nycnewsjunkie

14 minutes ago, Nick said:

Good points all.   (As for running network news twice,  true. KABC puts on "World News Now"  at 3:30 and then again at 6:30.  Or at least last I saw.

More important,   besides the channel position and newscast name,  there is no difference at all between CBS 2's and KCAL 9's content.  As for the field reporting,  the only difference is which way the reporter turns the mic flag,  the "9" instead of the "2."    All anchors appear on both stations anyway.

 

But it's a lot to ask for KCAL to do much cutting into KTLA's ratings right off the bat.     KTTV and "Good Day LA," which once dominated in the heyday of Steve Edwards, Jillian Reynolds, and Dorothy Lucey,  has been playing catch-up with KTLA for some time.  "The KTLA Morning News"  is a pretty strong brand.

I agree, and I don’t think CBS is expecting to cut into KTLA (that would be more of an added bonus than a realistic expectation.) I think it’s mainly about putting on programming that’ll at least get better ratings than morning programming they currently offer on 2/9. And if KCBS takes a ratings hit (as if it hasn’t already,) it doesn’t matter. They’re all under the same umbrella anyway.

13 minutes ago, RGSJenkins said:

…with a new theme replacing Like Fireflies and a new VO replacing Ron Matz.

 

That’s gotta be temporary.

6 minutes ago, HoosierNewsie said:

Good lord… Why are we continuing to beat a dead horse here? 
 

He is literally THE ONLY person doing this. He’s writing, producing, anchoring, editing, etc… give the guy some credit. 
 

I've said it once and I’ll say it again; unless  you’re going to reach out and offer to help in some way, get off his back. 

From the comment right above yours:

18 hours ago, NYTV said:

Honestly, if management is not going to give Austin any kind of support, they aren't going anywhere.

Key words being “if management is not going to give Austin any kind of support.” No one’s on the guy’s back.
 

We don’t know if Austin’s doing this as a vanity project or is genuinely in the process of building a news dept (if he’s doing the latter, then good for him.) What we do know is that the newscast is done on the cheap because KMSG management isn’t looking to pour in the funds needed for a professional operation. If stations want to be taken seriously in an industry already facing declining public trust, they can’t put a one man band on the air and not build from that. I don’t mean to sound harsh, but if I lived in Fresno, not only would I not watch that newscast, but I also probably wouldn’t even know where to find it.

16 hours ago, DirtyHarry said:

Why would Tegna do that? I think they would love seeing these people crash and burn. I wonder how much management has already bolted for the exit doors. Money and hassle to replace.

It’s not that Tegna is full of sinister suits that want to see their employees lose their jobs (though they make up for their lack of cynicism with their incompetence at running their stations.) Tegna wants the deal done ASAP for a much simpler reason. Dave Lougee and company are getting golden parachutes if this merger goes through, and there’s a significant termination fee if they cancel the deal. Why terminate the deal when you have everything to lose if you do?

And it’s not evil at all to want the thing dead. This deal kills competition, and in turn kills local stations. While someone like Byron Allen would probably just do nothing with the Tegna stations, that’s still better than a hedge fund operating on a “cut, cut, cut” philosophy.

4 hours ago, Tyler said:

John Q Public has no clue that KDKA TV and KDKA radio aren’t related. The average viewer has no reason to know they aren’t related. 
 

I don’t think that even with solid ratings and historical call letters that stations like KDKA will not get the new branding. CBS wants consistency. And when you let a handful of stations go rogue, you end up with things like hideous black and gold graphics. CBS is looking to the future, and the future doesn’t include call letters or station numbers.

As I said earlier, I made that post before seeing KCNC’s Twitter page. Given that there’s no mention of their local identity, it’s pointing toward going full CTV. Still doesn’t explain KCAL though…

EDIT: And I’m not sure they’re worried about black and gold graphics as much as they’re worried about a station looking like WJZ pre-2018 if they don’t standardize. But more importantly, consistency would allow the stations to work seamlessly with the network division. CBS must have calculated that while viewers might be jolted at seeing local identities disappear, it’s not like they’ll stop watching a station’s newscasts on that basis alone.

