WTSP's Overhaul

[C Block 1488]

...My god, in Big markets the execs that make it to the top are the one's not being a threat to the person hiring them, a succession of incompetents or the ones that play The GAME... glen beck is just Bizarre. - not sure I'd want to take the credit for creating that, leave that one off the resume'. FOX News made Hannity,O'Reilly,Megyn Kelly, Joel Cheatwood did NOT make Glen Beck, the circumastances made them - they were all nobody's until FNC made them Household Names...

 

I don't know the specifics enough to know whether or not Cheatwood has directly contributed to Glenn Beck's rise or not...but looking at his résumé and seeing that he not only gave him his first job on national TV but has also followed him to Fox and then with Beck's startup implies that there must be a strong relationship between the two.

 

But you make a good point that perhaps consultants like Cheatwood are not as cutting edge as they're drummed up to be. I guess he can be credited with cultivating the tabloid local TV format that took at WSVN, but it was rather swiftly walked back at anyplace where he tried to do the same thing (WCBS, WMAQ) or anyplace that tried to copy it (KMGH, KPRC, many many others). Just looking at WSVN now and while I get that it still works for them, it looks like an incredibly dated product to me. Like WJZ-level dated. Maybe the same 60+ year old guy trying to sex up local TV using more or less the same format as he used in the 80s isn't the way to go anymore. Moving the whole newscast into a newsroom, labeling everything breaking news, making talent wear short skirts and walk around reading tweets doesn't work if you're only going to make those superficial changes.

[bhratbrat 423]

There are good and bad with this overhaul.

 

The Good: The graphics. It is simplistic and could work out even if this experiment doesn't.

 

The Bad: Everything else. This is more of a cost cutting move by either the current of short termed GM by WTSP. More than likely..they decided to buy in to everything Cheatwood said to try and make the newscast "better". I think by pushing Reggie out, its really bad, but of course, they pushed out Greg Hurst in Houston among other anchors with high profile positions to be as they would say "penny wise but pound dumb" It was short-sighted and I don't think this is going to last very long if numbers are down. Also, this isn't a newsteam that is versatile as say anyone else in Tampa or frankly some of the stations where Tegna has decided to bring in an unconventional newscast into play. Those other newscasts had the newsteams to pull this off, where in WTSP's case they just don't have it.

[nobody 20]

I don't know the specifics enough to know whether or not Cheatwood has directly contributed to Glenn Beck's rise or not...but looking at his résumé and seeing that he not only gave him his first job on national TV but has also followed him to Fox and then with Beck's startup implies that there must be a strong relationship between the two.

 

But you make a good point that perhaps consultants like Cheatwood are not as cutting edge as they're drummed up to be. I guess he can be credited with cultivating the tabloid local TV format that took at WSVN, but it was rather swiftly walked back at anyplace where he tried to do the same thing (WCBS, WMAQ) or anyplace that tried to copy it (KMGH, KPRC, many many others). Just looking at WSVN now and while I get that it still works for them, it looks like an incredibly dated product to me. Like WJZ-level dated. Maybe the same 60+ year old guy trying to sex up local TV using more or less the same format as he used in the 80s isn't the way to go anymore. Moving the whole newscast into a newsroom, labeling everything breaking news, making talent wear short skirts and walk around reading tweets doesn't work if you're only going to make those superficial changes.

Bill Shine is the only programming Exec that can take any credit

[mardek1995 200]

Welp, looks like this new format is winning people over on social media.

 

Unless it isn't.

Well, social media already has news when it happens unlike most tv newscasts, local or national.

 

It's essentially drivel, driven by consultants. They have in their minds that this is "hip, flashy, edgy and way cool" and will stop the millennials/cool kids in their tracks to pay attention to a TV in real time. Umm yeah okay!! Well if so, gee Wally, I guess there's hope for the family breakfast and TV dinner to make a comeback too. Wouldn't that be swell?

 

Those millennials will have to learn how to tinker around with the rabbit ears, as they glue their eyes on the TV set in awe, over the latest "happening now/trending now/what's next" viral stories that matter! that they just happened to miss on their smartphone!

 

This is an awful case of "tryin too hard" to be hip and remain relevant. It's a total turnoff and it reeks of desperation.

Well, if you have to try that hard to remain relevant, it's a sign that you're not that relevant anymore.

