Mrknowitall526

Just watching my recording of the 5 pm news from the PPL Center - I really think this is a great thing for WFMZ! It brings a new sense of "urgency" to the newscast. I really hope they end up using it for more than just the noon show everyday.

Channel 6 just started showing "#6abcAction" scrollling in the bottom, red/yellow part of the L3's, on the same line as the clock, during live reports.

I've been waiting for them to update the graphics, but this is just so gimmicky!

The evening newscasts will be broadcast from PPL Center this Friday, coinciding with a hockey game the same night. Will be interesting to see what they do!

 

Reporter Will Lewis and a cameraman named Albert (who has been at WFMZ since 1995) visited my school, Warren County Tech, today for a feature on our robotics team; the report will air tonight at 6PM and will also appear online. I also gleaned several bits of info: WFMZ is equipped with 8 live trucks, and apparently are now using 5-6 LiveU backpacks; the PPL Center studio is apparently accompanied by a smaller newsroom, while fiber-optics are indeed the link between PPL and South Mountain. They also use Quantel for editing, as opposing to our TV/Radio program using Sony Vegas.

 

That's really interesting, I wonder what they plan to do with the newsroom at PPL Center?

Is 8 live trucks a lot? How many do the Philly stations have?

So there was a report about the new studio on the news at 6 on Friday night. The only people in the studio during the broadcast are Eve & Jaciel - because of the the small space, everything is controlled by the regular control room on South Mountain, including the cameras, lights, and video wall. When they switch over to the weather they show a split screen with "PPL Center Studio" and "Weather Center" and surprisingly there is NO delay between the two spots. They must have a pretty hefty fiber connection between the two locations, especially to be able to control the cameras remotely from 5+ miles away.

Just heard a promo on the 10 pm news for a "ribbon cutting" for the PPL Center studio, Friday at 11:30 am - you'll get the chance to meet Eve & Jaciel and also watch the noon newscast live in person. How....interesting?

 

Everyone in the market went early this morning. WCAU and WTXF started at 3 and normally start at 4, KYW and WPVI at 4 and normally go on at 4:30. It's not that big a deal. Our AM rush believe it or not does start around 4:30-5ish so to be on that early really isn't outlandlandish esp when 3AM was the predicted height of the storm.

 

But 3 AM is really excessive. Are people really getting up that early when it snows to check the weather? 4 AM, I think, is the limit that makes the most sense.

I would agree, especially for the fact that most days they don't go to a commercial break until 6:45. And the instant index is so toned down it's barely even noticeable.

Yeah, they didn't say anything about it at all! And, it looked like the weather team was still back at the regular studio. They just showed them in a split screen with "Weather Center" and "Newscenter" written on the top. I don't get it- are they making a full move downtown, and this is to try it out, or they will keep two studios? I'm not sure, really, how there would be room for a newsroom and all the other stuff at the PPL Center - but I don't get the purpose of a 30 minute broadcast from the PPL Center, either, at a newscast that not everyone will see.

Only the noon show at PPL Center? That stinks! Wish they'd picked 5 or 6.

 

It's going through PHL's master control though so it very well be different equipment being used. What happens is instead of running that feed to their own master control, what 6 is doing is sending that feed either via fiber or microwave to 17's MC who then broadcasts the newscast.

 

PHL must have a different/better encoder, though, because I don't notice the distortion as much on 17.

Is this actually happening, or is it just me being picky/crazy??

Has anyone noticed an increase in "mosquito noise" digital distortion around the L3s? I have noticed it the past month or so. It's also pretty bad around the 6ABC logo/clock in the corner.

I have Directv, and posted in a forum about that, and someone said it has to do with the way the network encodes/compresses its broadcasts.

Interestingly, I put on Action News at 10 on PHL17 last night, and the effect seems to be much less there than on 6. Which doesn't really make much sense since it's the same newscast and I would assume the same equipment being used!

 

Saw on the 6PM report what looked like a portion of the new set; a reporter was stationed outside the PPL center, and I could see a giant video wall playing promos on a loop for the 4PM report, and a glass desk with the logo on it; it was in the background, so I couldn't see more.

 

Missed that! What was the report about? Maybe it's up online already.

Adam Joseph returned today ... I've missed his forecasts!

I noticed that, too, and they started to say "AccuWeather" on the air, never really did that before.

 

The weekend open is not the same.

 

I have to say, the set really makes a difference on GMA. The weekend show seems different with the lack of fans and outdoor use. Its a subtle difference but it really does make a difference.

 

I know this isn't anything new but I thought it was worth mentioning.

 

Sara Haines still makes it almost unwatchable.

Any word on when they might move to the new studio at the PPL Center?

I'm really growing tired of the graphics package. I kind of expected them to make some tweaks by now. It's been more than 3 (or 4?) years with the same package.

Elizabeth Vargas filled in on GMA Weekend today. It was interesting seeing her with the ever-more-annoying Sarah Haines, but I liked it because she brought some "maturity" to the cast if that makes any sense.

 

That's not quite a fair assessment. At no point did she leave the network, she just took two leaves of absence.

 

I didn't realize she'd even returned from her second leave of absence!

What an unexpected sight to see her anchoring WNT. But it was welcoming, too!

 

David got back to me and said "fast forward this about 8-9 years and you may have something there ". Guess it was just a rumor (like I expected)

 

 

I saw that comment too and sent it over to David on Twitter. I'll see if he responds back.

 

I tweeted at him, too!

They've been really into the "digital updates" on the 6ABC app lately. Even for mundane things like "Christmas week forecast." They must get a lot of traffic.

Not that I put much faith in this, but someone posted a comment on a picture Matt O'Donnell posted today saying David Murphy is retiring on January 2nd??? I find that hard to believe??

Sarah Bloomquist was listed in the Sunday 11 pm opening tonight...

I like Facecast so far - just watched today's. I didn't see the first two. It's a neat concept.