MediaZone4K

I also don't want to see yet another local station oversaturated with news. The all local news all the time bubble will eventually burst. There's no doubt 'Local 10 World News' will be a copycat of David Muir's show with significantly fewer on the ground live shots, and mostly anchor VOs from wire services. That said, what choice does WPLG (and similarly WANF) have? Syndication options are few and costly. I like the world news concept with a Caribbean and Latin American focus to appeal to Miami's demographics. They're taking a page from Fox O&Os --- diversifying obscene news output with creative programming. KCPQ for example doing a Washington State based newscast, and KRIV having "The Isiah Factor" etc..

In his blog, Frank Macek, a Senior Broadcast Director at Tegna's WKYC, questions the relevance of local network affiliations. Despite his expected propping of his station, interesting points were made. https://wkycdirectorscut.blogspot.com/2025/06/franks-take-do-local-tv-stations-still.html?m=1

Just saw this...Agreed, but I will say, despite being unstable in the mornings and evenings, CBS News has the best quality reporting of the big three. Yes about primetime. CBS barely take risks, it's been police procedurals, competition shows and sitcoms for years now. But I don't blame them for sticking to what works because for years they were the number one network off of that formula for years. Agreed, because CBS News and programming tends to swing center left.

David Muir was the only "lead" anchor to come in on a Saturday. (The other three were not leaving home on a Saturday night..I JOKE). In all seriousness, CBS seems to take a more interchangeable approach to their "lead" anchor during breaking news. For example, I've often seen Margaret Brennan take special reports, and even Nora O'Donnell was involved in coverage of the pope's funeral alongside John Dickerson instead of Maurice.

CBS did eventually do a long special report with Margaret Brennan anchoring. But it was interesting to see the BBC streaming simulcast, I had never seen them do that before.

I haven't seen them do this before, perhaps someone else has. CBS News 24/7 is simulcasting BBC's Iran strike coverage just as NBC News Now is simulcasting Sky News UK. After 9PM ET, ABC News is the only major US network that was breaking into programming as far as I've seen.

They maintained that living room look in the early Times Square years (screenshots from 2001 and 2003) but yes that faded as time went on. Really liked that set.

I will say ESPN's video wall sets are way better done than anything on network or local news.

I like your idea of diverse national landscapes in the video wall. I second that a lot of American media can feel East Coast and more specifically New York and LA centric because that's where shows film. To your point, GMA's past intro made a point to show scenery from the various parts of America like the countryside, the Rocky Mountains, St. Louis etc, which I liked. It was well in line with ABC's middle-America feel at the time.

This is broadcast design today, empty depthless sets with video walls to offer flexible backgrounds in leiu of furniture. I don't mind video walls when they are used in tandem with actual set pieces. The glossy floor I like, the set of The View set has it too. News/tv is a very copycat industry especially with set design. For example in the 90s GMA much like Today and The View followed the trend of layered living room sets with multiple furniture pieces to mimic a full home. Some call this cluttered, but I like how grand it looks. While that era probably won't return because of cost, I think a good medium is today's The View set. While it's still tons of video walls they add enough furniture to have layered depth of field looking shots that don't make the studio look barren. Still the current GMA set is the best looking morning news set in a long time. The last time I really liked an AM news set was studio 1A in 2013 before they turned it orange.

The set looks much better on video. I was hoping they'd drastically revamp the look of This Week. At least their lighting has improved and the SD high sharpness looking camera shots now look smoother.

That's what happens when most of your daytime lineup is news.

SUPERCUT of the new set. Loved the shot at the outdoor space. Noteworthy, they've opted for a fake kitchen background instead of an actual set.

Seems so. Wow.

Pleasantly surprised. This looks great! I love the waxed floor look of Disney's new studios and the warmer lighting on each set. This easily beats the sets of CBS Mornings and Today. It gives KTLA loft vibes. The anchor desk is the biggest improvement, no more infinite hall of mirrors look. I wish there were more physical set pieces instead of a mostly barren floor space but great set none the less.