CBS News Detroit launches

[DirtyHarry 727]

6 minutes ago, ColtFromGulfcoast said:

Yo, what exactly has Gray Television done that would provoke CBS to leave WANF?? Everyone keeps saying this. I don't get it. 

 

 

If CBS wanted to move to 69, they'd have done so back in 2006 or a long time ago.  There is a reason why they sold 69 only to regain it coincidentally just after merging with Viacom. 

 

By this logic, WTTV should still be the CW affiliate and WBXI should be CBS.

 

I'm sorry I got everybody off on a tangent, but CBS needed some place to park the CW back in the old days. Now they don't. But just take a look at the WANF website. Not a CBS logo in sight. I don't think it's a stretch to think they are going the way of WISH, WJXT and WHDH.

 

Gray didn't have to do anything just as Sunbeam didn't have to do anything in Boston. CBS may just want to bring things in house. What you see in this Detroit launch will probably end up being relevant in Atlanta.

I just noticed the Atlanta News First thread below. Sorry if I went off on a tangent. LOL

Edited February 6, 2023 by DirtyHarry

[mre29 1537]

8 minutes ago, DirtyHarry said:

I'm sorry I got everybody off on a tangent, but CBS needed some place to park the CW back in the old days. Now they don't. But just take a look at the WANF website. Not a CBS logo in sight. I don't think it's a stretch to think they are going the way of WISH, WJXT and WHDH.

 

By that logic, WFSB in Hartford (also a Gray station acquired from Meredith) is going to drop CBS, too -- its website is also missing the network's logo.

 

[DirtyHarry 727]

10 minutes ago, mre29 said:

 

By that logic, WFSB in Hartford (also a Gray station acquired from Meredith) is going to drop CBS, too -- its website is also missing the network's logo.

 

 

CBS doesn't own a station in Hartford.

[Rusty Muck 4378]

8 minutes ago, mre29 said:

 

By that logic, WFSB in Hartford (also a Gray station acquired from Meredith) is going to drop CBS, too -- its website is also missing the network's logo.

 

Here’s the thing:

 

CBS has a station in Atlanta which is currently an affiliate of the CW (and possibly could be going indie). They aren’t going to keep the running the station as a stand-alone indie in a top 10 market. Nor do they have anyone to sell it to (friendly reminder that this is no longer a buyer’s market for TV stations or for large-scale M&As). 

 

Given that WWJ-TV is merely simulcasting an OTT/SVOD with a smattering of syndication and CBS programming, it’s not TOO outside the box to see CBS make WUPA, WTOG and KSTW in-house CBS O&Os. And even that LPTV in Indianapolis, WBXI-CD. Sure, CBS could use WTOG, WBXI-CD and KSTW as bargaining chips to get further established stations—and they probably will—but WWJ-TV and CBS News Detroit might be giving them a road map for the future that’s already under all of our noses.

[DirtyHarry 727]

3 minutes ago, Myron Falwell said:

Here’s the thing:

 

CBS has a station in Atlanta which is currently an affiliate of the CW (and possibly could be going indie). They aren’t going to keep the running the station as a stand-alone indie in a top 10 market. Nor do they have anyone to sell it to (friendly reminder that this is no longer a buyer’s market for TV stations or for large-scale M&As). 

 

Given that WWJ-TV is merely simulcasting an OTT/SVOD with a smattering of syndication and CBS programming, it’s not TOO outside the box to see CBS make WUPA, WTOG and KSTW in-house CBS O&Os. And even that LPTV in Indianapolis, WBXI-CD. Sure, CBS could use WTOG, WBXI-CD and KSTW as bargaining chips to get further established stations—and they probably will—but WWJ-TV and CBS News Detroit might be giving them a road map for the future that’s already under all of our noses.

 

I think part of that roadmap goes through San Francisco with KNTV and Boston with WBTS. NBC took relatively strong affiliates and brought them in house without batting an eye. If it didn't work in San Francisco, they wouldn't have done the same thing (and even more) in Boston. And I am still amazed at the ingeniousness involved with channel sharing an LPTV license on public television and back dooring into a full powered signal in Boston. Their ratings might be bad, but that was a smart way to work the system.

 

In Atlanta, you have a weak affiliate. Given how well this thing in Detroit seems to be working out, I wouldn't hesitate at all.

 

Tampa would be interesting. I don't know how WTSP does in the ratings but traditionally they've been in third place. ABC is on a UHF channel number and WTOG has a storied history there, so that one almost seems like a no-brainer as well. They won't owe the bankster any favors if he ends up taking over Tegna. WTOG has the better UHF signal and a 1500 ft Tower. WTSP is a VHF.

