nathannah

If the carriage of KAUT (with its dead "Freedom 43" military gimmick that somehow continues from the Zell era unscathed) and KZUP-CD (a dog of an LP station that has no reason to exist) increases YTTV prices nationwide, there aren't going to be a lot of happy viewers out there. Good that they got their CW and MNTV affiliates lit up (which should have been there at launch) along with their Big Six market stations, but I fear the RTC costs will make this a poor value for the service going forward outside Nexstar.

I doubt it's because nobody's watching, but more that Jewelry TV is offering much more money for the space than the A&E programming license fee has justified two separate gendered networks so far. At the end of the day, it's a rerun feed and Scripps isn't going to dump money into a network that's doing nothing, when JTV can dump money into them and give a sales cut. Also most of TR's programming was the dregs of A&E, and they ran away from Dance Moms once it became clear everyone in the cast outside Abby would just like it to die.

At the same time; there are cases where you can see it in syndication, on MyNet, Oxygen, True Crime Network, ID and the Peacock Dateline channel!

Going by just a check of their website they pretty much sold out to the Real America's Voice for Spanish speakers. This may be as interesting as that radio sale in Miami a few months ago to watch (as in either a trainwreck or fireworks).

I'm surprised it was a twenty-year grant of trademark for Audacy rather than just five. At least one situation's seemed to go well outside CBS; WTMJ-TV is "TMJ4", and WTMJ is still "Newsradio 620", and they both made clean breaks, while KMOV just changed it back in 1988 after being sold to Viacom I and there's never been an issue between them and 1120. Meanwhile there wasn't much issue with the WBBM stations in Chicago (which has finished the "Newsradio 105.9" transition without much issue, and B-96 just mentions calls at the top of the hour). And KYW...at least "CBS 3"/"KYW Newsradio" is easy enough to differentiate. Even WCBS is fine with "CBS2", "CBS-FM" and "Newsradio 88" (which feels like it'll be sold off sooner than later with the WINS newsroom merger). Then you have branding disasters like the LA/SF KCBS situation I mentioned a few pages back, and the WBZ stations with '''three''' different owners (and an FM with headache-inducing sports hot takes a la KDKA). The KDKA mess is a quagmire that can only be fixed with either a format blow-up (not happening) or AM being sunsetted (more likely), while KDKA-FM just kinda exists without a provocative sports format. And this isn't CBS-related, but Disney just needs to pay off Cumulus already to yank the KGO calls of 810; they in no way should be associated with degenerates talking about betting on Montana State-Glendive vs. Central Tennessee Presbyterian girl's volleyball, and KABC might as well just be sold off to VCY already because it wouldn't even be a good station under Salem. WABC just has too much tradition and differentiation, though (not a station I'd listen to, but at least the billionaire is putting in effort there).

If these rumors were true NBC would have left them long ago during the '94 affiliation switch. Yes they do pre-empt stuff, but it's 2023; whatever they pre-empt is on Peacock within hours, the days of Matlock movie pre-emptions for make-goods are over, and it's local programming pre-empting NBC shows, not whatever screed Franklin Graham has cued up to air nationally. WDIV and NBC are fine. As for the Rich Fields stuff it makes the move to George Gray make much more sense in hindsight.

The thing forgotten is that there's still a regular news division, it's just that the radio newscasts and the 24/7 headlines channel on SiriusXM are carrying that 'news' water, along with the short news briefs that now remind me how MTV used to have their 3-minute newscasts at 50 past the hour. So they still have a news operation, but it's been de emphasized so much (along with Fox Business, which just now seems to be FNC2), that only the most knowledgeable about the operation would be able to cite it at all these days. And even the radio news division is now built basically to tee up whatever is about to be talked about on conservative talk radio.

This is what they had to do before the C-SPAN model spread to state government coverage where stations not owned by one company had to pool as affiliate stations into mini-networks, so it's not so unusual in the least. The debates being limited to NN, that's one thing, as it's ultimately the state party that controls where they put their content, but it's public domain for government events, so NX did the proper thing in allowing other stations to carry it through the state. It would certainly be an ethics violation if it was exclusive to Real America's Voice or another one of those one-sided news sites and the Democratic response had to be done with Steve Bannon yelling at their every point. Let's not forget that State of the States and the State of the Unions started as perfunctory text reports, so none of the requirements of video (or even an opposition response) are required by any law.

