nycnewsjunkie

I would like the branding more if a) CBS weren’t integrating their stations news departments into CBS News and b) they weren’t simulcasting an hour on KCBS. When you’re relaunching KCAL with only minimal references to CBS News LA (which I’m sure we’ll see on KCBS), it runs counter to what they’re trying to do, especially when KCAL News is going to stream on the CBS News LA streaming channel.
 

I guess they want to leverage the KCAL brand, given that KCBS has never had much luck in that market. When you consider that, I guess calling it KCAL News makes sense in the short term.

I generally dislike modern ESPN for being a non-stop hot take machine, but everyone on the air tonight did a phenomenal job. They treated it as a developing public interest story while respecting Damar Hamlin and his family. Most importantly, they weren’t speculative about the situation, and stuck to reporting the news without spreading rumors.

I know they got a little bit of flack for airing ads, and I suppose they could’ve done without showing the players crying on multiple occasions. Some of that criticism is fair, but I feel like some of it is coming from people who were going to criticize ESPN no matter what they did. Thing is, there’s not much precedent for this in NFL broadcasting, and it was something that came as a total shock to both the viewers and the broadcasters. ESPN did the best job you could expect anyone to do in this situation. And of course, prayers up for Damar and his family.

19 minutes ago, abc7 Man said:

Is this the first NYE they are on at 10? I remember in the past they were on at 11 but reduced to 30 minutes (instead of 35 minutes for weekday or 60 minutes for weekend)

First time in my recollection. All big 4 stations are on with news at 10pm ET this year.

8 hours ago, KentBrockman said:

Because Gray has a group deal with SAM.

I don’t think so; there are plenty of Gray stations using old stuff from Gari/615/Non-Stop. IIRC, Warner Chappell is charging their clients a crap ton if they want upgrades to music packages. Advantage badly needed updates, but the price probably wasn’t worth it, so WFSB went with Arnold instead. Same reason why WOOD dropped Primetime News if I’m not mistaken. Sad, but I can’t say I blame the stations at all.

For tonight’s 6pm, Sade Baderinwa filled in for Sandra Bookman and joined the rest of the regular weekend night crew. I’m assuming they’ll be on at 10pm as well.

2 hours ago, The Frog said:

SBJ's John Ourand predicts that LIV Golf will make a deal with The CW, and says that there's some "smoke" to this prediction (38:55).

I know it’s just a rumor, but this actually wouldn’t surprise me in the least. It would probably end up being a time buy, with LIV producing everything and paying Nexstar for the air time.

19 hours ago, tyrannical bastard said:

It appears Nexstar is taking two steps backward in their "digital first" mandate.  Live streams of their newscasts are apparently coming to an end next month.  

They will be delayed at least 2 hours.

https://www.ftvlive.com/sqsp-test/2022/12/21/nexstar-to-end-live-stream-newscasts

 

The endless quest for retransmission money appears to be the reason.

If they keep this stuff up, they'll end up like Bally Sports, and price themselves out of existence when the pay TV providers kick them to the curb and the networks begin pulling their affiliations.

This is dumb. I’m sorry I don’t have a more original thought contribution, but it’s so dumb that I can’t even begin to comprehend it. These people actually think they can live and die on retrans fees.

For all of Tegna’s intelligence-insulting gimmicks, Sinclair’s extreme political bias, and Gray’s cheap/outdated visual aesthetic, those companies can at least understand one thing: they know where their audience is and where to grow it. Nexstar looks to be run by people who are too stubborn to understand that, to the point that they’re even killing off the damn web streams. It’s been said before, and it’s worth repeating: big market company, small market mentality.

I don’t know if any other market has someone like a Jim Gardner. I know other cities have people who’ve anchored for a long time, but I’m not sure they’ve had the same cultural impact/relevance that Jim has in Philly. I mean, the dude had people tailgating in the parking lot for this. Nobody deserves it more, though. Happy retirement, Jim.

