TVNewsStan

There has to be legs to these rumors. Local stations don’t have any real options for syndicated programs in 2024 and if they did, many can’t afford it. I do wonder: If O&Os and other local stations carry two hours of Daily this fall, how will Nielsen count the show (if each hour will be considered a new viewer similar to how Family Feud/Judge Judy/off-net sitcom reruns are counted or if the hours will be counted as Daily1/Daily2)? If each viewer is counted as a new viewer, then Daily would be on track to claim #1 not only in afternoon news, but would also begin competing (unfairly, but still…) against higher rated network daytime programs for ad dollars, while also creating a huge shift in the afternoon TV landscape. Daily keeps inching closer to The View in the News Demo and 18-49F; that would be a gigantic victory for them to celebrate. Also wonder if they’ll move the four hours or expand the live-ish taping schedule for Daily to six. Doesn’t the LA Market and most West Coast stations air the last hour on a delay (from 3PMEST) at 1PM PST or give them an evergreen show that compiles segments in case the last hour has breaking news (similar to what probably happened last week during the Kansas City shooting)? It would seem silly for markets on the west coast to air two hours of taped news when the goal for this show is to be as live as possible, even though everyone runs network morning shows on a delay.

That would be the goal for CBS, wouldn’t it? To retain as much of the lead-in as necessary. Stations could have the option of airing the hour right after Price, after their expanded hour newscast, or at 2PM/3PM to compete directly against Daily. If the networks aren’t making money for these media companies, that’s exactly what will happen. If programs Daily can make money for broadcast to keep them in the black, then it possibly keeps Comcast from selling the network and the news division. Same for Paramount, who is already flirting with AMG ahead of their big sale(Comics Unleashed/Funny You Should Ask)… I’m a lifelong soap fan… I certainly get why fans don’t want to give up their shows. But we don’t represent the viewership the networks want… we haven’t for over a decade. And spamming the NBC News Daily thread with negative comments, quoting Jamey Giddens (who spent over a decade enabling showrunners’ bad writing and creative decisions under the guise of journalism at Daytime Confidential) and preaching about executives lacking creativity in programming(which is rich given how YR/Bold/Days aren’t even trying and save for the recent Colleen Zenk stunt at YR, are totally on autopilot) isn’t enough of a sell to save the genre in its current state. There are plenty of forums devoted to serials where you can bash network news. It says a lot when the most provocative stories on daytime are being told on NBC News Daily instead of a serial… once lauded as *the place* for relevant social commentary and takeaway for its viewers. If networks are done with serials, give me a hard-ish news show over The View, The Talk, or GMA3 any day of the week.

I see shows like Daily as programming that can assist in extending the lifespan of broadcast TV and local stations by at least another couple decades. If Daily/GMA3/whatever CBS launches to replace Y&R/Bold can make enough ad dollars to keep them from selling off their broadcast networks to a company like Sinclair Broadcast Group or Byron Allen Media(I have no beef with them owning a broadcast network, but many do) then that is a win for viewers. Afternoon news programming can also be viewed as a statement against disinformation. Daytime as a whole lost a lot of viewers due to OJ, cable and streaming, but the big dropoff happened thanks to social media playing a huge role. Many get their soap operas(thanks to cooked up drama from reality TV/celebrities, whatever your neighbors are doing, political arguments with your Facebook Friends), your sports highlights, and their news from social media. Programs like Daily you could say provide people with headlines vs. hyperbole, facts vs. “what I heard,” and makes the audience watching more curious to actually do their research. As more people cut the cord or have their high speed internet data capped, programs like Daily(aiding local news) will be helpful in providing basic headlines. Afternoon News isn’t a fad that’s going away… NBC, by happy accident, went from being the laughing stock of daytime afternoons to becoming thought leaders. There’s no way CBS, Nexstar CW, and even ABC isn’t looking at what they’re doing to see how they can replicate it. Also wanted to mention that I’m on PTO this week and was curious about what sort of ads aired during Daily so I watched my local station’s feed… not once did I see a national ad for life insurance for 65+, As Seen on TV appliances/cookware, or an injury lawsuit CTA. It was 85-90% prescription drug ads(including Ozempic, a drug they’ve not always covered positively) and the rest consumer goods. Compare that to the ads you’ll see on YR/Bold/GH. Clearly Daily is more successful than some are willing to admit.

I’ll say this and then I’ll leave it alone: CBS’ flyover comedies and westerns were top rated shows and executives cancelled them to evolve as a broadcaster. YR may be higher rated than NND, but again… it’s a show CBS has no ownership stake in. I’m willing to bet NND makes more money for NBC than YR does for CBS. They get ad dollars from the news demo (not just injury lawsuits, As Seen on TV, and 65+ Insurance Ads, but consumer products). An article from Variety revealed awhile back that GMA3 commanded more ad dollars than Days in 2021. And that international revenue you speak of means nothing to them because they don’t own or distribute it; they pay a licensing fee to Sony to air it. Which is why I think CBS is done with it(and Bold) in 2024. They get to use that money to pay to bring someone from a competitor to afternoons. Both of those serials are expected to vacate TVC in Hollywood because of the renovations Hackman is currently doing to the studio. CBS likely has no backup plan for assisting in relocation… even moving to Radford(also owned by Hackman) would be costly for them for many reasons(feel free to DM if you want my additional thoughts on it, but I’m not going to bog down an NND thread over soap opera). I also saw Kate and Zinhle(who were on assignment working on a piece on Race in America) doing their thing in LA. I hope they shot some local ads for the NBC LA station there while they were working. Hope all four of them end up traveling for NND at some point. I think the only thing the show lacks(which it doesn’t really need) is a better connection to time and the audience. In the first year, the 2PM EST hour team(yes… the four hours are split between two separate production teams) opened with the time in various parts of the country. Little touches like that (esp. shoutouts to cities in local markets that carry the hour) would help Daily establish that it’s “live(with some repeat segments)” all the time instead of running a traditional news wheel(like CBSN). But not all affiliates get a live broadcast of Daily(including LA), so it wouldn’t be cost-effective.

Lurking for a minute on this post and decided to throw my change in the bucket: I think the moment Kate Snow announced prior to launch that Daily wouldn’t be an “opinion show,” I was on board. It’s very old school CNN Headline News(or OG CBSN with a better budget), something I feel the daypart has desperately needed for about a decade since it opted to slowly phase out of a lineup of serials. I’m one of those “four hours of news” junkies… doesn’t suck for me. It makes the workday go by faster, I catch great health and lifestyle segments, and I’m more curious to research news after hearing their take. I usually autopilot on streaming at work(or WFH) because it’s softer around the desk than music, I like following any real breaking news that comes up(ex. Mitch McConnell’s freezing spells), and they do a good job of keeping it straight with very little fluff. I think entertainment talk shows and even serials are great, but there’s only so much you can do with those in 2023 and in the case of the serial, the networks aren’t making huge profit margins from shows they don’t own. Local stations are seeing a desert of new syndicated options and aren’t willing to pay high licensing fees for anything that can’t sell ads. I agree with whoever said the Daily Team should only be in charge of network special reports during those hours. I’m a CBS News guy, so I usually flip to Norah if Lester Holt pops up on my screen. I have no doubt because of Daily’s success that CW(infrastructure in place thanks to NewsNation and their abundance of local affiliates) and CBS(by shuffling Y&R out of 12/12:30AM if they even keep it past 2024) will want to foray into afternoon news at some point. Let’s hope they’re taking notes from NBC on how to do it right.