More new LIN sites

[Viper550 292]

You remember when I pointed out that LIN moved the New Vision sites to a WordPress-based "newspubli.sh" platform? Well, someone on the shoutbox pointed out that other LIN sites are getting the new design too. However, these sites are not WordPress-based, and have a slightly different design (well, the header actually folds up a little bit when you scroll. Aside from that, its basically a backport onto EndPlay).

 

Compare http://www.koin.com/ to http://www.wishtv.com/

 

I still contend that something about these new designs look a little plain/unfinished, but still.

[Jess 1116]

So according to the copyright on KOIN's site, the legal name of the station is "Portland Oregon News, Weather, And Traffic Source".

 

...excuse me a minute.

 

[who?cares 255]

 

You remember when I pointed out that LIN moved the New Vision sites to a WordPress-based "newspubli.sh" platform? Well, someone on the shoutbox pointed out that other LIN sites are getting the new design too. However, these sites do not appear to be WordPress-based, and have a slightly different design (well, the header actually folds up a little bit when you scroll. Aside from that, they managed to backport their WordPress-based template onto whatever backend these sites use instead (maybe still EndPlay?)

 

Compare http://www.koin.com/ to http://www.wishtv.com/

 

I still contend that something about these new designs look a little plain/unfinished, but still.

 

The WISH/WTHI/WPRI sites use EndPlay. They are going corporate wide.

[mre29 1563]

I kinda like them.

[tyrannical bastard 4036]

I can't recall the last time that a group (or station) has launched an improved website over the past several years. They're all getting crappier, especially with the consolidation in the industry and "upgrading" new acquisitions into a new format and style.

 

Then again, websites are becoming passé, and mobile sites and apps are the new sources of internet content.

[mre29 1563]

 

Then again, websites are becoming passé, and mobile sites and apps are the new sources of internet content.

 

Well, if it's done right, a website can be a mobile-friendly site. That's the whole idea behind the responsive web design movement.

[Rusty Muck 4405]

I can't recall the last time that a group (or station) has launched an improved website over the past several years. They're all getting crappier, especially with the consolidation in the industry and "upgrading" new acquisitions into a new format and style.

 

Then again, websites are becoming passé, and mobile sites and apps are the new sources of internet content.

Well' date=' if it's done right, a website can[b'] [/b]be a mobile-friendly site. That's the whole idea behind the responsive web design movement.

It's exactly what I did earlier this year, converting the web site for my day job into a responsive design. Judge for yourself.

 

If done right, they can be massive upgrades and be aesthetically pleasing. But most big-box broadcast chains don't have the ability, or the personnel, to do it right. Both S!nclair and Cumulus Media are the worst offenders of the one-size-fits-all designs (at least Clear Channel's sites make an attempt to be mobile-friendly).

[tyrannical bastard 4036]

My critique is about the "corporatization" that web design has become. Decent websites have been ruined because of this, no matter how successful they have become or all of the web traffic they generate...if they're too expensive to operate, they'll be replaced by a cookie cutter site because of the economies of scale.

 

The worst of it is companies like CBS and Nexstar with these "community portal" sites that have been crammed down our throats. I don't care about deals, classifieds, or other garbage....I JUST WANT THE STATION WEBSITE!!! Half of the time, if it wasn't for Google, I would have no clue what the website is or where it's from because it's so bad. Same goes for their mobile apps....how the heck am I supposed to know where to find WXXX's app when it's buried under CrappyLocalSite.com? (this is just an example, but I've run into it many times since the call letters aren't usually a search term for a particular app, especially on the Google Play store)

[Ntropolis 599]

Totally agree about the "community portal" crap. It's an idea from the late 90s/early 2000s that doesn't seem to die. If I want classifieds, I go to Craigslist.

 

Several things should be prominently placed on a TV station website... one being weather, namely the current regional radar and 7-day forecast. Also, the latest video featured on the most recent newscasts. I shouldn't have to dig through the hottest entertainment news to find these things.

 

Borrowing from a newspaper site, I like how The Virginian-Pilot does it... latest news up top, under the banner, where your eyes rest first on the screen.

[Samantha 2902]

I think I've found the worst local site in the country. The lack of video and page that renders improperly don't help kyma.com's cause.

[sanewsguy 514]

 

I think I've found the worst local site in the country. The lack of video and page that renders improperly don't help kyma.com's cause.

 

Their page has video. It was done in-house too. It's not as bad as the Sinclair sites...

[Viper550 292]

 

Their page has video. It was done in-house too. It's not as bad as the Sinclair sites...

 

A Friday Night Lights banner ad. Uhh, wasn't that show cancelled years ago? And don't the other IMWC sites use Inergize Nexstar sites?

 

(Upon further review, they usurped the title for their high school sports stuff)

[mre29 1563]

 

Their page has video. It was done in-house too. It's not as bad as the Sinclair sites...

 

No, it's worse.

