carolinanews4

The debut of CNN's once-a-week show, King Charles, garnered slightly over half a million viewers: 501,000 total viewers. Not exactly seller numbers out of the gate but it is a tiny improvement over CNN NewsNight's November average of 474,000 viewers. The Daily Beast, citing Nielsen data, said it was, "the lowest-rated primetime weeknight series debut for the network in at least a decade." https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/cnn-gayle-king-charles-barkley-premiere-ratings-1235702714/ If you are wondering about the timeslot competition: MSNBC had 1.621 total viewers and FNC had 1.973 total viewers. In my opinion, the strategy of making it a "limited series" could mean 501,000 is their high watermark in terms of ratings. There is no vested interest for viewers to get to know the show because it is going away and producers don't have a lot of time to find the show's rhythm. The whole thing seems unfortunate for everyone involved because there was a lot of effort put into launching and promoting this show when the network already has multiple new shows they need to nurture. I never understood how this show fit into Chris Licht's ultimate vision for CNN...the problem was it didn't seem like Chris knew either. Hopefully, it becomes a hit quickly or reaches the limit part of its limited run quickly.

It appears as though they went dark: https://deadline.com/2023/11/directv-tegna-stations-dispute-cbs-nbc-nfl-college-football-1235646338/ The deadline was 5 p.m. PST and no deal was reached.

Actually, in this case, it isn't. KNBC did not pick up Dateline. The station is clearing the live East Coast feed of NBC Nightly News at 3:30. They added a 3 p.m. newscast leading into Lester. Thus, no room to clear Dateline. KTTV is airing it at 11:30 p.m. This is unrelated to the MyNet feed.

They showed a bit more of the studio during NY Live. Everything you see that is a gray/white peacock appears to be LED. I say that because during the 11A news, they were filled with a blueish peacock motif. The floor has thin gold bars around the parameter which is reminiscent of the floors on the main level of 30 Rock. That is a nice touch but it is a bit too subtle for most viewers. Unless you worked in the building, you probably wouldn't even notice it. The main news desk (which you can see part of in the lower right of the bump shot) is more substantial than the previous desk. The lighting appears to be much improved in 3B. For me, it is a clean but uninspired design. I was hoping for something with a bit more of a local feel. Something akin to WRC's studio. That space, while also modest in size, incorporated some local touches like the stone and the map. WNBC's studio feels like the WBTS studio which is ascetically clean but lacking in local personality. Having said all of that, the space seems nicer than 3K. I always felt like that space was underutilized.

6A actually launched earlier than Monday. Yes, it hit the air Monday but it was a live studio prior to that as Kelly tapes about a week in advance. The season premiere that aired on Monday was taped on October 10. But the launch of 6A has very little connection to 3B. If you were looking for a studio launch that could impact WNBC, look to the other half of the studio. With WNBC and WNJU sharing 3B, you are bringing two spaces online at the same time. Not to mention the logistical hurdles associated with moving WNJU into 30 Rock.

Thanks @IceManNYR, I'm aware of the plan to split Studio 3B. I was inquiring about the set, not the studio. Nynewsguy made it sound like the new set is a rehash of the current set. So I was trying to figure out if I read his post correctly.

Hey @nynewsguy, are you saying they are replicating their current set in the new studio? If so, that is a huge disappointment. Not to mention it is extremely odd to recreate a look that is 7 years old. I would have guessed a version of WRC's set given WNBC's half of 3A is similar in size and shape to WRC's portion of Nebraska Avenue's Studio A.

