TheRyan

On 1/3/2020 at 6:58 PM, Requiere said:

So I found it interesting that some aspects of the new graphics were introduced in WPTV newscasts. Today during the Now on WFLX there was something new...

At least that logo bug is actually somewhat legible (compared to the WFTS one).

It's very subtle, however I'm noticing the lighting is very slightly different than what I recall being normal.  The best way I can describe it is the lighting appears a bit duller than normal.  Maybe it's nothing, but just something I noticed.

This is what WNT looked like over the weekend:

Compare that with a few months ago:

1 hour ago, 24994J said:

Nothing new tonight. I can't imagine what they're doing that's taking so long, while maintaining the same bones of the 2010 studio and the refreshed desk.

Plus I would imagine the set pieces were likely pre-fabricated.

2 hours ago, CircleSeven said:

4 Hudson Square (Hudson Yards is in a different area).  They're going to break ground in that area sometime this year, and it'll take about four years to complete.

Clearly ABC has plenty of time to get its use out of any new set/graphics elements before any such move to Hudson Square.

4 minutes ago, 24994J said:

 

I doubt it. The 2018 set was in the now-Tamron Hall studio, after The Chew ended. As elaborate as that set was, I think that was also an exercise in AR and other tech. Could stuff like that be in consideration in this main set update? Maybe, but I doubt they'll use the newsroom set for the 2020 election. I'd be shocked if they don't remodel the second floor of Times Square, once more. They've used that space for the presidential election for the last 5 cycles (plus the first floor for the 2014 midterms).

Are they also planning a move from Times Square?

2 minutes ago, TSSZNews said:

I don't know why they would go to the trouble of another remodel when they're a couple years out from moving to Hudson Yards though...

 

I could see this being a permanent spot for This Week for 2020 to be honest--a lot of the BG elements look too produced for it to be a one-off as it is, and the execution was solid.

 

 

Considering how close they are in the ratings to NBC Nightly News, I would think the network sees it as a necessary investment to keep them as competitive (in terms of visuals) as possible. 

Besides, I think it's good they want to keep things updated for that studio--despite the planned move.   That studio has a lot of history and I'm glad they are going to keep it looking as good as possible to the end of its use.

21 hours ago, KCActionNews said:

Newscasts end with a copyright graphic. I’m sure every station was given the new music version for the 2020 copyright 

 

 

Look for the Florida push to continue with West Palm going next. There’s pressure for the person in charge to get more large markets on, so Phoenix, Denver and Detroit will be going in the next few weeks, plus some more smaller market stations. The rollout has been very bumpy with many stations frustrated with the Cincinnati corp team in charge. That caused more of a slowdown than the holiday schedules. 

 

 

It still exists for stations who want to use less resources on a newscast (it can be used with no local inserts), but its not locked into being a 4pm only show now.  

I'm curious in what exactly they are frustrated about regarding corporate.  Is it the graphics they are frustrated by--or something much broader than that?

Thought this was important to share.  Just saw a Facebook post from Sharyl Attkisson that they are readying a new set for "Full Measure" to debut this Sunday (January 5th).  I have attached the pictures she posted.

From what I can tell the set looks great.

I give it a few months max (no more than a year) and "What's New" will be back to just a traditional 5pm newscast--as it should be.

2 hours ago, CLETVFan said:

Here is WKYC's new lineup starting January 13:

 

11 a.m. – Kelly Clarkson

noon – Live on Lakeside

1 p.m. – Days of Our Lives

2 p.m. – Daily Blast Live (x2)

3 p.m. – Dr. Phil

4 p.m. – Ellen

5 p.m. – 3 News at 5 p.m. (aka “What’s New”)

 

Notice that "Lunch Break" is missing.

Literally not surprised at all.  That was a joke of a "newscast" if I ever did see one.

3 hours ago, LoadStar said:

Yes, my apologies at leaving that out. I thought context in the thread (and the thread topic) would have clarified that.

No worries 

3 hours ago, LoadStar said:

WISN had a ticker notice on last night's 5:30 news. Annoyingly, they used the beep alerts that usually signify severe weather. Granted, this isn't severe weather season, but it still grabbed my attention. I sort of think the beeping should be reserved for severe weather, sort of like how the EAS alert tones can't be used for anything else but EAS.

I'm assuming that they were running something about the carriage dispute on that ticker.  And I agree that the beeping should be reserved for severe weather.

5 hours ago, ScottSchell said:

Mike Grogan has left KOTV after 9 years Christmas night was his last broadcast hasn't announced yet where he will be heading next.

29 minutes ago, edladd said:

KOCO has an opening for a meteorologist...but since it was a female that left they may hire another lady.

Interesting timing--I will say. 

If I had things my way, I would have KUSA commission a new theme. Take the musical signature of the 1995 theme and create an update to it.   Alan Koshiyama knocked it out of the park with the 2011 KDVR/KWGN themes.  I think he could do just as a fine job with a theme for KUSA.