On 12/20/2022 at 10:52 AM, atlnews2 said:

https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/head-of-ctv-news-michael-melling-reassigned-after-lisa-laflamme-fallout-1.6201404

 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/michael-melling-out-ctv-news-laflamme-1.6691180

 

https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2022/12/19/after-independent-review-in-wake-of-lisa-laflammes-ouster-ctvs-michael-melling-is-out-of-news-operations.html

 

Michael Melling has been reassigned. Interim CTV News head Richard Gray will stay head of news

A token gesture if you ask me. However, it will be enough for most people to forget about the whole thing. I suppose that’s good for Omar Sachedina, who’s been unfairly maligned as a result of this, but I doubt that the underlying issues at CTV are actually going to be addressed.

43 minutes ago, SFTV said:

They still mention “KPIX 5’s *reporters name* has the latest” the website is still referred to KPIX.com 

 

I’ve yet to see new mic flags

You’re right, my mistake. Sorry

33 minutes ago, Myron Falwell said:

There is a significant contingent of nostalgia-driven posters and they’re usually the loudest people in the room.

 

They can have their opinions on CBS going for unified branding and music not Enforcer being A Bad Thing but CBS is doing this because they see it in the best interests of the network and their station group. The execs in charge have determined that The Old Way Of Doing Things is no longer going to work.

I mean, I totally agree that CBS needs this shakeup, but I can understand the criticism on some level (and I think it goes beyond music and channel numbers). For all the corniness about the way American stations have continued to identify themselves, it at least gives the impression that your station belonged to your community and not some faceless corporate entity (reality notwithstanding, of course). That’s not to say that CBS O&Os have felt that way (especially under the old management), but some of the vestiges of unique identity were still there. That’s going away now, even at the legacy stations, and one could be forgiven if they felt that their local outlet didn’t really belong to them anymore. Again, not that David Friend cultivated that sense of belonging, but the vestiges were still there.

That being said, you’re right, it had to be done. CBS is too big of a company to have most of their stations flailing in the ratings and being irrelevant. The association with CBS News definitely grants them some level of prestige IMO. It’s just that losing local characteristics comes with its own risks. Considering the state of most of those stations, though, I think it’s more than worth it, and at least they’re trying *something* with them.

3 hours ago, Briella said:

This forum is very nostalgia heavy, and most here have an extreme attachment to graphics and their local stations (see the argument about Pittsburgh needing everything to be black and yellow) Nothing new will ever be ok unless it keeps the same colors, names, numbers, style, anchors, sets, bumpers, idents, while also being new, fresh, exciting, up to date, and representing their area with little call backs and touches that bring a tear to your eye and you can say "That's my station". 

 

It's pretty funny when you look at it objectively. Times are changing, get over it.

Apparently the point is to show headlines, which is what it does.

Considering that you’ve got 10 people liking your post, and that a sizable number of people in this particular thread have offered nothing but uncritical praise for what CBS is doing, your perception is mistaken. Yes, there are people who don’t like it, and prefer stations to have individual characteristics, but that’s their prerogative. They’re allowed to have an opinion too.
 

As far as my personal feelings are, I really like this rebrand. The graphics are miles beyond what they replaced, and IMO, they’re the second best looking local news package out of the US that I’ve seen (the best being NBC’s). although I’m not a fan of the way they use the call letters in what is very likely a temporary branding. The call letters in a box don’t look good next to the “CBS News X” really look sloppy IMHO. (EDIT: I probably should’ve noticed that already, but I really notice it now having seen it on air). I get that they’re trying to transition things over, but they’ve already been doing that for more than a year. In KPIX’s case, I don’t think the anchors/reporters even mention KPIX once. If you’re going all in on CBS News, go all in now.

1 hour ago, iron_lion said:

I keep hearing it said that flatness is more mobile friendly. In what way? 
 

It's  a fair statement to not nitpick too much given that the average viewer just cares about channel content more so than presentation elements. A tweaked logo isn't the end of the world. On the contrary, a large portion of what we critique here like lighting, studio setup, and graphics, only industry junkies would care about. My point remains though, a lot of these graphical "updates" networks are doing to their logos seem to take a step backwards.

 

The NBC news logo IMO is the perfect all around peacock design to settle on. White borders with depth, gloss, and gradient to the colors.