WBAY has been going through a major computer crash since yesterday afternoon; socials are down, along with prompters and graphics outside the T&T and Gray ticker, and packages have been rolling off a video player with obvious syncing issues and lives have to be done on-set. Weather is completely separate and okay, being presented as usual, so outside of having to ad-lib, everyone's reading off paper, and the big screen is down.

It feels like watching a TikTok that's so professionally edited it really has no life (yes, I use TikTok). I understand the point of it in keeping you informed, but if you've watched it, you've gotten the entire newscast. You're not sticking around for whatever geriatric health news Norah mentions at the end and the geriatric drug ads in-between. What this tells me, along with watching NBC and ABC, is that the days of 'the world in 26 minutes' and giving breathing room to stories are long gone. If you want detail beyond a newscast, a subscription to the Washington Post will do much more than a TV newscast. I knew things weren't looking good when the early morning newscasts and First Look abandoned the format, and now even the evening shows are done with tradition.

And there's your Dr. Phil replacement for Gray stations at least. As for KCTV...like many AFC market stations, a good football teams=good news ratings, even if you don't have the 'official station' tag. It makes sense that they'd struggle in the morning for sure.

A WPLG photographer has been fired for side-hustling off the job with an Instagram/YouTube 'breaking news' channel using company resources. No link to the YT channel here, but it is cringe and I see why The One and Only never allowed him in front of the camera.

So they're coming up on dogsled through the Iditarod...hopefully the dogs don't get tired delivering that flash drive. (yes I do know Fairbanks isn't on the route)

This screams more 'a vacant white dude convinced the brass to get the promotion over him', or a bench with too much talent already (thus him being behind T.J.), rather than his talent being overlooked. I can't blame him; if a company doesn't respect his talent, he can go elsewhere, and that's something to respect.

It's also a news-focused program. If we were still in the Michael/Keke/Sara days, no brainer, go ahead and have Joy come in (not that any of those three had any scandals at all so this wouldn't even be happening without a pandemic forcing them off). But unless the only thing she's hosting is a "Joy's World" opinion segment or Steals & Deals...no, you don't want a comedian hosting a news show. Demarco Morgan deserves the job, meanwhile. Been following him since his WISN days. Pay the man his due and let him lead a network show.

Since they added WDJT to my cable system, it's been just either '9' or '605' in the Roledex of my mind so I knew where to tune, and now it's just 'CBS 58' because that's what they've been every day since December 1994 and never changed the branding. Their first priority was to get established, then build a news division; on that front they've been very successful and now you nearly forget that CBS bounced around 6, 12 and 18 for so many decades, and they've got a good syndicated schedule. Meanwhile, WWJ has just...kinda existed. They just pass through CBS-owned content in syndication and outside of a few Lions games here and there and watching CBS, there's really been nothing to keep you there because 2, 4 and 7 are always there in their niches. Same when they purchased WKBD and made it just another bland UPN/CW station. And it's either 62 CBS, CBS Detroit, CBS, WWJ, CBS 62...never any consistent branding. And it didn't help that CBSNS had old guard management at the Westinghouse stations that wasn't changing a thing any time soon, or dysfunctional idiots with battling egos who bought stations to get into a golf club, and in Detroit, just never really tried. Still ended up a better result than getting WADL as an affiliate, though; that entire station is a headache and a half as it is now. Imagine having to fight them every few years on affiliation terms.

And those occurrences were likely limited to when the Rams and Chargers were scheduled on Fox at the same time and got a KCOP bump (and really who was watching them early on specifically for the Rams or Chargers?). It really is sad how depreciated the 'sixth station' in a market has become just by its schedule or offerings.

And with that, Fox has finally found a way to finally deal with their worst case of triskaidekaphobia. Though the decline of KCOP from being a proper competitor to KTTV, and now just being both a glorified .2 and ATSC3 lighthouse is one of the saddest things to happen to a TV station.

I mean it predicted the Eagles in 2022 perfectly, so in that way, the promo did serve its purpose in warning the NFC East about the Eagles (along with just...Eagles fans). But yeah, the fine is justified, if just a little high (it's more of a $100k violation than $500k for me). Just use a generic Morse Code alert next time, Fox Sports.

