ABC changing their logo; New graphics coming for ABC owned stations

[DMA 135]

On 1/18/2024 at 8:56 PM, MorningNews said:

^ mostly agree with this. Not to belabor the point but is there a theory to WABC’s approach? I remember being shocked at the 2005 set and their graphics. You’d think the top station would have a more ambitious on-air presentation especially since the other O&Os in the group were mostly always solid.

 

Channel 7’s format is flashy, maybe even obnoxious. In contrast, their on-air presentation has always been one-dimensional. Feels like it’s by design.

I've always viewed WABC's visual format as a take on print-tabloid aesthetics. While the newspaper age definitely on the wane, in a lot of aspects NYC is still a tabloid town, especially among working class people. The large text probably doesn't hurt with an older demographic either. While I haven't been a fan of WABC's previous looks, I kind of got what they were going for: legibility, bold flat colors, a general "punchiness" - a loud look for a loud town. 

 

This new look is a nice 30 year time warp to the present, but still within the realm of WABC's overall visual tradition, can't complain!
 

 

[nycnewsjunkie 1439]

6 hours ago, DMA said:

I've always viewed WABC's visual format as a take on print-tabloid aesthetics. While the newspaper age definitely on the wane, in a lot of aspects NYC is still a tabloid town, especially among working class people. The large text probably doesn't hurt with an older demographic either. While I haven't been a fan of WABC's previous looks, I kind of got what they were going for: legibility, bold flat colors, a general "punchiness" - a loud look for a loud town. 

 

This new look is a nice 30 year time warp to the present, but still within the realm of WABC's overall visual tradition, can't complain!
 

 

Couldn’t have said it better. I do think their newscasts would come off as being rather ostentatious and gaudy in most other cities, especially when you consider the occasional mild editorializing on the part of the anchors. However, the “populist” (for lack of a better word) style of WABC’s newscasts does fit in NYC imo.

Edited January 22, 2024 by nycnewsjunkie

[sfomspphl 490]

On 1/20/2024 at 1:49 PM, MediaZone4K said:

WPVI still holds out, but their current lower thirds are pretty decent. Very Graham like. I almost hope they don't change.

PVI's flat graphics look cheap though. These can definately stand the new upgrade. Just like the new Cox package, 3D and flat look awkward when mixed.

Reguarding tone which was brought up during the WABC's discussion...Having seen snippets from their evening newscasts, especially when Jim Vance was there, 6ABC has a real national evening news like presentation. Very clean and ultra professional news product.

 

When I last watched just before Jim’s retirement I had the same network nightly news impression except 6 seemed even more professional. 

 

 

[MediaZone4K 2172]

On 1/21/2024 at 10:41 PM, nycnewsjunkie said:

Couldn’t have said it better. I do think their newscasts would come off as being rather ostentatious and gaudy in most other cities, especially when you consider the occasional mild editorializing on the part of the anchors. However, the “populist” (for lack of a better word) style of WABC’s newscasts does fit in NYC imo.

Someone else, perhaps you, also talked about WABC's NY Post look and feel. As for tabloid, I would love to see what Sunbeam would do with NYC station lol. 

 

As others have said, their look must be deliberate, because it's hard to believe the #1 station in the country would be that aesthetically clueless. Especially considering sister stations KABC and KGO look so much better in contrast. 

On 1/22/2024 at 9:13 AM, sfomspphl said:

 

When I last watched just before Jim’s retirement I had the same network nightly news impression except 6 seemed even more professional. 

Jim Gardner not Vance I should say. This was perhaps WABC's last decent graphics package:

Edited February 13, 2024 by MediaZone4K

[nycnewsjunkie 1439]

On 1/17/2024 at 10:15 AM, EJ Velazquez said:

Aw, well, I know the new Disney/ABC/ESPN campus is going to look great and out of the park but I’ll also miss the street studio, never had a chance to visit. As for the new graphics, I’m glad the talents are back, makes it more distinct from their other stations!

You can still visit if you’re in the area and find yourself in/near Lincoln Center; it’s pretty cool to see it in person. It’s a shame there won’t be one in Hudson Square, but I imagine they have their reasons for that.

[Vlad 325]

21 hours ago, MediaZone4K said:

Someone else, perhaps you, also about WABC's NY Post look and feel. As for tabloid, I would love to see what Sunbeam would do with NYC station lol. 

