Geoffrey

So far I like the feel of CNN This Morning. The way the CNN part of the logo animates in the open reminds me of CNNI designs. The rest of the look feels a lot brighter and "more airy" than the previous red and black New Day look, which used a lot of black and white photos and had a dramatic theme that did not feel at all designed for a morning show. I like the teaming of Poppy, Don and Kaitlan. All are familiar faces to CNN viewers so it's not like anyone has to get used to new people. They all seem very eager to remind people that they have to wake up early -- feels like a tired comment, especially to make several times in an hour. The set, if it is indeed temporary, looks pretty nice, even if it is mostly "flat." I like that the backdrop behind the anchors isn't just another NYC skyline -- it has the Brooklyn Bridge on the right, the Golden Gate on the left, with the White House, Chicago and the Hollywood sign in between (and I'm sure a few others that I missed). (I remember when Chris Licht's CBS This Morning debuted in 2012, they also tried to include shots from around the country next to the logo bug, and they even made sure to include farmlands in the photography in the lower-thirds -- didn't spot any farms on CNN today.) As far as substance, it feels a lot like New Day the last few months: Not dominated by political panels debating the same few topics all hour every hour. Not sure if it hits the promise of informing viewers if they only have 5 or 15 minutes, as mentioned in the promo, but I didn't expect this to be the old CNN Headline News. It's just amazing how much brighter colors and music can affect the feel of a show.

Small peek at CNN This Morning's graphics and set.

Just seems strange to me to start on a Tuesday when Monday isn't a holiday. The November sweeps month actually starts today, but I have noticed that it seems like CNN (and other cable news networks?) don't care about it the way broadcast networks and local stations do. I think you're right and thank you for the correction! (I was looking at my YouTube TV guide and didn't see Early Start listed past Monday, but now I see that I was looking only at October.)

It's not just the 6-9 a.m. slot that's getting a makeover on Tuesday. CNN/U.S. will air CNN International's new London-based CNN Newsroom with Max Foster and Bianca Nobilo at 4 a.m. This looks to be replacing Early Start with Christine Romans and Laura Jarrett, which has occupied the 5 a.m. hour. [Removed my apparently incorrect guess] https://cnnpressroom.blogs.cnn.com/2022/10/27/cnn-newsroom-with-max-foster-and-bianca-nobilo-joins-new-cnn-line-up/ Any idea why these changes are happening on Tuesday and not Monday?

I agree with both callers. (Neither one was me!)

CNN This Morning now has a promo. Key line for me is when Poppy Harlow says "We need to cover more, what is happening across America." They also mention needing to inform viewers in either 5 or 15 minutes. Seems to indicate it will be less focused on DC politics and a higher story count (which is what New Day has been doing lately). Background graphics at the end seem to have light wood tones, and the three anchors are in a well-lit cafe with brick walls. Wonder if either of that hints at the new graphics or set.

1. Can we rename this thread? 2. Do we think Chris Licht and Discovery will unveil new graphics for CNN sometime soon? The current package has been around since August 2014 (Jeff Zucker took over January 2013), with the only real change being the font in April 2016 (and maybe some of the gradients?). I think it works but I would like to see something a little smaller, and where the main banner text doesn't have to keep getting squished to fit.

Very interesting! I can't tell if this is permanent or not. You would expect Brennan to say something like "I'm joining the team" or "from now on, I'll be with Dana." It feels like he hopes it's permanent but maybe it's just a trial for the next few weeks through the election.

It definitely seems messy from our perspective of comparing different stations across the country. A new package IS coming, but it seems there were delays (possibly with management changes) and stations were eager to get something in place for the fall. So they're using elements that were given to them or creating their own takes of the network look in the interim.

New Day definitely has a higher story count these days. It seemed like they would get to like three or four stories an hour and just "discuss" them the entire hour. This worldwide recap is nice but the production music makes it feel cheap.

I first noticed it Friday at noon. I think the ticker not only looks incredibly ugly but it's also pretty useless. National sports scores, 7-day weather forecasts for different towns in the area (how about more details about the next 24-48 hours for different regions instead?), headlines from the website that are sometimes more clickbaity than informative, etc. Wish they'd redo this so that it looks nicer and has more useful local information. If the ticker is gone, permanently or temporarily, why not use the old bug that has the time and temperature that's actually in alignment with the logo? The current O&O graphics package was always pretty boring but CBS 2 has really looked bad with the sloppy mix with the "CBSN New York" look. I'm hoping the new look that comes is more elegant.

