CBS Moving to WUPA in Atlanta

[ColtFromGulfcoast 728]

8 minutes ago, tyrannical bastard said:

Bonus points if it ends up back on WUPA as 69.2

That's exactly what I just said on a private message with two of these people on this site!!!!

 

Get outta my head, dude.

Edited Monday at 08:31 PM by ColtFromGulfcoast

[GraphicsMan 139]

Wow. Didn’t see that coming. The new station launches newscast it definitely gonna struggle in the ratings. Like some have said this is purely money related I don’t think CBS knows how hard it is yeah they have newscasts but it’s produced somewhere else. You’re talking about moving production in-house and starting an entire news department from scratch, in a market with 3 established stations and one station that losing it affiliation struggling to keep up now you add another newsroom in the picture. I think CBS is gonna have a very weak prescene in Atlanta. This was money based not ratings based and it will hurt CBS.

[TheRolyPoly 2583]

Losing a network affiliate and becoming an independent isn't as hard of a downfall as it used to be... I mean look at the news-intensive independents that have popped up recently.

 

Now we'll have WPLG Miami and WANF Atlanta as the latest such examples.

[atlnews2 594]

Yeah. CBS is going to do the same thing in Seattle and Tampa. They could in theory but Kiro since Cox is for sale, but I doubt CBS would be willing to spend the money to buy it. 

[TVLurker 231]

I do not get modern broadcasting trends.

 

Normally you would affiliate with the station that provides a benefit in terms of audience and stature and it's been that way for decades until up to this year.

 

The WPLG affiliation switch in retrospect was definitely a sign of things to come, the networks have devolved from strategic alignment to focusing on the bottom line which happens to be money and nothing else.

 

I have a feeling CBS is considering even more affiliation swaps with the stations that they own. I wouldn't be surprised if KTSW became a CBS owned and operated station.

 

I would try to figure out the sense of it but of course it's Shari Redstone who's actions make no sense whatsoever.

 

Good luck to WANF, I have a feeling their independence is going to net better ratings then whatever WUPA can come up with.

[NowBergen 700]

Will they hire, build and launch a newsroom and product in just 10 weeks?   If it is outsourced again to WCBS, WFOR, KTVT, WBZ or other O&O, I just can't see how they will have an actual local presence and build viewership.  Because there is a large Gray affiliation agreement part of all this, I wonder who pushed whom?  It puts a little different light on this.

[GoldenShine_10 104]

1 hour ago, atlnews2 said:

Yeah. CBS is going to do the same thing in Seattle and Tampa. They could in theory but Kiro since Cox is for sale, but I doubt CBS would be willing to spend the money to buy it. 

 

When does the affiliation agreement with Tegna expire?

[DefinitelyIan 7]

I know it’s a long shot, but wonder if this is a play by Gray to pick up WSB from Cox. Sell WPCH, scoop up WSB and run it with WANF as an independent and a merged newsroom. 

[MetroNews 9]

5 hours ago, MediaZone4K said:

Long predicted, interesting to see this come into fruition. Top market Atlanta will now have another O&O besides WAGA.

 

Hopefully whatever newscast they produce isn't as generic and lifeless as their former CBS "Nowcasts". I don't anticipate CBS News Atlanta will perform any better than WXIA or WANF but let's see.

Yeah I predicted this when they rebranded. There’s a reason Gray is removing all the network logos on their station logos….   Watch for more of this. 

[GraphicsMan 139]

53 minutes ago, NowBergen said:

Will they hire, build and launch a newsroom and product in just 10 weeks?   If it is outsourced again to WCBS, WFOR, KTVT, WBZ or other O&O, I just can't see how they will have an actual local presence and build viewership.  Because there is a large Gray affiliation agreement part of all this, I wonder who pushed whom?  It puts a little different light on this.

They will have a hard time.

[tyrannical bastard 4033]

56 minutes ago, GoldenShine_10 said:

 

When does the affiliation agreement with Tegna expire?

2028, for all of Tegna's CBS affiliates.