7 minutes ago, Myron Falwell said:

Again, the problem is that KDKA, KYW, WBZ and WCCO have to share those call letter brands with unrelated radio stations. Most people really wouldn’t care if the call letter brands were retired. They aren’t nerds like us and get easily confused between the two.

 

If that wasn’t the case (and CBS had forced the radio stations to change their calls en masse in 2017, as what Sinclair made Lotus do when they bought KOMO radio) then a case could be made for keeping the call sign brands in the TV group.

When I made that post, I actually didn’t realize that KCNC completely rebranded their social media pages as “CBS Colorado,” without any mention of channel 4 or anything, so that lends some evidence to your theory.

1 hour ago, Myron Falwell said:

It’s only a matter of if anyone at Tegna has the good sense to call off the deal before the FCC rejects it out of hand.

 

The one thing you do not want to do is lie to the FCC, and withholding the info about Apollo having a substantial financial stake in the buyout (because Soo can’t afford the company on his own) reaches that level of impropriety.

 

This deal is deader than dead.

Wasn’t there some sort of termination fee associated with the deal though? That may be why they’re hoping the deal goes through, despite all the obvious issues with it.

1 hour ago, sanewsguy said:

 

Considering that this is their news director, probably not:

 

Damn. He’s in violation of the entire alphabet with that level of spelling/grammar.

28 minutes ago, GoldenShine9 said:

 

Not only that, there has been zero response from Soo Kim and the other figures about it at all. They have completely ducked the questions. This has the makings of a deal gone bad. I could see this drawing itself out and Tegna walking away, even if Soo Kim throws more money at them. The outside date is in early 2023?

 

Once Graham put up its petition, that should have been a warning sign.

To be fair, their attorneys responded to the FCC and essentially stated that the concerns were irrelevant because Apollo was “too small to trigger FCC attribution rules.” IMO, that’s a deflection. Regardless of size, Apollo will still have interests in competing stations in multiple markets.

9 minutes ago, Kenneth Kissel said:

I will mention a couple of things i believe about KDKA-TV's position in this. Why would they change their Identity when they are #1 in every time slot except the morning newscast (which Hearst's WTAE is destroying the other 2 stations) and the 6 PM Newscast starting this month due to the high rated ABC World News Tonight over the CBS Evening News with Norah O Donnell. Even the WPCW 19 local Newscasts are beating the WPGH/WPXI 10 PM Newscast and The National Desk. KDKA even now competes with WPGH/WPXI for 6:30 PM viewership over the 2 national newscasts on ABC and NBC (KDKA airs the CBSEN at 7 PM). 

 

The only thing that needs to change for KDKA-TV is their weekday morning newscast and I hope they will go with a hard news approach instead of a soft news approach. Your Day Pittsburgh is horrible and needs a shake up.

 

I also hope if they do get new graphics like the other CBS O&Os, it keeps its Black and Gold. It actually has made KDKA-TV better (as much as many on this forum hate it.)

To be honest, a graphics color change is not determining whether someone watches a station (it’s not like they changed it to fuchsia,) but I do think their established identity is certainly a determining factor. However, I am curious about the ratings for the CBSEN in Pittsburgh compared to other markets.

The FCC is extending the comment window on the Standard General/Tegna deal.

https://www.nexttv.com/news/fcc-gives-tegna-commenters-more-time

No doubt that the issue over Apollo’s involvement complicated matters.

4 minutes ago, Nick said:

Even though KCBS has never been a factor in early-morning newscast ratings --  Kent Shocknek in a dozen years couldn't move the needle an inch--  still I think this is an unusual move.  It almost seems to render Channel 2  a weaker sister to independent KCAL.   I had thought that maybe if anything Channel 9 in the era of budget slashings might go the way of WNYW,   little but sitcom reruns and courtroom shows with maybe one repurposed CBS 2 newscast at 9 p.m.   Shows how little I know about the business.