 

As others have said, their look must be deliberate, because it's hard to believe the #1 station in the country would be that aesthetically clueless. Especially considering sister stations KABC and KGO look so much better in contrast. 

Jim Gardner not Vance I should say. This was perhaps WABC's last decent graphics package:

 

Yeah, I remember how ecstatic we were when this graphics package debuted in 2008. It wasn't their best and there were other stations that had better graphics, but that was also the year when many TV station productions have "gone HD" What an era haha. That was their Giant Octopus package, which was very "Shiny" in that era when we were transitioning from SD 4:3 to HD 16:9. I remember the bugs would always be further centered in the screen to accommodate the 4:3 video feed but now that most people do not have 4:3 the trend seems to be to move the bug further to the right.

[MediaZone4K 2172]

 

On 1/16/2024 at 1:49 PM, Vlad said:

...constructively disagree with you MediaZone about WABC's current set being abysmal. I honestly don't think their set is "abysmal" not at the very least, astute time viewers of WABC remember vividly how terrible their set used to be before they moved to the street studio, remember back when they were sharing the space with Live with Regis and Kelly? (Early 90s through 2011) when they had the cramped space now that was "abysmal" at the time, their current studio is pretty good, but when they move to the new headquarters sometime next year, i'm sure they'll get a well deserved update, hopefully more spacious and perhaps by the street again? One can hope!

 

From that era you mentioned, as simplistic and unremarkable as it was, this was probably most their decent set. The early 90s graphics wern't great compared to WNBC but it worked.

Arguably the best set this aestetically troubled station had was the steps look from the 70s.

Edited January 25, 2024 by MediaZone4K

[wofchristian 45]

So 6ABC is getting a new meteorologist next week. I wonder if they will switch over to the new graphics when she starts because the news intros would have to be updated to include her.

[Abraham J. Simpson 315]

Not necessarily. They tend to get around to updating the voiceovers “in due time.” And they’re quite fine running the short versions with no talent names. Either way, neither requires new graphics. 

[wofchristian 45]

 

KABC has a preview of their new graphics with this add. Off topic: I haven't heard of a newscast being on the radio in years.

[MorningNews 1448]

28 minutes ago, wofchristian said:

 

KABC has a preview of their new graphics with this add. Off topic: I haven't heard of a newscast being on the radio in years.

KTLA also streams on the radio. Might be an LA thing.

[EJ Velazquez 52]

28 minutes ago, wofchristian said:

 

KABC has a preview of their new graphics with this add. Off topic: I haven't heard of a newscast being on the radio in years.

Looks cool; looking forward to the other three upgrades, particularly in Philadelphia, very anticipated to see how that one will turn out! Also (unrelated) cool to have a newscast being on the radio, wishing NY could do the same. 

[FiveNews 372]

1 hour ago, MorningNews said:

KTLA also streams on the radio. Might be an LA thing.

Curious what stations KTLA streams on as I live in the market. AFAIK, they only stream thru the iHeart radio app.

[24994J 5575]

2 hours ago, wofchristian said:

 

KABC has a preview of their new graphics with this add. Off topic: I haven't heard of a newscast being on the radio in years.

 

Humor me. What part of this is the new graphics, other than the fact that they're using the correct, current ABC?

[MichiganNewsGraphicsJunkie 915]

Yeah I'm not seeing anything from the new package... except for the aforementioned correct ABC logo

[Vlad 325]

13 hours ago, 24994J said:

 

Humor me. What part of this is the new graphics, other than the fact that they're using the correct, current ABC?

 

I agree, this is their current package, and there is no hint of anything new yet at KABC. If anything their sister up north, KGO I can see being the first to unveil their package and then moving down to KABC perhaps later in the year.

[SFTV 526]

KGO has flipped to the new look right now at 11am and brought back the main opening theme.

 

during 2020-2024 they have been using the Breaking News / COVID theme

Edited February 1, 2024 by SFTV

[EJ Velazquez 52]

KGO ABC7 News has made the switch! Looking nice and liking the old pre COVID pandemic theme too! 

[24994J 5575]

 

Edited February 2, 2024 by 24994J

[Vlad 325]

Yay this is amazing! Wow this group package is making all of the O&Os shine. Wild how the two major CA (KGO vs KABC) stations are completely different looking now with their new look. KABC doesn't have any hint of the new package, at least we haven't seen it yet in the weather department. And the pre-covid original theme is so nice to hear again! Finally! I'm also glad the stations are keeping their music. The three stations look really uniquely stunning, though I still like WABC's color scheme a tad better but excellent update to KGO, and wow just yesterday I had mentioned that they would be the first to get the new look, and low and behold just hours later they did just that. Bravo, KGO!