As for the “why is flat better for mobile?” question, I’m far from a design expert, but I think this article puts forward a good argument for it (and explains it better than I ever could). Long story short, flat design allows for greater contrast and more flexibility. When you’re working with a smaller amount of space, gradients and gloss can be unnecessarily complicated and distracting. It’s the same reason why IOS and Windows dropped their old glossy designs they had for their operating systems several years back.

I’m not against the old peacock or anything, but on the subject of NBC News, their visual presentation is looking rather dated IMO (although not nearly as dated as ABC). I’m sure they’ll eventually adapt their graphics to suit the new peacock, but I doubt they’re in any rush to do it given the similarities between the logos. I can be nit picky about this stuff myself, but I honestly didn’t even notice the changes when the new promos first aired. That’s how subtle they are IMO. But to each their own.

2 hours ago, iron_lion said:

This was unnecesary and not an improvement by any measure. First ABC ruined their logo, then CBS gets a miniscule screen bug, now this. Its like the networks are dertermined to spend money for a worse product. 

Because of a logo change? That’s a bit of an overstatement IMHO. ABC and NBC’s new logos are more mobile-friendly, and the new CBS bug is less intrusive. Besides, we’re the only people that are consciously noticing this stuff; all of these changes are so minuscule that I’m not sure it’s even worth calling them different logos.

1 hour ago, Adam MadMan said:

And now Jesse Jackson of all people is on board with the deal.

Soo Kim has plenty of friends in high places, that’s for sure.

2 hours ago, CLETVFan said:

TJ needs to go as he's becoming a bigger distraction with all the crap that's come out involving him.

I’m sort of surprised that having an affair with two married coworkers while being married yourself doesn’t violate a morality clause of some sort, especially since this is Disney we’re talking about. That said, as reprehensible as TJ or Amy may be in their personal lives, I’m not sure firing them would be a good precedent for the rest of the company.

Even though TJ may have had a habit of $h*—ing where he ate, his relationships were consensual, and unless ABC has an explicit “no fraternization” policy, I’m don’t think they’d have any justification for firing him. Same goes for Amy.

EDIT: Kim Godwin herself stated that TJ’s actions were “not a violation of company policy,” so ABC would have no justification for firing him.

1 hour ago, NYTV said:

Here's her farewell to ABC on her Twitter

I must be really slow with this stuff, because I didn’t even know she left CBS2 to begin with.

33 minutes ago, CaptainNews said:

KCAL has essentially become a competitor with KCBS in itself, which is not a good thing, for obvious reasons (just look at KCAL's 10pm and KCBS' 11pm ratings)

I don’t think comparing 2 stations in 2 different time slots really counts as competition, but I assume your point is that KCAL has the higher-rated newscasts. Is that really a bad thing? It’s the exact same news department, and the revenue is all flowing in the same direction.

14 hours ago, kfc513 said:

OK, I know the "let's make the secondary station more prominent than the primary station where newscasts are based at" thing has been done before elsewhere (remember FOX45 News on ABC22 in Dayton?). But it doesn't make any sense here. KCBS is the West Coast flagship of CBS with the combined 2/9 news operation that will be named CBS News Los Angeles, except now it will originate from KCAL, the independent station, while KCBS, the West Coast flagship of CBS, will be relegated to secondary status.

 

If this isn't the definition of @$$-backwards management, I don't know what is.

I don’t know if I’d call it “ass-backwards management” (not yet, anyway); it’s more like throwing in the towel on channel 2 in the morning. I can’t blame them. Keep in mind that their current arrangement has KCBS airing a newscast that draws a big fat zero in the ratings, while KCAL airs infomercials. As unconventional as this new arrangement is, it’s better than what they have now (although they might want to consider promoting the damn thing).

That’s not saying much, of course. The spiel about “making KCAL a major player” is BS, and I imagine that management is smart enough to realize that they won’t be a major threat to KTLA or KTTV. The broader point is that KCAL can air its own programming (via CBS LA’s news dept), and the extra airing of CBS Mornings can give the show a ratings boost (albeit, a very small one). Sure, KCBS loses morning news, but when no one’s watching it, it’s not like anyone living in LA is going to give a damn.

