Sinclair Rolls Out New Graphics In Columbus

[AaronQ 260]

Here's the weather portion of the graphics, and apparently they got new music as well. http://abc6onyourside.com/weather/

[ColumbusNewsFan 217]

 

I got to watch a little bit of it in action too. My main gripe is how cheap and basic the animations looked.

 

The strange part is they do animate but it looks like WSYX don't want to do that because they let it show for a split second as a mistake, but It looks like they do.

 

I was thinking what did they cross it with and as I was sitting here it came to me... Gannett and NBC sports boxy style with Red, White and Blue motif is how I would describe them.

[Jess 1110]

 

Here's the weather portion of the graphics, and apparently they got new music as well. http://abc6onyourside.com/weather/#.U5ktPfldUqI

 

...those are the icons. They are seriously using those icons.

 

...excuse me a minute.

 

 

 

 

Compared to the old graphics.....the new ones are way better.....

 

The question is if these graphics will be better than the ones they replace on their non-legacy stations....

 

The old graphics were truly horrible - the ITV News Yellow Journalism Regional News look was better. The old graphics were every bad American TV News cliche rolled into a single package. I've seen packages on VideoHive that are better.

 

Just because they're replacing bad graphics doesn't mean they get off. I remember seeing a video box for Kickboxer 2, which proudly proclaimed that it was "BETTER THAN KICKBOXER!!!" It might be, but the review might have actually read "it's a steaming pile of crap, but at least it's BETTER THAN KICKBOXER!!!" "Better than" does not mean good. These still have that weird Sinclair cheapness about them. In fact, they might be some of the most generic news graphics I've seen outside of the scrapped NBC block look.

 

That, in my opinion, is worse. Given that Sinclair owns an unsustainable amount of stations, bland is not good.

[ABC 7 Denver 1562]

 

...those are the icons. They are seriously using those icons.

 

...excuse me a minute.

 

 

 

 

The old graphics were truly horrible - the ITV News Yellow Journalism Regional News look was better. The old graphics were every bad American TV News cliche rolled into a single package. I've seen packages on VideoHive that are better.

 

Just because they're replacing bad graphics doesn't mean they get off. I remember seeing a video box for Kickboxer 2, which proudly proclaimed that it was "BETTER THAN KICKBOXER!!!" It might be, but the review might have actually read "it's a steaming pile of crap, but at least it's BETTER THAN KICKBOXER!!!" "Better than" does not mean good. These still have that weird Sinclair cheapness about them. In fact, they might be some of the most generic news graphics I've seen outside of the scrapped NBC block look.

 

That, in my opinion, is worse. Given that Sinclair owns an unsustainable amount of stations, bland is not good.

 

So we have a weather segment for children now?

 

Yeah. They are bland in order to sustain the most number of stations. As the number of stations using one package increases, the uniqueness (i.e. local brand identity) decreases.

[DirtyHarry 719]

 

 

WSYX/WTTE is really turning into their crown jewel

 

WSYX has always been their crown jewel, just as it was for River City, Anchor Media, Taft Broadcasting and Edward Lamb. Then add two more signals and that operation has to be a money making machine. The only difference is that someone has finally starting to treat them like a crown jewel.

 

I like the graphics so far. Big improvement over the old ones.

 

If I have one beef with them it's that they do look like they are little plain in their background scheme. I will reserve judgement until I see them on TV.

[DirtyHarry 719]

 

 

Two years ago they weren't even taken seriously in the local market.

 

 

 

 

I know they've spruced up the newsroom over the last several years, but it just doesn't look that great on TV compared to the competition. They really should get Devlin to help them out with the look here.

[ColumbusNewsFan 217]

Looking at the "Good Day Columbus" Version of the graphics. WOW! and I mean that in a I'm impressed way.

 

To answer back to Hulkie on The graphics.

 

I just disagree with him on this. I actually like it because of it's simplicity. I look at WPVI for an example here... I know I'll get jumped by the WPVI but that graphic package did not age well at all. I actually think it is actually too busy for an L3. WPVI has become obsessed with it graphics. They look behind the time which for WPVI is well actually the norm for them.

 

What I'm saying I get the Sinclair hate but to be honest The graphic package is a serious upgrade for them and actually makes them look more modern and that is the trend. Just look at Gannett, Scripps, NBC and FOX Sports, even in Columbus with WBNS.

 

Simple & Clean is in and that is the thing... for now.

[PupReporter 0]

I have to agree. The Morning show'a graphics look better with a different color scheme of orange, blue, and white. Although it looks a lot lole CBS' This Morning with that color combination.

[montydavis 7]

First, I get a hint of a Gannett-influence. Second, is this the possible package that the Allbritton stations will get if the sale goes through? It would be a step up for the Allbritton stations with that awful blue spinning half-circle crap.