 

I've been told countless times how vital young people will be in the industry for it's survival. They need to start consulting with ACTUAL young people (i.e., still in college or just graduated). The "young" folk they have on WTSP are probably in their 30s. While that's not OLD, they're at an awkward age where social media stuff really began to take off when they were in the middle of college; they didn't grow up with it through middle and high school like current college students have. Consequently, I don't believe they're as knowledgeable about what youngsters like as they think they are. You'd be surprised how many young'ns are actually annoyed with facebook and don't really like it.

Yeah, we prefer twitter and instagram thank you very much.

 

Sounds painful to watch. When will consultants realize that these young adult targeted newscasts rarely pan out.

Because they often consider tv news to be boring, and rightfully so. Not to mention it often takes too long to get to the main headlines what with their "but first" bullshit.

 

As a long time WTSP viewer, it's a very sad day. Dick Fletcher is rolling in his grave.

 

Reggie is a solid news guy. Gotta say he earned my viewership, because it took him some time to find his stride. I think it's a mistake to let him go because he is the most senior anchor in the market and he isn't the problem.

 

DId they need to make some changes? Yes. But this is the wrong way to go. You should read the overwhelmingly negative FB comments. Used to think Gannett/Tegna was one of the better ownership groups. The word 'repulsive' comes to mind. They should have looked to what market leaders in other markets such as WSB, WTHR, and WBNS are doing.

Well, they're all rather pretentious and have fancy graphics over news. I prefer minimalism thank you very much.

 

It's everything that is wrong with newscasts today.

Not everything. The fact that even with the new format, WTSP and KXTV are still limited to when they air their newscasts is a testament to how inflexible tv news is, moreso now than ever before.

 

I always thought WTVT produced good stories. If I lived in Tampa, I would have watched them first anyway.

 

I haven't seen the WTSP newscast yet, but I clicked on a random story. The talent stood on one side of a touch screen, and walked to the other side mid-story (blocking the text in the process), purely to add unnecessary movement to the story.

I wouldn't dream of living in tampa, and forgive me for going off topic here, but tv news is rarely a factor when deciding whether to move to a new city or not.

 

There is a history of bold risks in television news. Some age well. Others are remembered as time capsules, or as being way before their time. Others are presented with nothing but round mockery. WTHR and "Eyewitness NewsCenter 13" with its roving set. KFMB's This Day. KIRO's news out of the box. The 1991 revamp of KYW with "The News Tonight". The "CBS 2 Information Network". News with a Twist. They are the television news versions of the Tequila Sunrise uniform. They throw convention not to the wind to blow away, but to the wolves to be eaten.

 

WTSP has ascended its newscast into some...notoriously vaunted territory. I get it. News programs can be stale. Everyone is chasing the God of the Golden Millennial.

 

But from now on, WTSP is "that station that was so desperate to chase Millennials they chased away their audience".

The problem with tv news taking risks is the fact that tv news is really inflexible. There's this cliche of "tune in at x to find out more" that really isnt that relevant to millenials such as myself, and then there's the fancy graphics and messy news interfaces.

 

Also, if this actually works for the lower rated stations, could Tegna try to take the approach to their higher rated stations as a mandate?

 

Brightside to me seems like their version of Eye Opener at KDAF in Dallas. I wouldn't be surprised if 10 attempts some comedy in that newscast. They already have anchors sitting on the floor.

Like I said, tv news is inflexible.

 

I will say something in defense of Gannett/Tegna: I think they're actually a pretty creative station group. They are willing to try new concepts and ideas to make local news actually feel like something that came from this century. The days are numbered for the station that has an anchor reading in front of a blue backdrop that today we had 15 homicides and 63 violent crimes before tossing to a reporter live in front of a static police station with a three minute package.

 

I like the strategy that Gannett is using at market leading or otherwise strong stations like KUSA, KGW, and KARE. They all seem to have pretty quick and quirky morning shows, loose lifestyle-y afternoon shows, and pretty hard-hitting, investigative-heavy late newscasts. What KUSA and KARE have done with their 6pm shows with Kyle Clark and Jana Shortal are pretty interesting ways of reformatting an otherwise traditional newscast into a more vernacular, if somewhat irreverent, style. They've diversified show formats to optimize them for the time of day, but with all of these changes, they've phased them in all while largely keeping the same brand.

 

But with that said, I watched most of WTSP's 11pm tonight, and I don't think this strategy for the straggler stations works. I don't think it's as horrible as it's made out to be on here, but it didn't leave me thinking that I'd want to come back the next night and watch.

