nycnewsjunkie

40 minutes ago, Horizon said:

Well, I guess it's been 2 to 3 weeks since the rumored reverting to the old CNN look. I guess it's safe to say I was wrong, and so was the original "source" who spark my thinking.

My apologies.

Now watch them switch to the old look tomorrow

But no worries, you owned up to it.

1 hour ago, MediaZone4K said:

Ehhh... I like that broadcast remains mostly clean. I don't think shows should have to curse or have explicit sex scenes in order to be good. A good drama can stand on its own without those elements. We've all seen how low standards can go when they're relaxed (example the VMAs).

I somewhat understand this opinion, and also acknowledge that it’s possible for some shows to use swearing as a bit of a crutch, but to me, that’s a problem of bad writing, not the existence of swear words. You could also argue that a complete ban on swear words makes certain shows unrealistic. Can you really suspend your disbelief about the average CBS police procedural when you don’t hear the occasional F-bomb flying around?

I understand having no explicit content before, say, 9pm, but I still think a complete ban is unrealistic in 2023. Although, given the fact that we’re about to experience a drought of scripted shows, this is probably a moot point. Oh well, get ready for Deal or No Deal: Electric Boogaloo.

1 hour ago, tyrannical bastard said:

If "character" was ever an issue the FCC cared about, Sinclair would have been shut down years ago.  But even by their failed and misguided attempt to purchase Tribune, payola, plugola and regulatory blunders over the years, all they got was some fines and consent degrees...

Exactly; they actually *did* push fake news on their stations, not to mention the mass closure of newsrooms. You’d have a better case against them holding licenses, yet they’re still here.

I know Fox sucks and all, but there are plenty of grifters out there who will use a legit issue like disinformation to rake in cash and attention. They aren’t helping anyone or anything but their wallets.

53 minutes ago, mrschimpf said:

Yes...I agree that they need scrutiny, but actual examples are needed here. The FTS stations are ultimately controlled at the local level by local people, and though some of the stations did carry the full FNC coverage of January 6's events (including the commentary), many (like WITI) saw it, immediately stopped the simulcast, and actively try to keep Rupert and Suzanne Scott from hijacking their agenda fully because they answer to local viewers first.

 

Agreed that the WWOR example definitely needs to be taken seriously, but if you're going to go after a license renewal, go with a station that's questionable like KTSP (Kari Lake), WJBK (the most low-effort news division out of all of FTS's stations), or WTVT (their past chicanery). WTXF actually has local programming beyond news and I don't forsee the challenge winning because of their programming, and mainly because WTXF's news division is okay at best and most viewers in the market (outside the Eagles) are entrenched with either 6ABC (which has a strong 10pm on WPHL) or WCAU, with the outliers sticking with KYW.

 

Also it's 2023...just throwing up random examples isn't going to work in a day when newscasts are cataloged and timestamped in full online, and in multiple places, like YouTube and Fox's own sites. We're no longer in the days where we have to write Burell's Transcripts and pay $10 for a copy of one. It's easy enough to build your case with actual clips and proper research.

I can get on board with going after WWOR or KSAZ, but just out of curiosity, what has WTVT done wrong? And WJBK isn’t a great station imo either, but I don’t think that’s enough to revoke the license.

14 minutes ago, Geoffrey said:

Yeah, it seems to be more aimed at whether the owner should be allowed the privilege to own a local television station, not whether the specific station has screwed up. I doubt it will go anywhere but it is an interesting attempt to hold Fox accountable wherever possible.

I can get behind that, but only if this group shows specific evidence that Fox has neglected/mismanaged their local TV stations. Mismanagement at Fox News still doesn’t equal mismanagement at the stations, and I really don’t think this public posturing serves the public interest at all.

22 hours ago, AmericanErrorist said:

The Media and Democracy Project has filed a petition against WTXF's license renewal, citing Fox News Channel's settlement with Dominion Voting Systems over lies made by FNC hosts about Dominion's operations, as well as the cable channel's coverage of the 1/6/21 riots. Featuring testimony from former FBC executive Preston Padden, the petition impugns Fox Corporation's appropriateness to hold broadcast licenses and takes issue with Fox News-produced national footage that has aired on the station, but it does not bring up any material produced in Philadelphia. It is implied that the group will file other petitions against the rest of FTS as their renewals come up.

