CBS Evening News Updates Studio, Some Graphics

[Geoffrey 860]

Opening shot. For the first time in a long time, there was no date (unless I missed it).

 

 

Part of the open.

 

I missed the full screen logo of the open.

 

 

Lower third has white bar with the name fly in from the left first, then move up for the red title bar. It sometimes transitions to a location, then moves back to the left.

 

 

If the title/location is shorter, the bar is also shorter. The text is aligned to the right inside the graphic.

[Geoffrey 860]

One-line location bar.

 

I don't think the blue behind the map matches the graphics anymore. The old look had a lot of blue. This is more white and red. Wonder if that'll be the next thing to change.

 

 

Graphic on the projection screen behind the correspondent is much busier now. It used to be dark blue. Now it's this with the map moving and the title scrolling.

 

 

 

 

Tried to get the logo on the screen but (mostly) missed it and got this transition instead:

 

The "Farewell to the King" text said "CBS News" before transitioning for the last story.

 

Tried to get the nice wide shot at the end showing the logos on a lot of monitors but instead got this faded shot as they showed the credits over a camera angle back in the newsroom.

[C Block 1566]

Can CBS News not pick just a typeface or two and 3-5 colors for a clear identity for everything?

[News 9 Viewer 100]

Looks like they're preparing to gut the set too. The glass panels separating the anchor desk and the newsroom are gone.

[sfomspphl 490]

The open looks interesting but I thought we learned back in 1994 that white doesn't work well for TV graphics.

 

Hopefully the theme remains untouched. They did a nice job of reviving that newscast from the dead.

[Geoffrey 860]

 

Looks like they're preparing to gut the set too. The glass panels separating the anchor desk and the newsroom are gone.

 

Good observation! I didn't notice that. Though I don't know if that indicates any wider plans for changing the set.

 

 

The open looks interesting but I thought we learned back in 1994 that white doesn't work well for TV graphics.

 

White seems to be increasing in use all over the place... NBC's Today and Meet the Press, CNN...

[SteveKendall 30]

 

It looks like they've given the flagship the same logo treatment as Face the Nation last year.

 

Overall, the new graphics are a welcomed change, but it's a little jarring and a touch too busy, especially in the lower thirds. I wasn't a fan of any of the three networks' graphics, and this really doesn't change that, just the reason why.

 

The overall graphics aren't bad. I just don't like the use of that Impact-like font on the title (the same as on Face the Nation) and on some of the other graphics. I don't know why CBS wants to look like a local station in the early to mid-'90s.

[24994J 5575]

The theme is the same, in case it wasn't clear.

[BehindNYNews 147]

Even more focus on "the world." Very fitting graphics for the Evening News.

[todayshowproducer 22]

I don't like how they have Pelley wandering all over the place. Pick 2 or 3 spots and rotate. Have one for the opening shot (the current one is fine), the primary anchor desk shot, and then a third one for two or three stories in the middle. The newsroom is there as a newsroom and a background, IMO of course. I think the graphics update is good, although it may not be my favorite, its very fitting for CBS News.

 

I like what you what you said though BehindNYNews

[rkolsen 1684]

Are they letter boxing the broadcast in SD? There are definitely some elements like text that looks like they were preserved to be 4:3 safe. Some of shot blocking appears to be 4:3 safe while others it looks like Pelleys head may be cut in half when center cut.

 

The package looks like it will take some time getting used to but it looks good. The only thing I don't like is how the lower thirds slide in and out. It's a bit distracting

[sfomspphl 490]

The full video is up now

 

http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/323-pentagon-reacts-to-isis-hit-list-of-u-s-military-personnel-safety-experts-question-chryslers-fix-for-risky-gas-tanks/

 

The open is high quality and fits the broadcast well - the gold and dimension are a nice touch.

 

There's now more motion in the studio shots than I'm used to - one of the differentiating things about the broadcast was the lack of movement.

 

Still not a fan of the white for the full screen info graphics. Hard to read. It's TV trying to emulate a tablet or smartphone. But TV is the wrong screen to be doing that...

[Mannym13 15]

Does this mean we'll see new Special Report graphics as well? I'm interested to see how that turns out.

[skbl17 188]

I don't like how the L3s cover up part of the CBS eye, but overall, I like it. Nice, clean, and simplistic, but not overly so.

 

Oh, I should add that I don't know what to think about that white and gold globe in the intro. I guess it'll have to grow on me.

[LTSC1980 112]

[BehindNYNews 147]

Does this mean we'll see new Special Report graphics as well? I'm interested to see how that turns out.

New special report graphics already debuted with the sad news of Bob Simon's passing.

[News 9 Viewer 100]

It looks like CBS News is trying to make the CBS Evening News more aggressive, like how the broadcast was under Dan Rather. Apparently they've forgotten that the CBS Evening News was in the ratings toilet for most of the time Rather was anchor.

 

Next thing you know, they'll bring back the Patterson, Walz and Fox theme and CBS This Morning will revert to being like The Early Show.

 

So much for going back to basics.

[SteveKendall 30]

 

It looks like CBS News is trying to make the CBS Evening News more aggressive, like how the broadcast was under Dan Rather. Apparently they've forgotten that the CBS Evening News was in the ratings toilet for most of the time Rather was anchor.

 

 

 

I think a lot of viewers just got to the point where they didn't like Dan Rather. Over the years as anchor, Rather attracted a lot of mostly negative attention to himself over his shenanigans, ending with the Memogate debacle that effectively ended his CBS tenure. Given Rather's ratings, I never really understood why CBS kept him on the Evening News as long as they did.

[MorningNews 1448]

Also keep in mind that Dan Rather was the most watched of the three for the first several years of his tenure on the Evening News. Then as SteveRichards said, he just began to attract negative attention and that's probably where his broadcast began to lose viewers.

 

Overall I like the graphics. My only thing is that the old graphics fit the studio really well and with this update being so gold and white, the red highlights in parts of the studio just look out of place.

[Mannym13 15]

 

New special report graphics already debuted with the sad news of Bob Simon's passing.

 

Yes, but maybe ones that fit this scheme, but I guess it's a stretch.

[MidwestTV 1232]

I like them. Personally, I'm not a big fan of the color red, but I believe they do it well here. Now they just need to overhaul the set. I know CBS isn't as big on that as NBC and ABC are, but it's dated and needs to be replaced now. Multiple refreshes can only go so far and do so much.

[groupwfan 96]

The James Horner theme (from the Couric Era) fits the new GFX.

The Horner theme was the best theme since the '91 theme.

[Geoffrey 860]

 

The James Horner theme (from the Couric Era) fits the new GFX.

The Horner theme was the best theme since the '91 theme.

 

I don't see them going back to anything Couric. They'd rather forget that era. The music they picked for Pelley symbolizes their hard news past.

[Action Newsroom 1279]

After looking at these graphics, I began thinking of the CBS Morning News. Since they share some of the same graphics as the Evening News, shouldn't it have gotten the new package by then? Or do they still have the present/old EN graphics?

[ToriElectra 292]

The CBS Morning News is the red-headed step child of CBS News; it normally takes them several years to get updated GFX; the 1996-era Evening News GFX pack was still being used as late as 2003. Not sure about Up To The Minute, though; nobody even seems to watch that.