[Mrtraveler01 738]

 

A Friday Night Lights banner ad. Uhh, wasn't that show cancelled years ago? And don't the other IMWC sites use Inergize Nexstar sites?

 

(Upon further review, they usurped the title for their high school sports stuff)

 

IMWC forgets they own stations outside of Nevada so this doesn't shock me.

[Rusty Muck 4405]

I think I've found the worst local site in the country. The lack of video and page that renders improperly don't help kyma.com's cause.

It actually looks and loads like a Webstarts production. And that's not a good thing.

[tyrannical bastard 4036]

And the winner of worst website goes to......WXXV in Gulfport, MS!

http://wxxv25.com/

 

 

I feel sorry for people in this market who got screwed out of their FOX (WVUE or WALA) or NBC (WDSU or WPMI) station because of them.....

[sanewsguy 514]

 

It actually looks and loads like a Webstarts production. And that's not a good thing.

 

So you guys expect them to have a Worldnow or Wordpress site in such a small market? It's a good site for that size market. I have seen worse, like the soon-to-be-old Fisher sites, or the Sinclair sites, or the old Nexstar sites.

 

 

And the winner of worst website goes to......WXXV in Gulfport, MS!

http://wxxv25.com/

 

 

I feel sorry for people in this market who got screwed out of their FOX (WVUE or WALA) or NBC (WDSU or WPMI) station because of them.....

 

Morris actually has a contract with Inergize for their stations. Weird thing is that, only WDEF and WTVQ have them. The rest all use something in-house, which leads to that.

 

It's not a bad site though. Now when they get news, then yeah, I expect them to have something better. But not right now with no news.

 

Now KECY (yourtvfamily.com), yeah that's worse... And they have news.

[Rusty Muck 4405]

So you guys expect them to have a Worldnow or Wordpress site in such a small market? It's a good site for that size market. I have seen worse, like the soon-to-be-old Fisher sites, or the Sinclair sites, or the old Nexstar sites.

Yeah, I'm kinda not a fan of Webstarts (a radio station I freelanced at used Webstarts for a few years for their website, and it was nothing short of awful). A site probably could be handled in-house regardless of the market... provided they have money to pay the server provider. (I'm assuming that it is in-house, just a nightmare of tag placements...)

 

Let's not forget the website for WKBW, which hasn't had a webmaster since... what... 2010??? In that case, a replacement of WKBW.com with a Nexstar portal (ThisIsBuffalo.com? WeKnowBuffalo.com?) would constitute an improvement.

 

Morris actually has a contract with Inergize for their stations. Weird thing is that, only WDEF and WTVQ have them. The rest all use something in-house, which leads to that.

Kinda wondering if that's because both WDEF and WTVQ were former MG stations. Only reason I can think of.

[Viper550 292]

And again, I may remind you that there's a transparent PNG of the glass eye from the CBS O&O look in the BG of KOIN's site.

 

Which could possibly be useful

[mre29 1563]

 

So you guys expect them to have a Worldnow or Wordpress site in such a small market? It's a good site for that size market. I have seen worse, like the soon-to-be-old Fisher sites, or the Sinclair sites, or the old Nexstar sites.

 

You're kidding, right? The current Fisher sites (such as katu.com) are among the best station sites out there. Sinclair should keep them as-is -- and roll that design out to all of their other stations.

[Mrtraveler01 738]

 

You're kidding, right? The current Fisher sites (such as katu.com) are among the best station sites out there. Sinclair should keep them as-is -- and roll that design out to all of their other stations.

 

Would Sinclair want to spend the time, effort, and money to integrate the old Fisher's layout onto their other stations?

 

I would like to believe they would but their past track record tells me otherwise. But hopefully Sinclair won't be in as much of a hurry to transtion KOMO and KATU's websites to the Sinclair platform since the old KATU and KOMO websites were done by Fisher's in-house instead of a third party. I think these websites are property of Sinclair now.

 

Correct me if I am wrong though.

[sanewsguy 514]

 

Would Sinclair want to spend the time, effort, and money to integrate the old Fisher's layout onto their other stations?

 

I would like to believe they would but their past track record tells me otherwise. But hopefully Sinclair won't be in as much of a hurry to transtion KOMO and KATU's websites to the Sinclair platform since the old KATU and KOMO websites were done by Fisher's in-house instead of a third party. I think these websites are property of Sinclair now.

 

Correct me if I am wrong though.

 

Design may have been done in-house but the CMS is Broadcast Interactive Media. When the contract is up with BIM, expect them to either move the design to the Sinclair CMS (unrealistic) or just go with the WBFF template.

 

 

You're kidding, right? The current Fisher sites (such as katu.com) are among the best station sites out there. Sinclair should keep them as-is -- and roll that design out to all of their other stations.

 

No, I'm dead serious. The colors are ugly, the fonts are terrible, the layout isn't clean. They have got to be among the worst station sites out there. BIM CMS saves them...

[Viper550 292]

I actually like the Fisher sites because they actually look newsy; they kinda remind me of the style of site that a newspaper would use.