For a long time, Marcia Kramer hosted "Sunday Edition." Then when Andrew Kirtzman joined her as the station's second political reporter, her show alternated with "Kirtzman & Co." The shows were later replaced with "Kirtzman & Kramer." Later they had "Eye on New York," which was less political with more feature segments and interviews, and I think it was hosted by Dana Tyler (or possibly a rotating cast of talent?). But it's been a while since CBS 2 had a Sunday morning show other than regular live newscasts.

Just two months ago, we heard about "key staff departures" and "the design has not been finalized." Signs point to this look not launching for a while longer.

Not exactly the launch of a new look in Minneapolis.

Andrea Grymes, who used to anchor weekend mornings with Cindy Hsu until the pandemic, was back as a co-anchor this morning on Cindy's last weekend broadcast. As Cindy moves back to weekdays starting next Monday, September 12th (the graphic says "CBS 2 News at 9:00AM" so maybe the name change is still some time away?), Andrea will be returning to the anchor chair on weekend mornings. Much of the 8:00 hour this morning was about Cindy. They brought back familiar guests from restaurants to be in the studio for the first time since the pandemic began and even the "Furry Friend Finder" was back. (I'm curious to see if these segments return permanently, or if this was a one-day Cindy special.)

Another look at the new paint job for Chopper 2 from Dan Rice's Instagram and there's something starting with an "S" on the side... Could Chopper 2, which has been the branding since at least 1997, be renamed Sky 2 or Sky Eye 2? https://www.instagram.com/p/Ch8BorboZit/

I see brand inconsistencies. Can we expect this to be handled more cleanly cleaner on-air than it is in KCNC's press release? Exhibit A: Exhibit B:

Big upgrade. I'm a fan of the on-screen graphics, in-studio graphics, and the new music. I'm not a huge fan of the large show bug but that seems to be everywhere now. I guess that box's size was dictated by the streaming service to fit the horizontal "CBS NEWS" logo but I wish they could have made it smaller.

Seen at the end of a WCBS promo featuring all of the anchors talking about reporting on the communities they live in. I keep hoping for more clues that the O&Os are keeping the channel numbers but I have a feeling I'm going to be disappointed. What will stations be branded as outside of news? How will they differentiate between TV and streaming?

News 12 Long Island moved to Bethpage this week. I don't have access to the channel but one of the anchors posted this: There's also this mirrored vertical video tour of the studio where Samantha Augeri says this is a temporary studio, which makes me feel better because it definitely seems temporary or secondary from the little I've seen online.

According to social media posts, News 12 Long Island will begin broadcasting from Bethpage on Monday. They've been at the same building in Woodbury since the December 1986 launch.

I grew up watching Cindy every morning before school. She is an incredible talent and is loved by viewers. I'm very excited to see CBS 2 moving her back to weekday mornings. (I will say that Cindy, while excellent, is even better with a co-anchor. She hasn't had one on the weekends since Covid, but she's been great paired with John Elliott, even though he's often on location. It would be great to see them move John with her back to weekdays but I doubt that will happen.)

WCBS has been using this look for "gun violence" for several months, possibly closer to a year.

My prediction is that the sun/cloud icons will eventually be made bigger and placed in a more traditional location, while also maintaining the photography in each day's background. Otherwise I think it takes a little more time for viewers to decipher the seven-day.

I noticed a newer (new? I will admit I don't watch as closely as I used to) morning promo -- the one with the Chris, Mary and Elise talking to the camera in the studio -- just aired a few minutes ago, using a "CBS 2 News Mornings" logo at the end. But less than a half hour earlier, the version of the promo that has been airing for months had the "CBS 2 News This Morning" end page. Both times the announcer said "CBS 2 News This Morning," which is the current title of the newscast (and has been since around 2001). The station has used a "CBS 2 Mornings" (different font, no "News") graphic on the monitor array for months to more closely align with the network's "CBS Mornings" branding, but the newscast title has never been officially renamed. Rant time: I wish the station could change the branding all at once and not do this very slow rollout, if that's indeed what this is. And I also don't like the "CBS Mornings" title -- it sounds more like the way someone would refer to a daypart (CBS Daytime, CBS Primetime, CBS Mornings) and not a newscast title.