T.L. Hughes

This newscast has a different video headshot of Steve Alvarez (at 0:44) than the version I've seen elsewhere on YT. Compare the Summer/Fall(?) '91 version to the one of him seen (at 0:52) in this newscast from May '92, with him giving a friendlier smile: I'm guessing viewer reaction to the first version of his talent open headshot might not have been favorable, prompting it to be reshot; the way Alvarez grins in the '91 version looks inadvertently like how you'd think a serial killer or Bond villain would smile.

So... what was the point, then, of shutting down Ion Plus and Qubo? Knowing it was in the planning stages of launching two additional diginets, Scripps management should have kept Ion Plus and Qubo operational temporarily until its new networks bowed, and repurposed their transponder space to transmit DefyTV and Doozy. At this rate, it seems like the only place to put Defy and Doozy on the Ion/INYO stations is on the slots housing HSN or QVC, or just cut deals for the new networks to replace the duplicate Katz Networks affiliations on the non-Scripps and non-INYO stations in markets where either group owns an Ion station.

And connected to this, WTGS (which hubs its newscasts out of WPDE) also switched:

Seems strange that CBSTVS elected to have WWJ be a 3.0 participant, but not have WKBD sign on a 3.0 signal as well.

Basically, it's the area that is otherwise known as Southeast Georgia, encompassing cities like Valdosta, Brunswick and Waycross and other areas on the northern regions of the Jacksonville and Tallahassee markets. There are some places within the Albany DMA that use the term as well.

NewsNet has apparently started a video wire service for TV and radio stations, newspaper websites, and online publications. Honestly, if they realize that NewsNation isn't working on WGN America, I could see Nexstar eventually buying NewsNet, integrating their staffs (offering NewsNet staffers to relocate to Chicago to expand the NewsNation staff), and putting the network on Nexstar's stations and station websites (maybe even going the route of ABC News Live, NBC News Now and CBSN by inking deals with AVOD live streamers like Pluto TV, Xumo and Samsung TV Plus). It might be a bit of a cost-efficient way to expand NewsNation to a 24-hour offering, rather than what they could do by converting WGN America into a news channel. Plus, a company like Nexstar would be better able to distribute NewsNet to news-producing network affiliates and independent stations, compared to the current ownership, which has only been able to get WSWG as its only major-network-affiliated outlet in a sea of mostly low-power, diginet-only affiliates. (I won't count KTWO and KYUR since they don't carry the network, even though it produces their newscasts.)

KOKH weeknight anchor Wendy Suares revealed on Twitter that she and her husband have tested positive for COVID-19.

Looks like WKYT took a couple of cues from WNBC in the talent portion of the open.

Tubi has added a live News 12 stream as part of a new "News on Tubi" section, a new FAST (free ad-supported streaming television) channel offering that will also include NBC News Now, Black News Channel, WeatherNation TV, CBC News (the curated stream already available on Xumo), Bloomberg Television, Cheddar, fubo Sports Network, PeopleTV and content from parent network Fox Corporation (individual Fox Television Stations O&Os, NewsNOW from Fox and Fox Soul). Not explained is if the News 12 channel is a curated stream featuring content sourced from each of the News 12 Networks (Bronx, Connecticut, Westchester, New Jersey, etc.)--which is probably the case, a la CNN's AVOD streaming channel--or a feed seen by Altice subscribers in the New York metropolitan area. "News from Tubi" is only available on Tubi's Google Play, Roku and Amazon Fire TV apps; curiously, they didn't bother to roll it out to its other apps, most glaringly, its Apple app.

Tubi has added live news streams from the Fox Television Stations, NewsNOW from Fox and Fox Soul as part of a new "News on Tubi" section, a new FAST (free ad-supported streaming television) channel offering that will also include NBC News Now, Black News Channel, WeatherNation TV, CBC News (the curated stream already available on Xumo), Bloomberg Television, Cheddar, fubo Sports Network, PeopleTV and News 12 New York (not sure if it's a curated feed of content from each of the News 12 Networks or a pure live stream of any of the channels). "News from Tubi" is only available on Tubi's Google Play, Roku and Amazon Fire TV apps; curiously, they didn't bother to roll it out to its other apps, most glaringly, its Apple app.

