cbs2newengland 71 Posted August 27, 2014 Share Posted August 27, 2014 Here's an idea. Why don't WFXT and WHBQ remain as WFXT and WHBQ? I don't think Cox is going to attempt to blow up those stations as much as Jacksonville, likely because of the CBS affiliation there puts them on the level of 'TLV and 'JXT. Jacksonville is also more unique of a market than Memphis or Boston. KOKI just had cosmetic changes and that was it, and I think that's how they're going to run WHBQ and probably WFXT as well. Cox will destroy WFXT - my bet is they'll turn off their existing viewers as previously discussed in the past. In re to rebranding WFXT to WBOS: WBOS radio is more of a commercial college radio formatted station. Not literally, but music typically played in college radio. I think Greater Media couldn't afford dues so it resulted to indie music, at least for WBOS radio. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty Muck 4168 Posted August 27, 2014 Share Posted August 27, 2014 Don't forget WHEN! If only Sinclair could bring that back... CC should have revived the WHEN-TV calls instead of WSYR-TV. As it is WHEN is wasted on their heritage AM 620 signal, that is sporting an urban contemporary format as "Power 620." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTSC1980 96 Posted August 27, 2014 Share Posted August 27, 2014 I think that WOAI TV should change their call letters (maybe back to KMOL) since Sinclair owns the TV station while Clear Channel owns the radio station. KMOL is now used by a LP station in Victoria, TX. So don't give Sinclair any ideas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty Muck 4168 Posted August 27, 2014 Share Posted August 27, 2014 WBOS radio is more of a commercial college radio formatted station. Not literally, but music typically played in college radio. I think Greater Media couldn't afford dues so it resulted to indie music, at least for WBOS radio. "Radio 92.9" is also run without any disc jockeys whatsoever. Their format is officially classified as AAA - Adult Album Alternative. And that is how the format functions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NEOMatrix 1295 Posted August 27, 2014 Share Posted August 27, 2014 I understand that the ratings for WAWS/WTEV weren't exactly stellar in Jacksonville but are they that bad that it warrants a WBMG-to-WIAT-like makeover? If Cox wanted to do a turnaround look at Raycom's WOIO in Cleveland when all Bill Applegate did was transform the bland and milquetoast "Hometeam 19 News" into the bold and brash (and sometimes infamous) "19 Action News" while still keeping the heritage WOIO/WUAB callsigns and some of the legacy talent such as Denise Dufala and initially, Jack Marschall. My point, not all turnarounds have to be drastic unless you are getting beaten in ratings by Sanford and Son. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbs2newengland 71 Posted August 27, 2014 Share Posted August 27, 2014 "Radio 92.9" is also run without any disc jockeys whatsoever. Their format is officially classified as AAA - Adult Album Alternative. And that is how the format functions. See, you might not be familiar with a competitor 2 notches up the dial, WXRV/92.5 - they actually played the same music, just one didn't sound hippie, and the other one had more personality on the DJ part. Just one went more extreme in the AAA field (WBOS) and one stayed the same, but it gets tiring of hearing WXRV announce every 10 minutes they are in a solar powered studio - 5 years later (or something like that.) Once upon a time, WBOS was actually a double-a format - Adult Alternative. Great eclectic chick-rock music and was known for commercial free hours during drive time. But the idiots at Greater Media decided it was best to go to the college kids population (whom don't even listen to terrestrial radio) and yet another crappy format put a nail in WBOS' coffin, but there was an NYT article years back explaining Greater Media's inability to pay high royalty rates. (Sister WTKK didn't even play bumper music on their talk format - at all!) Of course things changed in the last couple years for that cluster on Morrissey Blvd. Cox is better off keeping it WFXT because of the many years of ownership by the network. We're not that stupid (or are we???) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty Muck 4168 Posted August 27, 2014 Share Posted August 27, 2014 Cox is better off keeping it WFXT because of the many years of ownership by the network. We're not that stupid (or are we???) The WFXT calls were kept when the Boston Celtics owned WFXT and then-WEEI/590 (which makes you wonder why the Celtics didn't change channel 25's calls to WEEI-TV). The station will more than likely keep the WFXT calls and Fox 25 identity, but it won't keep the O&O identity template for that long a duration. If Cox was smart, they would try to redevelop a new identity for the station like what LocalTV did with KDVR. Not literally grafting the current KTVU look, which would be silly, but something new and aimed at the city. I think that WOAI TV should change their call letters (maybe back to KMOL) since Sinclair owns the TV station while Clear Channel owns the radio station. I just remembered... WHBQ "SportsRadio 56" and WHBQ-FM "Q107.5" are owned by Flinn Broadcasting, and have been since the dismemberment of RKO General. No one thought or bothered to ask WHBQ-TV to change their calls when the stations were separated 25 years ago, and that won't change with Cox coming in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samantha 2878 Posted August 27, 2014 Author Share Posted August 27, 2014 It's official, now that the Florida Times-Union is reporting it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mre29 1340 Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 Cox will destroy WFXT - my bet is they'll turn off their existing viewers as previously discussed in the past. With a graphics change that inexplicably indicates a left-ward shift in the newscasts, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrtraveler01 737 Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 With a graphics change that inexplicably indicates a left-ward shift in the newscasts, right? I think it's down there in the basement so there's really no place to go but up for WFXT. If Jacksonville is any indicator, don't be surprised if Cox does something similar to WFXT. (I see what you did there but I didn't even know people were that loyal to Fox 25. I always thought they were a mediocre Fox O&O). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bammy9 26 Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 Back on the topic of WAWS/WTEV, they have hired former Jaguars QB David Garrard to join their Action News "Sports 360" team. http://www.bigcatcountry.com/2014/8/28/6078311/former-jaguars-qb-david-garrard-to-join-action-news-sports-360-team Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bammy9 26 Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 Mark Spain anchored his final newscast at WTEV/WAWS last night. http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2014-08-30/story/action-news-mark-spain-anchors-final-newscast-jacksonville Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirtyHarry 719 Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 It's official, now that the Florida Times-Union is reporting it. That just means they got the press release. So, yes, it's official but not in the way most people would interpret that. Mark Spain anchored his final newscast at WTEV/WAWS last night. http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2014-08-30/story/action-news-mark-spain-anchors-final-newscast-jacksonville "Action News" is such a corny thing to call a news broadcast anymore except if you're WPVI or WXYZ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TVNewsLover 728 Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 "Action News" is such a corny thing to call a news broadcast anymore except if you're WPVI or WXYZ. If that's corny, then so is Eyewitness News. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ns8401 846 Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 If that's corny, then so is Eyewitness News. Just to complicate it even more WPVI is Action News. WXYZ is a slightly modified Eyewitness News. It's only called Action News in the first place because Eyewitness News belonged to WJBK already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty Muck 4168 Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 Just to complicate it even more WPVI is Action News. WXYZ is a slightly modified Eyewitness News. It's only called Action News in the first place because Eyewitness News belonged to WJBK already. WKBW during their Irv Era Of Dominance was effectively an 'Action News' format under the 'Eyewitness News' banner. The difference was simply name only. Like WKBW, 'Action News' on WXYZ was a format driven almost entirely by their star anchor, in this case, Bill Bonds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ns8401 846 Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 WKBW during their Irv Era Of Dominance was effectively an 'Action News' format under the 'Eyewitness News' banner. The difference was simply name only. Like WKBW, 'Action News' on WXYZ was a format driven almost entirely by their star anchor, in this case, Bill Bonds. Right, it's the more modern incarnations that have drifted towards a hybrid Eyewitness News, Bill Carey especially pushed that. Even in Bonds later years after 1990 it was going that way. In the 70's and 80's though it was aggressive, thanks to Bonds as you said. It's drifting back the other way now and is probably more actiony now than it's been since Bonds. It can be a little uncomfortable to watch at times since Bonds predates me and I'm used to it being calmer. He was fired in 1995 and that's the first year I can remember their newscasts so I just missed him. What's worse half the newscasts act eyewitness like and the other half Actiony so they don't know what they want to be at the moment. Best way I can explain it is that it's in a transitional phase between the two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bammy9 26 Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 What is the difference between "Action News" and "Eyewitness News?