Spring Rubber 614 Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 They removed the giant rounded screen that used to be located to the right of the anchor desk (the one seen to the far right in the pic below). It's just the blue-lit wall that remains now. I also noticed that a lot of the lights that light up the "wood" on the wall behind the desk are starting to burn out and have not been replaced for over a month. I wonder if they're just gonna leave them burned out because they intend to replace the set at some point soon. After all, the set is almost 7 and a half years old now. Of course, WGN does like to get a lot of time out of their sets. I'm pretty sure their pervious set lasted for about 10 years, and their current set, aside from the burned out lights, looks pretty good still. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazynetjunkie 34 Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 They removed the giant rounded screen that used to be located to the right of the anchor desk (the one seen to the far right in the pic below). It's just the blue-lit wall that remains now. I also noticed that a lot of the lights that light up the "wood" on the wall behind the desk are starting to burn out and have not been replaced for over a month. I wonder if they're just gonna leave them burned out because they intend to replace the set at some point soon. After all, the set is almost 7 and a half years old now. Of course, WGN does like to get a lot of time out of their sets. I'm pretty sure their pervious set lasted for about 10 years, and their current set, aside from the burned out lights, looks pretty good still. Those lights on the wood backdrop panels and on the front of the anchor desk that are burning out are those rope lights sold at most home improvement stores.. They are extremely cheap. Unless they replace the whole rope, the lights will keep burning out. They have been burning out slowly the past couple years but it's at the point now where it's really noticeable. I personally don't like rope lights being used on news sets. It looks cheap and stations rarely replace them when they burn out. If they wanted to illuminate those type of areas, I would have personally gone with T-5 fluorescent strips or neon tubing. I still wouldn't go with LED tubes or rope either because those do the same thing after a short amount of time. If a station spends tens or hundreds of thousands on a new set, they may as well spend a few more dollars for better quality lighting in those types of tight areas, not $20 rope lights from Home Depot. WGN should just rip them out or even just unplug them and not use them anymore. WFLD's previous (FX Group) had the same type of rope lighting illuminating the backdrop bottom panels and the anchor desk platform steps when the set was first constructed in 1997 or so but the station removed them in less than a couple years of the set being used because of the same thing happening. It just looks shitty. I know a couple years ago, they were talking of revamping the set but I think they threw out the idea.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weeters 1811 Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 WITI has rope lights too (in similar fashion to the old WFLD set, as both were constructed by FX), and surprise, they look terrible. The ones around the set's platforms had to be replaced a few years ago after large portions of the original lights had burnt out. I can only imagine the convoluted ways these rope lights are woven through the set, and how much trouble it would be to do anything other than turn them off permanently. I really have to wonder if they're not added as a way to artificially "age" the set ("Look at the burnt out sections! This set is so old!" to drum up repeat business for set companies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicago News Boy 33 Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Well they just painted and modified bits of the newsroom... New tvs etc so its very well possible that the studio could be next Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spring Rubber 614 Posted June 20, 2012 Author Share Posted June 20, 2012 Speaking of WGN, what happened to their 9PM opener? For a while now, they've been using the (non talent) rejoin instead of the actual opener. It's clearly the rejoin because the v/o says, "You're watching WGN News at Nine," and has a lighter cut of music compared to the powerful opener where the v/o says, "THIS is Chicago's Very Own WGN News at Nine" and has a harder cut of music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24994J 5276 Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 I couldn't tell you how long, but it's been at least a couple months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spring Rubber 614 Posted July 20, 2012 Author Share Posted July 20, 2012 WGN is making use of the newly cleared out area where that big screen used to be. They're doing random goofy morning show segments from that area every now and then. I guess that's really the only use for the spot. I can't really see it being used on any of the serious newscasts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spring Rubber 614 Posted July 20, 2012 Author Share Posted July 20, 2012 Unrelated note: They just aired a Breaking News intro that used the pre-2007 music package. I know they have Breaking News music in the Chicago's Very Own package, but somehow they cued up the music from their old music package. I'm surprised they still have that music readily available to cue up in the control room five years later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24994J 5276 Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 WGN is making use of the newly cleared out area where that big screen used to be. They're doing random goofy morning show segments from that area every now and then. I guess that's really the only use for the spot. I can't really see it being used on any of the serious newscasts. I'm going to guess that your talking about the little game shows they do...they've had Larry stand there as long as they've done it, but instead of the rolling monitor they use now, they used to use the rounded screen. Unrelated note: They just aired a Breaking News intro that used the pre-2007 music package. I know they have Breaking News music in the Chicago's Very Own package, but somehow they cued up the music from their old music package. I'm surprised they still have that music readily available to cue up in the control room five years later. I've heard that cut before since they ditched the old package. They only use it during the morning show, though...the current breaking news theme is used for all other broadcasts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazynetjunkie 34 Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 Unrelated note: They just aired a Breaking News intro that used the pre-2007 music package. I know they have Breaking News music in the Chicago's Very Own package, but somehow they cued up the music from their old music package. I'm surprised they still have that music readily available to cue up in the control room five years later. It's not uncommon for this.. It happens a bit at WBBM. The In The Groove "Heart Of The City" somber theme is still heard time to time (typically mixed with Enforcer somber music in the same broadcast) and the morning bumper from that package still is heard on rare occassions on the morning news. It's not like it was a decade ago when many stations can only have a limited number of cuts loaded to cue so they would delete cuts they no longer use. Many times now, when a station changes music, they'll load the new cuts but still leave the old music in and unless you know exactly which cut(s) to pull up, one may accidentally pull up an old cut. Usually happens when someone is filling-in at the control room.