Jess 1115 Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 So we've all seen the big news: WNBC is restoring the 5pm. Buried in that article was something interesting: a name change for the station group. "NBC Local Media" is no longer the name for NBC's owned and operated stations. Actually, they don't want to say "owned and operated". It's now "NBC Owned Television Stations". B&C got a memo from the new boss about the name change, and there are a few interesting nuggets in there that I'll repost here (emphasis mine): "This new name serves as a reminder to all of us that this division is first and foremost defined by 10 great television stations serving 10 very dynamic and diverse communities," Staab told employees in a memo obtained by B&C. "We are no longer referring to our stations as ‘owned and operated' because while the stations are owned by NBC, they are operated by the local management team of each station. Our markets are separate and distinct, and the people running the stations are in the best position to serve the needs of their communities each and every day." Staab said she'll embark on station visits, and will give the local outlets the resources needed to compete. "We are making significant additional investments in our stations to be certain we deliver local news, entertainment and information that we are all proud to deliver," she said. My take? The language here suggests that the new look is dead... or at least being significantly retooled. "Separate and Distinct" is a very different term to use when just a month ago the stations were using "NBC" branding for certain syndicated shows and getting nearly identical logos that played up "NBC" and downplayed the channel number. Staab apparently wants these stations to feel unique. And that "resources needed to compete" is also a good line: my hope is they start by restarting the creative services departments at their stations. Here in Philly, I'm noticing some small changes to the branding already. They're still running "This Is" promos and a few things here and there with the block logo, but most of the new promos in the last month or so have the familiar "10 NBC" logo. The stuff that was being promoted as "NBC", like Ellen, is now being promoted as "NBC 10" again. And, of course, the station adopted new opens edited from the KNSD template and picked up the new O&O music from Stephen Arnold. (NOT 360; Stephen Arnold did this music) I honestly don't think they'd do that unless they were told they couldn't launch the new look, which from all accounts seemed ready to go on their end. So positive changes seem to be taking place - finally - at the O&Os-- oops - "NBC owned television stations". Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/11286-is-the-new-nbc-oo-look-dead/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ntropolis 596 Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 :party: Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/11286-is-the-new-nbc-oo-look-dead/#findComment-66845 Share on other sites More sharing options...
A3N 1002 Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 Interesting to note, but KNSD as of today has been referring themselves (at least the anchors) as NBC 7 San Diego. Wonder if this has something to do with the new boss. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/11286-is-the-new-nbc-oo-look-dead/#findComment-66847 Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazynetjunkie 34 Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 Typical released babel message.. They're still going to be and always be owned and OPERATED by NBC. In simple terms, the way the stations are going to be run now is going to be more like the ABC O&O's where the stations have a little more control without being run based on fear from management up above the station. However, there's still going to likely be a management shakeup at, at least, a couple of the O&O's. Management stuck to the old money saving stingy ways and don't want to invest into their stations are likely going to get the boot. Chicago is still a wreck and people have the feeling bosses here will be changing soon.. The new look is "dead" as an overall standardization for all the stations.. It's still there if a station wants to use it but it's not being shoved down throats anymore. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if KNSD reverted back to their previous look.. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/11286-is-the-new-nbc-oo-look-dead/#findComment-66849 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samantha 2896 Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 Interesting to note, but KNSD as of today has been referring themselves (at least the anchors) as NBC 7 San Diego. Wonder if this has something to do with the new boss. That's the name I would have chosen. The "NBC 7-39" ID was always clunky, the logo was less than inspiring (and going on 15 years or so). SD might be a large market for cable branding, but that's what KSWB has done for years, even well before the Fox switch. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/11286-is-the-new-nbc-oo-look-dead/#findComment-66851 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess 1115 Posted June 17, 2011 Author Share Posted June 17, 2011 Typical released babel message.. They're still going to be and always be owned and OPERATED by NBC. In simple terms, the way the stations are going to be run now is going to be more like the ABC O&O's where the stations have a little more control without being run based on fear from management up above the station. However, there's still going to likely be a management shakeup at, at least, a couple of the O&O's. Management stuck to the old money saving stingy ways and don't want to invest into their stations are likely going to get the boot. Chicago is still a wreck and people have the feeling bosses here will be changing soon.. Yeah, I'm not getting the "we're not OPERATING" the station stuff as well. But the idea from the message I got is "we're not going to try to run every aspect of everything from New York anymore". Which, basically, was what John Wallace was trying to do. But I don't think they're going to go as far as ABC, where every station has a distinct identity and is run fairly freely. That said, I do hope that her statement about "investing in resources" is true because some of the stations need that, badly. There's evidence they're finally doing some capital investment (a new studio and the revived 5pm news for WNBC, for example), so that's good. I'd really like to see WCAU get an actual HD character generator, but that's probably not on the top things to invest. They do need to clean house at some of the stations, like Chicago and probably New York. The new look is "dead" as an overall standardization for all the stations.. It's still there if a station wants to use it but it's not being shoved down throats anymore. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if KNSD reverted back to their previous look.. This brings up a couple of questions. First off, if the stations are free to switch to it, what's stopping them? Again, WCAU is running that new theme and they're running opens I believe for the new look that have been edited for the Look C elements. But they've been running promos since January with the new logo, and up until recently they were slowly, but steadily implementing it throughout the station. I know other stations have had problems with it, I know Comcast had to have had a problem with it, but 10 always seemed like they would have launched it as soon as possible. So why the (apparently hastily done) re-edit? Second, what does this mean for the future of the NBC O&O's looks? Are they going to try again with a new look? Are stations going to be able to switch to other packages? It's an interesting scenario given just how hard NBC has been pushing standard, corporate looks since about 2003. I don't ever see them going back to every station having its own look, nor do I see them outsourcing to GO or Hothaus, but you have to wonder. It's kind of unprecedented, though, for a proposed graphics change of this magnitude being more or less withdrawn. I can only remember a few times it's happened, mostly on cable stations (Spike TV being the one example; their original logo and Trollback look didn't make air). Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/11286-is-the-new-nbc-oo-look-dead/#findComment-66852 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oprah 10 Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 They desperately need to fix WTVJ.....their main anchor (Kevin Corke) is about as milquetoast as it gets and they have jettisoned most of their good talent (Kelly Craig, etc.) over the years (or they've "retired"/"left" i.e. Bob Mayer, Julia Yarbough, Tony Segreto, etc.). Too bad they probably can't convince someone like Bryan Norcross to come back. (He is on the NBC payroll, though, by virtue of working at TWC). Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/11286-is-the-new-nbc-oo-look-dead/#findComment-66858 Share on other sites More sharing options...
groupwfan 97 Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 After hearing about this, I hope that 'CAU would get 7/39's blocky style, heck they got 7/39's music already. My only shock is that they took a page of 'TVJ's book with customizing the Artworks GFX. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/11286-is-the-new-nbc-oo-look-dead/#findComment-66860 Share on other sites More sharing options...
A3N 1002 Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 As mentioned before, KNSD had gone with NBC 7 San Diego. They updated the opens to include the 7. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/11286-is-the-new-nbc-oo-look-dead/#findComment-66863 Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhratbrat 437 Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 For many of us, we wish that the NBC Owned and Operated stations would go back to their own identities. In a way, NBC is now letting them do that. Granted with KNSD swapping fully over to the brand new look, for them, the look works. WTVJ and WCAU have made modified versions of their opens. (WTVJ going as far as a brand change but modifying series III graphics) and WCAU switching themes and modifying the open. I am more interested to see what will happen in Chicago, New York, and LA. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/11286-is-the-new-nbc-oo-look-dead/#findComment-66873 Share on other sites More sharing options...
detroiter313 180 Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 Could this be the end of station standardization as we know it on the NBC O&O's? And if so, will other station groups follow, or buckle down and not give up easily? (After all, we seen Local TV-owned FOX affiliate KDVR in Denver breaking away from the "norm".) Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/11286-is-the-new-nbc-oo-look-dead/#findComment-66874 Share on other sites More sharing options...