As we talk about a station group that hates streaming in 2023, it feels appropriate that their broadcast automation is also overly-aggressive and cut off the last few minutes of Fox's Accused premiere last night on several Nexstar stations, which the network really wanted to get eyeballs on. Just another thing for Rupert to add onto the 'I Do Not Like Dealing With This Company' checklist he's kept since the network pulled their Indiana affiliations from Nexstar. I think this is likely just a technical error (I really hope so).

The big problem overall is that "KCBS" has just become a jumbled mess ever since whichever guy at KNX-TV decided 'KCBS should be on our flagship station and we don't care that they've been on that San Fran station for decades'. It was the beginning of the end for channel 2's branding because for whatever reason, KCBS in SFO kept their call letters and come 2002, you had a brand manager's nightmare in LA where KCBS-TV, KCAL-TV, KNX, KFWB, and KCBS-FM all had different brands that never were united very well at all. KFWB eventually got shafted and KNX and KCBS-FM became Audacy properties (along with KCBS-FM), but it still left open that it's only in 2023 that CBSNS is getting around to finally one-branding their local news operation, a thing that should have been done either in 1984 when KNXT-TV became KCBS-TV, or in 2002 when KCAL because CBS-owned. At this point, stick with KCAL. CBS in LA=entertainment, sports or national news (the only thing that cares about KCBS-FM's calls is the FCC and PPM as it's 'Jack FM' to a normal person). KCBS may have been there longer, but KCAL has established themselves as a news brand.

Because that worked so well and perfect and awesome for the BBC–oh, they're replacing them with new models because their robocam system is comedic. The problem is certainly not the sitting anchors, though I do agree that CNN's scenics since moving out of CNN Center can easily be compared to a market 150+ station. Back of a screen and fuzzy 720p or lower video is the only thing you ever see, or a 2000s faux brick wall aesthetic.

I wish there was an ability to downgrade the terrible WRNN-owned stations to 200-watt AM daytimers instead of giving them better UHF signals. Also this 'upgrade' applies to share/sister station WMFP, so yay, clearer ShopHQ and OnTV4U farther away, Boston! I do wonder if KENV's upgrade would bring back a major network to that station, or at the very least making it a KMYU satellite. As for WMC, as Lizzo would say, 'it's about damned time'.

FYI also aired what turned out to be a very discredited edition of Miss USA in October. Unless you are a pageant superfan, you would've never known it was on because FYI's budget is the same as A+E Network's budget for paper and cleaning supplies. And the only thing Viceland proved is that young people will not pay for content that's on YouTube for free. I just don't understand why AMC consolidates around that sole channel and just cut things down to AMC and BBC World News. All of their networks don't really have a focus; BBC America has pretty much made way for Acorn and Britbox, WEtv just seems to be a CSI outpost, and IFC/Sundance are down to the Independent Spirit Awards and a few rare great shows like Sherman's Showcase. I get more monthly out of my YouTube Premium subscription for $10.50 than I do for $150 of cable programming, which for me is basically sports, local news, a couple of talk shows I like, SNL, and some shows I just prefer to let accumulate on my DVR and watch later without commercials. Most of the time I just watch a local looping weather channel I can stream for free. YouTube allows me to shift from Animal Crossing to football to old commercials to news opens to highway content to product reviews to Strong Bad to MLM takedowns to fun LGBTQ+ content and then odd rabbitholes like 'why is there a big NO SMOKING sign on supertankers' and dopey drivers on drivecams. And there's no bean counter to stop me from mainlining Caillou grounded videos for an entire night (it's trainwreck content), with not a commercial in sight.

I scanned by Great American Family one day during one of their Who's the Boss marathons done to waste time because they only care about existing during Christmas and Valentine's Day and Sony is happy to give them reruns for a pittance. The theme song was pitched to the point that Steve Wariner sounded like a eunuch, Tony, Angela and Samantha seemed to be on what Jessie Spano took for that one test and burning holes in the carpet as they did their scenes, and I could not understand much dialogue as even the captioning track was rushed. My spectrum brain noticed immediately and wished for everything to slow down. It was so disrespectful to the show, the actors, and the viewer, along with the creatives. All this...to shove in more ads.