mrschimpf

Speaking of Nexstar and their bad web strategy, their stations are currently posting an old NN story about Biden getting COVID as new on social...WGN just had to rush out a retraction because someone on the web hub make a major error.

3 hours ago, SFTV said:

CW Bay Area was dropped when KPIX dropped CBS 5 / CBS 5 Eyewitness News in 2013 in favor for call letters. 
 

they are branded as KBCW and KBCW 44 cable 12. With their heavy jingle imaging “44 cable 12” promos that air throughout the day 

https://youtu.be/GSTLBPVjnHE

I realized that after I posted, of course. Thanks for reminding me of something I felt trauma from hearing (no offense to those in the actual videos).

2 hours ago, KentBrockman said:

I like it, it's plain but it's clean. Though, if you're going to brand your newscasts "CBS News Bay Area," wouldn't it be more logical to brand as "CBS Bay Area"? Just my 2 cents.

They already have CW Bay Area, so it would only make sense (and speaking of, is the "Cable 12" appendage from the pre-UPN days really needed now? In a major tech hub where most don't have cable?).

3 hours ago, tyrannical bastard said:

It appears Nexstar is taking two steps backward in their "digital first" mandate.  Live streams of their newscasts are apparently coming to an end next month.  

They will be delayed at least 2 hours.

For markets dominated by Nexstar where others have been bought out by them, this is seriously bad news, especially in emergency situations; you can be sure mets will be pissed off they can't say 'stream us live' during a tornado warning (or have to whip up a jerry-rigged FB Live stream to do so). And this is a direct Exhibit A about why net neutrality should definitely apply to broadcasters.

You're better off buying P+ or Peacock and streaming a local CBS or NBC affiliate that way so you don't have to bother with these fights NX wants to pick with everyone, and you hope that an ABC livestream will be part of Disney+ premium soon. And if WGN thought things were bad when they took the 9 off of now-News Nation, this is coal in the stocking to their stubborn snowbird audience, but Perry won't care.

On 12/19/2022 at 1:12 PM, Spring Rubber said:

I'm guessing there's no single company to blame for this, as pretty much the whole industry was shelling out big bucks, banking on the RSN model, with a short-sighted outlook of just how quickly cord-cutting would devastate the business model. If you wanted to play ball (ha) in the sports rights industry, you had to sign record-breaking contracts to even stand a chance.

I do think had Disney been able to keep them we'd be in the middle of a transition of those teams to ESPN+ rather than what we have now (though it can be argued NBC has been trying with their channels). SBG/Diamond thought gambling was going to be a savior, but most people just watch the game and that's it and find that as a distraction. Radio is free, out-of-market streaming is getting insanely reasonable, and if you know the right ways to do it you can round local blackouts if you're devoted enough. And you can only fill the schedule around these games with so many tennis tourneys, golf shows and outdoor shows that have smaller niches of their own.

52 minutes ago, tyrannical bastard said:

Well, Fubo has offered to carry the Bally Sports networks on their service.

Feels like a self-inflicted wound; you're going to always pay for more channels rather than one streaming service with a shaky reception and very limited programming.

I still would've wished that our digital transition in the US would've solidified network channel numbers hell or high water. Fox has different channel numbers and managed to work things out, but it would've been a lot easier if we had went the Mexican transition direction, let a network pick a number nationwide and CBS was on 2, NBC on 4, Fox on 5, ABC on 7...etc. (and if you lost your affiliation a la WJMN, WZMQ got 2 and WJMN would be bumped down to whatever number Fox scrounged up for MNTV). Even the Canadian direction where all the networks/systems pretty much killed channel numbers altogether would have been better.

Sadly outside a couple of outliers who tried (Tribune with that channel 72 attempt that died the moment WGN, WPIX and KTLA 'lol no'ed the idea, though I think that was more for interactive services that never panned out), it just never took root and the PSIP system in the US, instead of allowing a one-time remapping opportunity, just had the virtual channel system hobbled with legacy numbers and ideas like KCEN trying to move from 6 to 9 for a year and somehow getting 'feedback' that they were wrong and had to reverse back. Or those who did try to move from an absurd channel like 65 get yelled at by the FCC and other broadcasters for daring to take channel 10 even though nobody else in 150 miles had it.

