nycnewsjunkie

No offense, but I don’t get why either of you is so passionate either way about KDKA’s color scheme. I don’t think KDKA will tank in the ratings depending on whether they go with a standard set of graphics or change some colors around. Besides, it’s not like they’re filling the screen with fuchsia (although I suppose I shouldn’t give people ideas). To get back on topic, despite the twinkle effect in the intro and the large horizontal bug, this is the best the Evening News has looked in a long time. For once, they beat out the other networks’ graphics. ABC could certainly use a similar upgrade.

There are a few parts of the newscast where CBS is copying (or if you prefer, taking inspiration from) ABC. They didn’t air a single commercial until 14 minutes in, and that commercial (for a pharmaceutical, of course) was accompanied by a headline banner. In addition, Robert Costa’s opening story relied heavily on quick soundbites, fast cuts, zoom effects, and the obligatory “Breaking News” banner, all hallmarks of modern-day ABC News. I’m not sure if any of these adjustments were in place before today, and the rest of the stories felt like they were from a CBS newscast, but I couldn’t help noticing some close similarities to David Muir’s newscast.

The music works well for what it is. A modern take on the 1987 theme is miles better than the awkward EDM remix they’d been using. Sounds like they incorporated the 5-note musical signature as well. The twinkle effect they have on the intro looks cheesy and cheap as hell, but I guess the overall intro/graphics are an improvement over what they had. I’m surprised they didn’t make further updates to the set, given that the virtual background draws heavily from Studio 57 in NY. None of this will really do anything ratings-wise, of course, but I guess it’s good for brand cohesion.

False. WRAZ simulcasts with WRAL at 4pm. Once again, simulcasting exists in the year 2022. The concept of 2 stations running the same newscast has been in place for at least 20 years. There is no written or unwritten rule that forbids something from happening just because some people don’t like it. There will be no mass affiliation changes if both NBC and Fox stations run 10pm news. There will be no volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, or tsunamis as a result of NBC and Fox stations running 10pm news. The state of Hawaii has not sunk into the Pacific Ocean just because KGMB/KHNL already simulcast their late news. Stations are not going to blow up their affiliation agreements just because some of us don’t like the idea of a 10pm simulcast.

They “sacrificed the network” when the TV industry became creatively bankrupt in the 2000s. You may not like it, but most TV shows are not all that relevant. NBC is not the only network that is “so desperate” to prioritize streaming, and no company in their right mind would ignore today’s trends and pretend that we live in the 1990s.

The New York Post originally ran with the story, along with the story about staffers being asked to promote Cuomo’s show. I know, it’s a daily rag and it’s not always reliable, but I suppose it’s better than RadarOnline.

One would be naive to think that station owners aren’t already greedy. Why do you think stations have news at 3pm now? Also, you’re focused on ratings when the driving factor (for the local affiliates, at least) is ad revenue. As many have pointed out many times now, local ad revenue is just as important to stations as ratings. I’m not saying that news expansion is a good thing from a creative/journalistic point of view (I hate it as much as the next person), but it makes sense from a business standpoint. And why the heck would NBC care what Fox thinks? Is there a rule that prevents NBC from upsetting Fox? If NBC can take away viewers from Fox stations at 10pm, all the more reason to do it.

Thing is, why would NBC and their stations care? If anything, they would want to take away from Fox’s prime time news audience. Besides, there’s no guarantee of it being a blow to every Fox station either (see: KTVU, WTVT, KDFW), and more local news competition can’t be too much of a bad thing, even if it is just a sign of less creativity in the TV business. This lack of creativity isn’t anything new either. I remember when NBC programmed Deal or No Deal 5 nights a week. They practically squeezed the life out of that show with how often it was on. Same could be said for Millionaire in the early-2000s. I wish TV hadn’t gone through such a creative slump over the past 2 decades, but a lot of that creativity has moved over to Amazon, Netflix, and Disney+. Peacock is way behind the game when it comes to streaming (if you want proof, look at some of the movies they have on there). NBC needs to do what it can to make it more lucrative. Besides, the local stations would prefer local news over yet another Dick Wolf series or Dateline rerun. What “decision” do they have to make? Just simulcast the damn thing. The stations would be more than grateful for the extra ad revenue.

…in the 1990s.

It’s a bit ironic that NBC is the first traditional “Big Three” network that is rumored to want to do this. Ed Ansin must be smiling from the Great Beyond and thinking, “I told you so.” This move would make sense for both sides. The networks see streaming as their most important commodity, while the affiliates view local news in the same regard due to the ad revenue. The networks can focus on their OTT platforms, while the local affiliates can focus on pumping out more local content.

According to SBJ, this was a one-off transaction due to “an aggressive and willing buyer,” and it isn’t necessarily a harbinger for the sale of other NBC RSNs. Monumental reportedly plans to merge NBCS Washington with their existing streaming service.

I mean, these particular talent opens aren’t going to be around for very long anyway, so this is much ado about nothing imo.