RBR+TVBR suggests it will launch by early 2021. As for timeslots, I'm guessing the existing 5:30 and 10:00 newscasts will stay, which leaves open if they'll add a morning show or expand their early evening news by 30 to 90 minutes.

Two new sale transactions to note: * Scripps is buying KCDO-TV/Sterling, CO and its Denver translator KSBS-CD for $9.5 million. The deal would form a full-power duopoly with KMGH, and force the sale of KPXC under the concurring Ion deal. * Tegna is buying KMPX-TV/Decatur, TX from Estrella Media for $19 million. A very odd caveat included in the agreement is that Estrella was given an option to purchase WFAA, which would become KMPX's duopoly partner, an option I doubt would be exercised and doesn't make much sense to include.

Its newscasts were still using the Tulsa's Channel 8 News moniker up until the graphics change. That KTUL decided to revert to NewsChannel 8 is interesting, since the NewsChannel brand (and news brands along those lines) has somehow been seen as outdated lately, but it sounds better than the old title.

They're 35 years late on the draw for that, aren't they? That's about how long its been since they became an O&O through the CapCities/ABC merger, and WABC, KABC, WLS and KGO had been using the "Circle 7" pins even then.

Also, while Fox News performs well in the ratings with right-wing pundits, it's increasingly becoming less profitable to run conservative commentary shows because of the toxicity tied to their content. Once Fox News decided to go down the rabbit hole of using racism as a propaganda and fear tactic, they've been losing sponsors left and right for their prime time shows. The only reason why they haven't changed course is because of the audience they're able to pull. For some reason though, Fox is not valuing revenue and trying to balance it with the audience: instead of being seen as necessary equals, audience trumps revenue for them. When any other network realizes its programming is unprofitable, they would dump the content that's not working in favor of something else. OANN likely is being passed by major advertisers for the same reason as well as for the bad reputation it gets for commentary that is absent logic and reason, to put it nicely. For CNBC to go down that route would end up resulting in the network not being able to, as one of its slogans says, "Profit from It" down the line.

They're not the only ones. I saw a report on KWTV's noon news today, in which the reporter's mask appeared to have a sticker of the station's logo on the left side.

Whether Shepard Smith identifies as Conservative is unclear, and considering he never really felt the need to succumb to the propaganda that Fox News put out on the regular, if he is, he's an old-school Republican (of the ilk who doesn't wade into that kind of thing) or more likely, he's an Independent. Oddly, not everyone who works as journalists at conservative media outlets actually is right-wing, even though you'd think it need to be a prerequisite; OAN[N] is an example, as discussed in a recent Politico article... and suffice it to say, many of the liberal and progressive employees who thought working at the network was a way to shortcut their elevation to larger-market TV stations are regretting working there. I also should add that CNBC has aired a straight newscast before with... Wait for it!... The News with Brian Williams, after MSNBC dumped it from its schedule in 2002. It ended two years later.

The logo apparently was changed in May 2019, shortly after the Cordillera-Scripps purchase closed. Granted the old logo was dated (it screamed '70s), but they could have done better with the design of the logotype on the new one.

NBC News correspondent Morgan Chesky has tested positive for COVID-19.

I just read about this. It sounds a lot like WGN America’s upcoming News Nation.

George Stephanopoulos revealed on GMA Monday morning that he has tested positive for the coronavirus. He states, however, that he is currently asymptomatic and only has experienced mild symptoms: what he described as back pain that he thought was due to strenuous exercise and, for a time, a relatively diminished sense of smell. George had been working from home since his wife, Alexandra Wentworth, tested positive a few weeks ago, with somewhat more severe symptoms. (IIRC, when he discussed Alexandra’s diagnosis last month, he said he, at the time, didn’t use masks or other precautionary measures when tending to her. Apparently since then, he had started to do so; it should be noted that he is one year shy of the age group of highest complication risk [yes, he’s 59!].)

