nycnewsjunkie

From a purely journalistic standpoint, this is a serious issue. However, I don’t think it will do much to negatively impact CNN here. While the stigma against Muslims in this country has decreased somewhat, news outlets of every sort still have a level of deference toward national security analysts. I’m personally not a fan of having that much deference, but that’s the status quo across every American news outlet, for better or worse.

Look, I’m not some sort of sappy royalist who thinks the American networks should cover nothing but the British Royals for the next ten days. I’m not a fan of the American obsession over British royalty either, and while Queen Elizabeth II was a remarkable woman and head of state, the institution of the House of Windsor is extremely flawed. Also, Prince Andrew can kiss my Royal Irish A$$™. That being said, when a 70-year head of state passes away and news outlets from the UK, the Commonwealth nations, the U.S., and all around the world cover it on the *day* of her death, that isn’t obsession; that’s news. “American obsession” isn’t an excuse for one network’s gross incompetence, ineptitude, and stupidity from the top down. When every network, news outlet, newspaper, idiot with a camera, and their mothers are all reporting on this story, that means it is an event of *international* (a word that NewsNation’s staff likely had to look up in the dictionary) significance. It is not the time to run a Blue Bloods rerun and bitch about the whole thing in prime time. That being said, I will admit to having one obsession: NewsNation itself. As I write this, I am well aware that I am spending WAY too much time and energy on a channel that gets outpaced by Newsmax in terms of both viewership AND news coverage. Yes, even Newsmax, which was born out of an opinion magazine and has always had serious credibility issues, is more of a news channel at this point. NewsNation is not a serious news outlet, and unless there is some cataclysmic event at the network itself, it does not warrant any more of my attention, time, or energy. I imagine many others can say the same. One last thing and then I’ll shut up about this farce of a channel for good: Even NewsNET did a better job with coverage today. They ran this story on their channel at 2:30 PM ET. YikesNation indeed.

I partially agree. NewsNation doesn’t have the resources of other outlets because they never invested in international coverage. As far as BBC America goes, they never break into programs for major events, as it’s an entertainment channel. IIRC, the portion of the BBC that owns BBC America isn’t even funded by the British license fee. NewsNation needs to decide what it wants to be. I’d have no problem with this lackluster coverage if they were a pure talk channel; they’d still be trash, but at least our expectations would be a bit lower. NewsNation wants to be a news channel (I think), and any news channel worth its salt needs to be on the ball when it comes to a story this significant. If NewsNation can’t even get on the air with a report from the Associated Press, that’s not a lack of resources; that’s incompetence. When even NewsMax is beating you, that’s a horrible look. EDIT: As of 4:17pm, they’re still showing Blue Bloods. How embarrassing.

Nope. Many of their stations don’t even stream on their websites. Even Sinclair does better than that.

He’s certainly earned his pay as a political reporter, but he was just a little bit awkward on his opening night. I’m sure he’ll improve with time. Personally, he isn’t my favorite choice (I would’ve preferred Elaine Quijano), but I’ll admit that having someone of his caliber certainly helps their streaming effort. Again, even at his worst, he’s miles better than Chuck Todd.

Here’s WBBM’s on-air announcement of their 9am show. It’s still being advertised as “CBS 2 News at 9,” and the show starts in 5 days. You’d think that given WBBM’s ratings history, and the fact that half the show is streaming-exclusive, they’d do what KCNC is doing and launch the new branding on Monday.

I’ve come up with a tagline: “John Dickerson: He’s not Chuck Todd.” Hopefully these were just first day jitters, but there’s much to be improved upon to say the least.

Good point, and now that you mention it, the state fair was at the back of my mind in the lead up to what we thought would be a Labor Day launch. The near absence of “CBS News Minnesota” branding on their tents, signage, etc. was hard not to notice. You’d think they’d use an event like the state fair to promote the new brand to the masses alongside their existing brand, if only for streaming purposes. I still think they’ll implement the “CBS News Minnesota” brand alongside the existing WCCO brand (see the graphics demo, although that is likely not the final look). That said, it might take take at least a year before the WCCO name goes away on TV. There’s even a small chance that it doesn’t go away at all, although that would make WCCO a very special exception among the CBS O&Os. I suppose that would only happen if the market’s reaction to the whole rebrand is *extremely* negative. WCCO isn’t the only station that is slow to promote the “CBS News (City)” brand. Even though KCNC is launching its rebrand on Sept. 12th, WCBS is still advertising their new 9am newscast (premiering on the same day) as “CBS2 News at 9,” with less than a week to go. There’s also a new KYW morning promo with the new graphics that advertises that newscast as “CBS3 Eyewitness News” (I’ll look for pictures/videos of both and post them here ASAP). Those aren’t “legacy stations” like WCCO, so perhaps those stations are slowly transitioning their brands because of the large number of OTA viewers in those markets? I’m honestly not sure. The rollout is a bit inconsistent at this point, and some things may not even be finalized yet. Chances are, we’ll know a lot more on Monday.

Also, they’re the newcomer in the 4pm news game, and have to catch up with KARE, so I suppose every bit of promotion helps. Still, three in a row is overkill. Agree on the name and branding. WCCO isn’t spending loads of cash to promote a temporary title/branding.

