New Hearst Graphics '24-'25

[kdex86 66]

Is there a specific reason as to why every station's "new graphics" launch date is a Thursday?

Edited October 9, 2025 by kdex86

[MichiganNewsGraphicsJunkie 1158]

3 hours ago, MidwestTV said:

WLKY probably has the most incompatible logo for the diagrid look. You've shoved an oval into a trapezoid with an absurd amount of dead space. I'm a bit surprised they haven't refreshed it yet.

WMUR says hi  to this... And I agree

[TheRolyPoly 3510]

5 hours ago, WCX-TV said:

6 additional stations launching this midday!! Unknown which ones 

 

Do you know the sixth? I've only seen five launching today.

[gsrecaps 22]

Here's the sixth: 

 

[TheRolyPoly 3510]

And a seventh today!

 

KOCO Oklahoma City

 

 

[mre29 1967]

4 hours ago, MichiganNewsGraphicsJunkie said:

WMUR says hi  to this... And I agree

 

WMUR still has that oval? Ugh.

 

[Greggo 384]

I think WDSU has the best implementation of this

[Dave Lampstein 287]

17 hours ago, MichiganNewsGraphicsJunkie said:

WMUR says hi  to this... And I agree

 

Lots of these bug implementations are sloppy and poorly executed.

 

Can we talk about this? If you drop the unnecessary additional boxes behind the logo and just float the calls/number/peacock over the existing noggi, it's a little less terrible and the channel branding could even be slightly larger.

 

Edited October 10, 2025 by Dave Lampstein

[GodfreyGR 812]

20 hours ago, kdex86 said:

Is there a specific reason as to why every station's "new graphics" launch date is a Thursday?

If I had to take a complete and total guess, gives them Thursday when everyone is still in the office and working to test everything out and make tweaks and adjustments before going into the weekend. Most newsrooms see Friday and Saturday as the "slow" days for viewership, with an uptick on Sunday evenings around the football games.

 

That said, I could see Hearst using the Noon shows as the "trial run" with the ability to make any urgent adjustments before the evening shows that day, and then let 'em buck going into the weekend with the hopes of a) they're more polished going into the first full week, and b) don't have to have anyone in over the weekend adjusting them.

[Recovering Producer 410]

10 minutes ago, GodfreyGR said:

If I had to take a complete and total guess, gives them Thursday when everyone is still in the office and working to test everything out and make tweaks and adjustments before going into the weekend. Most newsrooms see Friday and Saturday as the "slow" days for viewership, with an uptick on Sunday evenings around the football games.

 

That said, I could see Hearst using the Noon shows as the "trial run" with the ability to make any urgent adjustments before the evening shows that day, and then let 'em buck going into the weekend with the hopes of a) they're more polished going into the first full week, and b) don't have to have anyone in over the weekend adjusting them.

 

From my experience, this is accurate. If it is a low to moderate risk change like a graphic refresh or new set -  noon on a weekday is the ideal switchover time to have maximum people around at minimal overtime.

 

If you're doing something big that could fail (new control room, going live with automation, HD conversion back when that was a thing) having all hands on deck for a Saturday early evening show was the ideal time to launch because you'd have a decent gap to rewire existing equipment after Saturday AM newscasts (or Friday PM for those without weekend AM shows) and the smallest amount of revenue in jeopardy should something go wrong and you have to roll the emergency backup filler show.

[kdex86 66]

17 minutes ago, GodfreyGR said:

If I had to take a complete and total guess, gives them Thursday when everyone is still in the office and working to test everything out and make tweaks and adjustments before going into the weekend. Most newsrooms see Friday and Saturday as the "slow" days for viewership, with an uptick on Sunday evenings around the football games.

 

That said, I could see Hearst using the Noon shows as the "trial run" with the ability to make any urgent adjustments before the evening shows that day, and then let 'em buck going into the weekend with the hopes of a) they're more polished going into the first full week, and b) don't have to have anyone in over the weekend adjusting them.