They're going to have to do some serious hiring; they haven't enough people for that long block and for 5-6:30,   8-10:45,   and 11-11:35 too.

I’m assuming you’re referring to WLNY, now WNYW. Thing is, you can’t really compare the two. WLNY was a small LI station that was allegedly bought in exchange for a golf membership. There were never serious investments made, and when CBS bought the station, they actually cut WLNY’s news department entirely. Meanwhile, KCAL is a station that built a solid reputation for itself in the 90s, and carved out a niche audience by doing news in prime time. It also helps that they hired away Jerry Dunphy to give them credibility on day 1. By the time CBS bought them, they had been well-established for a while. I’m not an expert on the market, but it seems to have gotten to the point that KCAL has a better reputation than KCBS, even though they’re under the same umbrella.
 

And besides, if your stations are going to air local news from 4-11am, why split it between KCBS and KCAL and force viewers to change channels at 7am? KCBS gets to show live national news (which no other station does), while KCAL gets better programming in the morning than it has now. Both stations can concentrate on their specific audiences. It’s better than showing a newscast that pulls a whopping 0.0, which in turn hurts the national morning show.

This is gonna be a long one, so my apologies to everyone in advance.

2 hours ago, Myron Falwell said:

The goal is brand unification. CBS already has an open position for Group Creative Director which explicitly states that they will “work closely with CBS Stations, CBS News and CBS Marketing to unify our brands.“

That quote certainly points to changes, and explains the increased emphasis on “CBS News” online and with their local/national streaming services. However, “unify our brands” doesn’t mean there aren’t room for exceptions, nor does it have to mean that local identities vanish at all. The main reason I point this out is because of a few key quotes from the Variety article on the situation in LA:

Quote

The decision came after a new management regime installed last year at the now-combined CBS News and Stations division questioned why a station with a strong news brand would sit out the lucrative early morning hours.

Quote

“As one of the most trusted local news providers in Southern California, the window of opportunity for KCAL 9 News in the morning is wide open.”

That second quote is from Wendy McMahon herself, and she directly references “KCAL 9 News.” That’s not to say that you’re wrong and that they won’t eventually unify the brand there, but there is a clear emphasis on a strong brand for their morning news. Even with brand unification, management still values placing emphasis on a successful local identity. If it’s that important for a station like KCAL, I fail to see why it’s not important for a station like WJZ, which has built its identity, good reputation, and successful news operation on their call letters. That said, there’s still the question of radio:

2 hours ago, Myron Falwell said:

Moreover, outside of KPIX and WJZ-TV, the Group W TV stations never fully owned those recognizable brands. They were always shared with radio and now mean totally different things to different people since CBS sold off the radio unit. (Nevermind that KYW-TV was never a “market leader” in any sense of the word.)

The more I think about the radio issue, the less I think it matters in the long run for two reasons. First, while the KDKA situation caused a bit of an uproar directed at the TV station, I think most people know the difference. The classic example of this is none other than WABC. WABC TV and Radio have been separate operations for close to 15 years now, and the radio station could not be more different from the TV station. They aren’t associated with ABC in any way whatsoever (they’re affiliated w/ Fox News Radio IIRC,) even though “ABC” is in the name of the station. Yet, you don’t hear too many cases of people calling WABC-TV, ABC News, or Disney demanding that Bernie and Sid be fired. Besides, the kind of people that do complain to the TV station are probably not the type of viewers that stations are looking for anyway. Second, rebranding a station like KPIX as “CBS News Bay Area” will actually create confusion in that market. It will unintentionally create a false association between KPIX and KCBS radio, even though they no longer share common ownership.