[NEOMatrix 1295]

I just watched the WTTE portion of Good Day Columbus. Has anyone noticed that WTTE leaves their logo bug on for half a second before spinning into a GDC logo?

On to the graphics: To me they do feel like a step up from Sinclair's old graphics. However, IMO, it dosen't feel like a DMA 32 station compared to WCMH or even WBNS. Hopefully if the Allbritton stations go through, Sinclair will actually put in better animations, especially for WJLA.

[DirtyHarry 719]

 

I just watched the WTTE portion of Good Day Columbus. Has anyone noticed that WTTE leaves their logo bug on for half a second before spinning into a GDC logo?

On to the graphics: To me they do feel like a step up from Sinclair's old graphics. However, IMO, it dosen't feel like a DMA 32 station compared to WCMH or even WBNS. Hopefully if the Allbritton stations go through, Sinclair will actually put in better animations, especially for WJLA.

 

I noticed the same thing today. That spinning bug moved like a crippled animal or something.

 

Overall, I like the look. It's crisp and modern and for what it is, the font works. The font is much better than the Media General-wide font WCMH uses. That said, it doesn't floor me like other packages have in the past. I remember the first time I saw the black WTHR graphics in the 1990's (or was it the 2000's) and I was like "WOW"! I don't have that wow factor here. They are serviceable, they are a big improvement over what they had, but at the end of the day they are nothing special.

 

 

 

 

Looking at the "Good Day Columbus" Version of the graphics. WOW! and I mean that in a I'm impressed way.

 

To answer back to Hulkie on The graphics.

 

I just disagree with him on this. I actually like it because of it's simplicity. I look at WPVI for an example here... I know I'll get jumped by the WPVI but that graphic package did not age well at all. I actually think it is actually too busy for an L3. WPVI has become obsessed with it graphics. They look behind the time which for WPVI is well actually the norm for them.

 

What I'm saying I get the Sinclair hate but to be honest The graphic package is a serious upgrade for them and actually makes them look more modern and that is the trend. Just look at Gannett, Scripps, NBC and FOX Sports, even in Columbus with WBNS.

 

Simple & Clean is in and that is the thing... for now.

 

 

I don't know what they're like now, but in the past WPVI has had some very rich looking graphics with texture and dimension. Very good stuff. I don't hate the WSYX graphics, but they don't wow me either. They are way too two dimensional compared to some of the better stuff out there. I did like the GDC open, however.

[AaronQ 260]

Here's the morning version of the graphics and there's a small portion of the new music they're using.

[TennTV1983 756]

It's not too bad, though I have seen much worse HD graphics used at a TV station. As one of those who had long complained about the now-former graphics (especially the lower 3rds), the new look was much needed. It's both clean and basic, and that's all that is really needed.

 

The only real complaint I have about the new package is the time/temp bug, which in some applications (like in the above video) makes the station/program logo almost unreadable from a distance. Hopefully, that can be adjusted if needed.

[Rusty Muck 4225]

So we have a weather segment for children now?

"This is the door... he goes through that... this is the roof, and this happy little creature here is the sun! He shines down on the house."

 

 

 

Yeah. They are bland in order to sustain the most number of stations. As the number of stations using one package increases, the uniqueness (i.e. local brand identity) decreases.

Look at how Clear Channel started treating their radio stations as early as February 2001 (when their first mass layoffs took place).

 

First, I get a hint of a Gannett-influence. Second, is this the possible package that the Allbritton stations will get if the sale goes through? It would be a step up for the Allbritton stations with that awful blue spinning half-circle crap.

It almost feels like a knockoff of the Gannett graphics simply because of the Dinot font usage. The L3s aren't terrible, they are just flat as a pancake and are stagnant. It makes WJW's (1st generation Fox O&O graphics) L3s look alive and vibrant, which is not something you want to achieve.

 

[yt]72lxFmaoSO0[/yt]

Seriously? That... is the open?

[Jess 1110]

 

"This is the door... he goes through that... this is the roof, and this happy little creature here is the sun! He shines down on the house."

 

 

 

Look at how Clear Channel started treating their radio stations as early as February 2001 (when their first mass layoffs took place).

 

It almost feels like a knockoff of the Gannett graphics simply because of the Dinot font usage. The L3s aren't terrible, they are just flat as a pancake and are stagnant. It makes WJW's (1st generation Fox O&O graphics) L3s look alive and vibrant, which is not something you want to achieve.

 

[yt]72lxFmaoSO0[/yt]

Seriously? That... is the open?

 

You win the internet for referencing one of the best bits of quite possibly my favorite Simpsons episode of all time. And I can't resist putting this in:

 

Homer: "Three simple words! I. AM. GAY."

Marge: "Homer, for the last time, I'm not putting that in."

Anyway, what were we talking about? Oh yeah, stay out of my booze.

 

---

 

I think the majority opinion on WPVI, actually, is that it's completely overdone. Everything is animated and flashy and it's just sensory overload. They're not exactly a model graphical station.