PBS is finally forcing their stations to have a unified logo and identifier, something that's been long needed, and it might be time for the major networks to do the same. And when most pay homes these days just tune to the network identified on YouTubeTV or Hulu, or say, channel 604/1004 for NBC in HD instead of 4 in SD...is there any need to hold onto 2-69 numbers?

4 hours ago, carolinanews4 said:

 

LA is hardly an anomaly with three English-language newscasts at 10P. Charlotte (much smaller than LA) has had three 10P newscasts for years (WJZY/WAXN/WCCB). Heck, down the road in the Greenville/Spartanburg market (smaller than Charlotte) they have also had three news broadcasts competing at 10 (WHNS/WYCW/WMYA). Nothing "beyond disastrous" occurred in those markets.

It really depends on the market though; those two markets have had sustaining newscasts since the WB/UPN days that have continued on and on, and WAXN, WRDQ, KMCI and WMLW have been aversions where they have an independent schedule built on strength that hasn't needed an affiliation. Others since then...it's hard to start a news operation or convert a station which has been stuck in VLC automated irrelevancy since MyNet bailed out of scheduling competitively to carrying some news. The only real case I've seen that happen is WMYD, and that took a transition away from a scratch rated INN product and Granite puttling little money into the station, to Scripps buying it and having WXYZ put newscasts on, to pull off.

But you're not going to be able to finance news operations on irrelevant stations much longer. WCCB's op is pretty much on death watch now because the moment that CW contract ends, WMYT is getting it. In Milwaukee, WISN presumably could've placed a 9 pm show on WVTV anytime since 2006, but instead is happy to let it air on True Crime Network and call it a loss leader that provides a good alternative to WITI. The same with KOAT and the Acme duop in ABQ before Nexstar paired them with KRQE and just put the 9 on what's now their DT2 Fox.

And I notice that WCNC wasn't even mentioned in Myron's comment; they've always been irrelevant back to the Ted Turner days. Eventually they'll throw in the towel and call it a day because there's only so much news you can watch or put on in a market before it just is complete white noise. Eventually you might just see some of these stations move the only thing with a pulse, the J!-WoF hour, to 10pm and just put on news from 2pm to primetime.

6 hours ago, TennTV1983 said:

 

Ads have already started running in affected markets with a Nexstar-owned CBS station: 

 

If this is the kind of 'acting' we can expect of programming on the Nexstar-era CW it's safe to say that trophy shelf builders won't be needed at Perry's golf mansion.

Most station groups have basic knowledge of what providers exist in a certain area so you don't get embarrassing situations like this ad airing on WFRV, where one Comcast system exists in the entire state of Wisconsin, or KTVI/KPLR, in Spectrum's home city. 
 

Comcast customers get Peacock free with local stations $5 extra, so this is becoming a problem easily solved by the consumer, and Comcast is still getting paid; they could also just presumably pipe in a distant NBC/TMD owned station the same way Time Warner did to Nexstar during a Hearst dispute and if Congress somehow whines, takes the fine as 'putting the customer first'. Same with Paramount+. And the CW is in its holiday dead period so nobody's going to care if they miss Riverdale. 

2 minutes ago, Yankees4life said:

I think he's going for the world record as an anchor. That's why he's sticking around

So that's what Sue Simmons was asking when she wondered what 'the f**k you doing?!'.

Going back to the 'what can HLN be in the future' discussion, this commentary piece from Barrett Sports Media which talks about converting it to the WBD sports channel sounds like a great idea; it's now under the ID umbrella, true, but that can always change rather fast.

First thing is they likely already still have the "Headline Sports" trademark lingering around. One initial change, but you still get brand familiarity (though obviously its 'free sneakerphone with your paid subscription'-like packaging with CNN would have to change). Discovery and Turner side both agree they want more PGA, there's your new home for golf, and Bleacher Report/House of Highlights both finally get a permanent cable home (two other name ideas too). Maybe even get some of the HBO Sports people get more boxing onto basic cable.

This is probably one of many ideas rolling around (and TruTV could easily be sports-converted itself with what's above), but it's much more creative than just using it as ID2.