I am more than happy to criticize Fox News Channel for false reporting. That being said, this screams of being a publicity stunt that goes after the wrong target. Where in the petition does it say that Fox spread misinformation on WTXF, or for that matter, any of their TV stations? If they don’t have evidence of that, they’re wasting everyone’s time.

By all means, go after Fox News, but don’t actively miss the forest for the trees.

2 hours ago, mre29 said:

There's a CNN Philippines? I didn't know that.

 

 

...

 

Huh. There's also channels for Brazil, Chile, Turkey, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Czech Republic, Albania, Romania, and Portugal. Guess I should've paid more attention to the Wikipedia page.

 

I'm surprised there aren't country-specific channels for Australia and New Zealand. Is Sky News that dominant there?

CNN licenses their brand to pretty much all of those channels; I don’t think they actually own the channels themselves. Launching a country-specific channel for other English-speaking nations would probably be redundant, given that CNN Int’l already (sort of) caters to that audience. Although, WBD does own Newshub in NZ.

The Philippine version of “The Source” is basically an interview show; from what I remember, Pinky Webb basically does a sit down interview with a political figure for half an hour, and that’s about it. OTOH, Kaitlan Collins’ show is being marketed as another prime time talk show. I could be wrong, but I don’t think the two shows will share much in common other than the title.

5 hours ago, TheRob said:

Unfortunately for the producers, it is a fireable offense to send an internal information (i.e., a newsroom memo) out for publication.

While that’s true, I don’t see any other way that they could’ve addressed the problems in that newsroom, given that some at the station already tried addressing their concerns to corporate (at least, according to Matthew Keys).
 

I understand that Nexstar has the legal right to fire them for publicizing that memo, and I suppose it’s not in the company’s interest to employ people who can’t be trusted with internal info. However, I think Nexstar also has a practical obligation to address the concerns that led to such a leak happening in the first place.

On 6/26/2023 at 10:49 PM, Geoffrey said:

Watters may be the dumbest and most lightweight host Fox has (and that's saying a lot).

One of his claims to fame seems to be having an absurd anti-Asian streak, which is, especially for me, enough not to like him. He’s also a remarkably unserious commentator, even by the standards of this particular network.

1 hour ago, Geoffrey said:

He is their media reporter writing for their media newsletter. He thought he was being clever tying the bolder font with a bolder direction. Perhaps you disagree. 

Ok, fair point. Still a little much for my taste, but like I said, that’s just my opinion. I’m just hoping “bolder”≠2013-2022.

3 hours ago, mountainave said:

It was one paragraph in a twelve paragraph article.

Incorrect; it’s a third of the article. Oliver Darcy managed to pump four whole paragraphs about the font, the graphics, and how the new graphics were somehow emblematic of Chris Licht’s tenure.
 

Forgive me for expecting better from a major American news outlet, but I think it’s rather childish for a reporter to ramble on about this sort of thing in an attempt to air the network’s dirty laundry. Of course, that’s just my opinion; others are available.

8 hours ago, KRAP-TV said:

It’s kind of odd to see CNN reporting on itself like this, but it’s certainly revealing…

 

https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/26/media/cnn-after-chris-licht-reliable-sources/index.html

They actually wrote an article about making the freakin font bolder. How embarrassing…

Granted, they did a phenomenal job covering the Russian coup and Christiane Amanpour did a fantastic interview with Obama, but why do I get the feeling we’re about to get the Greatest Hits of Jeff Zucker?

3 hours ago, Geoffrey said:

It may not be a big deal, but it is very different from a small logo on one of the weather slides. This sponsorship dictated programming during a news program.

I think this can have the potential to be a bit sleazy, but if we’re being honest, the ship has sailed on the era of “no sponsors on the news.” There are stations that put sponsorships for car dealerships and ambulance-chasing lawyers on the headline ticker and the 7-day forecast. Of course, there are also the pay-for-play advertorial shows that are disguised as talk shows, which John Oliver did a good job of pointing out. Those are far more egregious imo. 
 

While this was a news program, I think it was apparent that this wasn’t a news segment. It’s not as though we had coverage of the Russian coup attempt sponsored by Legoland.

