanta DMA)

On 2/3/2024 at 11:39 AM, SoFloTVClassics said:

 

WFLA Newswatch 8 1993

 

 

I hated this era of WFLA! The graphics and music were a step back in my opinion from the "coastal" graphics and Power News. The set was the only good thing about it. They redeemed themselves in 1995 with the Bold Horizons graphics and theme.

On 2/7/2024 at 12:26 AM, 10Viewer said:

Always liked this set, used by WTSP from 1988-1992, there was also an interview set that mirrored the look here. Also used by WPBF and WALA, maybe a few others. 

 

 

Also looks like the WFTV and WSB sets from that era too but with different elements for the background and side windows.

10 hours ago, MichiganNewsGraphicsJunkie said:

Former WFTS main anchor Jamison Uhler is crossing the street to WTSP's 4:30-7a Brightside...

Wow! I had no clue he left WFTS. It shows how much I watch either station. I watch WFLA and WTVT way too much.

Jeopardy has always been screwed badly timeslot-wise in Central and Mountain Time Zone Markets except for Fox affiliates (i.e. WVUE and WALA) or now KTVT and WDJT. Those of us in the Eastern or Pacific Time Zones are so used to Wheel and Jeopardy being in tandem with each other whether on the same station or separate that it's almost unfathomable to not watch Jeopardy at night over dinner or after it.

On 8/22/2023 at 1:43 AM, TheRolyPoly said:

 

It wasn't the original. WCJB was with NBC for two years from their 1971 sign-on until 1973. Then, they went with ABC for the reason @tyrannical bastardmentioned... the contract to air Florida Gators football at the time.

I was meaning original station with a network affiliation for Gainesville. They wouldn't have another one in the market until 1986 when W49AI (now WYKE) was used as a repeater for Orlando's Fox affiliate WOFL until 1991 when WOGX took over. 

On 8/21/2023 at 9:23 PM, tyrannical bastard said:

WCJB's original reason for going with ABC was because of their contract with the Florida Gators at the time.

But what could have stopped WCJB from defying WJXT's place from the neighboring market and going to CBS other than the affiliation contract and maybe ABC themselves not wanting Alachua and Dixie to have to rely on weak station WJXX. Marion would be taken care of by strong ABC affiliate WFTV. Remember this is before WJXT went Independent so WGFL was just a mere affiliate of WB. Or perhaps CBS knowing how dominant WJXT was acted like Gainesville was not a seperate market.

7 hours ago, SS8609 said:

It's fair to say that the big winners on Saturdays come next year - local fanbases notwithstanding - will be the ABC affiliates in the South (WSB, WFTV, KTRK, WGNO)

 

But if one were to find a major downgrade anywhere - even in this era of max cable penetration and streaming - it would be in Bryan/College Station. The SEC will be going from full-power KBTX to low-power KRHD. Not that it matters since whichever outlet is airing the Aggies - broadcast or cable - will win Saturday anyway, regardless of whatever game ABC does air on its SEC package.

This is a great pickup next year for WCJB in Gainesville (the original network affiliate station in Gainesville) who could have easily swapped to CBS when WJXT the de facto CBS affiliate for Gainesville went Independent 21 years ago or even before it when CBS got exclusive rights to include the Championship Game in 2001 due to how important Florida Gator athletics are for the area. ABC has probably the most small market or former single station affiliates in the country between WCJB, WWSB, and WLOX.

I merged and uploaded from a deleted YT source most of the 11am hour of programming from WFLA-TV from November 22, 1982. Partial episode of a Syndicated 1980 rerun of NBC's Card Sharks and most of a 1981 rerun of The Joker's Wild with commercials intact and an editorial from then-News Director Joe Mannion. The deleted source posted these in 2014 along with the end of TJW episode with a WFLA Noon News open and commercials from an All In The Family rerun. Unfortunately, the last 2 videos are MIA from the internet because the original poster uploaded an entire broadcast of Super Bowl XIX.

NBC Staff Announcer Fred Facey acting in an ad for Preparation-H in 1980. This is the first time I have ever seen an image of Fred Facey! So for those who think of him only as a voiceover, close your eyes and imagine him doing a sponsor plug on News 4 New York for Preparation-H and laugh like I did. Plus my name is Bill so this made me crack up more!

An NFL broadcast for the history books! WFLA’s Gayle Sierens becoming the first female play-by-play announcer in NFL history. The game broadcast from December 27, 1987 between the Seahawks and Chiefs has finally been uploaded on YouTube!

2 hours ago, TVNewsLover said:

NBC SPORTS DFW would be more appropriate. 

What about the other parts of Texas and Louisiana that is in their territory?