News24/7 3 Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 I wonder if we'll see a return to NBC 11 Bay Area News. Doubt it. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/11286-is-the-new-nbc-oo-look-dead/#findComment-66875 Share on other sites More sharing options...
eyewitness_news 5 Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 And I doubt WVIT will return to NBC 30 News anytime soon. But never say never. They already use the Stephen Arnold version package only for their opens. For all other segments, including the close, it's Gari's NBC Collection. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/11286-is-the-new-nbc-oo-look-dead/#findComment-66876 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess 1115 Posted June 19, 2011 Author Share Posted June 19, 2011 Before you get your hopes up... Even if this new look is dead, I don't see them going back to the way things were before ArtWorks and having dedicated graphics teams. They frankly have bigger problems to address as far as staffing and technology and that's probably going to be the first thing to be addressed. That, plus the savings they get from having one team producing the graphical looks in a central location - why pay Giant Octopus or Hothaus when you can go in-house? I can see them maybe hiring additional people at the station to do promo graphics work, but not a full-scale graphics team. (They need to get back the promo departments first.) I can see Artworks putting together a couple different looks in circulation, kind of like what Hearst kinda has now, or what Arthouse was doing in 2003/04 with the WNBC and KNBC graphics. Not even new looks; they can have some stations keep Look C, some stations take the block look, and some stations even take the WNBC graphics (if those aren't being changed). Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/11286-is-the-new-nbc-oo-look-dead/#findComment-66881 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess 1115 Posted June 24, 2011 Author Share Posted June 24, 2011 I figured this'd be a good thread for the ongoing happenings at NBC's O&Os. First, Staab is apparently beginning her tour of the O&Os; she stopped by WCAU today. Harry Hairston had this interesting tweet: Great day. Head of NBC owned stations visits station. Exciting things ahead. @NBCPhiladelphia #harryhairston Feel free to mindlessly speculate on things that probably ain't happening. Second, apparently Chicago is getting in on the synergy fun. There's an entirely shameless promotion interview with a WMAQ anchor on CSNChicago.com. Lots of "NBC 5" in the article, and they have a picture with the current logo. (Didn't they pretty much switch to "NBC Chicago"?) Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/11286-is-the-new-nbc-oo-look-dead/#findComment-66951 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spring Rubber 705 Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 I figured this'd be a good thread for the ongoing happenings at NBC's O&Os. First, Staab is apparently beginning her tour of the O&Os; she stopped by WCAU today. Harry Hairston had this interesting tweet: Feel free to mindlessly speculate on things that probably ain't happening. Second, apparently Chicago is getting in on the synergy fun. There's an entirely shameless promotion interview with a WMAQ anchor on CSNChicago.com. Lots of "NBC 5" in the article, and they have a picture with the current logo. (Didn't they pretty much switch to "NBC Chicago"?) Only in on-air promos. The graphics/opens are still the same ones they've had since early 2008, and their recent series of roadside billboards have featured the NBC 5 logo while the rest of the billboard uses the new blocky look. I'm guessing promos might cease to be in the blocky look now that the new O&O management is in place. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/11286-is-the-new-nbc-oo-look-dead/#findComment-66954 Share on other sites More sharing options...
24994J 5585 Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Only in on-air promos. The graphics/opens are still the same ones they've had since early 2008, and their recent series of roadside billboards have featured the NBC 5 logo while the rest of the billboard uses the new blocky look. I'm guessing promos might cease to be in the blocky look now that the new O&O management is in place. ...And none of them have used the "official" NBC Chicago logo. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/11286-is-the-new-nbc-oo-look-dead/#findComment-66956 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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