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nycnewsjunkie

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Everything posted by nycnewsjunkie

  1. nycnewsjunkie
    Good point, the last thing the stations need is for more people to see them screw up. That one KSAZ issue could send Arizona’s election into a tailspin just because of all the craziness surrounding it.
  2. nycnewsjunkie
    I’m surprised they aren’t rolling everything out right now. I’m not just talking about the graphics; I’m referring to the new newscasts in both Detroit and LA. The midterms are going to see higher news viewership than normal, and this would be the best time to launch. To me, it doesn’t really make sense to wait until general interest in news has waned to launch new newscasts.
  3. nycnewsjunkie
    Maybe because it’s the first of the month? That’s my best guess.
  4. nycnewsjunkie
    Long overdue IMO. Not that Dana wasn’t a good solo anchor, but Dick Brennan deserves the spot. This also helps on days when one of them is off; the other anchor can just do it solo instead of having the 5pm team fill in.
  5. nycnewsjunkie
    I definitely agree with that sentiment, and I’m beginning to understand your point; debates are a public service, and should be treated as such (just as they are for the presidency). In an ideal world, every station would carry (or at least have the option of carrying) a gubernatorial/senate debate live. My broader point was that Nexstar isn’t doing anything radical in having exclusive rights. The network O&Os, Tegna (in TX), and many other station groups have organized similar arrangements in the past. I wouldn’t hate the player (Nexstar), but rather the game (in which political parties allow certain companies to have exclusivity in the first place). That said, I didn’t realize Nexstar’s guidelines about crediting NewsNation, and I’ll concede that those are excessive. NewsNation isn’t even conducting the debate; the stations are. It would be like NBC requiring other outlets to credit MSNBC for an event covered by NBC News.
  6. nycnewsjunkie
    Not quite; airing the debate on WSTR was out of necessity, not for “public interest” reasons. Nexstar doesn’t own a station in Cincinnati, and had to partner w/ Sinclair in that market to ensure its debate could be seen in every Ohio market. That said, it’s really not a big deal IMHO. Is it any different than WABC/WPVI having exclusivity over a New Jersey gubernatorial debate? I actually don’t mind Nexstar doing this. Just like ABC in NJ, Nexstar has the rights to host this debate, so why wouldn’t they air it on their platforms? If anything, airing it in all of their markets broadens the reach of the debate, as it now airs on stations that may not otherwise have carried it. And what does it have to do w/ NewsNation? These debates are being moderated by local anchors/reporters, not Chris Cuomo (and thank God for that).
  7. nycnewsjunkie
    Nah. That assumes NewsNation had any sort of lead to begin with. They’re more like the 2022 Denver Broncos. A very expensive flop.
  8. nycnewsjunkie
    I didn’t get it at first either, and I’ll try to simplify what I think they’re doing as best I can. CBS knows that local news is more identifiable w/ viewers than the national network. That’s a problem for them, given that CBS national newscasts don’t perform well in the ratings. By slapping the “CBS News” name onto local newscasts, the CBS News brand effectively becomes more regional. The hope is that viewers identify their local newscasts with CBS News as a whole, and that they stay w/ their CBS News station for national news rather than flipping the channel. CBS also wants to push local/national streaming, given the rise of OTT services, and also wants to integrate the operations of local streaming services. The best way they can do that is by having everyone brand around the network, rather than have the channel number on TV, the CBSN brand for streaming news, etc. The current “awkward muddle” of brandings is because they’re transitioning. In NY, I’ve seen more references to CBS New York than CBS 2 in station promos. I have no idea if this would actually accomplish the first goal of increasing viewership, and I don’t see myself wanting to watch the CBS Evening News in my market just because WCBS doesn’t call itself CBS2 anymore. However, it would accomplish the goal of integrating the network in a streaming-heavy world.
  9. nycnewsjunkie
    MLS is already going to Apple TV, a platform that makes much more sense for them than The CW. IIRC, many of those other sports have agreements w/ NBC Sports and ESPN, which are both much more valuable partners than The CW. Even basket weaving’s got The Ocho going for them. If Nexstar were smart, they’d try to secure national rights to HBCU football/basketball. I believe those rights are syndicated at the moment, and a platform like The CW might offer them more exposure. The CW will never reach the level of the other major networks in terms of either sports or scripted programming, but any live sporting events would give it a chance to grow. I wouldn’t hold my breath on it actually happening, though.
