CNN: The Continuing Soap Opera

[Spring Rubber 658]

With the way that the CNN bug and the lower third are now physically connected, I feel like it would look much better to have the CNN logo aligned with the lower third text.

 

But yeah, without seeing where people's names and titles will be displayed, and how things will look when the lower third isn't up, it's hard to say for sure.

[Jase 884]

1 hour ago, Briella said:

It's literally what they have now with added rounded corners.

 

Disagree. It appears that they integrated (or simplified) things and eliminated having multiple separate boxes (a logo box, live box, time/stock box, etc...). In addition, it also appears that the rolling ticker is gone. It's a much cleaner look while keeping their core color palette (red, white and black).

 

Again, we have to wait and see how everything comes together.

[NBC 5 Chicago 169]

It's official. Kaitlan Collins will get the 9pm slot starting next month. 

[mre29 1395]

Quote

With Lemon fired and Collins elevated, Harlow will work with guest anchors until morning changes are announced in the months ahead, Licht said in his memo.

 

So, what's Robin Meade up to these days?

 

[KRAP-TV 145]

I’m beginning to think that Chris Licht doesn’t know what he’s doing…

[froyo49 229]

I really hope those aren’t the final draft of the graphics. They should stop condensing the font to illegible levels, especially if they’re still going to use long, descriptive headlines. Plus, I hope they found a better place for their incessant promo boxes instead of just sitting on the top of the lower thirds. If they didn’t change that, it’ll be the same cluttered mess the current graphics are.

[Geoffrey 790]

9 hours ago, Manny NYC said:

From Warner Bro's upfront here is a look at CNN's new graphics

Oh, no.

 

The only thing I like is that the ticker appears to be a flipper. Interesting that they chose to highlight their weekend morning anchors here (or at least that's all we see in this image -- perhaps it was part of a larger presentation).

Edited May 18, 2023 by Geoffrey

[MediaZone4K 1741]

On 5/16/2023 at 3:28 PM, mightynine said:

 

Fell right back to their normal 3rd place levels. Gained zero momentum from the town hall.

 

That's what CNN does, compromise it's little integrity for a temporary rather than long-term ratings bump. MH -370 is the prime example.

 

Is that the best CNN could do graphics wise??? SMH. Right now MSNBC has the best sets and Fox News has the best lighting. None of the three cable networks have strong graphics. 

Edited May 18, 2023 by MediaZone4K

[Brit Limey 0]

Can't say I like the new graphics very much. I like that the text is no longer squashed (never understood why it looked like that in the first place), but apart from that and the rounded corners it's barely any different. I get that the current graphics might have been associated with the Trump era, and maybe Licht and co wanted something new, but they're not even that new. Hopefully they will be a stopgap until a proper new look is designed and introduced.

[Newsjunkie24 505]

CNN's new graphics seem fairly mediocre to me, but I'll wait until they debut on TV to give a more detailed opinion.

Edited May 18, 2023 by Newsjunkie24

[Geoffrey 790]

Kaitlan Collins signed off from CNN This Morning this morning.

 

 

[MediaZone4K 1741]

24 minutes ago, Geoffrey said:

Kaitlan Collins signed off from CNN This Morning this morning.

 

 

That's two major anchor changes on this new show (in all fairness because of the Don Lemon situation). I wonder if long term CNN will stick with this.

Edited May 25, 2023 by MediaZone4K

[MediaZone4K 1741]

The 2010s documentary is as good as I expected it to be. The Trump episode felt a bit rushed. Surprised Trump didn't get two hours especially if peak tv did. 

[PTVNews 192]

Looks like CNN is debuting their updated graphics (lower thirds) this morning. Pretty underwhelming in my opinion. Not really liking the rounded/bubble corner look or the gradients. Seems cartoonish. 

 

The time has been moved to the left side of the ticker and show name to a tab above the L3.

 

 

 

 

There is a red wipe used to animate them on or between changes.

 

 

 

I do like the name supers. So far all names have been full size and not shared with a headline.

 

 

 

 

Edited June 1, 2023 by PTVNews

[JosiahCubed 254]

2 hours ago, PTVNews said:

Looks like CNN is debuting their updated graphics (lower thirds) this morning. Pretty underwhelming in my opinion. Not really liking the rounded/bubble corner look or the gradients. Seems cartoonish. 

 

The time has been moved to the left side of the ticker and show name to a tab above the L3.

 

 

 

 

There is a red wipe used to animate them on or between changes.

 

 

 

I do like the name supers. So far all names have been full size and not shared with a headline.

 

 

 

 

There are some people on TVNT's UK counterpart that have been complaining that these new graphics are ugly and that the BBC could make something better. I personally don't mind the new graphics; they're clean and have some depth to them from the gradients.

Edited June 1, 2023 by JosiahCubed

[Geoffrey 790]

My first reaction when we saw the off-angle screenshot the other week was to not like them. I need to see them a little longer to get a feel. But overall these feel like fan-made mock-ups to me with some corners rounded. The show name being moved above the main lower-third covers up more screen space. The "Live" looks misplaced being so small under the CNN logo, and it does this weird fade/slow flash every few seconds. I actually liked the old one-line name/title bar that meant the headline stayed on the screen, and that's been replaced by the more traditional two-line version as @PTVNewspointed out.