2 hours ago, tyrannical bastard said:

The sad thing is that WKYC out-Tegna-ed Tegna on their latest disaster.

 

Usually WKYC has forged ahead of the corporate mandates, putting out BETTER stuff than if they had towed the company line.

 

The ultimate 180 will come when they FINALLY launch a 5pm newscast with Jay Crawford next month.  As if his current lunch-time show wasn't enough of a bomb.

 

Remember, it was WKYC counter-programming Dr. Phil at 5pm which even rescued WKYC from the doldrums they were in going WAY back to their days as a farm team O&O for NBC.

It's one thing when Tegna puts on a show (Lunch Break) that gets ratings so low it sometimes does not even register in the ratings.   But it's a special kind of stupid when they double down and do it again later in the day.   That together with the "WKYC Studios" branding and you've got one big clown show.

2 hours ago, Weeters said:

Ah yes, the Rampage theme everyone on here absolutely hated when it debut. I remember someone described it as sounding like "a malfunctioning fax machine". 

 

Sorry, but C-Clarity is leaps and bounds better than the theme that sounds like it was originally composed on the Floppotron.

I guess I was in the minority in that case because I liked the Rampage theme--and the 2008 graphics.   And I dislike most cuts of C Clarity 100%.

I realize I'm bumping up this thread, which hasn't seen a post since August, but I felt this was something to share:

I happened to watch this video of a closing to KMBC's newscast from December 23rd and I immediately could tell the music did NOT match "Strive."   I picked up on the fact it sounded like something Stephen Arnold Music would produce.   If you listen to the montage of "The Rock" on NMSA's website, at the 4:45 mark, you can hear the same music used in this closing--just without the NBC chimes.   

I doubt this came from "The Rock" directly.  Maybe as production music from SAM?

NewsNet is essentially a small business.  You can't expect them to produce the same caliber of content as the networks do.  I'm honestly amazed they've been able to accomplish this much.  I say they are doing as good of a job as they could.   

I would've kept more live coverage on the local "Northern Michigan" cut-ins...maybe a half-hour of national, then a half-hour of local news, then repeat.  But clearly they see more profitability in the national audience.  I'd say that's a smart move because, as a small business, you cannot spread yourself out too thin.

NewsNet deserves more credit than they are getting.  I hope they succeed.  I truly do.

13 minutes ago, atlnewsfan03 said:

I'd agree that the previous "This Is Home" (Gari) and the "Gannett" (Rampage) themes weren't too bad, but Gannett/TEGNA stations butchered them.  Graphics... I didn't really care for Pyburn graphics (used with Gannett theme).  The USA Today style color-coded graphics weren't too bad, although the color-coded tabs were a bit over the top.  I don't care too much for "C Clarity" (Sixeme Son) music.  Current graphics is okay.

 

KUSA had its custom music (Third Street Music) from 1995-2009, and KARE had its custom music (also by Third Street) 1996-2013, as they didn't get Gannett package.  Their custom music packages could easily be their versions of MCTYW (still heard on WPVI) and Chroma Cues (WJZ's longtime theme music).  Portland and Bangor stations had "Good News" (Gari) for longest time.  WFAA having "The Spirit of Texas" signature in their news music, before Belo sold out.  It'd be a sad day for WNEP if and when they're forced to dump the Cliff Schwartz version of MCTYW for C Clarity.

 

Besides TEGNA stations having newscasts with non-traditional names (like the current WKYC mess, WUSA's morning news, WTSP newscasts, WXIA newscasts, etc.), I wasn't a huge fan of the Rundown/Lineup concept.  I believe that was something started on WGRZ by their former news director Ellen Crooke, and she implemented it on WXIA, and Gannett forced it on other stations.  I also don't care for WXIA's current 11Alive logo either.  I'd have welcomed them bringing back their pre-1993 logo or variation, or maybe a circle 11 logo with the Times New Roman font 11 (1993-2019 logo) with the Alive and NBC peacock to right.  It's a thought.

I remember when WBIR started using the rundown as part of their on-screen graphics.  I actually liked it at the time, but maybe it was because WBIR was doing it intelligently and not over-the-top like some Gannett/Tegna stations.   I liked the color scheme of the 2008 graphics, but I liked the functionality of the 2013 graphics as well.  The 2018 graphics are just ridiculous--but it would be more tolerable with something other than C Clarity "noise."

And the current WXIA logo is an absolute joke.  I don't get why they dumped their longtime logo for something unimaginative and ridiculous.  Surely they could've made something far better than that.

There are things I like and dislike about This is Home and Rampage, although I tend to favor This is Home more.   If not This is Home, I'd certainly be okay with hearing Rampage again.  I think it sounded great.  Sure, you had some stations mess up the implementation of it--but it was a great package overall.    KUSA and WBIR used it the best, imo.

2 hours ago, Conrad said:

Gannett/TEGNA's decline started before Cheatwood came in. Trust me here. It started in 2014 when they decided to launch Atlanta Alive on WXIA. By early 2015 KPNX started to become, to quote Samantha, "the place with more fluff". Those two stations fell victim to TEGNA-itis before the split even was completed.