3 hours ago, Geoffrey said:

I was flipping around to sample the cable news coverage of this big moment happening in Russia right now. The other cable networks are wall to wall on this.

 

"News" Nation is airing Blue Bloods, of course. And when I turned them on for a second, they had a banner promoting anti-vax conspiracy theorist RFK, Jr.

 

This is not a real news channel.

 

I’m almost surprised they didn’t just air “Swan Lake” on repeat; it would’ve given people more information than another Blue Bloods rerun.

9 minutes ago, channel2 said:

Balking when it's time to renew.

 

Also, Atlanta is a huge market. A top ten market. CMV fare can air elsewhere, but if it can't get a clearance in the market otherwise, that's what WUPA's for.

 

It might look like a useless hunk of junk on the outside, but there's probably plenty of reasons we don't see for them to keep it. And if they gave it up, there would be no easy way back into Atlanta for them.

They just renewed yesterday. They renewed after the whole argument was made here that CBS was itching to move their affiliation to WUPA. Now we’re speculating that they’re going to move again after they just renewed?

I’m sure you’re right that CBS sees some value in WUPA. Maybe they generate enough revenue from the station that they don’t feel the need to sell. Perhaps they’re looking to pursue local sports rights. Maybe they can’t find a buyer even if they wanted one. None of that means that CBS is guaranteed to make such egregious terms for WANF in future negotiations to the point that they’ll force the affiliation to WUPA.

Furthermore, if I’m Gray, and CBS forces my hand in Atlanta, what’s to stop me from switching the rest of my 80+ CBS affiliates to other networks as well? Maybe we disagree, but I really don’t think CBS is in a rush to piss off “the largest independent owner of CBS affiliates in the country,” as the TVNewsCheck article notes.

29 minutes ago, channel2 said:

I'm sure they'd be all too happy to give up a guaranteed outlet for CBS Media Ventures fare, and a threat they can use against Meredith/Gray when they balk at CBS's terms for WGCL/WANF.

So you’re still arguing that Gray is going to balk over the terms of affiliation when they already renewed with CBS?

Given that Paramount is dealing with more important issues, like cutting content on their streaming service, I seriously doubt that pissing off Gray over one Atlanta TV station is a high priority. Hell, TV stations in general are not their priority. Why are they going to pour money into starting a local news operation from scratch on a channel few watch when their affiliate is not only doing the job, but also showing ratings improvement?
 

And it’s not as though CBSMV fare can’t air elsewhere; the only CBSMV show on WUPA is Drew Barrymore. That’s it.

At the end of the day, CBS renewed with Gray, and they’re not going anywhere in Atlanta.

10 hours ago, Briella said:

Actually no, this is some 90s news stuff that we need. News channels need to find ways to bring drama and excitement without being about politics all the time. This is old school. This is on par with a camera following OJ in the Bronco. People secretly hope for death and destruction, that's why they watch. You can say it's immoral, but humanity at it's core is immoral, this is just giving the people what they want. 

If this is “giving the people what they want,” then show me the evidence of high ratings at this farce of a network to prove that this stuff even works.

If you think this is the “stuff we need” when the media is facing a record low trust deficit, then with all due respect, you may want to rethink your priorities.

4 hours ago, PhillyWatch said:

It's tacky and gross. Incredible to think how both Nexstar and Scripps both basically executed the same plan launching news networks, but with such starkly different products. 

Scripps actually did the smart thing and distributed their network on multiple platforms so that, get this, more people could at least watch the damn thing. Scripps is also far more credible, and unlike NewsNation, they aren’t a bunch of cynical attention-seeking desperados that would make Jeff Zucker blush.

2 hours ago, TheRob said:

Tully spoke to the WOOD-TV staff.

 

https://thedesk.net/2023/06/susan-tully-nexstar-wood-tv-lgbt-memo/

I suppose this confirms what a lot of people suspect; Nexstar’s management team is filled to the brim with f***ing idiots.

Hey Susan, maybe if you and your company had nipped this problem in the bud months ago and listened to your employees, maybe you wouldn’t have dealt with a leak and a PR nightmare. Susan Tulley needs to go touch grass.