 

Pretty much the only thing I do like is the use of a flipper instead of the endless ticker.

 

Only name/title and the flipper used mixed-case letters... everything else is all caps. 

 

I remember the original story about the new graphics a few weeks back said there would be a different style for breaking news. I'm interested to see if this means more than just more red or some small difference like that.

Edited June 1, 2023 by Geoffrey

[noggi 603]

Did CNN abandon their bespoke typeface? (They may have done this a long time ago). This just looks like Helvetica Neue. 

[Jase 884]

I would have eliminated the ticker all together or at the very least use it for breaking news stories only. I don't like the open space above the ticker/time and would rather that everything is connection.  The flashing 'live' is unnecessary. 

 

They presented the new graphics (or the L3s at least) as something new/unique, but what we got isn't everything special. Overall, the new graphics are okay. I doubt whatever happens (graphics-wise) during breaking news will be revolutionary in any sense whatsoever. 

 

[nycnewsjunkie 1425]

2 hours ago, Geoffrey said:

My first reaction when we saw the off-angle screenshot the other week was to not like them. I need to see them a little longer to get a feel. But overall these feel like fan-made mock-ups to me with some corners rounded.

You could honestly stop right there. The new graphics look about as cheap as David Zaslav himself. I’m not gonna lie; I think the 2011 graphics look far better than this.
 

Granted, I am glad that CNN’s actual content has shifted to the center, but it’s still not all that watchable for me. A new set of graphics (and poorly designed ones, at that) doesn’t change that they’re often just as sensationalist as every other American cable news channel.

[mightynine 287]

2 hours ago, noggi said:

Did CNN abandon their bespoke typeface? (They may have done this a long time ago). This just looks like Helvetica Neue. 

I believe this is still that typeface, just a thinner, narrower weight.

 

There's some spacing issues to me, especially when you go to the two line identifier, that make things look a little TOO thin.

 

But put it next to the old look, and I'd have to say the new look is cleaner:

 

 

[nycnewsjunkie 1425]

8 minutes ago, mightynine said:

I believe this is still that typeface, just a thinner, narrower weight.

 

There's some spacing issues to me, especially when you go to the two line identifier, that make things look a little TOO thin.

 

But put it next to the old look, and I'd have to say the new look is cleaner:

 

 

Now that you point out the comparison, I can see two positives. The ticker looks good, especially because it isn’t just a constant crawl of doom anymore. Also, I appreciate the fact that they’re no longer putting every damn headline in all caps. It still looks really outdated to me, though, and I think they could’ve done a far better job than they did.

[Georgie56 3168]

International has a copy-paste of the new look. Nothing to differentiate it from Domestic.

 

 

[NBC 5 Chicago 169]

The graphics so far are just the L3/ticker that has changed. Each show still retains its opens so far. This does feel a little lack luster. I was hoping for a more broader full updated look across the board. I am curious to see what Breaking News looks like if it is different or still red. But this look is quite clean which I appreciate. 

 

The Other Site's write up of the graphics. 

Edited June 1, 2023 by NBC 5 Chicago

[Geoffrey 790]

A few more extra nerdy observations...

 

They seem to rarely use it but they still have the two-sentence lower-third. I wish they would use it more, otherwise it feels like there is a lot of wasted white space.

 

The space looks extra wasted when the all-caps headline is long. In the old look, the text would stay the same height but squish to fit on the box, sometimes looking pretty ridiculous. Now the text is resized. (Also, the upper graphics look especially bad, in my opinion, when all three "bubbles" are there.)

 

The the flipper first starts up,  a CNN logo appears under the main CNN bug, then quickly moves left before being replaced by the time/stocks. The flipper is also fully rounded on both sides.

 

The time seems to be an overlay instead of part of the flipper.

 

The CNN logo slides lower in the bug when the "Live" is not present.

 

This is how the HLN simulcast looked (including no flipper, at least for the few seconds I checked -- not sure if this was how they did it before today):

 

Just like the previous look, the stock ticker includes an up/down arrow in addition to a +/- icon. It's redundant (and you could actually argue that it is inaccurate when the index is down -- it's like a double negative).

 

They have new promo/IDs showcasing the "CNN Archive." Nothing fancy, no special animations , no music, no voiceover. Just a few seconds of raw video of a CNN correspondent at some event, with a "This is CNN" graphic at the end. Reminds me somewhat of the "This Is Who We Are" moments on MSNBC, except those are often recent lighthearted moments from live TV, often involving studio clips. CNN's all seem to be much more serious. In one, I saw Nic Robertson talking to his photographer while waiting to go live in Russia in February 2022 telling her not to get arrested if he does. I think I noticed another one as far back as 2012 or 2013. (The 5-second IDs with various correspondents saying "I'm [name] in [location], and this is CNN" have not gone away.)

 

Also, today is CNN's 43rd birthday. They marked the anniversary and CNN's moving out of CNN Center right before 4 p.m. (Today's new graphics on top of the very first CNN newscast.)

 

Thank you for indulging me.

 

[mre29 1395]

1 hour ago, Geoffrey said:

 

"More on that story just as soon as this logo gets out of my way."

 

 

1 hour ago, Geoffrey said:

 

This makes me wish the main part of the L3 was in white-on-red.