If they really are launching on KCAL tomorrow, you’d think they’d do a better job promoting it. I haven’t seen anything on their website that promotes a Dec. 5 launch (other than program guides), and I assume they aren’t airing promos on KCBS/KCAL. AFAIK, nothing promoting a specific launch date on social media or YouTube either.
 

Maybe it’s me, but I don’t know if you have any hope of getting viewers for this thing if you aren’t even telling people when/where to watch it. Unless, of course, they aren’t launching tomorrow.

I know Meade is popular around here (and I quite like her myself), but I can’t say I’m surprised that she’s leaving. Her program always had a bit of a niche audience, and since it was the only news program on what’s become a true crime channel, it’s always been out of place. While I personally think it’s better than New Day, its lighter tone means that it wouldn’t fit in with the rest of CNN’s programming. Hopefully she finds work elsewhere (she’s too good not to).

Still, I really don’t like this whole “cut to success” mentality that Discovery is implementing across CNN (and across the entire company, for that matter). Yes, CNN desperately needed to change, but making the network irrelevant is not the answer.

17 hours ago, mrschimpf said:

And why Discovery is still not considering winding down networks continues to be beyond me; I know the RTC is why

You kind of answered your own question there. Still, the amount of zombie networks they have is astounding.

14 minutes ago, MorningNews said:

Umm? Aren’t they both married?

Yup, afraid so. I guess it’s a good reminder that people in TV news (or in any place of public prominence) can be as wonderful or as horrible as anyone else.

32 minutes ago, alaskanews said:

What is this absolute nightmare of a brand? Where are your eyes supposed to look? How much of this mouthful is going to be used on air? "You're watching CBS News Los Angeles This Morning on KCAL." "KCAL CBS News Los Angeles This Morning starts now." WUT.

I’m not sure if they’re planning on keeping it this way, but the branding looks and feels temporary. I’m not a fan of it either, but I suppose it’s necessary given that CBS airs a bunch of newscasts on two LA stations. I wouldn’t be surprised if it all becomes “CBS News Los Angeles” at some point.

3 hours ago, susquvalleywgal said:

Bad timing yes?  Was there another way of handling this (like the FOX station did) maybe?  But by FCC standards, practices and rules, they had to warn.  It amazes me how many viewers do not realize this.

 

-- Matt

Plus, the game itself featured 2 out of market teams. Even though it was a national broadcast, it’s not like KHOU interrupted the Texans for their weather advisory. Not that it would’ve made a difference, of course; public safety always takes priority.

7 hours ago, FiveNews said:

Rich DeMuro’s report from this morning is below. The set was built by JHD Group in Los Angeles. Nexstar gave the station the autonomy to pick whatever set designer they wanted. 
 

https://ktla.com/morning-news/look-behind-the-scenes-of-ktlas-new-set/amp/?fbclid=PAAaYmDa4L_cJa_ZJiF_ezznNtqGsWpDazhXTe0EOmlVJo17sASr65D7cbaGA

I remember reading this on the Discord, but I wouldn’t be surprised if every Nexstar station technically has the autonomy to pick any designer; it’s just that they don’t have the budget to go with a designer like JHD. As much as I’d love for every Nexstar station to have a set that looks as good as KTLA’s, stations that are below market #10 aren’t getting anything too elaborate. We shouldn’t expect them to, either; the money is better spent elsewhere.

Given the controversy surrounding this year’s World Cup, broadcasters are bound to be caught between their responsibilities in covering the matches and a journalistic responsibility to cover Qatar’s human rights issues. It appears that Fox’s coverage will not have a strong focus on the human rights aspect of it at all. From Awful Announcing:

Quote

“Our approach is clear, and it’s identical to what it was four years ago in Russia,” executive producer David Neal told The Inquirer. “We believe that viewers come to Fox Sports during the World Cup to see the greatest sports event in the world. They don’t come to us expecting us to be [HBO’s] Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, or [ESPN’s] E: 60. That’s not who we pretend to be, and I don’t think that’s what the viewer expectation is.”

 

[…]

 

“If a story affects the field of play, if it affects the competition in the tournament, we will cover it fully,” Neal said. “If it doesn’t, if it’s ancillary to the tournament, if it has to do with the construction of the venues or what have you, we’re going to leave that to other entities to cover. Our focus is entirely on the 64-game tournament.”