ttvn2000

Good move. Looks like WEWS is trying to leverage the declines at WKYC by putting a recognizable face in the AM. And, I'm pretty sure she has a young son, so these hours are likely to be more conducive to parenting. Admittedly, they should've done this about 8 years ago and put Kimberly Gill in the evenings. (Still a bit salty that WEWS let Gill go, but it's been good for her at WDIV.)

Kristi Leigh is leaving WTOL after three years - leaving her hometown for the first time in her career for KMPH in Fresno, CA. https://www.toledoblade.com/a-e/tv-radio/2020/02/10/wtol-anchor-kristi-leigh-headed-to-new-job-in-fresno/stories/20200210092 Now would be the time to hire someone with gravitas for their newscasts, but I fear they'll just go young and cheap (new hire Carla Bayron?). At least with Leigh, there were local connections - and she certainly improved in the role. Big loss for WTOL.

Another slap in the face to the more experienced anchors they already have in-house. Also feels like an obvious demotion for Shookman, since they could’ve simply paired a new coanchor with Jim Donavan at 7. (Or enlisted Danielle Serino, but I’ll stop repeating myself.) And that press release? How many times do we have to say the 7pm broadcast is a “front row seat” to what’s happening...what’s new or what’s next?!

WFLD - but not clear if he's a direct replacement for Weigel: https://www.robertfeder.com/2020/01/30/robservations-anchor-terrence-lee-reporter-brittany-garzillo-headed-fox-32/

Anyone wondering what is going on with WKRC in Cincinnati? I was expecting some sort of main anchor team announcement by now. I mean, with Rob Braun leaving last June and Cammy Dierking having decided to leave in April 2019, surely they could’ve come into February sweeps with some sort of plan!? Meanwhile, WXIX is making moves with new/familiar faces & newscasts and WLWT continues to be very solid with their married duo. I guess we will just see how things go with the randomness that is Paula Toti and Kyle Inskeep... Come on, Sinclair!

According to the comments section to that video, that theme was remembered fondly. And after hearing it for the first time in a while, I guess it isn’t so bad...relatively speaking. TEGNA really didn’t need to change anything from the 2013 package, aside from minor updates. “This is Home” and their truly innovative graphics package have set the tone for all broadcast design as we see it today. (Even as the current package is a step back in terms of intentional, grid-bases design.)

Best decision WKYC has made in a while. She’s surprisingly versatile and has done a great job filling in at the desk over the past year or so. I do feel badly for other sidelined and underutilized anchor talent at WKYC, like Lynna Lai and Danielle Serino (who both fit in perfectly during the heyday of 19 Action News then moved over to 3).

Scripps should hire them! Beautiful evolution of the Limerick package. This and WOIO’s should be an option for other Gray stations.

Cammy Dierking officially announced her departure from WKRC, following the lead of her former co-anchor Rob Braun: https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cincinnati.com/amp/2506665001 Time to completely overhaul WKRC.

Calling Mary Bubala!

I would guess some of that logo duplication is courtesy of VDO, who created packages for both stations in the early 2000’s (WSMV’s short-lived package with the “[4]” and “Seize the Day.”)... Kinda like how KOB ripped off WABC’s “Eyewitness News” word mark after having a package created by the same firm...(Giant Octopus perhaps?)

WKYC’s Monica Robins has announced she has a brain tumor. https://www.wkyc.com/mobile/article/news/health/3news-monica-robins-brain-tumor-story/95-552b537d-f6a5-44d1-a795-20782592a963 I wondered why she hasn’t been on air for a bit. Prayers and positive thoughts to a successful surgery and recovery for her.

Not necessarily. The “logo” that appears on screen doesn’t always correspond with newscast branding. For example, the logo on WKYC’s graphics read “WKYC 3” yet they were called “Channel 3 News.” Or WTOL’s just says “WTOL 11” but they go by “WTOL 11 News at XX.”

WTOL’s Dick Berry retires Sunday after 40 years: https://www.toledoblade.com/a-e/tv-radio/2019/09/27/after-four-decades-at-wtol-tv-toledo-reporter-dick-berry-retires-sunday/stories/20190928049 Candid interview and great perspective from an actual journalist. "The whole media business has become more corporate ... which is affecting how the news is covered, as well as the people you see entering the news business," he said. "A lot of them are not qualified to be in the news business. I just wonder how they got to be where they are.”

WKYC has starting doing this during their 7pm show...(Not Gray, I know - but thought it was worth sharing.)