On 12/6/2022 at 11:28 AM, CLETVFan said:

What would make sense is to simply move HLN over to ID and not have to change channel positions.  Both channels with similar makes one necessary and the other redundant.

At this point ID has actually jumped to low 20s-30s on most cable systems so it's no longer a big priority as it was in the past, plus there are many customers who sort their program guides by channel name these days (and YTTV, Hulu and Sling don't bother with channel numbers at all), so HLN and ID aren't that separated by that much in that mode. A channel merger does make sense eventually but it has to come with more than just one network cut down.

10 minutes ago, iron_lion said:

Yes! The old newsroom set was much more grand and felt like you were in the middle of a non stop news operation. 

I do miss sets with a busy background replaced by just being in front of a Jumbotron/fake brick set and calling it a day. Of course in 2020 and 2021 it would've looked very barren and empty with everyone telecommuting, as the NBC News and CBSN sets did.

11 hours ago, mre29 said:

 

They may as well be a cable TV company. All they need is a 24-hour weather channel.

 

"Yo, I heard you like cable systems, so I got you a cable system for your cable system."

 

They did have one online during the Pipeline era as a map-only feed (CNN online video failure isn't just limited to now), so it's been done. 

7 hours ago, T.L. Hughes said:

In the U.S. alone, WBD owns or operates 49 cable networks:

The HBO and Cinemax suite is understandable; you're paying for that on your own (though those multiplex nets will die the same way PPV will, slowly as every movie is accessible on-demand). And they do have a perfectly broad Spanish-language portfolio that shouldn't be touched. Some networks (especially sports) are regional-only, and don't forget that it's WBD that also manages NBA League Pass, so TEN more channels there.

But the only time anyone thinks about TruTV is at tournament time and it's basically a 90/10 ownership split between the Practical Jokers and WBD . There is so much bulk you'd think could be cut as a section on HBOMax like Motor Trend (itself just a rebranding of an HD demo channel), the Travel Channel (a misnomer for over a decade), the Science Channel (which has really suffered under Zazlav's departure from educational programming), Destination America (a hurried rebranding that might as well be Things that Occur In America rather than actually focused on American stuff), and American Heroes (which mostly highlights criminals and is the actual subject of Taylor Swift's "Anti-Hero", girl just wants to watch stuff about Patton, Teddy Roosevelt and Patrick Henry ). And there are entire papers written about how TLC's shows have damaged the kids who have been forced onto it and those who want to be the next big numbered heavy person to get a show on it, while Animal Planet seems to think just having an animal is excuse enough for human-focused junk to be on that network. Discovery Life and Family just seem to have no purpose any longer outside the Hasbro contract and as a burn-off network for old producers they don't want to work with any longer.

The true untouchable of course is TCM and the others on top like HGTV, Food, ID, CN, Discovery, and you keep OWN because you aren't dumping Oprah. They should just fold TNT into TBS if they don't intend to keep their former drama/comedy split and just want a sports/big show cable network.

35 minutes ago, tyrannical bastard said:

Were the affiliates ever in question (even on  satellite DirecTV?)  

This was exclusively Fox Television Stations thankfully (also lol MyNet is a complete afterthought). Also note that FNC and Fox Business are under a different agreement, so they were never in danger.

5 hours ago, Georgie56 said:

That’s a shame. It was a nice alternative to the other offerings cable news had in the mornings.

 

Hopefully Robin sees this as an opportunity to go back into local TV. She’d be much better there.

If NewsNation blows this chance to get her on Morning in America they're completely lost. This is one case where you go for it, current talent be damned.

And why Discovery is still not considering winding down networks continues to be beyond me; I know the RTC is why, but there is no reason for Destination America and Discovery Family to be on the air. Now with HLN there are 5-6 channels that should be gone.

What I could see is that Fox was thrown off by KTTW's sale and never has liked being DT2ed without warning onto KDLT when KTTW's ownership decided to get out (Fox could literally do nothing about it since the schedule and affiliation as-is were sold off wholesale), so they've said to Forum if they get the KVRR/KQDS deal done, they'll get Sioux Falls too; thus the news op launch so they don't have to be stuck with Nexstar or Gray providing a show, and finally have an affiliate that isn't a complete market afterthought like KTTW was (and KDLT-DT2 currently is).

