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That's pretty funny...

More graphical tweeks at WXYZ: The 5pm preview during the now has switched from the 2012 look to the late 2014 look with a new end card that is a little different than the 7 and 11pm cards: 2014 7/11pm version: 2015 5pm version: They also got a couple of new weather effects, the first being a new aerial view over Downtown Detroit that changes as time goes by (night to day, clouds changing, rain and then sun etc.), it isn't the best thing ever though the water effects are ok: The second is the ability to put lists of conditions at various times over the map using some kind of touch or magic eye trick where the meteorologist raises his hand up to advance each line onto the screen. These graphics are also 2014 refreshes of the original list design: On tonight's 11pm the weather computer lagged and the meteorologist was waving his hand around saying "come on computer!".

The first half of World News Tonight aired on the app this evening... I'm not sure if this was on purpose or if they are falling asleep at the switch like they did with Inside Edition the other night.

Mmmm baked everything...

WXYZ switched graphics tonight for it's 11pm preview promo before network programming begins at 8 and also the newscast preview at 1059pm before the 11pm news starts. Both use the October 2014 promo graphic L3's that Scripps put out and they had until now only been using during extended previews of their 7pm (at 655pm) and 11pm (during ABC primetime) newscasts: 8pm Billboard preview of the 11pm newscast: 1059pm Preview of the 11pm newscast: These things still aren't the worlds best looking graphics but they might hint at what a graphical refresh of the current Scripps package could resemble. They definitely don't match all that well with the current L3 look. Lovely having 2 logos sitting next to each other on the screen in the second video.

That's insane... Glad to see you still exist too... Been awful quiet...

I would have preferred gluing an abc sticker on the ancient flags. That'd be cheap. Or even just have kept them.

WXYZ got new mic flags today... they are black instead of blue and rounded to fit the 7abc logo instead of just being old used box mic flags from who knows where. They had the blue ones since mid 2011 when they retired the classic 1960's O&O mic flags. Old ones as seen in this promo: New ones:

Got 8 minutes of bonus "news" tonight.... The live stream was not shut off after the 10pm so it went right into Inside Edition.

There's a thread on this new site over in the News Music and Voiceovers section... It might be worth a read too...

Oops... from Saturday's 10pm... No scapegoat this time... for all that they do well their OTS's are horrid sometimes...

Did WLS take the Karen Travers Live shot from Baltimore at the top of the 10pm either yesterday or today?

He's getting kinda kinky now...

Renderon!! Looks pretty good and less bland... Glad they straightened the 7 day out.

Get that guy on a leash That is pretty good though...

I'm not sure I like the idea of them getting down to that level...

I'm not sure.... They just got a new one, a Dodge Promaster. I'm hoping they are using the FaceTime or whatever that is in my example because of an equipment issue. Seeing a reporter with earbuds in and face 2 feet away isn't at all cool. It stinks. When I was at WDIV we used microwaves almost exclusively and Live U boxes as well for breaking news when we needed to set up and go quickly. Worst case possibility here is that they chose not to use an available microwave truck. In fact I think the reporter was with someone else and the 10pm version of his report looked microwaved. If that's the case I can't explain why they would make a mistake like that.

Ok here are some links: I'll start with what the newsroom looked like before it turned yellow... Newsroom circa 2003: Newsroom Circa 2009: This is the FaceTime looking thing that went horribly wrong on the 11pm last night: It's amazing how you get to that lousy a product that fast, it used to look really nice and slick just 6 years ago as evidenced by this bumper promo that would run at the end of the newscasts. This was when they tried to pretend they were an O&O again: That promo is the source of my signature for what its worth. I really feel bad for the anchors having to navigate through that... Stephen Clark doesn't sound too thrilled at the end there.

We all are too... That newsroom is from 2011 or something... The paint is from 11 I think. It was a marbleish colored gray pattern color before. Two of the last 3 nights we've had 2 reporters and one microwave truck. You might be asking "gee, what ever did they do?" The answer: Reporter with ear buds on and phone near face using FaceTime or a broadcast equivalent and heard in the background of the shot was somebody saying "I hope this works!" which it didn't... The audio worked perfectly but both times the picture was frozen and the second time the reporter couldn't hear the anchors and his camera was frozen right off the top so they dumped directly into the story. It worked at the end of his piece sorta. Not a good way to lead your 11pm show. People like technology but it's not like they love it so much they want things to fail like that. I'll put the shot of the old newsroom and the really strange report with FaceTime up in a bit.

Here is the new open for The NOW Detroit:

I just saw the new version of their open which I will post in a few hours and it says "You're watching 7 Action News, always taking action for you" as the vo with the Action News logo plastered on it and only a quick flash of "The Now". They are suddenly doing everything they can to backpedal and link it directly to the news brand. It seems like a good idea since that's what it's always been anyway. That should get it above the 2.8 it's been stuck at since it debuted.

WXYZ is now using the Inergy morning theme for at least part of the opens on The NOW Detroit. It's amazing what putting 2 extremely experienced anchors on this show does... It's actually.... Good. Somebody permitted them to further cut the junk out of it as well.

WXYZ has finalized the last of its anchor changes: The Now Detroit is now anchored by lead anchor Stephen Clark who also does the 6/7/11 shows and JoAnne Purtan who also anchors the Noon show. 7 Action News At 5 is now anchored by lead anchor Carolyn Clifford who also anchors the 6/7/11 shows and Glenda Louis who also anchors the 10pm on WMYD.

Aaron Baskerville joins WXYZ as a reporter. He comes from WWMT in Kalamazoo, MI. He is the son of Steve Baskerville of WBBM in Chicago.

Gotta get something... It's either gonna be a Nissan or a Ram Promaster or Ford Transit.... WXYZ is getting Ram Promasters...