Geoffrey

On WCBS this morning, the local ticker has been updated to reflect the new graphics. (I didn't notice it previously and they had their snow delays ticker yesterday when I watched). Like the updated bottom line of the lower-third, the ticker no longer "curves"/"wraps" next to the CBS eye bug. And for the first time in years, WCBS displays it correctly. (It's hard to explain but the angle that divided the time/temp and the rest of the text seemed strangely difficult for WCBS to handle while other affiliates had no problem with it.)

Can't provide snapshots (rushing to work) but CBS This Morning updated their lower-thirds this morning. Similar design but they're taller now and they've eliminated the blacks. The logo is now on a light gray/silvery shape and the top part, when showing a name, is now blue instead of black. I'm not a fan of the change. The previous look was simple but sleek. Now it looks clunky and cartoonish. I missed the open so I have no idea if that changed at all. Upper thirds for the locations and stuff are unchanged (white text on black).

I think live shots as large backdrops are difficult. If it's even slightly windy, the size of the screen will magnify the shakiness and not only destroy the illusion of it being a window but also make viewers dizzy. You need a camera that's stabilized and I think most skyline ones stations use are not.

Now that they added "Tonight" to the title, they should remove "World" and "News".

I think the first one was supposed to be their take on ABC 7's promos where they have "real people" interacting with the anchors. However, unlike the ABC 7 promos, CBS 2's "real people" seemed more like bad actors.

The big difference is that WLNY didn't have a tradition of excellence, especially at 7 a.m.

She's not the first person at the sttaion recently to lose her gig coming back from maternity leave: http://newsbyte2.blogspot.com/2014/04/alex-denis-returns.html

Apologies if this has been noted before but it's new to me... During the Mets broadcast just now, Gary Cohen was reading a promo for the next Mets broadcast on the station and ended it with "...on New York's own PIX 11." Not the same as "Chicago's very own" but it reminded me of WGN. I wonder if this will be used more often or if it was just a one-time line in a live promo script?

I'm surprised local newscasts have been so slow to do this. ESPN, CNN and Fox News did this years ago. Fox Sports has also been doing this for some time on broadcast TV. It's time for this to be a thing.

I think it's Steve Stone... He's been their backup since Brian Lee started in April 2007. It's weird for him to be filling in during sweeps... I wonder if Lee's under the weather or something.

Very nice spots. I like the humor and the fast pace. Though I could imagine getting sick of them quickly, especially if you're watching the Olympics all night and you see them multiple times.

They've also been promoting a "new and improved Mobile 2, equipped with more high-tech features." No further explanation but it looks like those high-tech features are mounts for the cameras. (One facing the reporter, the other facing forward.)

"TV" at the end of the Twitter names is weird. I've come to associate it with what freelancers use. I think it's even worse than "WCBSWLNY"... Bravo to Chris Wragge for being apparently the only one to keep his name his name.

NBC 4 also carried the address live.

Actually, it was the other way around. CBS 2 had to find a replacement after Katie went to Philly (because Kathy Orr was cutting her workload).

Very nice evolution of the promo lower-thirds.

I saw it during their Paramus mall shooting coverage. Unfortunately, none of the tweets they showed seemed to be of the informative kind... it was just people saying things like "I can't believe this happened at my mall!" and "Thoughts and prayers!" Seems to be a waste of space and a total distraction.

CBS 2 updated the 6:00 open (I think the change happened today) to use three new evening shots of the city now that Daylight Saving Time has ended and the sun sets before 5. This is now the third open for the 6:00 since the new graphics debuted in late September. The backdrop has also been changed to the evening skyline. The 5:00 still uses the sunset.

They've been 7online.com forever. While some stations change their URLs every few years, ABC 7 has kept theirs. There's something to be said for consistency.

I think the thinking here is that their online presence is more than just a website but also includes the mobile apps.

They called her Amy Lauren last week and even the lower-third said that. Looks like she has used that name in past reporting jobs.

They canceled their weekend newscasts and Monday morning for the move?!