 

The key issue is that radical talent, format, and branding changes rarely work, especially if done simultaneously. It's amazing stations still try and pull that off, but that seems like a Joel Cheatwood trademark to try and flip everything overnight and move it all into a newsroom. If you want to tinker with the format, fine, but don't fuck with the talent at the same time or else you're going to sabotage anything you're trying to accomplish with format changes.

 

Whoever those anchors are that I watched had no energy in their delivery. The fire coverage probably needed to go longer and go more in depth— it didn't clock into much more than two or three minutes off the top. Then they went through all of Trump's campaign promises for what seemed like forever with no visuals to go with it beyond some really plain looking fullscreens. If you're going to do politics, why not get a reporter like Chris Vanderveen, Brandon Rittiman, or Kyle Iboshi to do a much better put together package instead of having a stale anchor read through an iPad in front of a video wall with fullscreen after fullscreen?

The thing about that is, you may in fact have to fuck with the talent when you change the news format. That's why KIAH and KDAF laid off their news anchors before launching newsfix. And also, YouTube has more leeway in that it's a hell of a lot easier to switch to a new format than in television.

 

Look, I get that stations are having to 'stay relevant' in the digital age. Maybe a 'social media anchor' is a good addition. Maybe making the news at 11 more relaxed is a way to set that newscast apart from the competition.

 

Am I missing something? I don't see 18-35s watching just for the chit-chat. News viewers are going to skew older regardless of how they package it.

At this point, there's barely any room for tv news in general no matter what the format is.

 

Gotta love how people take the credit for making the Oprah's of the world and everybody else a success - when it's a million factors that make anything a success - especially timing and being in the right place. If any Exec in the last 30 years has been a trailblazer - why in the world is TV in the shape it's in today? Any exec with smarts would have snatched up Yahoo, Google,FB, Twitter, Instagram before they became a threat - or should have thought of something similar before they came along.

Which is why there is no hope of newscasts staying relevant in the digital age, even if theyre owned by cox

[jbnews 344]

The only creative thing that TEGNA has done right is Next with Kyle Clark on 9News. It is an interesting show, and Kyle is quite popular in Denver.

[MidwestTV 1173]

At this point, there's barely any room for tv news in general no matter what the format is.

 

Which is why there is no hope of newscasts staying relevant in the digital age, even if theyre owned by cox

 

Oh well if this is the case, all these media companies should shut down right now because they're obviously wasting their money. Like, why bother letting a terminally ill cancer patients keep on living when it's clear no matter what happens they'll die.

 

I disagree. TV news is perfectly capable of staying relevant, they just need to go back to their most basic form: do reporting, read the news, leave social media out of it (unless it's relevant to the news), no useless commentary, no opinionated talk shows, and no trying to subtly push a political agenda.

[mre29 1340]

I disagree. TV news is perfectly capable of staying relevant, they just need to go back to their most basic form: do reporting, read the news, leave social media out of it (unless it's relevant to the news), no useless commentary, no opinionated talk shows, and no trying to subtly push a political agenda.

 

I think you may have just described news channels such as BBC World News, Al Jazeera, etc.

 

Also, didn't WVTM take a back-to-basics approach once they were under Hearst ownership? Last I checked, their ratings are doing much better these days.

[bhratbrat 423]

Oh well if this is the case, all these media companies should shut down right now because they're obviously wasting their money. Like, why bother letting a terminally ill cancer patients keep on living when it's clear no matter what happens they'll die.

 

I disagree. TV news is perfectly capable of staying relevant, they just need to go back to their most basic form: do reporting, read the news, leave social media out of it (unless it's relevant to the news), no useless commentary, no opinionated talk shows, and no trying to subtly push a political agenda.

 

Television News might be in a weird spot, but yes can stay relevant. It is not a waste of money, also considering that right now it is a station's economic bread and butter.

 

Granted experiments like WTSP are not necessarily good experiments. But putting experiments into a "production" environment is very invaluable to other broadcasters to see what works and what doesn't work.

 

I will give WTSP credit for at least trying something different that is not a carbon copy of what we are used to. But there are some experiments that work well and others that do not work well. This is one that only works maybe if a newscast (and only limited to one newscast) on the website..not something for a news organization to fully take on.

[NEOMatrix 1295]

Television News might be in a weird spot, but yes can stay relevant. It is not a waste of money, also considering that right now it is a station's economic bread and butter.

 

Granted experiments like WTSP are not necessarily good experiments. But putting experiments into a "production" environment is very invaluable to other broadcasters to see what works and what doesn't work.