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ns8401 846 Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 What is the difference between "Action News" and "Eyewitness News?" Not much these days, but in the 70's and 80's one was very fast paced, talent driven and the other was cool and subdued news driven programming. News formats are pretty uniform no matter what you call it now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkolsen 1679 Posted September 1, 2014 Share Posted September 1, 2014 What is the difference between "Action News" and "Eyewitness News?" During in the beginning Eyewitness News and Action News were similar but with Action News there was a time limit of 90 seconds. Eyewitness News was visually driven focusing on action video like car chases and fires. I guess you could say Action News will show you the car crash from a car chase while Eyewitness News will show you most of the car chase. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbs2newengland 71 Posted September 1, 2014 Share Posted September 1, 2014 Historically, Eyewitness News began in 1965 by Al Primo, the then ND at KYW. The format was the first newscasts to allow "happy talk" (chit chat, one liner jokes, etc.) and allow the anchors to not be robotic and the theme music was based on movie soundtracks, to say it in a single sentence. It truly not just another brand name, it was like a framework for local news presentation/imaging/etc. Al Primo went to WABC to be the new ND by the late 60s, and of course when it goes to New York, so goes the rest of the country... I believe all Group W stations got the format before the ABC O&Os did because both groups pushed the format to their sister stations - except for KGO because KPIX was owned by Group W and they got it first. Action News I believe had roots in Philly too at WPVI, and they were the first to introduce a fast paced newscast (and thank them) for introducing 90 second packages. Again, I believe Action News historically was a structured format like EWN, and at some point all CapCities stations had used the format before merging with ABC. Albeit WPVI had personality despite the fast paced format. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty Muck 4168 Posted September 1, 2014 Share Posted September 1, 2014 Historically, Eyewitness News began in 1965 by Al Primo, the then ND at KYW. The format was the first newscasts to allow "happy talk" (chit chat, one liner jokes, etc.) and allow the anchors to not be robotic and the theme music was based on movie soundtracks, to say it in a single sentence. It truly not just another brand name, it was like a framework for local news presentation/imaging/etc. EWN goes back even further than that. Group W launched the format on then-KYW-TV in Cleveland, Ohio in 1959 as a revolutionary (for its time) 90-minute evening newscast. Al Primo joined Group W and KYW-TV shortly before the station's management and key staff were transferred back to Philadelphia in June 1965, supplanting WRCV AM/TV. (The reason being that NBC and Group W fought in court over the extortion practices that NBC engaged in with their 1956 trade WTAM, WTAM-FM and WNBK in Cleveland in exchange for KYW and WPTZ in Philadelphia; the FTC and FCC nullified the trade and NBC saw it's profits voided.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CLT-DCA-ORF-PTI 86 Posted September 1, 2014 Share Posted September 1, 2014 Interesting to read that about the EWN/AN difference, as nowadays (With WSOC specifically) - they are Ch. 9 EWN, but happy talk is non-existent. (Which I personally enjoy.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbs2newengland 71 Posted September 1, 2014 Share Posted September 1, 2014 EWN goes back even further than that. Group W launched the format on then-KYW-TV in Cleveland, Ohio in 1959 as a revolutionary (for its time) 90-minute evening newscast. Al Primo joined Group W and KYW-TV shortly before the station's management and key staff were transferred back to Philadelphia in June 1965, supplanting WRCV AM/TV. (The reason being that NBC and Group W fought in court over the extortion practices that NBC engaged in with their 1956 trade WTAM, WTAM-FM and WNBK in Cleveland in exchange for KYW and WPTZ in Philadelphia; the FTC and FCC nullified the trade and NBC saw it's profits voided.) I didn't know it originated out of Cleveland, but already knew about the strikeout, because I've heard about that story over and over and over. The former is news to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty Muck 4168 Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 I didn't know it originated out of Cleveland, but already knew about the strikeout, because I've heard about that story over and over and over. The former is news to me. That additional info was for those new to the board unfamiliar about the whole NBC/Group W feud. Here's a newspaper ad promoting "Eyewitness News" at noon... back in 1961. A revolutionary move, in multiple respects. (Dick Goddard is still active on local TV as WJW's senior meteorologist.) And here's a 1962 ad for EWN 11pm anchor Bill Jorgensen, years before his ascendency to WNEW-TV. Another KYW staffer who jumped to Philadelphia along with Group W, EWN and Al Primo in June 1965 was a young anchorman by the name of... Tom Snyder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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