They don’t look that far off from the “NOW” and CBS News streaming graphics, and they look to be using the new CBS font, so it seems plausible. They’re only 2ish weeks away from debuting that newscast, though I imagine they’ll be ironing out any kinks over that period

Damn…when stations are even outdoing WSVN in terms of news hours, you know things have gone crazy. Then again, I suppose this isn’t a new development, so it’s not as shocking as it might have been years ago. SW Florida stations must be raking it in when it comes to ad revenue.

Nice catch! It’s difficult to make out the graphic on the lower left, but the title of the show seems to be “WCCO The 4.” The “WCCO” logo they’re using in the top left of that graphic seems to correspond with this one: EDIT: I also could’ve just read the article first and confirmed the title. I guess that’s what I get for reacting too fast.

I see your point and I understand what you mean now. I don’t know how many similar media critics there are out there, but perhaps it would’ve been better to re-tool Reliable Sources with a new face instead of junking the show entirely. In some ways, I suppose having zero independent media critics on staff at all carries its own set of negative and even dangerous implications, and a “just the headlines” strategy doesn’t have to include dumping media critics entirely.

You must’ve watched a different Brian Stelter than I’ve watched. For nearly its entire run under Stelter and Jeff Zucker, Reliable Sources was a PR machine for CNN disguised as a media analysis program. While they rightfully pointed out instances in which Fox News lacked journalistic ethics, I can’t remember the last time they seriously scrutinized their own network for blatant bias and lapses in judgement. Not to mention, in June the show only averaged 79k in the 25-54 demo. People should’ve seen this move coming from miles away. You mention Ted Turner, but even he mentioned that today’s CNN needed to tone down the opinion. Letting Stelter walk is a start.

That’s old news, no? Frank stated it himself in January, and it was established when KTVU moved Mike Mibach to the evening/late news in April. He’s been “officially out” for a while now. I’m surprised TVSpy posted this as if it were a new development just because of a Facebook update.

I guess it depends on the specifics of the new programming. I’m not sure affiliates are going to want to air NewsNation, for example, given that they may soon be home to both Chris Cuomo and Bill O’Reilly. If Nexstar is just planning on putting out cheap older-skewing programs and leftovers from Paramount/Warner, I guess it wouldn’t be as big a deal (especially since it’s just 2 hours per night).

Thing is, it was a success…a financial one. A post in the NewsNation thread explained that they’ve saved lots of money by cutting syndicated programming and replacing it with its own, cheaper to produce programming. From Nexstar’s last Annual Report: Don’t get me wrong, nobody’s watching NewsNation, but that’s secondary to the fact that they’re making more money on the network by virtue of 1) paying less for the programming and 2) owning the ad inventory. I don’t like it one bit from a programming standpoint, but I’d expect the same thing for The CW under Nexstar. You mean that you wouldn’t want to see a Guy Fieri special replace the Arrowverse on your station? Blasphemy! /s Seriously though, you can add Hearst to that mix too.

It depends on the market. They aren’t going to yank it off a station like WISH, for example, when they have both the CBS/Fox affiliates in Indianapolis. Same goes for WCCB. I don’t think anyone was suggesting that Nexstar would/should replace every established network affiliation with a network like the CW. Any suggestion of such a thing would be asinine. In the case of stations like WGN and KRON, however, it would make some sense. First, it’s not like they’ll be alienating CBS when CBS/Warner are selling the majority of the network over to Nexstar anyway. The CW is a non-core asset for them. Second, it’s true that WGN gave up the CW “for their own self-interests,” but those interests had to do with local sports broadcasting rights that had to be moved to other stations to accommodate CW programming. As I previously mentioned, WGN no longer has local sports rights, and the CW would give WGN two hours of programming that their company (Nexstar) owns. Finally, in KRON’s case, why would Nexstar spend on a MyNet affiliation when they’ll now have their own network to program? It’s the same reason why NewsNation is dumping reruns for their own talk shows. Of course, there’s no guarantee Nexstar will want to switch all of its independent/MyNet stations over to the CW, and it’s highly unlikely they would do it right away. This is pure speculation. That said, it’s not a far-fetched possibility.

Of course. By “chopped” I mean being axed from the network. I’m sure they’ll fit right at home on Paramount+ and Warner/Discovery’s streaming service.

Wouldn’t be surprised if WGN returned to the CW as well. They only went independent to accommodate sports, and considering that sports rights aren’t coming back anytime soon, it makes sense to run CW programs. On the subject of programming, you can bet there will be massive cuts with the “same strict financial standards” and all, but considering that Paramount and Warner/Discovery still hold interest, I can’t imagine them going full-on “NewsNation on Free TV” just yet. I would expect the network to still air some shows produced by Paranount/Warner, but the quality/budget of those shows might be diminished. Besides, the CW is a low priority for them anyway (hence, the sale), and anything that drew an audience is being chopped.

I could be wrong, but I don’t think they aired this on Ch. 7 proper, just on streaming. Still, you’d think they’d at least get a better angle of the parade.

Jeffrey Toobin is out.