 

I agree, even without Cheatwood I'm not sure if TEGNA will get better, especially considering that this is a company where you never know what actually is going to happen. There's a chance they'll continue on the current path of underachieving. 

 

As you know, Gannett Broadcasting used to be a good owner of TV stations. Gannett/TEGNA is a shell of its former self these days, and it's rather likely that it won't change.

5-10 years ago, if a company sold its stations to Gannett/Tegna, I would've thought they were going to a good owner.   Now, I assume that every station being bought by Tegna can be likened to a car going to a junkyard.   Back in the day Gannett valued hard journalism.  Now, Tegna despises it.   There are some bright spots that are semi-immune to Tegnaitis, perhaps the best example: WBIR.   And I believe a case could be made that KFSM might be able to weather the storm alright.  But time will tell. 

Don't even get me started about WATN, however.  I wouldn't be surprised if ABC would consider moving its affiliation elsewhere--to be honest, I wouldn't blame them.   If anyone thinks WATN was bad before, just wait until they are transformed into the WKYC of Memphis.  How does "Local 24 Studios" sound for an on-air identity? 

I will say that if the WSVN strategy (hard news) was applied to Tegna by Cheatwood, most if not all stations would be serious threats to their competition.  It would seem just the opposite strategy was applied. 

C Clarity is and always shall be one of the worst news "music" (noise) pkgs ever made.  They need to go back to This is Home as a first step.    That would at least remove the inappropriately silly sound to the newscasts.  That alone would make some improvement. 

Mike Landess has that kind of "voice" that was made for broadcasting.  Every time he was saying something he had my attention.  He is an excellent broadcaster...I will say that.  The fact Tegna would dump him at KYTX is just exactly the kind of low IQ dimwit decisions I would expect of them.

Time will tell if good change is coming to Tegna leadership--it needs to happen if Tegna wants to be around in 5-10 years or longer.

1 minute ago, oknewsguy said:

Absolutely.

 

I think Primetime News will remain on WOOD even though they may update the graphics which that makes sense considering next year will be 25 years of Primetime News at WOOD

And hopefully Primetime News will still be in use 25 years from now.  In my book, that music ranks on the same level of value as MCTYW. 

It's a shame more stations aren't still using Primetime News.

22 minutes ago, oknewsguy said:

Is WOOD potentially doing a graphics refresh? There's some hints of it as seen here with the Weather Open 

I see some hints of the WISH package in the Weather open.

The transitions are almost a dead giveaway that it includes elements of the WISH gfx, but the font is especially similar in the weather graphics.    I just hope they don't dump Primetime News, under any circumstances.

1 hour ago, oknewsguy said:

1000% agreed.

 

Cheatwood may no longer work for Tegna but there are more problems within Tegna beyond just a Cheatwood problem, although Cheatwood himself was the root cause of the problems at Tegna's stations.

 

It's gonna take Tegna rebuilding that trust and respect the stations once had with viewers before they even think about returning to the dominance the stations once had and it all starts at the top at Tegna's corporate offices, and certainly with the General Managers that are forcing this garbage on the stations.

I agree that it will take a good while to rebuild trust.  First, Tegna needs to assume the posture of doing serious news.  If they even halfway resemble newscasts by Hearst, for example, they will be in a very good place 5 years from now. 

Do I think that will actually happen?  I'm not yet convinced more so than not, but I have the smallest glimmer of hope for Tegna with this change.

If true change is going to take place it first needs to happen at the top...which is what appears to have just happened.  This is a good change for Tegna, in my opinion.  But they need to clean out the rot underneath the top job at Tegna's corporate offices.   I want to see qualified and experienced journalists take the helm and steer the ship back on course.   

And I agree with FTVlive in this matter that Tegna has become something more of a punchline.  Any honest person with a brain understands that Tegna's idea of a millennial-style newscast only make people like me (a 20-something guy) want to reach for the remote because it looks low quality and ridiculous.   It's not just C Clarity that needs to be shown the trash can--the stupid newscast titles and their overly silly presentation style must go.   

It really makes stations like those owned by Nexstar, Hearst, Gray, and Sinclair look like world-class quality because at the least they strive to put on an intelligent newscast.  And is it any wonder that people like me prefers the newscasts from those station groups instead?  If I want silly, I'll go to Facebook.  If I want serious, I'll watch a newscast.  It's that simple.

We can maybe hope that Tegna is at least considering going to go back to actual news, but like @TheRolyPoly said I'll reserve celebrating until we see changes towards actual news coverage.  And given the fact that ridiculous rebrand at WKYC took effect just this year and they just doubled down on it, I'm not yet convinced Tegna is going to be smart going forward.  Time will tell what direction Tegna heads.  But in whatever case, please dump C Clarity.

Those bubble L3s look very odd in that promo.  Then again, the bubble gfx in the new intros are also random and out of place.  And it seems a bit weird they would have a mix of that gfx design with what appears to be a local adaptation of the ABC network graphics.