SDHIll1980

Never mind, DENDude beat me to it...

I was thinking about this, in regards to KCAL+, but to me in my opinion, it should have been KTLA that created a new locally-programmed subchannel instead. They're sitting on syndicated programming that's either relegated to late nights (thanks to the increasing news expansion) or no longer seen locally (Steve Wilkos and Kamano) that could fill a daytime/early evening schedule. Hell, they could even poach a few classic shows from Antenna and Rewind to fill-in some other parts of the schedule (and grab Young Sheldon from KNBC's Cozi TV channel), and air encores of their locally-produced shows--Frank Buckley Interviews, L.A. Unscripted, Jessica Holmes Cooking, and Off the Clock. It'll certainly be a better lineup of shows that what KCAL+ is currently showing, at least to me.

I would have thought that the Blazers would have gone with Gray as well, but probably the financials didn't add up to make it viable for both parties. Beyond Gray and Sinclair, the other options in Portland were rather limited, between Tegna (KGW), Nexstar (KOIN/KRCW), and even Ion/Scripps. Through all of the different TV partners they've had over the years, the Blazers have always handled their on-air production in-house, so it shouldn't have any remnants of Bally Sports graphics or production styles in their telecasts. Although I'm not a fan of this team, I've checked out the reactions of Blazers fans on Reddit and a couple of their team blogs...there are quite a few that aren't happy with the Sinclair association. Never mind that Sinclair is only providing the outlets to air games, while the team is handling the broadcast infrastructure internally.

For the third straight season, KTLA will carry a limited number of Clippers games--four preseason, and eleven regular-season contests.

As is KTXH. Although their current branding is a throwback to the late '80s, it's still unique amongst Fox's MyNetworkTV stations. Fox 26 Plus/Xtra...maybe in the future?

The Portland Trail Blazers now have a new broadcast partner: KATU and Sinclair https://www.nba.com/blazers/news/portland-trail-blazers-announce-future-of-trail-blazers-broadcasting A multi-year deal that includes distribution on Sinclair stations throughout Oregon and Washington, mainly on subchannels including in Portland on KATU 2.2 (Charge!) until January 1, 2025, when Blazers telecasts move to KUNP Channel 16 (currently Univision); in Seattle, the games will air on KUNS 51.2 (TBD Network). Also as part of the agreement, the Blazers are creating a paid direct-to-consumer streaming service (BlazerVision) that will have live and classic games, pre and postgame content, and other team-oriented programming.

KCAL+ officially launched today, on channel 9.6; the channel's listings (via TitanTV) aren't yet listed on the CBS Los Angeles website. KCAL also has yet to straighten-out the listings of their subchannels, with the programs on KCAL+ listed on 9.2 instead of on 9.6, with the station's other subchannels (The Nest, Comet, HSN, QVC) also displayed incorrectly. What I can tell you is that they have a three-hour game show block from 2-5pm: Funny You Should Ask, the new Flip Side, and Family Feud, with a hour of Hot Bench following from 5-6pm. Edit: I came across program listings for KCAL+ via TVGuide.com (search for 9.6), and as PhillyWatch mentioned before, it's all extra runs of current syndicated programming from 2 and 9, and from 7pm to 4am, MeTV Toons occupies the rest of the broadcast day. Of course, MeTV Toons is already broadcast in the region over KSFV 27.1 and KAZA 54.3 full-time.

Disney+ just added ABC News Live and a channel with Disney Junior programming (not the actual Disney Jr. channel itself)...I do wonder if those live feeds will migrate over to Disney+ (and maybe Hulu) upon the shutdown date.

Let's see...4-11am, noon-1pm, 4-5pm, 8-10:45pm. 11 hours, 45 minutes, and that's not to mention three and a half hours of news produced for KCBS (although one of those hours is simulcast on 9). That's more than 15 hours produced each weekday by the CBS Los Angeles operation, trailing only KTLA by less than a few hours in terms of local newscasts. How much more news can 2/9 fit in, unless they go overnight (lol)?

...or make KTLA+ an over-the-air subchannel, and move some of the newscasts exclusively there. I know that the syndication market is pretty barren these days, and it's wishful thinking regarding my first statement, but it's also pretty much overkill to have that much local news on one station everyday. And before someone wants to ELI5 me about KTLA's news product...I live and grew up in Los Angeles, and have been watching this station for a couple of generations (I'm 44), including many of their newscasts when I'm home. I've always liked their news presentation, and they're in my regular rotation of local newscasts between them, KABC, KNBC, and sometimes KTTV. Give it some time, and the 11pm newscast will be expanded to a full hour...

Although his tie to the news world was only that as the continuity voice of CNN for many years, legendary actor James Earl Jones passed away today at age 93. https://edition.cnn.com/2024/09/09/entertainment/james-earl-jones-death/index.html

In Letterman's first five years on Late Night, he was off on Fridays, and Friday Night Videos aired in place after Carson. The final six years on NBC, Letterman was on five nights a week, with Friday Night Videos airing right after; when Bob Costas, Greg Kinnear, and Cynthia Garrett all did the Later program (plus a four year period of guest hosts between Kinnear and Garrett), it aired Mondays through Thursdays, while the different incarnations of FNV occupied the remaining weeknight. As far as I remember, Conan O'Brien was on NBC every weeknight, and didn't start doing four nights a week until he moved to TBS.