If they could simulcast the domestic CNN, I'm sure they would. It would be the easiest and most cost-effective route. But putting the entire U.S. feed on Max would undoubtedly run afoul of their cable contracts. There's probably a percentage of their schedule they can simulcast that keeps them within the bounds of their contracts. Similar to how MSNBC's "Morning Joe" is available live on Peacock, but the rest of the MSNBC schedule isn't live DTC. As to why they don't simply simulcast the International feed, my guess is because of a concern that a full day of international news wouldn't attract a large number of American viewers. I'm not saying there isn't an audience for international news, so don't come at me thinking I hate international headlines. I'm just saying that a domestic audience is more likely to want more American headlines than international ones. CNN Max is going to have a huge uphill battle. Fox Nation has figured out its streaming business model. NBC has NBC News Now and an MSNBC hub on Peacock. So CNN's main cable rivals have already figured out the economics of this and are positioned to scale up DTC as the cable bundle continues to implode. Now CNN has to play catchup, which seems like a theme for them as of late.

@T.L. Hughes @Nelson R. Thank you both. I find that history interesting.

Am I missing something? This isn't a long-term problem. CBS has a plan for the 12:30A slot, but those plans are temporarily on hold due to strikes. So I do not understand why returning time to the affiliates is even being mentioned. As for a comparison to 1984, that isn't exactly comparing apples to apples. There were three commercial networks and PBS. So to compare almost 40-year-old programming choices doesn't seem relevant. But that's just my thinking. Technically, CBS still does. Let's Make a Deal runs at 10A Eastern. However, some affiliates have chosen to air it later in the day

The "folksy" tone of the show was a double-edged sword. It was that warm approach that made it a "success" on HLN but it is also why it was never considered a fit for the mothership. I put success in quotes because its ratings were good...for HLN...but the expectations for that channel were always lower than main CNN. The tenor of Morning Xpress was always lighter than the more serious tone CNN wanted through numerous iterations of New Day. Now, you could make the case constant anchor changes, set changes, etc. never really moved the needle against Fox & Friends and Morning Joe so why not try something different. But sadly, I don't see it happening. I don't see MSNBC making any adjustments because of CNN. They have been giving Fox a run for its money since Tucker's departure. (Obviously that has more to do with FNC's stumble but hey an opportunity is an opportunity) So, I don't see them adjusting anything because of a distant third-place CNN. If anything, they should focus on what (if anything) they can do to break FNC's long run atop the weekly ratings.

After reading that article, the biggest red flag for me is that I don't understand Licht's vision for CNN. What is the mission and purpose of the news organization? A clear mission statement is often a rallying point for culture change. After spending time with that lengthy profile, you don't walk away with a crystal-clear picture of where he wants to take the channel. I understand what he's against, like boxes...he hates boxes to the point that the control room can say it in unison. He seemingly spends a lot of time trashing anything that was built in Zucker's vision. Fine. You don't like how he managed the channel. But what is your vision? Staff and ultimately viewers need more than a generic "under new management" type message. Here's the unfortunate reality for CNN; the competition has defined identities, and they don't. MSNBC captured the liberal lane. FOX, from its inception, laid claim to the conservative lane. So that leaves CNN to claim the middle. While the center of the ideological spectrum is a huge potential audience, it isn't exactly an audience that shows up night after night for cable news. The other two channels have built in audiences looking to see what mud their favorite host is going sling in the opposite direction. To me, the middle isn't a long-term solution. You are just Fox lite to one group and you are MSNBC lite to the other. Stand for something different! In my opinion, CNN should transform its primetime into storytelling and original reporting. Two of the most watched shows on television (broadcast or cable) are 60 Minutes and CBS Sunday Morning. Each do in-depth original reporting and that old-school style reporting gets people talking. And given CNN doesn't have the same time constraints as 60 minutes, you could air the report and then bring the reporter (and other appropriate guests) in for a debrief. Plus, it gets you out of covering politics every night. This is a huge country, there are plenty of stories to tell beyond the political ones. That is just one of a dozen different directions CNN could go. It is a costly and time-intensive idea, so it might not feasible. But at least it is a clear vision, something in 15,000 words I didn't get from the head of CNN.