2 hours ago, Myron Falwell said:

Group W hasn’t existed for nearly 26 years. Legacy is one thing but not if it’s holding back the evolution of the station group/rebuild of the network news division.

This is certainly true in the case of KYW. That’s a Group W station that could really use a branding shake-up. However, legacy doesn’t always hold back the network news division; in fact, it often enhances it. Look at WRAL. When NBC moved there from third-place WNCN, they hit the jackpot. Their overall ratings went from last to first virtually overnight. That is because a station like WRAL, with strong news programming and a good reputation built around a local identity, contributed to the growth of NBC programming in the market. It’s well known that there’s more overall trust in local news than national news in the United States, so even with brand unification, there is no convincing reason why the successful local brands at CBS must go away. That kind of move would hurt the successful local stations more than it would enhance the national operation.

Again, this (very long) post isn’t to say that you’re wrong and that CBS isn’t thinking along the lines of 100% brand unification; it’s only to say that there is evidence that CBS still wants some regional emphasis at their more successful stations. It’s certainly true that the CBS O&Os are generally last-place stations that have been run into the ground by David Friend, Peter Dunn, etc, and that their more successful stations are in comparatively smaller markets. However, when you have stations like WJZ, WCCO, KDKA, and WBZ that have built their success around their local identity, there’s no good reason for CBS to throw those babies out with the bathwater. I could be wrong, but I think management realizes that.

“Um sophisticated set” is a good set of words to describe it actually. Too bad they edited the article (no fun allowed in that newsroom, I guess.) Of course, the “new and innovative” BS is still there, even though it’s just another pre-fab set that isn’t anything special.

9 hours ago, TheRolyPoly said:

No they bleeping didn't! Its just another Nexstar set in a box!

To be fair, I’m sure there were plenty of viewers that said “we love your newscasts, but what you guys really need is a desk in the corner of your studio.” /s

50 minutes ago, mrschimpf said:

I think this is actually a good move, because like awards shows being taped and edited, the network morning show ending up with the same type of treatment when you've got it available live through SXM or your streaming service has gotten downright stupid; it's why Pacific Time stations are taking the 6:30pm ET newscasts more and more live at 3:30pm PT, and where the network overnight newscasts used to be live in all time zones, you only have World News Now done and out by 2:30am, then onto the morning newscasts by 3:00am.

 

If you're a CBS station with no morning news, that means if you air the CBS Morning News at 6:30am PT...that's a six hour old newscast you're carrying (with a twelve-hour old newscast leading into that). And then you're leading into a morning show when Today is already onto Hota and Jenna outside breaking news days and CBS Times Square is empty and unused. It's an outmoded model, and there shouldn't be this artificial wall up around watching a morning show live in PT because 'that's the way it's always been'.

 

I know KCBS will take a ratings hit, but you gotta start experimenting, and why keep KCAL in infomercial hell when they can be live 4-11? Most Fox stations are already in this mode, so it's basically CBS being adventurous and being the first here. I don't mind that they're going for it, and frankly, KPIX/KBCW should be next, and KOIN/KRCW should get incentives to try it themselves. You already basically had KOVR/KMAX as a half-model of this (their local show is active 4:30-11), and that seems to work pretty well for Sacramento.

Exactly. And the “ratings hit” that KCBS will take on isn’t the worst thing in the world. They’re already ratings-challenged in the morning, so they might as well blow it up. They’ll at least have the distinction of being the only LA station airing live national morning news, while the morning shows on 4 and 7 will be 3 hours old.
 

Meanwhile, KCAL can compete in the morning with something other than infomercials and “The 700 Club.” If they do it properly, they might be able to provide a more straightforward alternative to the infotainment-oriented shows on KTLA and Fox 11.

58 minutes ago, SFTV said:

My bad didn’t know KTLA had a full hour at 3pm I thought it was online streaming and I thought KDOC was a full hour per it’s tv listings on its site. 