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24994J 5276 Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 It's not uncommon for this.. It happens a bit at WBBM. The In The Groove "Heart Of The City" somber theme is still heard time to time (typically mixed with Enforcer somber music in the same broadcast) and the morning bumper from that package still is heard on rare occassions on the morning news. It's not like it was a decade ago when many stations can only have a limited number of cuts loaded to cue so they would delete cuts they no longer use. Many times now, when a station changes music, they'll load the new cuts but still leave the old music in and unless you know exactly which cut(s) to pull up, one may accidentally pull up an old cut. Usually happens when someone is filling-in at the control room.. Two Questions: 1. Since WBBM was (arguably) forced to get the standard graphics with Enforcer, is it possible that they still have the rights to "Heart...City" through a contract or something (if that's even how they operate business)? 2. Since almost ALL of WGN's themes have been custom-made (and practically never distributed elesewhere), is it possible that they have all of their themes in their library? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazynetjunkie 34 Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 Two Questions: 1. Since WBBM was (arguably) forced to get the standard graphics with Enforcer, is it possible that they still have the rights to "Heart...City" through a contract or something (if that's even how they operate business)? 2. Since almost ALL of WGN's themes have been custom-made (and practically never distributed elesewhere), is it possible that they have all of their themes in their library? WBBM commissioned the "Heart of the city" package.. They paid all the costs associated in composing the package, puting it together, and recording it. They initiated the creation of a package that the composer/production company can now go out and synidicate to other stations to make money out of. They pretty much keep their rights to it in this market nomatter what. Same goes with Enforcer for them. But it still depends.. Different stations seems work out different deals when commissioning new music packages. However, I don't think "forced" is the right word about going back to Enforcer music. It was planned to go back to the music anyways, even before the graphic change.. WGN's themes haven't been syndicated because a couple of their newscasts are nationally broadcast via their superstation. It's a possibility they have all their themes. They aren't stored in the video library if that's what you're thinking.. It just depends on the station. I've seen many scenarios involving theme packages at stations. Usually, old theme package CD's/tapes gets pushed aside and forgotten about. Sometimes they're under stacks of paper or thrown into a box that never sees light again. Sometimes thrown out in the garbage. There are some composers that actually ask for their CD's back when a station no longer uses their music. Some stations are very organized with a CD rack with their theme package CDs and library stock music CD's. Many times, when a CSD leaves a station, he/she takes the CD's with them. It's hard to say what WGN without actually being in there to see. Here's what I can say.. Just about all of WBBM's themes have been custom commisioned packages. However, they don't have all the theme packages they've used over the years.. I know they have a couple reels of the old Dick Marx 1975 WBBM signature theme, the full complete Enforcer package (more cuts than the version floating around among music collectors), their Non-Stop package (both WBBM and WCBS CD's.. I don't know why SouthernMedia has them listed as seperate packages, it's just the WBBM package and the WCBS CD is just the update), and they have their Heart of the City package. They might have more packages. This was what I got during the time of their move to the new building. It's a possibility they might have found more during/after the move. As to what happened to the Works For You package is a number of things.. I know the old CSD from the time took the package when he left. It was rumored that station president/GM Joe Ahern personally took the other copy of the package and locked it in his office so it wouldn't be used anymore and if he did, I'm sure he tossed them out or they got left behind during the move to the new building. Around 2003/04 the CSD had a couple burned copies of the 2 main news CD's which were mailed out to another station and I doubt they were ever sent back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spring Rubber 614 Posted July 22, 2012 Author Share Posted July 22, 2012 WGN's actual 9PM opener is back tonight. Haven't heard this in months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spring Rubber 614 Posted July 24, 2012 Author Share Posted July 24, 2012 Now during the teaser for the 5:30 news, they used one of the evening cuts of music. I swear, this control room just uses whatever music they want for anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spring Rubber 614 Posted July 24, 2012 Author Share Posted July 24, 2012 The long vertical strip of light (over Dean's left shoulder) burned out. Man, that looks terrible, especially when they do a wide shot. I hope they fix it rather than leaving it like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicago News Boy 33 Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 Im pretty sure that they are planning on building a newset soon. After updating the newsroom its clear that the studios next... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spring Rubber 614 Posted July 26, 2012 Author Share Posted July 26, 2012 They replaced the light with an orange-colored light that doesn't match. Welp, I guess it's something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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