 

I don't know about Seattle, though. KIRO seems to be pretty strong, but it's every man for himself out there. 

 

 

 

Also might be away for CBS to get back at gray for sticking them on so many .2's

[Rusty Muck 4378]

3 hours ago, CircleWXYZ said:

Heard a 9 am and 12 pm newscasts are coming.

Zap2It is now showing that the noon debuts next Monday

[ColtFromGulfcoast 709]

1 hour ago, DirtyHarry said:

 

I'm sorry I got everybody off on a tangent, but CBS needed some place to park the CW back in the old days. Now they don't. But just take a look at the WANF website. Not a CBS logo in sight. I don't think it's a stretch to think they are going the way of WISH, WJXT and WHDH.

 

Gray didn't have to do anything just as Sunbeam didn't have to do anything in Boston. CBS may just want to bring things in house. What you see in this Detroit launch will probably end up being relevant in Atlanta.

I just noticed the Atlanta News First thread below. Sorry if I went off on a tangent. LOL

 

Okay but a vast number of CBS stations and indeed a number of stations owned by Gray in general don't brand with the network.

 

As long as Gray keeps paying those checks for reverse comp, WANF should be fine. 

[Rusty Muck 4378]

2 minutes ago, ColtFromGulfcoast said:

 

Okay but a vast number of CBS stations and indeed a number of stations owned by Gray in general don't brand with the network.

 

As long as Gray keeps paying those checks for reverse comp, WANF should be fine. 

Again, it misses the larger point: CBS has a stand-alone in a top 10 market that is poised to dump the CW anyway and become an independent. They are not going to keep running WUPA as a pass-through independent in the long-term.

[BluesNews 186]

19 minutes ago, Myron Falwell said:

Zap2It is now showing that the noon debuts next Monday

Thank you for bringing this thread back on subject. Might I suggest everyone wanting to talk about whatever is going to happen in Atlanta take it to Speculatron 9000?

[TheNewsTV 254]

 

[compubit 673]

5 hours ago, DirtyHarry said:

Also might be away for CBS to get back at gray for sticking them on so many .2's

So many?

 

Going through the Gray list, I can only find 3 stations where CBS is on a .2 only:

- Duluth (done by Quincy/Sagamore Hill)

- Alexandria, LA (CBS added by Media General in 2007)

- Biloxi, MS (CBS added by Raycom) 

 

And only the Duluth one was a swap of programming; the others were adding CBS over the air into the market where there wasn’t CBS previously.

 

The remaining stations with CBS on a “not .1” are simulcasts of other stations in market (albeit often LDs/CDs)

[BluesNews 186]

16 hours ago, TheNewsTV said:

 

One thing I really like that I’ve noticed they do during first weather and during regular weather is show the 7 Day Forecast fairly early on instead of just at the end. It makes sense considering anyone can pull up the extended forecast on their phones, not sure why more stations don’t blow up the old formula and try it like this.

[CircleWXYZ 181]

On 2/7/2023 at 10:28 AM, BluesNews said:

One thing I really like that I’ve noticed they do during first weather and during regular weather is show the 7 Day Forecast fairly early on instead of just at the end. It makes sense considering anyone can pull up the extended forecast on their phones, not sure why more stations don’t blow up the old formula and try it like this.

Agreed!  I’ve noticed the ones who complained are the ones who aren’t used to it.  Heard a lot of places are playing CBS News Detroit.  Network and advertisers both seem to be happy.

[CircleWXYZ 181]

Don’t be shocked if morning newscasts come by the 20th or 27th of February.  apparently they want the intended time slots to be filled by early March.  I believe the anchors for mornings are already hired.

[CircleWXYZ 181]

I remember when WOIO started it’s news operation in early 1995.  They only had a 6 and 11 pm newscast.  For years, WOIO not only struggled, it was always treated as a step child to WKYC, WEWS, and WJW.  Took years for it to expand but they did.

 

So far, WWJ is off to a much better start than WOIO did in 1995. 

[Rusty Muck 4378]

33 minutes ago, CircleWXYZ said:

I remember when WOIO started it’s news operation in early 1995.  They only had a 6 and 11 pm newscast.  For years, WOIO not only struggled, it was always treated as a step child to WKYC, WEWS, and WJW.  Took years for it to expand but they did.

 

So far, WWJ is off to a much better start than WOIO did in 1995. 