 

I will give WTSP credit for at least trying something different that is not a carbon copy of what we are used to. But there are some experiments that work well and others that do not work well. This is one that only works maybe if a newscast (and only limited to one newscast) on the website..not something for a news organization to fully take on.

I agree with that. If WTSP was using this weird format to supplement its news (ie airing it at 3 or 4), then it wouldn't be as offensive.

[rkolsen 1679]

This is one that only works maybe if a newscast (and only limited to one newscast) on the website..not something for a news organization to fully take on.

 

Like say on the morning show.

[bhratbrat 423]

Like say on the morning show.

 

I would love to say that this could "work" on a morning show..but not your primary one..Maybe either a 9 AM show, a noon show or a 3-4 PM show

[mardek1995 200]

Oh well if this is the case, all these media companies should shut down right now because they're obviously wasting their money. Like, why bother letting a terminally ill cancer patients keep on living when it's clear no matter what happens they'll die.

 

I disagree. TV news is perfectly capable of staying relevant, they just need to go back to their most basic form: do reporting, read the news, leave social media out of it (unless it's relevant to the news), no useless commentary, no opinionated talk shows, and no trying to subtly push a political agenda.

First off, I'm tired of people on this site nitpicking on so many of my posts that it's really starting to piss me off.

 

Second, there's a reason why many doctors try to prevent terminal illness from happening in the first place.

 

I think you may have just described news channels such as BBC World News, Al Jazeera, etc.

 

Also, didn't WVTM take a back-to-basics approach once they were under Hearst ownership? Last I checked, their ratings are doing much better these days.

Because, and I'll say it again, TV news is inflexible. And besides, it's almost always been one or two or sometimes three anchors sitting in a desk throughout most of the history of television.

 

Television News might be in a weird spot, but yes can stay relevant. It is not a waste of money, also considering that right now it is a station's economic bread and butter.

 

Granted experiments like WTSP are not necessarily good experiments. But putting experiments into a "production" environment is very invaluable to other broadcasters to see what works and what doesn't work.

 

I will give WTSP credit for at least trying something different that is not a carbon copy of what we are used to. But there are some experiments that work well and others that do not work well. This is one that only works maybe if a newscast (and only limited to one newscast) on the website..not something for a news organization to fully take on.

But sometimes, grand experements are necessary, even if the fail as hard as KXTV's (and now WTSP's as well).

 

I agree with that. If WTSP was using this weird format to supplement its news (ie airing it at 3 or 4), then it wouldn't be as offensive.

I for one disagree. It's only a matter of time where even Cox has to admit that their audience is getting older and that they won't attract newer and younger viewers no matter what they do and that TV news is irrelevant.

[The Frog 393]

First off, I'm tired of people on this site nitpicking on so many of my posts that it's really starting to piss me off.

 

Then leave.

[24994J 5276]

Then leave.

Not for another like 27-51 months...or so.

[MidwestTV 1173]

First off, I'm tired of people on this site nitpicking on so many of my posts that it's really starting to piss me off.

 

Dude you took my reply way too seriously and literally lol. It was sarcasm. If it sounded ridiculous that's because it was.

[CLETVFan 363]

Tonight, WKYC is debuting a new version of its 7pm newscast called "Donovan Live."

[jerseyfla 196]

This was the best open they ever had:

 

Timeless and classic, lasted from 2002 to 2007.

 

As much as we all knocked and sometimes laughed when they went light in 2002, those cuts of Horizon were magnificent (especially the late close) and they didn't really overhaul the anchor lineup like they did a week ago. This is really now one of the least painful overhauls they've had and hard to believe this is now 15 years ago.

[news89 467]

Tonight, WKYC is debuting a new version of its 7pm newscast called "Donovan Live."

[News 9 Viewer 100]

@mardek1995 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdJr1uTJuxc

[MidwestTV 1173]

Finally watching it live right now. What's up with the audio? It's continually cutting out and half the time sounds muffled. Just now audio cut out completely for 3 or 4 seconds, then sounded like the anchor she was rubbing her hair against it (probably to fix it). This isn't an isolated thing tonight, I've noticed it in some of their clips online and it's with ALL of them.

 

And wait, did the newscast just end? No 'thanks for watching,' no final weather, no 'see you tomorrow,' no 'have a good night'? Just a conversation about the kicker, a look at the camera, and it's over?

 

oh never mind, I was mistaken. It was a cut to a five minute commercial break.