  10. nycnewsjunkie
    That’s rather ironic, considering Antena 3’s history. They’re apparently considered to be the Fox News of Romania, and were known for falsely reporting that George Soros was behind a series of protests against the Romanian government. The network also ranks as being among the least trustworthy in Romania, according to a Reuters Institute study. I guess that given CNN International’s reputation, Antena 3 figured that a partnership with them might bolster their credibility.
  11. nycnewsjunkie
    I’m not a moderator or anything (and I would never pretend to be), but perhaps this discussion about an affiliation switch would be best for the speculatron? CBS hasn’t given an explicit indication of wanting to pull its affiliation in Atlanta, and until then, everybody’s basically taking guesses. Anyway, the ANF YouTube channel has been placing thumbnails with headlines on their videos. Even videos from before the launch have these thumbnails. Granted, this is an extremely minor detail, but I’ve never seen this style of thumbnail from too many local outlets (even O&Os). This is stuff I’ve usually seen from bigger outlets, like France 24 and DW, on their YouTube channels. Smart use of branding, if you ask me.
  12. nycnewsjunkie
    I hadn’t considered the interest rate hikes, so that’s a good point. That said, if CBS ever pulls the affiliation from WANF, would Gray accept it without pulling other CBS affiliations? Wouldn’t the resulting blowback from Gray end up being worse for CBS? I know this is all wildly off topic and speculative, and I apologize if I’m inadvertently derailing the thread. That’s the last thing I’ll ask relating to that scenario.
  13. nycnewsjunkie
    I guess you could say that. Supposedly (if former sports anchor Laura Behnke’s lawsuit is reliable), Lori Stokes was allegedly asked to…let’s just say, give certain favors to Dave Davis (the GM at the time) in exchange for a better contract. If those allegations are true, that probably contributed to Lori wanting to get the heck out of there.
  14. nycnewsjunkie
    CBS’s strategy for local stations wouldn’t surprise me, but I still have two questions: 1) Would Gray agree to an affiliation agreement with CBS that excludes WANF? What’s to stop Gray from telling CBS that they no longer want to carry their programs on most/all of their other CBS affiliates? Again, I wouldn’t be surprised if CBS really is going with that strategy, but doesn’t it have the potential to massively backfire? 2) Wouldn’t it make more sense for CBS to just sell their standalone CW affiliates to another company? What CBS is doing in Detroit is difficult enough; do they really want the burden of launching news in Seattle, Tampa, and Atlanta when they already have affiliates doing it for them? Besides, Nexstar might be interested in owning three standalone affiliates in top-20 markets. Granted, one can credit CBS with having enough foresight to know that station groups are uncoupling from their dependence on the networks. Perhaps CBS figures that it’s best to sever the cord to station groups sooner rather than later, when said station groups will be established enough to not need the networks. Gray’s desire to “fire CBS” in Atlanta might justify this reasoning. Come to think of it, I might’ve just answered my own questions there. Still, it would be like McDonalds attempting to replace every single franchisee with their own stores; it wouldn’t be practical (at least in the short term) and it presents a great risk.
  15. nycnewsjunkie
    I’m not familiar with CBS’ mindset here, but would they be that desperate for an O&O in Atlanta? It would make sense if they wanted one, say, 7 years ago, when WGCL was a dumpster fire, but if ANF turns out to be somewhat successful, why bother? IIRC, NBC did what they did in Boston due to preemptions, wanting to dissociate from WHDH’s tabloid news, and the fact that they already had an established operation there (NECN). Those factors don’t really exist in Atlanta for CBS. Why waste money on a startup operation (that will likely bomb, given today’s media environment) when your affiliate is doing all the work for you?