 

So another question I have for those who are in the know about broadcast graphic design rollouts, why was this package rolled out in two phases for each station? They all started with the updated weather graphics first, then the news graphics after, was their a technicality behind that or does it have to do with the AccuWeather branding, etc? Or is the weather package a sub package?

 

Thoughts?

 

Now we wait for KABC's take on it, I hope KABC keeps their music as well their theme is perfect!  

[TSSZNews 1051]

On 1/31/2024 at 8:45 PM, MorningNews said:

KTLA also streams on the radio. Might be an LA thing.

I mean, half of LA spends half their day sitting in traffic, so it makes sense.

[T.L. Hughes 889]

On 1/31/2024 at 7:45 PM, MorningNews said:

KTLA also streams on the radio. Might be an LA thing.

Aside, how does that work? It makes sense for its newscasts, other local shows (L.A. Unscripted, Off the Clock, California Cooking with Jessica Holmes, Frank Buckley Interviews and Inside California Politics) and Clippers games, but the bulk of KTLA's local programming airs between 4:00 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. weekdays. The rest of the station's schedule (outside the weeknight 10:00 and 11:00 p.m., weekend morning and evening newscasts, Sports Final and a few of the above-mentioned non-news local shows) consists of CW shows, syndicated and paid programming, and I doubt those shows are given audio simulcasts on the iHeart feed.

 

Radio simulcasts of local TV newscasts have been a thing for about 35 years or so, but usually have been limited to evening broadcasts—usually during drive time—on a news/talk or music station. (There were also a few cases like the arrangement that KPRC had with KLAT radio in the early 1990s, where a Spanish-language station ran a translated simulcast of the English broadcast.)

Edited February 2, 2024 by T.L. Hughes

[mightynine 290]

39 minutes ago, T.L. Hughes said:

Aside, how does that work? It makes sense for its newscasts, other local shows (L.A. Unscripted, Off the Clock, California Cooking with Jessica Holmes, Frank Buckley Interviews and Inside California Politics) and Clippers games, but the bulk of KTLA's local programming airs between 4:00 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. weekdays. The rest of the station's schedule (outside the weeknight 10:00 and 11:00 p.m., weekend morning and evening newscasts, Sports Final and a few of the above-mentioned non-news local shows) consists of CW shows, syndicated and paid programming, and I doubt those shows are given audio simulcasts on the iHeart feed.

 

Radio simulcasts of local TV newscasts have been a thing for about 35 years or so, but usually have been limited to evening broadcasts—usually during drive time—on a news/talk or music station. (There were also a few cases like the arrangement that KPRC had with KLAT radio in the early 1990s, where a Spanish-language station ran a translated simulcast of the English broadcast.)

My guess is, since it's labeled as KTLA 5 News on iHeart, it's just an audio simulcast of this, which is mainly newscasts and news replays :https://ktla.com/on-air/live-streaming/

[nathannah 2428]

On 1/31/2024 at 7:45 PM, MorningNews said:

KTLA also streams on the radio. Might be an LA thing.

Should also mention WGN Radio airs the 4-6 block of channel 9's morning news in Chicago; it's a common thing for heritage/struggling stations that can't justify filling the 5am hour these days with Orion retired and Max mainly focusing on his TV duties (as their farm reports used to fill that 5am slot), and WGN starts at 4am because their overnight syndicated filler (Rich Valdes) ends at 5am ET/4am CT. There are some set aside periods for the radio side to contribute their own traffic reports and you have to assume that the TV side adjusts their presentation knowing that radio listeners can't see images on-screen.

 

And it just makes me sad that WGN and KABC (which is so badly-rated Cumulus is embarrassed to ask Nielsen rate it) have to depend on TV stations to fill time now.

Edited February 2, 2024 by mrschimpf

[sfomspphl 490]

22 hours ago, SFTV said:

KGO has flipped to the new look right now at 11am and brought back the main opening theme.

 

during 2020-2024 they have been using the Breaking News / COVID theme

 

Thank goodness. Those grey toned shots with the 'better' Bay Area in the open were so grim looking.