Either way, that seems like an obscene amount of local news for the market. There’s a midterm election coming up, so they’ll certainly be raking in the ad dollars. Also, I suppose this gives doctor’s offices something to put on in the waiting room.

34 minutes ago, iron_lion said:

Was Dari's removal ever officially explained? On that note, was Earnie ready to go or was he pushed pushed out? 

 

Lori is is solid news woman but IMO Eyewitness News was a better fit for her. It's like Roz. Abrams at CBS 2 verses ABC 7. Same person, same ability,  just different stations.

 

Her and Sukanya's departures from the respective stations were really a seismic shift in the mornings.

Eyewitness News was a better fit for Lori, but IIRC WABC was dealing with a…situation with both a horrible GM and a horrible ND. 
 

As for Ernie, he was in his mid 70s when he left in 2019. He’d already stopped anchoring the more traditional 5/10p newscasts at that point, and he probably just wanted to retire after a long career.

Speaking of which, today is Ernie’s 78th birthday. Happy Birthday Ernie, and keep *plucking* along.

2 hours ago, TheSpeedKing said:

Chris Crane? But yes, no doubt this is a custom theme.

It sounds like Indie-Band News and Chris Crane had a baby.

21 hours ago, NYNewsCoverage said:

Agreed; I definitely see an anchor or network role for her in the future!

 

Additionally, despite the return of a more TV-friendly newscast, there's basically been no mention of 'WLNY TV 10/55' on the 9pm newscast since 2020 (aside from the bug) so I don't view 'CBS News New York Now' as that big of a downgrade. Maybe they'll return to the old CBSN studio?

I’d be fascinated to see the daily viewership of WLNY. I don’t think it’s a station people really watch, unless you’re really into sitcom reruns and court shows. It doesn’t have a legacy that’s known throughout the market, and it’s precisely the kind of station where a “CBS News New York” newscast actually makes sense. I hope they don’t move back to the CBSN studio though, as that set looked extremely low-budget.

1 hour ago, TVNewsLover said:

Well this is stupid. While it may benefit KCAL, it’ll probably hurt KCBS. Who wants to watch 2 hours of national news and features at 4am and then almost an exact repeat at 7am? Would it not make more sense to simulcast the 4-7am local newscast on 2&9 instead?

I’m just as perplexed as you, but in a way, it makes sense. IIRC, KCBS is near last in the mornings, and try as they might, they can’t dig themselves out of that hole. CBS itself has an interest in boosting its overall numbers for its national morning show. Doing this kills two birds with one stone, while simultaneously making KCAL more of a hyper-local station.

I know this will inevitably lead to more speculation, but I don’t see this happening elsewhere in the station group. IMHO, this is a situation that is unique to KCBS/KCAL. KCBS is especially weak among the O&Os, and KCAL is a station that could use the extra news programming. Although, running news from 4-11am sounds insane, and they better hire more people for that.

EDIT: This portion of the Variety article explains the reasoning.

Quote

The decision came after a new management regime installed last year at the now-combined CBS News and Stations division questioned why a station with a strong news brand would sit out the lucrative early morning hours. KCAL at present airs infomercials in the wee hours of the morning and time buys such as “The 700 Club” religious program. KCAL and CBS2 rivals KNBC, KABC, Fox’s KTTV and Nexstar’s KTLA all offer local or national newscasts in the 4 a.m.-9 a.m. span.

 

“By launching morning news on KCAL 9 and adding a second daily broadcast of ‘CBS Mornings’ on CBS 2, our local-to-global news organization is perfectly positioned to showcase its premium content on our broadcast and streaming channels in the Los Angeles market,” said Wendy McMahon, president and co-head of CBS News and Stations. “As one of the most trusted local news providers in Southern California, the window of opportunity for KCAL 9 News in the morning is wide open. We also believe this is an audience growth opportunity for ‘CBS Mornings’ by giving early risers and commuters in the Los Angeles market the chance to watch live from 4:00-6:00 AM.” 