[Breaking News 839]

5 hours ago, ColtFromGulfcoast said:

It only took them 30 years. 

Actually 31 years LOL

[Howard Beale 78]

This is both a win and a loss for Gray.

 

The win?  Gray gets total control of WANF and can basically run whatever it wants.  What’s going to fill those extra hours?  More news and more locally-produced programming, which will lead to more advertising revenue, since WANF doesn’t have to share with CBS.  It can also treat WANF as a testing ground of sorts for the rest of its stations.  Plus, it’s not like CBS’ ratings did WANF any wonders.

 

The loss?  Gray is doubling down on a format that is losing viewers and revenue.  Unless you’re a baby boomer who takes the prescription medicine advertised on the commercials during the evening news, you’re probably not watching local TV.  WANF’s ratings are also a distant third or fourth place.  Few people are watching.  It’s been that way ever since Meredith ran and mismanaged the station.  No amount of “more local news” and “more local sports programming” will change that.

[nickp 340]

WHDH will definitely be a blueprint for Atlanta They (WANF/Grey) already have a deal to do some Braves games

[newsman123 124]

WHDH has always been a powerhouse with popular talent and a winning formula. Same with WPLG. WANF has none of that. So cant compare success.

 

As for CBS, they just did this in Detroit. Launched a whole operation. Its not the central cast thing. 

[GraphicsMan 139]

2 minutes ago, newsman123 said:

As for CBS, they just did this in Detroit. Launched a whole operation. Its not the central cast thing. 

I wonder how WWJ is doing in the ratings lately.

[TVLurker 231]

34 minutes ago, Howard Beale said:

This is both a win and a loss for Gray.

 

The win?  Gray gets total control of WANF and can basically run whatever it wants.  What’s going to fill those extra hours?  More news and more locally-produced programming, which will lead to more advertising revenue, since WANF doesn’t have to share with CBS.  It can also treat WANF as a testing ground of sorts for the rest of its stations.  Plus, it’s not like CBS’ ratings did WANF any wonders.

 

The loss?  Gray is doubling down on a format that is losing viewers and revenue.  Unless you’re a baby boomer who takes the prescription medicine advertised on the commercials during the evening news, you’re probably not watching local TV.  WANF’s ratings are also a distant third or fourth place.  Few people are watching.  It’s been that way ever since Meredith ran and mismanaged the station.  No amount of “more local news” and “more local sports programming” will change that.

I don't believe there's no real loss for WANF when it comes down to the wire.

 

The station has always been the underdog ranging from the initial affiliation swap in 1994 when WAGA became Fox and CBS moved to 46 after buying 69 just in case. Throughout WGNX/WGCL/WANF's history has been several attempts to beef up the news department to get viewers away from top dogs WAGA, WSB and even WXIA when all three stations were competitive in the market.

 

Gray has been nothing but supportive of WANF to the point where the ratings were higher than WXIA which suffered from both lack of investment and a lack of care when it came down to not only it's news product but how the station was treated.

 

CBS' intention to move to a station they own was solely for monetary reasons. CBS' investment in WUPA will also be significantly lower than WANF, WXIA, WSB and WAGA combined.

 

What CBS did was a real slap in the face to Gray who owns several key CBS affiliates, a lot of them the top dogs in the market. I'm lucky that Gray and CBS managed to keep those stations affiliated but for how long?

 

We're really reaching the point of no return where the affiliates/ownership groups are not treated with compassion, both WPLG and now WANF can attest. There's nobody to blame but companies who focused on getting rid of regulations in the broadcasting market, I doubt any of them recognize the damage that occurred under their watch and are basically laughing their way to the bank as we speak.

 

WANF has more positives than negatives when it comes to the situation they're in, I have full faith that WANF will come out stronger without CBS.