I know @Samanthadid the progression for the other new affiliates earlier in this thread, but I looked up the timetable for WOIO when I redid that station’s Wikipedia article:

 

WOIO’s news service launched on February 5, 1995, with a 6pm and 11pm seven days a week, as an outgrowth of WUAB’s 10pm news. Noon and an hour-long 6am newscast were added in December 1996. 5:30am on WOIO and 11:30am on WUAB were added on October 1997 (the latter cancelled less than a year later).

 

It wasn’t until January 2002, just before the Action News relaunch, that WOIO added a 5pm news. A 4pm followed in 2003. The 3pm and a 9am news (the latter coming over from their OTT service and reformatted as a general newscast in March 2020) were added in 2019.

 

To be honest, it’s almost unfair to compare this launch effort with WOIO or any of the other newly-launched news departments between 1994 and 1996 and the New World-Fox fallout. Everything—the audience, the resources needed and procured for a news service, and the means to measure television audiences—are totally different. As is what Paramount would define as a success for CBS News Detroit… or WOIO in the present day.

Edited February 10, 2023 by Myron Falwell

[RaleighTVBOI1 81]

1 hour ago, Myron Falwell said:

I know @Samanthadid the progression for the other new affiliates earlier in this thread, but I looked up the timetable for WOIO when I redid that station’s Wikipedia article:

 

WOIO’s news service launched on February 5, 1995, with a 6pm and 11pm seven days a week, as an outgrowth of WUAB’s 10pm news. Noon and an hour-long 6am newscast were added in December 1996. 5:30am on WOIO and 11:30am on WUAB were added on October 1997 (the latter cancelled less than a year later).

 

It wasn’t until January 2002, just before the Action News relaunch, that WOIO added a 5pm news. A 4pm followed in 2003. The 3pm and a 9am news (the latter coming over from their OTT service and reformatted as a general newscast in March 2020) were added in 2019.

 

To be honest, it’s almost unfair to compare this launch effort with WOIO or any of the other newly-launched news departments between 1994 and 1996 and the New World-Fox fallout. Everything—the audience, the resources needed and procured for a news service, and the means to measure television audiences—are totally different. As is what Paramount would define as a success for CBS News Detroit… or WOIO in the present day.

 

 

Also, they have it wasn't expensive to launch a news department back then, with Microwave trucks, and news truck, and cameras, and satellite they had to take news slow. Today with technology, with Live U's they can get rid of news trucks, microwave trucks, and with IP replacing satelite its a little cheaper to produce news especially with WWJ having a majority of its reporter not even coming into the building. I'm not saying it still expensive but fixed cost and operating cost are lower today then back then.

Edited February 10, 2023 by RaleighTVBOI1

[CircleWXYZ 181]

Opening is way too generic imo,  they need to show shots of Metro Detroit.

 

Also, Kris Laudien is new to the station.  He came from KARE tv.

[TheNewsTV 254]

There's a CBS News Detroit at 6am on streaming. Any plans for it to air on TV?

 

[CircleWXYZ 181]

2 hours ago, TheNewsTV said:

There's a CBS News Detroit at 6am on streaming. Any plans for it to air on TV?

 

Probably in the next one or two weeks.

[Rusty Muck 4378]

4 hours ago, TheNewsTV said:

There's a CBS News Detroit at 6am on streaming. Any plans for it to air on TV?

 

Well if you’re looking at Zap2It right now, there’s a few gaps in the schedule starting next Monday as Drew’s show is being moved to WKBD outright (presumably in the 3am hour??).

 

Phil McGraw’s show at 3pm has also apparently been removed? :thinking:

Edited February 15, 2023 by Myron Falwell

[CircleWXYZ 181]

10 minutes ago, Myron Falwell said:

Well if you’re looking at Zap2It right now, there’s a few gaps in the schedule starting next Monday as Drew’s show is being moved to WKBD outright (presumably in the 3am hour??).

 

Phil McGraw’s show at 3pm has also apparently been removed? :thinking:

Hmmmmmmm  

Edited February 15, 2023 by CircleWXYZ

[Rusty Muck 4378]

TitanTV confirms WWJ will start airing the 6am news next week…

 

This buildout is insanely quick.

[RaleighTVBOI1 81]

38 minutes ago, Myron Falwell said:

TitanTV confirms WWJ will start airing the 6am news next week…

 

This buildout is insanely quick.

 

Detroit is market #number 15, it’s cheaper to build News departments than it was in 1995. Because you can say goodbye to live trucks and hello to LiveUs, no more microwave trucks digital broadband now. And it’s profitable than a syndie because of local ADs. Wouldn’t surprised if the latter is more expensive. So expanding will be profitable no matter the ratings.

[FiveNews 372]

Dang! AM news not until 5:30? I know they are the new shop in town, but 5:30am start time is very 1999.