 

I think there's a fine line between simplicity and cheap. I am a fan of the Gannett graphics because they end up on the right side of that line. They're practical and work editorially as well as aesthetically. I mean, Gannett was as bad as WPVI at one point. Then they LITERALLY ADMITTED THEIR GRAPHICS SUCKED and introduced the new look, which takes elements of what they were doing but presents them in a readable, easy to look at format. But there are also little things that I like - the fact that it's remniscent of a grid system, the fact that there's an invisible "canvas" that lines everything up perfectly. Those weather graphics are poetry.

 

But Gannett thought out of the box. They used Internet and UX principles for that look. As a web designer/developer I can see that and appreciate it. It's a progressive, striking graphical set that has a lot less limitations than you'd expect.

 

Sinclair's look is on the other side of that line, though. The way everything is lined up is awkward, there's little to no movement on the lower thirds, the animations are generic, and it really doesn't enhance the editorial content of the newscasts.

[rkolsen 1679]

Gannets graphics also were designed so that their newspapers could quickly replace the television station logo with the newspapers easily. The logo layer was lined up perfectly so that the newspaper wouldn't have to reformat or black out the TV stations bug differently for each article.

[DirtyHarry 719]

 

Gannets graphics also were designed so that their newspapers could quickly replace the television station logo with the newspapers easily. The logo layer was lined up perfectly so that the newspaper wouldn't have to reformat or black out the TV stations bug differently for each article.

 

That's the way the old Sinclair's graphics were designed. Some stations when using stories for web content leave the bug blank, which means that you can superimpose any station's logo in the bug portion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Look at how Clear Channel started treating their radio stations as early as February 2001 (when their first mass layoffs took place).

 

It almost feels like a knockoff of the Gannett graphics simply because of the Dinot font usage. The L3s aren't terrible, they are just flat as a pancake and are stagnant. It makes WJW's (1st generation Fox O&O graphics) L3s look alive and vibrant, which is not something you want to achieve.

 

 

 

Clear Channel station logos are both generic and cheap looking at the same time. I see virtually no creativity or artistic flair on display whatsoever.

 

That's the same thing I said about the L3's. No texture or dimension - flat. I don't hate them, but there is a lot of room for improvement.

[ABC 7 Denver 1562]

I know that I may be clutching at straws here, but why doesn't Sinclair use what seems to be an updated version of their own package from KTUL:

 

www.youtube.com/embed/4sAhDvqX1MA

 

The only big complaint I have is the bug animation.

[sanewsguy 509]

 

Clear Channel station logos are both generic and cheap looking at the same time. I see virtually no creativity or artistic flair on display whatsoever.

 

If you have some time to kill, Clear Channel uses the same logo design for about 20-30 stations per design. No creativity whatsoever. The Walmart of radio companies.

 

As for these graphics, the open sucks. The L3's are great. I am saying this as someone who lives in a Sinclair market not a top 10 one, meaning my graphical standards aren't the highest.

[T.L. Hughes 760]

What I find peculiar is that only the L3s have beveling, where as the banners in all of the other graphics are a flat red and blue color.

 

KOKH also got the graphics on Thursday (surprisingly), and it has been placing the lower thirds during the 9 and 10 p.m. newscasts above the area where the ticker appears, even though the station hasn't been using a ticker on its evening newscasts since they upgraded to widescreen last August.

 

...those are the icons. They are seriously using those icons.

 

...excuse me a minute.

 

 

They seemed to be basing them off of the kind of icons seen on certain smartphone apps. Coming from a guy who's partial to realistic looking weather icons, the ones that The Weather Channel introduced in November were a little better constructed... also, the ones they use animate, unlike the ones Sinclair is now using (very few stations use static icons nowadays, and there is some reason for that). To me, they look like they were inspired by the ones used on the BBC and other British networks, except filled. That being said, these are not very good.

 

 

First, I get a hint of a Gannett-influence.

 

That's what I thought when I saw them, except these are safe area-friendly.

[damien6786 9]

Here the full opens I found

 

 

 

[24994J 5280]

 

Here the full opens:

 

 

 

 

I...don't...hate...that?

[ABC 7 Denver 1562]

 

Here the full opens I found

 

 

 

 

 

I...don't...hate...that?

 

I don't hate, however, I really really dislike. The alpha transition is awful, and the talent is really straight forward and why the heck is Bob frozen until his name is spoken?

 

To me, this is on par with the last graphics package from Sinclair. It isn't very imaginative.

[Action Newsroom 1151]

These graphics look way better than the last.

Simple, flat, not dated and full of color.

The company took a step up with this.

 

They do have the look like Scripps, though.

[ns8401 846]

 

These graphics look way better than the last.

Simple, flat, not dated and full of color.

The company took a step up with this.

 

They do have the look like Scripps, though.

 

Maybe vaguely, very vaguely.