1 hour ago, tyrannical bastard said:

Was WBRA an auction participant who settled for a VHF-low alottment? 

Their current signal must be a disaster if they want to move up to VHF-high.

They took that channel in '09 because of early thoughts that mountainous terrain would be V-Low friendly which proved horrifically incorrect.

1 hour ago, ABC 7 Denver said:

 

Ouch. That's a lot of money for such a tiny purchase. That or inflation is killer.

It was a 'run for fun' station which barely made any market impact (it still carries YTA as a primary in 2022!), so it sounds like transmitter work/relocation needs to be done and it has half the signal of KSFY and KDLT. It's doubtful they get any of the big four, but we'll see if this works out (though with KELO's domination, it feels like a lost cause without any affiliation).

2 hours ago, Newsjunkie24 said:

 

What would the "Zip-code based cut-in" do?

Limit the area where the cut-in is inserted to the actual warned area; it wouldn't need to be vaguely a zip code any longer and could be by certain coordinates.

I do like another idea though myself; the WSI weather apps have a feature where a warned area can be drawn out on a map by the met and a video or text warning only goes to users affected by the warning in that specific shape (of course, if they allow the app GPS access). Only a few stations really take advantage of it, though. That honestly seems where things will end up going as we go into this transition.

Accessibility guidelines for those with visual or hearing impairments from the FCC themselves literally spell out what is required for a weather emergency. It can be an ADA violation not to do so because you're putting those without the ability to hear a NOAA radio warning or siren warning in danger, and in a professional manner, can get your AMS/NWA seal revoked.

Also if you REALLY need to watch or hear the game uninterrupted, Paramount+ has an NFL-only stream and Westwood One radio and the local radio calls are accessible in many ways. That, and the end of the game was immediately recapped after the game. Public safety>>>>>>degenerate gamblers.

Hopefully (and with how many times it's been promised since digital television started, it just needs to happen), ATSC 3.0 actually takes the 'zip code-based cut-in' carve-out seriously and will end these situations once and for all.

I actually see no issue at all with this. There wasn't much going on with the weather that deserved actual live coverage (it takes two seconds to say 'NextWeather Doppler is clear'), and the presentation seemed fine enough to me.

But likely, it was pre-recorded because you never know how long the college football game beforehand goes at all; usually there's no Saturday 6pm newscast and the postgame overflows the timeslot, so your meteorologist gets all nice and ready...to do absolutely nothing. A nice and short two-minute forecast can be recorded to fit into a commercial break, and if you need to be on-air, then you just wait it out and justify being there. But for an above-average Black Friday with not a cloud in sight, it just made more sense to record it without having to appear on camera.

I've known gambling ads for years as a fan of international cricket and rugby, which is inescapable, but at least there, a regulatory authority is there to limit the most absurd things like 'free 'money' to bet, which is actually just site scrip you can't turn into cash very easily'.

Here we just have a wild west where outside of states that know what they're doing because they regulate ring sports, states barely regulate take and the word of companies who likely have a bunch of staff known for breaking fingers. It's like the mid-90s where greasy guys bought time on USA Saturday mornings to prognosticate, except they now shave and talked women into joining the racket.

I think this is the perfect time to step in and say we don't need to know what Fox stations are doing during the World Cup, because there's a universal blanket statement...

If they've got a sister station, or a subchannel network which has actual viewers, the morning news/advertorial show will air there, and if not, it just won't air, and any pre-empted syndicated programming will move to overnights where they overlay old sitcom reruns or infomercials. And every station and network in the known world (even Fox) would've rather this tournament was occurring in July rather than November, and all hope this never happens again.

We don't need every single update. This is a syndicated programming news thread, not a list thread. Please keep it as such.

Never expected to re-boost this thread, but Iger's back, Chapek's out, effective immediately (obviously a thread title change needed).

On 11/14/2022 at 7:56 PM, TheRob said:

After nearly a week of counting, media outlets now declaring Katie Hobbs beats former KSAZ anchor Kari Lake for Arizona governor.

Or as its put in the newsroom; 'former colleague with smelliest lunches in employee fridge finally gets her just desserts'