 

I can understand noontime being the "launch time", since you likely have fewer viewers than morning/evening and can use it as the "initial test" in case something needs to be adjusted.

 

But specifically Thursday as the day of the week to make the switchover seems weird to me.  I would think Monday would be the optimal day since then you have the whole Mon-Fri "typical workweek" to sort out kinks if there are many of them.

[Dave Lampstein 287]

1 hour ago, kdex86 said:

 

I can understand noontime being the "launch time", since you likely have fewer viewers than morning/evening and can use it as the "initial test" in case something needs to be adjusted.

 

But specifically Thursday as the day of the week to make the switchover seems weird to me.  I would think Monday would be the optimal day since then you have the whole Mon-Fri "typical workweek" to sort out kinks if there are many of them.

 

There also needs to be time before the launch for producers to update their master rundowns with the new templates and the directors having to make adjustments in whatever automation systems the control room uses as well. There was probably a rehearsal or two that week (maybe). Lots of prep work involved to launch beyond the graphics team rendering out new opens.

[HearstArgyleFan90 46]

Now the remaining stations are KCCI, WXII, WJCL, WVTM, WMTW, KSBW, WAPT, WPBF, WTAE, and WGAL.  I imagine they're going to get the new look in the next couple of weeks.

 

 

[MichiganNewsGraphicsJunkie 1158]

Also of note, why are they Hearst NBC's the only NBC stations flaunting the Olympics logos?? It's not even Olympics season

[Georgie56 3661]

36 minutes ago, MichiganNewsGraphicsJunkie said:

Also of note, why are they Hearst NBC's the only NBC stations flaunting the Olympics logos?? It's not even Olympics season

The network, O&Os and affiliates have historically featured the rings on their news and programming bugs a few months before the next Games begin.

 

We’re a few months away from the Milan-Cortina Winter Games.

Edited October 13, 2025 by Georgie56

[GodfreyGR 812]

33 minutes ago, MichiganNewsGraphicsJunkie said:

Also of note, why are they Hearst NBC's the only NBC stations flaunting the Olympics logos?? It's not even Olympics season

It's not too far out... It's typically been green-lit to add them a few months prior to the games, which start in February (116 days away, per Google). Could very easily see Hearst saying with the new graphics to just flip to the olympics logo while they were at it.

 

I'd guess we will see the network start to add them in once we hit the 100 day mark.

[MichiganNewsGraphicsJunkie 1158]

Yeah I had a major brain fart -- I forget the games are early 2026... I'm old

[nathannah 2792]

Scripps pushed the rings to some of their stations already, but Hearst seems like one of the few station groups who still care about sweeps, so they'll wait until then.

[mre29 1967]

1 hour ago, MichiganNewsGraphicsJunkie said:

Yeah I had a major brain fart -- I forget the games are early 2026... I'm old

 

To be fair, I sometimes think it's still March 2020. 

 

[TheRolyPoly 3510]

We're close to the end. Say hello to WTAE Pittsburgh.

 

 

[nathannah 2792]

Someone in their design department is wed to them keeping Bank Gothic as long as they can, and I definitely admire that.

[MeAndTheGraphics 16]

Heads up: 5 more Hearst stations launched their new graphics today.

Courtesy of: Archiva via YouTube

Edited October 23, 2025 by MeAndTheGraphics

[MeAndTheGraphics 16]

P.S. My bad. I wasn't sure whether to share all 5 or just pick a couple of them.

[WCX-TV 24]

We can add KSWB in Salina/ Monterey, CA to the list as well.

[GodfreyGR 812]

6 hours ago, nathannah said:

Someone in their design department is wed to them keeping Bank Gothic as long as they can, and I definitely admire that.

It's interesting how some of the Hearst stations have dumped Bank Gothic (KCRA, WISN, KMBC...) and which ones have held on to it for dear life like WTAE. I would think for a group like Hearst who cookie cutters graphics like they do, would mandate logo fonts?

 

I do agree though- Definitely admirable.