In sort of a throwback to the latter half of the Johnny Carson era of the Tonight Show, Variety is reporting that Jimmy Fallon will now be producing new episodes of Tonight just four nights a week, instead of five. Repeats/"Best of" shows will air on Friday nights going forward. https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/tonight-show-jimmy-fallon-four-nights-per-week-nbc-1236135343/

Donovan's replacement on Browns radio is former NFL Network anchor/reporter, ex-DirecTV RedZone host, and recent Rams preseason TV voice Andrew Siciliano. Siciliano filled-in for Donovan on three games last season. https://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/andrew-siciliano-named-play-by-play-announcer-for-browns

Today--September 3rd (yesterday for you East Coasters) marked the 30th anniversary of the first of the massive network affiliation switches thanks to Fox acquiring NFL broadcast rights. Cleveland was the first market make to the switch, where longtime CBS affiliate WJW made the switch to Fox, while WOIO took on CBS after nearly eight years with Fox. Nine days later, Kansas City conducted its own network switching, with WDAF going from NBC to Fox, and KSHB doing the reverse.

Although both USC and UCLA have alumni up and down the West Coast, the real affect would be felt in Washington state and Oregon, as well as Northern and Central California (basically Fresno and everything north and west). From Bakersfield southward to the Mexican border, it's all Spectrum with Cox sprinkled in. Cox's service territory includes SW Los Angeles County, southern Orange County, and at least half of San Diego County.

I'm a Spectrum customer, and I was just reminded that it's been practically a whole calendar year since the dispute between them and Disney. Not only I lost the cable networks, but KABC as well, although disputes like these are a reason why I keep an antenna attached to the TV. Fubo did offer a seven-day free trial for Spectrum to try out their services (and I've used Fubo in the past)...signed-up on September 9th, two days later Spectrum restored Disney Channel, the ESPNs, FX, Nat Geo, and the ABC O&Os, and I cancelled Fubo later that day.

It wouldn't shock me if a new agreement ends up being similar to the one Disney currently has with Spectrum--Disney Junior and XD, FXM and FXX, Freeform, and Nat Geo Wild all dropped, and subscribers on the higher tiers (Choice, Ultimate, Premier) get Disney+ and ESPN+ for free.

Another NHL team flees the Bally Sports roster, this time the Anaheim Ducks. Fox Los Angeles formally announced today that it'll televise 65 games this upcoming season on KCOP, with the games also streaming on the Victory+ streaming service (the same company handling the Dallas Stars broadcasts going forward). https://www.foxla.com/news/fox-11-plus-announces-media-partnership-anaheim-ducks

Pioneering daytime talk show legend Phil Donahue passed away last night (Sunday 8/18), at age 88. https://www.today.com/popculture/news/phil-donahue-dies-rcna167132

On the local level, the Portland Trail Blazers are the latest team to leave a regional sports network, as the team and Root Sports terminated their contract with a season left remaining. The team will announce a TV broadcast home in the coming weeks, especially just as the NBA will announce its team schedules for the upcoming season today (8/15). https://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/2024/08/trail-blazers-leaving-root-sports-alternative-not-yet-announced.html Honestly, this could be ripe for Gray Media to snap up Blazers broadcast rights, as they have the KPTV/KPDX duopoly and their continual expansion of going after local sports rights, as they've done in Phoenix with the Suns, as well as recently acquiring the Pelicans TV rights for WVUE, and are entering into a joint venture with Cavaliers ownership to start an over-the-air sports network in Cleveland (and in Cincinnati via a WXIX subchannel) which is launching in the fall, although the Cavs will remain on Bally Sports for the time being.

As per Variety (and a few other sources), the price point for Venu Sports has been set: $42.99 per month. It'll be a seven-day free trial for those who sign-up at launch (date still TBD), and the monthly fee will be locked-in for one year. Subscribers will have access to fourteen networks: ABC, ESPN (including 2, U, News, and the ACC and SEC networks, plus access to ESPN+), Fox (including Big Ten Network and FS1 and 2), and Turner's TBS, TNT, and TruTV. Besides ESPN+ on-demand content, Venu will also offer the same type of content from Fox and Turner's sports libraries of documentaries and studio shows. Keep note that Venu would still need the proper regulatory approval, but it's expected to start operation when the NFL regular-season begins. According to ESPN, those who subscribe to Venu can also include it with a new bundle package with Disney+, Hulu, and Max (currently starting at $16.99/month).

To quote Wesley Snipes as Nino Brown in the opening scene of New Jack City..."money talks and bullshit runs a marathon..."

Fox issued a press release back in May highlighting their NFL coverage for this upcoming season (including Super Bowl LIX), and as many know that Tom Brady will make his NFL analyst debut with Kevin Burkhardt on September 8th (week 1), when the Cowboys face off versus the Browns in Cleveland. However, those in Tampa Bay, Washington DC, and their teams' respective secondary markets will see Commanders at Buccaneers instead. Greg Olsen, who served as Burkhardt's partner the previous two seasons will join Joe Davis as their #2 team, and there will be also some shuffling amongst the other broadcast teams. The only non-change will be the team of Kenny Albert and Jonathan Vilma. As per the USA Today, here's Fox's lineup of main broadcast teams (excluding the sideline reporters, although it's confirmed that Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi will work with Burkhardt & Brady) Kevin Burkhardt & Tom Brady Joe Davis & Greg Olsen Adam Amin & Mark Sanchez Kenny Albert & Jonathan Vilma Kevin Kugler & Darryl Johnston Chris Myers and Mark Schlereth

Agree with the part about redundancy. I can't see why NBCU didn't replace LX Home with NBC News Now as a subchannel. In fact, it would be cool if the Big Four O&Os plug-in their local and national streaming news networks as subchannels, that could at least increase their visibility among those viewers that just rely solely on over-the-air reception. Not everyone has access to or want to use the internet.