I’ve given up trying to understand the logic behind many of PIX’s staffing arrangements. The only constant at that station is change, and Muller’s certainly used to that.

Marni isn’t stupid, though. She’s probably padding her resume as we speak. Any credible journalist would want to get the hell out of there asap. As far as the programming goes (Cuomo is taking over the 9pm slot), it’s ironic how CNN is desperately trying to cast off it’s opinionated approach (a few years too late), while the “all facts, no opinion” channel has gone all-talk in prime time.

Usually Major Garrett covers for Norah at CBS.

Also, if the demo is on YouTube before it even launches, there’s a decent chance that it’s not the final product.

I mean, it’s only graphics. No need for an apology. It’s not the end of the world or anything. Besides, they’ll get the full set at some point.

Looks like a half-launch. Weird.

Not sure what you’re replying to there…I never said people didn’t get the two confused.

Not surprisingly, they’re basically the CBS News/Evening News graphics. For the most part, they look slick as hell, and it’s good to see the local stations getting the same look. The cut of music they use in the demo is refreshing, but as others have mentioned, it feels a bit too light for some markets (including New York). I was hoping they’d go with a variant of the CBS News streaming theme. Then again, the demo cut gives off a WCCO/WJZ vibe, and will work well on those stations. Unless they’re referring to the radio station, but of course, it no longer has anything to do with the TV station.

Good to see Andrea back in the weekend anchor chair. She and Cindy made a great team. Also, I’d like some of that bread. As for the graphics/name change, I wouldn’t be surprised if the new graphics launch September 12. Given that they’re still promoting it as “CBS2 News,” I guess they’ll be easing in the name change over the next few weeks. I’m surprised they aren’t launching it sooner, given that it’s CBS’ key station and that the branding change won’t be very drastic at all in this market.

Maybe it’s me, but this version of the logo looks a bit awkward. IMO they should’ve kept the logo horizontal and made it much smaller, kind of like how CBS Sports does with their logo placements. That’s a nitpick though; most people won’t (and shouldn’t) care and I’m sure they’ll make adjustments as time goes on.

I assume you’re referring to Elizabeth Hashagen?

Sara Shookman is on maternity leave. The station even covered the birth of her second child. I don’t think anyone’s getting pushed out here. Also, I don’t like WKYC’s format either, but it’s not like Dave Lougee and Tegna issued an edict that WKYC must change their newscasts. While Tegna management certainly encouraged this stuff, these moves were made entirely by local management.

While there are potential problems, it may be worth the risk given that the more successful O&Os are exceptions, not the rule. Also, CBS has changed significantly since the Killian fiasco. CBS and Dan Rather have had nothing to do with each other for nearly 20 years. If CBS News gets into hot water again on the national level, there will always be people who harass their local CBS affiliate over something the national network did, regardless of station branding. Also as you alluded to, KCNC’s identity has been that of a standard CBS O&O since 2003, and they no longer have any real local identity to speak of anyway. This really isn’t much of a change on their end. IIRC, that had more to do with KRON’s habit of preempting shows than a branding issue. I mentioned this in the “WBZ Rebranding Newscasts” thread, but that’s a big component of this. Even if some of CBS’ more successful stations in medium-size markets (ex: Baltimore, Pittsburgh) lose their local identities, they will make the national network more relevant in those markets. You mentioned the difference in viewer trust between CBS News and the local affiliates, and CBS is well aware of this. Unifying national and local brands can be a small step in remedying that issue. The CBS O&Os can add value to the national news operation, and if the CBS News brand is more ubiquitous, more viewers might begin to trust the national network in the same way they trust their local station. It should be noted that WCCO appears to be launching the new look with their own local branding, although that’s more than likely a transitional thing.

Just curious, in what ways could a network pressure its affiliates to that extent without completely alienating the station groups? Granted, the station groups need the networks more than the networks need them, but given that many CBS affiliates are part of duopolies (ex: KGMB, WTOL, KPHO), I’m not even sure CBS would want to go that far. That said, unified branding somewhat remedies the 1994 switch that still affects CBS and its stations today. As you said, it’s the norm in nearly every other country, and it makes sense in a world that prioritizes streaming. Nobody looks for “channel 2” on YouTube TV or online; they look for CBS.

No need to apologize, that’s my bad. I agree with your point though. Making things less complicated is likely the whole motivation behind why they’re doing all of this in the first place.

I wish I snapped a picture, but I’m in Philly right now and I saw a KYW talent promo w/ Ukee Washington after tonight’s Evening News. It ends with the “CBS3” and “CBS News Philadelphia” logos, with no mention of Eyewitness News. They’re going full send on brand standardization. I didn’t think they’d actually do this at first either, and I’m very much in favor of local identities being kept. That said, on many levels, this makes sense. As many others here have pointed out better than I ever could, most CBS-owned stations in large markets do not stand out. WCBS and KPIX already look bland, KYW and WBBM have been mismanaged into instability, and KCBS… need I say more? I don’t think a unified branding will make those stations ratings powerhouses or anything, but it would at least tie them to the network’s news division. Also, to answer your question, there is no longer any need to differentiate between the network and streaming. That’s the whole point. If CBS wants to really prioritize streaming, a great way to do that is to unify both linear and streaming brands.