Vlad

One thing that I can't stand about the current package is the ABC Circle 7 portion of their lower thirds. The #abcny hashtag looks gross and unfinished. And the time and temp bug still needs work. It should be a bit more subtle. They really need to hire new people to overhaul their on-air look to bring it to standard. WABC has never been known for their graphics sadly. They are just not "premium" enough for the number market. And they've always had this problem for years on end. They can't seem to get it right like their sister stations lol. KABC WLS have always had better graphics. Even WPVI in my opinion is miles away than WABC. By no means is this a horrible look, but it can certainly be better and much improved.

Yeah, to be honest I'm not a fan of this new look at all. I hope they stay with what they currently have for as long as possible lol.

Ah ok, well honestly, they're current look isn't dramatically bad. Would be nice if they followed in some of KABC's cues with their on-air look but I guess that remains to be seen when the final product is unveiled. I say they should take their time. Its not like the 2004-2008 days when they were in dire need of an overhaul. I wouldn't mind if they remained with the current music. It would be nice if they utilzed different cuts and bumpers in that vast music package that they have thats the only thing. Even if it is still Series 4 lol.

Well, there is tangible evidence of changes coming, but no clear signal has gone off giving any specific launch date. Most of the time, new weather elements would show up within a few days of debut, but it's been more than a week, so I'd imagine it could be any time. We could stroke our egos and speculate that they're tweaking the opens after seeing our reaction, but that's unlikely.

Ah ok, as for the music, which I'm curious more than ever, what cuts of Eyewitness News do they close resemble? I would like to hear a sample. .

So anyone thinking/hoping the new look will launch tomorrow or Monday?

I agree, enough with this dog discussion already, if anything this dog discusion should be a seprate thread on the New York News Forum, since it has virtually nothing to do with WABC's on-air and TV presentation. Now, going back on topic now, I hope... Any word on when the new graphics are coming? Or is it speculation again? .

Hey guys! Its been a while since I posted on these forums, but I figured I'd add my two cents about WABC at this point in what looks to be a new change that will be debuting soon. WABC still is my favorite station, they always will be. I don't watch the news as much as I used to when I was active and younger on these forums. But honestly in my opinion, their current graphics package and overall on-air look isn't horrible. (Since 2012, Giant Octopus Refresh of their previous package). Its definitely not as clean and smooth as KABC (2015) (which I think is the best, very network news like and extremely professionally done). WLS is definitely a close second. WABC's graphics as of right now are OK, they are not earth shattering and god-like. The other O&Os seem to do it a little better like KABC and WLS. KTRK is definitely nicer with theirs as well. I feel like if you're in DMA#1 you have to be the best. It can certainly use a bit more work. Although their graphics are OK, I certainly like their current graphics package better than what they are heading towards. We haven't really seen the entirety of their new package, but it certainly looks very basic than what they have now.

They always seem to have a penchant of displaying snippets of their new on-air look through their weather segments, if I remember correctly their current Giant Octopus package was "previewed" on the AccuWeather segments back in 2008. The weather department certainly needs to update the scaling and look of their maps. The scaling of the maps seem to be so small in relation to the area. They need more areas to be represented. For them to not have a town in Nassau County and only one CT location (Bridgeport) on the map for their temperatures is a bit sad. They only have Islip and Montauk. Its high time they change that and maybe adjust the scaling a bit of the maps to include more towns in the viewing area. To be honest, their current package and on-air look isn't that bad, but its not exciting neither. WABC's presentation has always kinda been just sub-par a bit compared to their counterparts and it has always been this way for years. KABC in my opinion has always got the presentation better than WABC. WPVI is really nice too! Can't forget about 6ABC now too! They certainly beat WABC as well with their on-air presentation.

They really need more attention to detail when it comes to the Graphics and Music presentation. They need to utilize the music package more and have more variety with their music. The same 3 cuts (Eyewitness News Series 4) for every newscast is just tiring and boring. We have yet to hear the new music which has been rumored for years and highly anticipated. Their current music package just doesn't work anymore in this day and age. I mean it was nice and different back in 1999 but as the years change and progress and as we inch toward a new decade, its time for them to change their music. Hopefully they keep the same signature!

Guess we'll have a lot more to see next week when Sweeps for May 2016 begin! . I remember they launched their current Giant Octopus graphics back in May 2008 as well so this overhaul I'm hoping will be nice as well.

Yep, they don't do much work for the 11PM broadcast if anything they just adjust and tweak the stories a bit and come back for the 11PM broadcast. But there are no afternoon broadcasts on Christmas Day. Kinda like the Day after Thanksgiving too (Black Friday) when no broadcasts are aired after the morning show.

There is just something about the WABC graphics that simply is not like the other stations. I don't know if its because I'm used to seeing them on the air all the time. Don't get me wrong their graphics are nice but I think they are a bit too oversized and thats the issue. They are too big and its not simple like the other O&Os like WLS has had their package for quite sometime and it works just right, they've also had the music for well over 15 years and its been working for them. Thats what WABC needs as well. Actually I think the Graphics that KTRK and WLS would suit WABC perfectly. I think those are the "Hothaus" graphics if I'm not mistaking. I think those graphics offer the best quality and are superb. But of course we are not gonna see that happening anytime soon. Not to say that the current grpahics are bad, but its just lacking that extra finesse that the other stations like WLS, KTRK and even WPVI have.

And I agree that 7online and Eyewitness News bar underneath the Circle 7 is terrible and poor quality at best. They never seem to get the Time and Temperature graphic right at all it always looks out of place and it just does not blend in at all.

Iceman, are these shots in 16:9 Standard Definition? They must be, because they are not clear at all... They're probably are in SD 16:9. There is no way that those pictures are 720p HD. Unless IceMan has a non HD capture card, but I've seen his images, they've been significantly clearer especially on WNBC so I don't know.. In fact WABC's previous set was much clearer than this its actually awful. I know for a fact that even FOX 5 has better quality images than that.. If they are claiming that quality is HD then something is seriously wrong with their cameras or perhaps their lighting because the images are just way too soft and blurry almost to be considered High Defintion. They must be using their SD Widescreen Cameras...

As of Yesterday for the 4pm broadcast, they now finally feature a 7 Day Accu-Weather forecast as opposed to the 5 Day. The 7 day looks a bit cluttered, but I guess that's because they had to make the change in house since the graphic was designed for a 5 day one instead. Anyway it's pretty awesome that they have a 7 day now rather than a 5 day.