It appears that KIVI will be the next to get the new graphics. On Monday (April 13), the station is dropping the “6 On Your Side” branding (again), in favor of Idaho News 6, coinciding with the launch of the Magic Valley-focused newscasts it will begin producing for Twin Falls repeater KSAW (original post about that in the Scripps general discussion thread: https://forums.tvnewstalk.net/topic/13768-scripps-general-discussion/?do=findComment&comment=243782). The logo has already been pushed out on its social media accounts, which have changed handles from “IdahoOnYourSide” (Twitter) and “6OnYourSide” (Facebook and Instagram) to “IdahoNews6”/“idahonews6”. (As of this post, KIVI’s website still links to the old social handles for all three pages.)

KIVI will begin producing separate local newscasts for its Twin Falls repeater KSAW-LD, starting Monday (April 13). KIVI/KNIN anchor Roland Berres and chief meteorologist Scott Dorval will helm the weeknight 5:30 and 10:00 broadcasts, which will feature three multimedia journalists based in Twin Falls conducting local field reports. (KSAW currently airs a simulcast of KIVI’s 5:00 p.m. newscast, World News Tonight at 5:30 [which will likely replace the 5:00 news from Boise, if not move to 6:00] and a double run of The Big Bang Theory at 6:00.) KIVI’s Good Morning Idaho, and its weekend 5:30 and 10:00 p.m. newscasts will continue to be simulcast on KSAW.

UPDATE: TV Guide and OnTVTonight have revised their listings for WHME to account for the added WISH simulcasts, and apparently, weekend news simulcasts will be limited in scope. The full schedule will consist of these newscasts: * News 8 Daybreak - weekdays 4:00-10:00 a.m., Saturdays 5:30-7:00 a.m. * News 8 at 4:00 - weekdays 4:00-5:00 p.m. * News 8 at 5:00 - weekdays 5:00-6:00 p.m. * News 8 at 6:00 - weekdays 6:00-7:00 p.m., Saturdays 6:00-6:30 p.m. * News 8 at 10:00 - weeknights 10:00-11:00 p.m. * News 8 at 11:00 - Monday-Saturdays 11:00-11:30 p.m. Exempted newscasts are the Saturday 7:00-10:00 and Sunday 5:30-10:00 a.m. editions of Daybreak, the weekday 11:00 a.m. News 8 Midday (shown on WISH from 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.), the Saturday editions of the 10:00 p.m. newscast and all Sunday newscasts (as well as The Sports Locker). Religious and secular programming as well as infomercials will continue to occupy WHME’s entire Sunday schedule. BTW, WISH parent Circle City Broadcasting states that WHME will basically be the test springboard for a statewide news network to include simulcasting agreements with other Indiana television stations (in cities like Terre Haute, Evansville and Fort Wayne) that don’t have a news operation of their own. So, the WHME arrangement is likely to be a long-term thing.

Although the station hasn’t updated its listings to include which of WISH’s newscasts will be shown on its schedule, WHME has (mostly) disclosed which newscasts will be simulcast on the station on its website. On weekdays, WHME will carry all six hours of News 8 Daybreak (4:00-10:00 a.m.), its three-hour early evening news block (4:00-7:00 p.m.) and its late news block (10:00-11:30 p.m.). The only weekday newscast that WHME will not carry is the 11:00 a.m. midday show. While it also noted it would carry WISH’s weekend newscasts, the page didn’t specify which ones; presumably, it will carry the full schedule (Saturday and Sunday editions of Daybreak, and the 6:00, 10:00 and 11:00 p.m. newscasts as well as the SportsLocker), although Family Broadcasting’s stations have usually filled much of their Sunday schedules with religious programming, so it’s possible that WHME may have to shuffle some of those shows around the schedule and maybe even drop some of the secular classic series that it airs on Sunday afternoons (or even a couple of the religious programs it airs at other parts of the day) to incorporate all of WISH’s Sunday newscasts.