  16. nycnewsjunkie
    To be fair, the station’s fate isn’t entirely in their own hands. How well ANF does will be influenced by how much the competition slips up (especially WSB/Apollo). That said, given that the station has been remarkably stable as of late, I’m optimistic that this goes beyond a name/set change. IMHO, they don’t have to end up in first place (or even second) to consider this a success. They simply have to be competitive. Gray’s short-term goals were to make investments into the station, hire solid journalists, and maintain stability. So far, it looks like they’ve done that. Even in the worst-case scenario, they are at least putting out a better and more accessible product today than they ever have before.
  17. nycnewsjunkie
    Well, I guess it’s October somewhere. Here’s the intro. Note that the WGCL calls are still there for now. IMG_5668.MP4
  18. nycnewsjunkie
    Interesting. I guess everyone might be getting the call letter treatment, at least temporarily. If so, it would be reminiscent of how CTV handled their standardization. Come to think of it, that might be the branding differentiation between newscasts on KCBS and KCAL.
  19. nycnewsjunkie
    The new hires have been good imo, and Fernandez seems more confident now than he was when he started. That said… …I don’t think he’ll be a full-timer.
  20. nycnewsjunkie
    “Several sources at the station” could theoretically be the news director, the general manager, the janitor, and maybe a couple of coworkers that didn’t like him. I understand that people will never publicly attach themselves to these claims, but they’re too hard to independently verify outside of this article. It’s enough to just acknowledge that Mester violated the terms of his employment and he could’ve handled things a bit better. There’s no need to get into character assassination without a real basis. Also, there seem to be zero public mea culpas from management for their end of this situation, which indicates how dismal things are at KTLA right now, regardless of one man’s behavior. And even if Mester’s behavior was as bad as the LA Times article alludes to, that’s also on management for not firing him sooner.
  21. nycnewsjunkie
    That’s gotta be a one-off thing. There’s no info on the period, SOG count, etc. Just a wild guess, but maybe they had some production issues and had to slap that scoreboard together?
  22. nycnewsjunkie
    It’s not about violating terms of employment, it’s about his mismanagement of the newsroom even before Romero’s departure. The mass exodus of KTLA staffers under his watch is not a coincidence. I agree with Mester being sent packing for his stunt, but if they had someone competent running the newsroom, this whole situation may have been different.
  23. nycnewsjunkie
    You might want to read that part of the article again. The LA Times attributed Lynette “declining to record a farewell” to news director Pete Saiers, the same man reportedly responsible for causing the low morale at KTLA. Keep in mind, this is also the same ND who oversaw KING as it tanked in the Seattle ratings. Unless Lynette herself clarifies it, I’m not trusting a word of his. That said, it seems that the weekend crew actually planned a proper farewell, and he alone went off script. Also, if it’s true that Mester was the one who hired that plane without informing anyone else, that’s truly moronic on his part.
  24. nycnewsjunkie
    I’ll concede on some of my earlier points; that’s actually true. If a departure doesn’t happen on good terms, most announcements I’ve seen are through PR, and rarely on air. I’ll agree with you that management should’ve known about the whole thing and should’ve discussed it with Mester and the rest of the staff beforehand. Also, the fact that they didn’t see his social media post is telling of how little attention/discipline KTLA management has toward its own staff. However, one should not strip Mark Mester of his own agency. His actions were not beyond his control. He could’ve said goodbye and handled any problems internally, rather than speaking for the station and blasting management (which, as it turns out, may be a violation of the terms of his employment). If you work at McDonalds, you don’t get to talk smack about your manager at the drive-thru window, no matter how horrible he/she is. It shouldn’t be any different in TV. I am certainly not defending what KTLA management did to Lynette or how they handled the aftermath, but this isn’t an either/or situation. Both the news director and Mark Mester ought to be suspended, and corporate needs to do a thorough workplace review.
  25. nycnewsjunkie
    Look, I’m no Nexstar fan, but I wouldn’t blame the entire company over one idiot. Unless he exhibited the same behavior at KTVI (which we have no evidence of), they have no control over an individual employee acting like an abusive moron at another workplace. Even in that instance, most of the blame would go to local/regional management for their negligence, not corporate. I’m confident that KTVI will handle this appropriately (i.e., dump him).
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