I think WTHR and WBNS have “minimalist” enough logos that the 1-color (White) versions will translate nicely to the TEGNA graphics. They (thankfully) didn’t change WTOL (even with that false alarm), so I think we’re likely to see those logos remain for a bit. Had WTHR not refreshed their logo a few years back, it might have been a different situation. With all this said, I could be completely wrong and both could be in for a downgrade a la WKYC. (But I’ve discussed my disdain for that more than I needed to, LOL .)

Cementing their dominance, WJW picks up Carl Monday, Tom Meyer and Tom Merriman in "contributor" roles: https://fox8.com/2019/09/17/back-at-fox-8-tom-merriman-tom-meyer-and-carl-monday-return-to-the-fox-8-i-team/ So basically, Monday and Meyer left WOIO and WKYC respectively, because they had to. (And we see how that's going for them.) I have to wonder how/if this type of thing will continue at Fox 8 if Nexstar retains ownership.

Why why why do they continue to just put band-aids over that set?! It’s the same desk, just refreshed. Over and over again. That newsroom studio looked it’s best from its inception to 2008... once they added those banners, it went to pot. Argh. This “WKYC Studios” BS has been in all the annoying press releases each time a new member of talent is announced. Who are they trying to be? I just don’t get it. I have said it before, but I am genuinely curious. We’re the ratings so poor to justify these changes? It makes no sense, especially as Fox 8 doubles down on their “Cleveland’s Own” branding (which is nearly 35 years old, at least) and executed it beautifully. Russ Mitchell deserves better. Jim Donavan and Betsy Kling deserve better. I’m just bewildered by this decline. Look at anything from WKYC from 1999-2009 and mourn this loss: This just pushes the Cleveland market down the gutter even more... Argh.

Ok @CLETVFan - each newscast title update is getting more and more ludicrous! Why are they throwing their brand equity down the toilet?! Are the ratings bad enough to justify the changes? Argh, how I miss 2006 WKYC.

He's busy posting selfies with Al Roker and Kathie Lee - and memories of selfies with Kathie Lee - so if you're looking for "infotainment" you may be OK. See what he's done to that horrible morning newscast?

Yes! I've always considered her a very solid journalist - even in her days at WTVG. ABC did a very good job utilizing WTVG as a place to groom top-tier talent. (Bloomquist, Rob Powers, Jason Knowles, Jeff Blanzy, etc.)

Hogan would be ideal. (I should've put a next to my comment about the snatch-and-grabs that WBNS continues to make...) It can't be Scott Light.

Not surprising, though it should've been in the works for longer than it has. Jeff Hogan should've been waiting in the wings, but I think he was over waiting for the slot. Scott Light is just so very bland. Pete Scalia is not PM anchor material. Maybe they can lure Bob Kendrick away from WSYX, since that's what WBNS does best. (Though it won't be for top-dollar like it was for Yolanda Harris...)

I think both he and Dierking are like Cincinnati chili or goetta....people outside the area might not see the appeal. I find both of them very dry and wooden, and such a stark contrast from their morning news team. Bob Herzog is almost TOO animated and it sometimes appears very jarring when they shift from adlibbing to "real news." But that could also be the station putting a square peg in a round hole altering the format of Good Morning Cincinnati to a more "hard news" format over the past few years. I see this is an opportunity to completely overhaul the entire operation. They really should consider tweaking their morning format to be something akin to the WGN Morning News, building that show around Herzog and a team. And for the evenings, move someone into those positions with just a little bit of personality? Sheila Gray almost seems too wooden for the mornings, but has just enough personality for the PM. Brad Johansen never really "left" Cincinnati during his stint at WRAL (his wife and daughter stayed in Ohio). To me, this seems like a no-brainer. John Lomax should also have the chance to do whatever he wants...if he wants an afternoon/early evening slot. Switch Lomax and Kyle Inskeep. Build mornings around Herzog. Considering hiring back Tiffany Wilson to the AM show. Put Gray and Johansen together as the main team...and let Liz Bonis/Paula Toti keep their current roles for consistency's sake. (As dry at Toti is...) All of this should be proactive to WLWT - who really shines with married duo Sheree Paolello and Mike Dardis at the helm.

Cammy Dierking is apparently following Rob Braun out the door at WKRC in Cincinnati: https://www.wvxu.org/post/cammy-dierking-leaving-wkrc-dec-leaving-station-without-2-main-anchors#stream/0 This opens the door for the station to overhaul all its newscasts - which frankly, is needed. WKRC is incredibly stale compared to WLWT, which is informative, yet has high production value.