9 minutes ago, Myron Falwell said:

WCCO, KDKA, WJZ and KYW share their identities with wholly unrelated radio stations. John Q. Public has no clue about KDKA not having any tie to it’s onetime TV sister, so of course the TV station got all sorts of flack when Wendy Bell’s career imploded at the radio station. Or that KYW radio is now co-located with, and operated alongside, WCAU.

This reasoning makes some sense when it comes to WCCO, KDKA, and KYW, but not WJZ. WJZ shares call letters with a Baltimore sports radio station, but that station doesn’t brand w/ their calls. Most people probably wouldn’t know that there even is a WJZ radio station unless they pay attention to the TOH IDs. The WJZ brand originates (and is best known from) from the TV side of things. Brand standardization might alleviate confusion in those markets and restart failing stations in other markets, but when it comes to Baltimore, they would be throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

11 hours ago, RGSJenkins said:

Especially after the paint on their vehicles, black and yellow nor KDKA ain't going nowhere any time soon.

While I’m leaning toward this argument, I wouldn’t be so sure of it.

I’m not sure if this was covered (my apologies if so), but CBS Pittsburgh’s YouTube channel looks to have changed their profile picture and banner to “CBS News Pittsburgh.” Their icon was previously “CBS Pittsburgh,” in line with the old CBS (City) idents of years past. However, their new channel banner is noticeably missing references to either KDKA or WPCW, which were present in the old banner. This isn’t conclusive evidence of a change on KDKA’s end, as their channel has (AFAIK) always gone by the CBS (City) brand, but the complete absence of KDKA branding certainly supports the standardization hypothesis. Again, I don’t think we’ll be able to gauge what will happen until we see station promos closer to the fall.

42 minutes ago, 24994J said:

I know some of you New York types don't like to venture outside your little tri-state bubble, but you might want to check this out. The "CBS News [City] Now" duopoly branding is going out to almost everyone, with KCAL as one notable exception.

 

 

Well, don’t paint us “New York types” with a broad brush. I’ve seen it and commented on it, as have numerous others. I think it’s been established that the CBS News (City) Now brand is being extended to the non-CBS stations (sans KCAL).

29 minutes ago, tw-804 said:

Last month, Studio 31 Media Archive's YouTube channel posted a montage with WRIC's new graphics. And you know what? I can picture the new graphics on WAVY/WVBT in Hampton Roads - along with 615 Music's Newswire V.2. The graphics they have right now has been around since 2013 (was it that long?!). Nothing's wrong with the current look WAVY/WVBT have but it's time for a new one, IMO.

 

 

 

Yeah, I’m gonna have to disagree on this one. This package looks so cheap that it would actually be a downgrade from WAVY’s current package. If WRIC’s package debuted 9 years ago, it would still look dated. Hell, I’ll argue that WABC’s package from 2013 looks more modern than this 3D bathroom tile nightmare.

2 hours ago, GodfreyGR said:

I still argue the "If it isn't broken..." argument. WCCO desperately needs a graphics refresh like all the CBS O&O's; but they have done a good job going with what they know works in the market- a set that has aged shockingly well for being 10-years old (minor updates, of course), iconic branding, and recognizable air staff. On the other side of town, KARE11 used to be #1 with that same formula, and now they're just happy to be in the Top 5 (as of Nov 2021).

I tend to agree with that argument, and if CBS even goes with the CTV-style branding at all, I wouldn’t be surprised if they made exceptions for their market leaders. WCCO, WJZ, KDKA, etc are known by their longtime brands on social media, billboards, a weather tower (in CCO’s case), and their vehicles. That’s too much successful brand familiarity to change overnight for the *chance* that the other markets improve.

That said, we likely won’t know anything for sure until we see station promos in August/September. Some signs point to brand standardization, other signs point to keeping the call letters, etc. We’re all making guesses at this point, and none of them will be reliable until we see more.