[nathannah 2500]

I wish I could say I was shocked but as I've said for years, without the SEC and with CBS becoming what Moonves feared would happen under Viacom's rule, Gray wasn't going to keep paying them for a third-place product at major-market prices. They get a clean slate and now it's all CBS's problem. Like I was saying on the After Midnight thread, replacing it with Byron Allen repeats won't cause affiliates to dump the network, but underinvestment across the board and settling 'that lawsuit' and intefering with news judgement certainly doesn't help. These groups are not willing to pay for content like formless reality shows and Hollywood Squares that only a decade ago were full-on MTV2 and VH1 product.

 

55 minutes ago, Howard Beale said:

The loss?  Gray is doubling down on a format that is losing viewers and revenue.  Unless you’re a baby boomer who takes the prescription medicine advertised on the commercials during the evening news, you’re probably not watching local TV.  WANF’s ratings are also a distant third or fourth place.  Few people are watching.  It’s been that way ever since Meredith ran and mismanaged the station.  No amount of “more local news” and “more local sports programming” will change that.

This was where WSVN was on January 1, 1989 and I feel like this is a similar situation, where the network felt no loyalty and was happy to let them go their own way, and it really didn't work out well for CBS, which is de facto irrelevant in Miami. It's never felt like they cared any way or the other for WANF.

 

And yes, we're in an unknown, but TV has adjusted before. Gray has the Braves and the Hawks will eventually come to their own crossroads with FanDuel, and who knows what happens with United and Apple TV; they could offer more games from them, and I feel like in a few years if they keep on this track, they could be at parity with WSB news-wise.

 

Meanwhile, WUPA is just...nothing. It has call letters from a network that died twenty years ago, a lousy lineup and all of its news product has been worse than if they did nothing at all. I don't think they're going to invest a lot in Atlanta; maybe ramping up their sports coverage as the Falcons official station (speaking of cursed entities), but they'll probably do enough to look relevant and not much more than that.

[tyrannical bastard 4033]

At the rate CBS is heading, WANF and Gray are the winners in that they don't have to pay CBS anymore for less and less content. 

CBS has done nothing but shoot themselves in the foot for the last several years, especially on the news side.  Losing the SEC was another blow, and primetime keeps getting worse and worse.

 

Now that WXIA gave up on the primetime news on WATL, I totally expect WANF to bring it back. 

And given Gray's great OTT platforms, the reach is far beyond Atlanta as cord cutters and watch WANF virtually anywhere.

 

Since ratings and revenue don't matter anymore, CBS took their ball and went home.  They'll be the 5th place operation but as long as people are paying for CBS somehow (through cable, satellite, OTT or Paramount+), they'll get all of the money from that now.

[Rusty Muck 4403]

4 hours ago, atlnews2 said:

Yeah. CBS is going to do the same thing in Seattle and Tampa. They could in theory but Kiro since Cox is for sale, but I doubt CBS would be willing to spend the money to buy it. 

I don't see CBS buying KIRO (they couldn't for a number of reasons that have nothing to do with Brendan Carr).

 

At the very least it heavily influences Apollo's attempt to sell off Cox Media and makes it very very hard to sell a station that might be stripped of a network affiliation. Especially if CBS extorts the buyer to make massive reverse compensation payments in order to keep the affiliation, that would make KIRO radioactive to anyone not a competing network. And since Nexstar can't legally buy into Seattle at this time...

[Howard Beale 78]

36 minutes ago, nathannah said:

This was where WSVN was on January 1, 1989 and I feel like this is a similar situation, where the network felt no loyalty and was happy to let them go their own way, and it really didn't work out well for CBS, which is de facto irrelevant in Miami. It's never felt like they cared any way or the other for WANF.

 

And yes, we're in an unknown, but TV has adjusted before. Gray has the Braves and the Hawks will eventually come to their own crossroads with FanDuel, and who knows what happens with United and Apple TV; they could offer more games from them, and I feel like in a few years if they keep on this track, they could be at parity with WSB news-wise.