An update from WOOD-TV: Employees of the station have been complaining to Nexstar higher ups about bullying, harassment, and racism from the station’s news director, Stanton Tang, for months. The anonymous employees also state that many have been overworked, and the constant burnout has led to people taking multiple personal days or leaving the station entirely. WOOD-TV staff informed Nexstar corporate about Tang’s behavior, but their complaints were ignored.

https://thedesk.net/2023/06/wood-tv-stanton-tang-harassment-allegations-nexstar/
 

Furthermore, regarding the pride memo, Tang apparently instructed assistant ND Amy Fox to write the memo on his behalf. It is also allegedly not the first time Tang has used his personal politics to sway WOOD-TV’s news coverage.

https://thedesk.net/2023/06/stanton-tang-anti-gay-pride-memo-wood-tv/

22 minutes ago, MidwestTV said:

The only thing I dislike is still how the top stories are all "breaking news." A fad ABC started that I won't forgive. If everything is breaking news, nothing is.

Still, could be worse. They could be talking in incomplete sentences and flagrantly using the present participle instead of speaking like normal human beings.

I think the new graphics look good enough. I do think the tease graphics are a downgrade, though; lower thirds are simpler and convey headlines much better then whatever they’re doing with these new graphics. There’s also a non-zero chance that the 3D elements will look really outdated sooner rather than later. Overall everything looks fine.

35 minutes ago, CircleWXYZ said:

Looks like WWJ is adding the logo box.  Thought all channel references are gone lol.

A few thoughts (probably way too many for such a short clip tbh):

1) I don’t know why they would bother promoting a show that airs on Sundays at midnight (assuming this is a promo).

2) If your station’s on channel 62, I’m not sure I would be eager to make that the prominent brand. I get that their station is harder to find for OTA viewers, but using channel 62 as the primary brand sort of makes your station look cheap (as if you’re promoting the fact that your station is hard to reach). It also goes against the whole “streaming first” thing that they had going for them.

22 hours ago, wofchristian said:

I am pretty sure WPVI is going to wait til September 1st because PHL-17, the network they produce a 10PM newscast for, just announced it is switching its affiliation from MyNetwork to The CW. It wouldn’t make sense to make new graphics for the PHL-17 broadcast when it will only last a few months.

Not to get too off topic, but is there anything that’s come out to suggest that WPHL will take the 10pm in house when they switch to the CW? From what I remember they were handily beating WTXF at 10pm with WPVI’s newscast, so I’m not sure why they would mess with what’s working.

Either way, I doubt that would have too much bearing on when WPVI launches the new graphics.

There’s an internal row at Nexstar’s WOOD-TV over an edict from the station’s local management over coverage of pride events.

https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2023/06/15/wood-tv-lgbtq-reports-memo/70326709007/

Chief Meteorologist Ellen Bacca posted this on Twitter in response to the memo from the station’s assistant news director:

Furthermore, Nexstar has issued a response to the edict from WOOD-TV management. Notably, WOOD’s ND and AND will “no longer be involved in news coverage decisions regarding Pride month.”

5 hours ago, Vlad said:

Yeah, it will be interesting to see how the other O&O stations modify this package and tailor it to their own branding. At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if WABC retains its current theme, (EWN Series 4), or maybe a new theme will finally be instore for them? I also hope KABC keeps their current music arrangement too, it works for them.  

If WLS is using music that dates back to 1994 (I think), I doubt WABC or KABC is changing anything music-wise (especially how expensive it reportedly is to commission upgrades from Warner Chappell). I could see them dropping talent opens, but that’s about it.

2 hours ago, Recovering Producer said:

 

It's comparable to my doctor praising me for losing 3 pounds this year compared to one pound last year. Sure, the percentage of growth is big - but the reality is the audience is still not substantial. Their PR team does a great job selling a story that's all smoke and mirrors. 

I wonder how much Nexstar paid The Daily Beast to crap out that story.

50 minutes ago, qunewsguy said:

The package looks good overall but you can sort of tell it took years to finally implement. Some of the design trends used here are now a tad bit past their prime (arrows opening up sliding elements, semi-webpage looking animation cues). Also I'm seeing some very minor similarities to the CBS O&O look, likely owing to the fact that Wendy McMahon was the driving force behind both.

Those are fair points, but the package is still a massive upgrade for pretty much all of those stations (esp. WABC). Imo, it’s still on par w/ the other major network O&Os, and it looks far better than the packages the major station groups have put on their stations.