On 2/13/2023 at 1:49 PM, jerseyfla said:

Meteorologist and former The Price Is Right announcer Rich Fields is no longer at WTSP. His bio disappeared from the station’s website and he edited his LinkedIn to reflect he left the station this month. He was also hosting a weekly podcast with Dave Wagner called Come On Down that shared his stories of being an announcer on The Price Is Right and how he got the job. I had a suspicion he left or was let go because he stopped doing the podcast before Thanksgiving. He shared that the station was building a podcast studio for him and he should have new podcasts in December but nothing new was produced.
 

I admittedly don’t watch WTSP so I don’t know when he was last on-air.

Wow! I guess the station being #4 in the market and me rarely watching their newscasts prevented this from become viral! Rich was trying to make a miserable joke on-air back in early November that backfired and racially profiled a reporter. And from the comments on the Twitter video link, former co-workers from KCBS weren’t surprised. 
 

https://www.ftvlive.com/sqsp-test/2022/11/20/why-would-you-say-that#google_vignette

Rich then posted on his FB yesterday that he is stepping away from broadcasting and will become a motivational speaker. Many game show fans were worried about him after he abruptly stopped his Come On Down Podcast. 
 

The channel is really 3 of Pluto TV’s classic sitcom channels combined into one diginet. It will be nice to have for a subchannel option. The 80s kid in me really wishes Nexstar would push Rewind TV for distribution harder. 

Meteorologist and former The Price Is Right announcer Rich Fields is no longer at WTSP. His bio disappeared from the station’s website and he edited his LinkedIn to reflect he left the station this month. He was also hosting a weekly podcast with Dave Wagner called Come On Down that shared his stories of being an announcer on The Price Is Right and how he got the job. I had a suspicion he left or was let go because he stopped doing the podcast before Thanksgiving. He shared that the station was building a podcast studio for him and he should have new podcasts in December but nothing new was produced.
 

I admittedly don’t watch WTSP so I don’t know when he was last on-air.

19 hours ago, Myron Falwell said:

I mean, WPVI kept Jefferson Kaye for far longer than necessary out of traditional alone. The last VOs he recorded for them were borderline tragic to hear.

Didn’t they run them and then a week or two later ditch them (because they sounded so rough) for generic nameless opens until they went with Charlie Van Dyke?

On 12/12/2022 at 6:45 PM, Big Rollo Smokes said:

For the third time in four years, WBNS-TV in Columbus is looking for it's next chief meteorologist.

 

Ashlee Baracy is leaving 10TV for what the station describes as "an exciting new opportunity." She will sign-off this Thursday (12/15).

 

https://www.10tv.com/mobile/article/news/local/ashlee-baracy-leaving-10tv/530-3252e926-2f27-4df5-9f63-ed8ad224f438

I just saw on Facebook that Ashley Baracy is headed back home to WDIV. 
 

https://www.clickondetroit.com/weather/2022/12/27/local-4-news-expanding-4warn-weather-team-with-additions-of-ron-hilliard-ashlee-baracy/?fbclid=IwAR3HQp5M31UIs31diGl4AXFOICct6ZuzZrtSAq5IbN4iI4m4f3eyIrvz6xc&mibextid=Zxz2cZ

New clip from WXFL (WFLA) circa April 3, 1983 less than 3 months after the call letter change with either a different theme or different cuts of Gari’s The Spirit of Tampa Bay. I don’t think these cuts lasted very long and the station changed graphics 4 or 5 times over the course of over 3 years between The Look….Alive and Power News to stay ahead of WTSP for #2. 

News update at 21:12 and tease at 35:35. Again no open. 

On 11/23/2022 at 9:23 PM, ATLNewsExpert said:

What a nice way of saying someone's loosing their chief Met spot

It sounds like she wanted this. 
https://www.instagram.com/tv/ClluDJroDDr/?igshid=NTdlMDg3MTY=

20 hours ago, SoFloTVClassics said:

Going 4 It, The History of WWJ/WDIV.

 

 

This is probably one of the best station history documentaries ever. It ranks up there with WFLA's 50th from 2005 as far as comprhensive history and even highlighting when the station struggled in the ratings.

Here is a real find! WFLA’s coverage of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge Disaster from May 9, 1980 from retired main anchor Bob Hite’s secondary Youtube channel. It is confirmed WFLA used Part of Your Life through 1980.

Yes I remember Right This Minute being paired with America Now on Raycom stations in 2011. When I was living in Biloxi, WLOX went big on America Now when it first launched and then added Right This Minute when they launched their CBS subchannel in 2012. I wasn’t a fan, I thought it was ridiculous to watch a bunch of people sitting at a table critiquing YouTube videos.