Broadcasting & Cable has more on the changes at KYW. Their new branding is "Finding Heart in Every Beat" which is certainly unique. https://www.nexttv.com/news/kyw-philadelphia-scraps-eyewitness-news-for-new-branding

Very interesting. They took Studio A, which was an enormous studio, and divided it up into three smaller studios. WRC is in one. WZDC (Telemundo) is in another. And the use for the third studio, which looks like it might be smaller than the other two, has yet to be announced. Jummy Olabanji called it a "secret studio that we can't show you yet." WRC now has a rare luxury of space. In addition to the large column-free space that used to be the network newsroom, there's the studio WRC just vacated and there is the old MSNBC studio upstairs. I don't know that I would count the old Telemundo 44 studio as extra space because that was shoehorned into the building. At first look, I was a bit underwhelmed. But I realized there's a lot of grayish white "blocks" that make up the walls. Obviously, this is a nod to classic DC architecture. Once I realized that detail, I kind of liked it. Even though the effect does leave it looking a bit cold and sparce. There's a really cool DC map but its location in a corner by the door makes it seem like it might not make it on camera all that much. They are still in construction mode - they haven't fully loaded in the weather center yet. So, it will be another couple of weeks before the space is fully utilized. I do wonder if this is a preview of how WNBC will utilize the split Studio 3B. WRC's layout really does a great job of maximizing space and that will be essential in 3B.

I stand corrected. Thanks @TVNewsLover, I was unaware of her schedule. I totally agree with you that age of the host is a consideration when analyzing the long-term viability of a program. But that was not what the person who first mentioned age appeared to be saying. That person's post was, I believe, intended to shut down what they called "uncited rumors" and in that course mentioned someone was 80. The age thing just seemed out of place in that context.

I don't understand why someone's age was part of this comment. Let's see you (or any of us for that matter) do live television five days a week at 80 years old. The way the original post was written seemed a bit snarky to me. I hope that wasn't the intention. By the way, this story about Joy Behar was first published by Radar Online https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/news/ambitious-joy-behar-eyeing-amy-robach-s-gma-job-as-abc-scrambles-to-find-replacement-after-t-j-holmes-affair-scandal/ar-AA16Xbwo An ABC rep has denied the story. I agree that there are many directions ABC News could go with this show. But I would be surprised if they went opinion heavy. ABC News already has that...it is called The View.

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. Also, why is 10 o'clock so special that you can't have multiple stations competing with news? In recent years, some FOX stations have been adding 11 p.m. newscasts that compete with NBC, ABC, and CBS affiliates. And what about 6 a.m.? Many markets have four stations airing news. The Charlotte market has five. No disasters to report during those hours. I totally agree with your point about too much news. Stations have gone to the well a lot with news expansion. Part of that is driven by budget restraints while some of it comes to a lack of creativity. But to say that three stations fronting news at 10 p.m. would be beyond disastrous is a bit over the top.

That’s simply not true. They haven’t been keeping an entire facility open for a little watched morning show and its staff. Yes, that team represented the only live news on HLN but they were hardly the only parts of the operation left in Atlanta. The main technical core of CNN in still housed at the CNN Center along with CNN International, CNN en Español, CNN Newsource, CNN.com, and more. In fact, many of CNN's producers are still based at the CNN Center. According to the AJC there are about 1,500 employees based in Atlanta.

Space! 3K is significantly larger than 3C. Studio 3C was never the largest of 30 Rock's studios, but it was made even smaller when MSNBC moved into 3A. Their new footprint in 3B will be slightly smaller than what they have in 3K but will be a good amount of space...and still significantly larger than 3C.

I don't understand. DMAs still exist. It is how programming is sold, how broadcast coverage is defined, how ownership within a market is limited, etc.

@TheRolyPoly I'm not sure what you are responding to here. I know WRAL/WRAZ simulcast news in the morning, midday, and afternoon. I mentioned that in my response to the original poster that said WRAZ would have to change affiliations because FOX wouldn't allow a simulcast of WRAL. So I was letting the original poster know there are already time periods where news is simulcast on WRAZ.