The difference between WSVN in 1989 and WANF in 2025 is viewers.  WSVN succeeded because the "if it bleeds, it leads" format was unique,  and it drew in plenty of viewers during a time when you had few other choices for news.  Today, you can get your news from almost any local source on your phone.  Who needs to watch traditional TV news anymore?  Very few people do, and the ratings prove it.  Here's what Broadcasting & Cable had to say about Atlanta ratings in 2023:

 

Quote

WSB won the key races in November, including 6-7 a.m., 5 and 6 p.m. and 11 p.m., according to Nielsen, in both households and viewers 25-54, with WAGA in second. In the late news race, WSB averaged 68,041 households at 11 p.m. in November, ahead of WAGA’s 44,725 (WAGA also has news 10-11 p.m.), WXIA’s 38,943 and WANF’s 34,904. In the 25-54 race at 11 p.m., WSB had 23,717, with WAGA just behind at 21,215. WXIA scored 16,142 and WANF had 6,463. 

 

That's pretty bad when you realize that Atlanta has, per Nielsen, 2.7 million TV households.

 

I've no doubt that WANF will do fine in a post-CBS era.  Gray has an incentive to ensure the station succeeds.  My point is that WANF and Gray are doubling down on more news in a legacy format that is losing viewers and revenue.

[TVLurker 231]

7 minutes ago, Howard Beale said:

I've no doubt that WANF will do fine in a post-CBS era.  Gray has an incentive to ensure the station succeeds.  My point is that WANF and Gray are doubling down on more news in a legacy format that is losing viewers and revenue.

What choice do they have though? It's either that or paid programming.

 

I would say color bars but I doubt it would turn a profit.

[Rusty Muck 4403]

17 minutes ago, TVLurker said:

What choice do they have though? It's either that or paid programming.

 

I would say color bars but I doubt it would turn a profit.

It's not like Gray has a regional sports channel in their cluster that could be accessed for programming...

[MediaZone4K 2250]

56 minutes ago, Howard Beale said:

The difference between WSVN in 1989 and WANF in 2025 is viewers.  WSVN succeeded because the "if it bleeds, it leads" format was unique,  and it drew in plenty of viewers during a time when you had few other choices for news.  Today, you can get your news from almost any local source on your phone.  Who needs to watch traditional TV news anymore?  Very few people do, and the ratings prove it.  Here's what Broadcasting & Cable had to say about Atlanta ratings in 2023:

 

 

That's pretty bad when you realize that Atlanta has, per Nielsen, 2.7 million TV households.

 

I've no doubt that WANF will do fine in a post-CBS era.  Gray has an incentive to ensure the station succeeds.  My point is that WANF and Gray are doubling down on more news in a legacy format that is losing viewers and revenue.

I miss the availability of raw numbers like those listed.

 

Yikes.... So only about 9% of households in the Atlanta DMA were watching local news at 11 PM.

 

Despite the overall low numbers it is impressive to see WSB's audience share dominance in 2023. 

 

Action News had 24K more households than their closest competitor Fox 5 News and double the audience of Atlanta News First.

Edited yesterday at 03:06 AM by MediaZone4K

[Howard Beale 78]

50 minutes ago, TVLurker said:

What choice do they have though? It's either that or paid programming.

 

I would say color bars but I doubt it would turn a profit.

Gray doesn't really have a choice.  To be fair, neither do any other broadcasting companies.  They can't cut the cord and abandon traditional broadcast TV because that's where they've tied up their money, by investing in infrastructure and technology, and by relying on retransmission fees and --- to a lesser extent for some companies -- advertising revenue.  Broadcasters missed the boat when it came to adopting a digital news and programming strategy that could also be effectively monetized.

 

I also think what Gray is doing at WANF is a sign of what's eventually to come for broadcasters.  Networks really don't need affiliates anymore.  Certainly not as great a need as what existed in decades past.  The time will come when the networks get rid of affiliates and rely solely on their streaming platforms.  Affiliates will then either sink or swim.  Those that do swim will rely on a heavy mix of local news and local programming.  But the long-term sustainability of such a plan is in doubt.  In 2029, the NFL can opt out of most of its TV contracts, and if it does so, then so goes what is perhaps the biggest reason why people still watch broadcast TV.