WKRG New Set

[TampaBowler 51]

WKRG has moved to a temporary set in preparation for a new set. Looks like they donated their existing set to the University of South Alabama for their campus TV program.

https://www.wkrg.com/mobile-county/photos-dismantling-of-the-wkrg-news-5-set/

[who?cares 254]

The old set was rough... it gave off a bomb shelter feeling. 

 

TOO MUCH BRICK!

 

[ABC 7 Denver 1714]

2 hours ago, who?cares said:

The old set was rough... it gave off a bomb shelter feeling. 

 

TOO MUCH BRICK!

 

 

Take a look at KDVR.

[tyrannical bastard 3948]

Given the pattern of Nexstar sets over the past several years, I can see where WKRG is heading...

 

Like most people on this forum, I hated the old set, but Nexstar really did a good job of getting some mileage out of it with the re-configuration they did a few years back.

 

Hopefully, WALA's refresh this past winter was a band-aid that Gray will take care of in a year or two....much like the WKRG refresh was.  

 

 

[Gnome news 7]

Look for WKRG, WMBB, WSAV, and WCBD getting sets this summer. 

[TampaBowler 51]

Screengrabs of the new set which debuted Monday June 27.

Edited June 28, 2022 by TampaBowler

[ABC 7 Denver 1714]

2 hours ago, TampaBowler said:

Screengrabs of the new set which debuted Monday June 27.

 

It's not an improvement. Classic Nexstar.

[ATLNewsExpert 455]

ANOTHER GOD **** DESK IN THE CORNER!!

Edited June 28, 2022 by ATLNewsExpert

[tyrannical bastard 3948]

WKRG even did a retrospective of pretty much ALL of their prior sets...

https://youtu.be/en3oiNW7KDU

 

A takeaway from this, in the 70s, WKRG took some inspiration from WAGA.  Their 1970-90s logo was based on the 60's WAGA logo, and the 'TV5' logo (which I've never seen before) is virtually identical to the WAGA logo they used prior to their "A5" "5 Belongs" logo.

 

Yes, it's a Nexstar set.   Yes, it's a corner desk.   Still better than any other set in the market.  I get the idea that it's basically things around the walls and nothing in the middle, giving little depth to each section.  Nexstsr seems to cram as many looks as they can into a single studio.

[MidwestTV 1232]

Some of you have impossibly high standards lol. It really isn't a bad look at all. I like the cool feeling of it, it's almost like a relief from the heat and humidity of the south.

 

What I will say is that it seems very bottom heavy with lighting. The top third is noticeably darker than the bottom third and the shadows seem a lot more pronounced. Small accent lighting could've helped add depth.

[nycnewsjunkie 1439]

Just now, MidwestTV said:

Some of you have impossibly high standards lol. It really isn't a bad look at all. I like the cool feeling of it, it's almost like a relief from the heat and humidity of the south.

 

What I will say is that it seems very bottom heavy with lighting. The top third is noticeably darker than the bottom third and the shadows seem a lot more pronounced. Small accent lighting could've helped add depth.

If this set were replacing a set like WALA’s, I’d agree with you. A set isn’t even the most important part of a newscast, the journalistic product is. The problem is that Nexstar doesn’t seem to think this way when it comes to some of their stations. They place so much emphasis on building sets for stations that don’t really need them (the set this replaced wasn’t even 10 years old,) and the new sets look dated even at launch (see WTTV for another example of this.) While I agree with @tyrannical bastard that this set is the best in the market, that’s not a very high bar. The competitors are Sinclair (speaks for itself) and WALA, which hasn’t updated their set since they first went HD. IMHO, if a new set is that important to your news operation, it should be built to last.

 

As I said in my post in the KXAN set thread, Nexstar could’ve spent that money on more staff, resources, and employee benefits. An FTVLive article from today featured a reporter from a Nexstar station that was tasked with solo-anchoring and producing an 11pm newscast, while also doing the weather. How is it that Nexstar can spend loads on new sets that don’t even look all that great, but can’t afford to hire staff at other stations to lighten the workload?

 

I’ll give Nexstar credit for how WJZY has turned around under its stewardship. Their story selection has improved, more people have been hired, and their new set (which they actually needed, unlike WKRG) looks great imo. I also recognize that local management has a lot to do with these decisions, and that corporate isn’t just controlling each station with marionettes. That being said, if a new set A) isn’t needed, B) doesn’t even look as good as what other designers have produced for stations, and C) adds nothing new to the overall product, what’s the point? It’s like replacing a working iPhone 12 with the brand new iPhone just because it’s newer.

[tyrannical bastard 3948]

Changing ownership is a factor that has played into both WALA and WKRG.  Prior sets were initiated under prior owners (Lin & Media General) and WALA's set refresh was a late addition by Meredith right before turning the keys over to Gray.   With the change of owners has been a shuffle of managers (and change in priorities that goes along with that).

 

Sets are often budgeted years in advance and the "bandaids" that were implemented were able to fix things while not spending for a totally new set.

 

Hopefully for stations like WJW that were gifted (finally!) a new set in the end days of Tribune, that it will last for a while, (hopefully not as long as the set it replaced!)

 

[ATLNewsExpert 455]

I feel like some people are getting the wrong impression of our thoughts. The set's nice, modern, and we'll rounded despite everything being along the sides. The plain heart of the matter is a new set is the LAST thing this (and so many stations that Nexstar is either getting new sets for or recently did) station needed while the stations that DO need a new set don't get one.

[Sendir 194]

Money. Money. Money. It all depends which stations are hiring their goals. It has nothing to do with what they need. They have to figure out how to pay for it like an entrepreneur. Each station is their own LLC. 
 

I love the set. It’s beautiful. So much better than Gray’s crappy attempt with KCBD. 

[brb588 102]

On 6/28/2022 at 1:23 PM, nycnewsjunkie said:

If this set were replacing a set like WALA’s, I’d agree with you. A set isn’t even the most important part of a newscast, the journalistic product is. The problem is that Nexstar doesn’t seem to think this way when it comes to some of their stations. They place so much emphasis on building sets for stations that don’t really need them (the set this replaced wasn’t even 10 years old,) and the new sets look dated even at launch (see WTTV for another example of this.) While I agree with @tyrannical bastard that this set is the best in the market, that’s not a very high bar. The competitors are Sinclair (speaks for itself) and WALA, which hasn’t updated their set since they first went HD. IMHO, if a new set is that important to your news operation, it should be built to last.

Meh. "Almost 10 years" is a pretty darn good run for a news set. Presentation does matter.

[nycnewsjunkie 1439]

1 hour ago, brb588 said:

Meh. "Almost 10 years" is a pretty darn good run for a news set. Presentation does matter.

In hindsight, I suppose you’re right, nearly 10 years is a long run. And I didn’t say that presentation didn’t matter, just that it wasn’t the single most important aspect of a newscast. Still think they could’ve done a better job, but hey, it’s the best set in the market, so that’s fine. That said, I’m still not sure why some stations (KDVR, KNTV, WTKR, KXAN) are junking sets from 2016 (and in KDVR’s case, 2019!) when the money could be better spent elsewhere.

 

EDIT: To WKRG/Nexstar’s credit, the old set isn’t going to waste. It’s being donated to the University of South Alabama.

 

Edited July 3, 2022 by nycnewsjunkie

[tyrannical bastard 3948]

Apologies for the bump.

 

Here's a picture of WKRG's old set in use at the University of South Alabama.  They kept the desk, and parts of the backdrop.

This was during a visit of Alan Sealls, who also teaches meteorology classes at South Alabama.