Variety published an article that says, "this conversation has happened multiple times over the past 10 years, and emphasize this is not the first time the option of ceding time to affiliates has been discussed at the broadcaster." So there is a possibility this might not happen any time soon. But I do think the Big 3 will contract their primetime schedules at some point. It just makes economic sense. Plus NextGen TV has the ability to bring new revenue streams to broadcast stations. So I think it only wise for the networks and their affiliate bases to start thinking about what their relationship looks like in the future. Perhaps there is a subscription model where NBCUniversal allows USA Network or Bravo to be encrypted on a broadcast signal. The broadcast station could then share some of the revenue with the network. If people are beholden to the concept than an NBC station must air prime programs from 8-11, news at 11, and Tonight at 11:35 then business will dry up fast. Personally, I'd like to be the first network of the 3 to give the affiliates the 10 p.m. hour and start my late-night programming at 11. You'd rather play leader than play catchup. Could I learn more about why you said this? WRAZ airs a simulcast of WRAL News at 6 a.m., 12 p.m., 12:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. So why would FOX not allow a 10 p.m. simulcast? There's also a little ratings trick when it comes to simulcasts. If the simulcast is pure duplication, meaning the exact same feed airs on two different stations then you can combine the ratings. Let's use WRAL/WRAZ as examples because they are referenced above. The 6 a.m. news on WRAL and WRAZ could be touted as combined viewership provided all content (news and ads) are duplicated on each station. That has the potential to widen the audience and thus be more attractive to advertisers. If, however, Capitol Broadcasting airs different commercial breaks on WRAL and WRAZ then the ratings must be broken out separately. As stations fight for revenue, a single primetime newscast shown on two stations could be a good thing from a revenue standpoint. Even if it is lackluster from a creative output.

A couple of things stood out to me in NBC's announcement regarding NBC News Daily. First, the network said, "NBC News will provide signature world-class reporting and breaking news coverage in a first-of-its kind, live in most markets mid-day news offering." It was the "live in most markets" comment that stood out to me. Well, today The Los Angeles Times gave me more by stating, "The anchors for the program will depend on the time zone, as the newscast will be live across the country, using the hours shown on the NBC News Now stream. Stations will get the team of Morgan Radford and Vicky Nguyen or Kate Snow and Aaron Gilchrist." So essentially the network will simply broadcast an hour of NBC News Now. Or I guess you could say NBC News Now will stream four hours of NBC News Daily. In any event, it is using one crew to create a program simultaneously for the NBC broadcast network and the NBC News Now stream. And thus, the economics of this programming decision makes sense. NBC gets lower production costs and probably similar ratings. Meanwhile, you move production-cost heavy "Days" over to Peacock where you have two revenue streams: subscriptions and advertising. The other thing that I was curious about was "the option for NBC stations to add local news.” TV Newser reported that, "NBC stations do have the option of adding local news instead of this new national news offering." I'm hearing that statement is not accurate. NBC is not relinquishing the time slot back to affiliates. It is the ability for stations to add local news into the national show, not cover up the national broadcast with a local newscast. Think of it like the five-minute station breaks during the Today Show (7:25, 7:55, etc.) where local stations do news and weather.

The fact that Amy and TJ anchored GMA is probably the reason an encore cooking show aired. GMA3 uses the same studio crew as GMA and its taped shortly after GMA goes off the air. My guess is that Amy and TJ were doing GMA for the West Coast. I'm not sure who anchored the supreme court coverage for ABC or how long it lasted but those two were probably either part of the Special Report or focused on producing an up-to-date West Coast show.

I bet this is less about a rigid programming schedule for their staff and more to do with cable operators agreements. As news programming has grown, the "general entertainment" programming from WGN America's original format has shrunk. Most old school contracts have a minimum number of hours that must be dedicated to the channel's stated programming purpose. So while I think NewsNation probably would have liked to cover it - and certainly had the resources to given the availability of a clean feed - I bet they couldn't afford to lose 3+ hours of their entertainment schedule. Ultimately this is one of the biggest problems for this channel. The need to still fulfill old carriage agreements while trying to take on a new mission. At some point they need to go all in if they are going to try to be a full-service news network.