7th Place for CBS 2

[former newsboy 52]

Meant to post sooner, but whatevs...

 

The Republicans weren't the only big losers on election night. In overwhelming fashion, Chicagoland viewers chose not to watch market cellar-dwellar, Channel 2. The station garnered an abysmal 4.3 rating and a 6 share at 10PM, placing them in SEVENTH place - even behind cable news channel CNN (which actually faired quite well coming in 3rd). Contrast that with front-runner ABC 7, who's mighty 17.6 rating and 25 share made them the big winner once again.

 

With numbers like these, I don't think it'll be long before Cohen starts to put his stamp on the station. I'm guessing big changes by February. There's obviously nothing to salvage, including their new on-air look which obviously means zilch to the average viewer.

 

For the record, Channel 5 was 2nd with Channels 9 & 32 ranking 5th & 6th. Don't know who came in 4th, Lewis Lazare didn't say: http://www.suntimes.com/business/lazare/1263783,CST-FIN-lew06.article

[Mrtraveler01 738]

Meant to post sooner, but whatevs...

 

The Republicans weren't the only big losers on election night. In overwhelming fashion, Chicagoland viewers chose not to watch market cellar-dwellar, Channel 2. The station garnered an abysmal 4.3 rating and a 6 share at 10PM, placing them in SEVENTH place - even behind cable news channel CNN (which actually faired quite well coming in 3rd). Contrast that with front-runner ABC 7, who's mighty 17.6 rating and 25 share made them the big winner once again.

 

With numbers like these, I don't think it'll be long before Cohen starts to put his stamp on the station. I'm guessing big changes by February. There's obviously nothing to salvage, including their new on-air look which obviously means zilch to the average viewer.

 

For the record, Channel 5 was 2nd with Channels 9 & 32 ranking 5th & 6th. Don't know who came in 4th, Lewis Lazare didn't say: http://www.suntimes.com/business/lazare/1263783,CST-FIN-lew06.article

 

To be fair, CBS's national coverage didn't help them either. Actually I watched ABC (on KDNL) and NBC just because I like the national coverage of those two far better then CBS even though KMOV actually had local coverage of the election.

[lpzml09 0]

After watching them i hated all of them they were boring the one I liked was Fox News.

[first on fox 18]

After watching them i hated all of them they were boring the one I liked was Fox News.

 

I am not surprised.

[eyewitness_news 5]

I am not from Chicago, but if New York counterpart WCBS (due to adjacency to NYC) were to finish in SEVENTH place, I'd stop watching them altogether. Then again, no surprise here.

[lazynetjunkie 34]

I wouldn't fully blame WBBM for being in 7th place.. Chicago has never really been a fan of Couric (both on The Today Show and Evening News) and I couldn't find anyone who could stand to watch her on election night (or during the whole duration of election coverage for that matter).

 

 

I've been starting to see changes within the newscasts themselves on CBS 2 more recently, especially within the past few days.. They are now really starting to utilize large flat panel screens on the sides of each anchor on the set. The reporters are also being utilized more for in-studio reports. The newscast content is starting to improve but still has a ways to go. They're also giving the newscast a more "lively" feel again with more interaction between the anchors and/or reporters instead of just the plain "Thank You" they've been doing alot for quite a while.

 

 

I really don't think Cohen's changes will be so much on-air talent. Constantly changing the on-air talent won't help the station plus, I think they've got a really good evening anchor team now. They just need to somehow bring a spark back to the morning news too. Most of his changes will be people behind the scenes. Especially, some staffers that are stuck on some of their non-working ways. However, I've heard he may try to bring back some on-air talent including some that were let go in big layoff earlier in the year.

 

 

I honestly don't know what Cohen will do to the station image-wise. Cohen is a fan of Hothaus graphics and In-The-Groove Music (didn't he just get all that stuff for his last station?) but it's hard to tell if he wants to keep the stuff or not at CBS 2.

 

 

The current graphics are nice but need work. I probably wouldn't completely change them right away since a fortune was just spent on them and at this time, changes shouldn't be made for the sake of change. Changing too many things in such a short time could drive away more viewers. A couple of the graphics like the lower-thirds and corner logo bug just need to be made less distracting. Just ditch all the flashy effects on those. Fade/dissolve in and out is all you need. The bump border graphic needs to be replaced. It looks like it was pasted together on microsoft paint with that choppy border. I sure hope that was an in-house job and WBBM didn't pay Hothaus for that.. And if that was in fact an in-house job, the graphic person responsible should be sent back to market 130.

 

 

The set needs a bit of work. They really need to simplify the lighting colors on the set. Just stick to one color (or 2 at the most) for all the LED strips. The place looks like a damn rainbow right now. The set itself is really too dark. It really doesn't match the light & bright design/color scheme of the rest of the building. They can keep the actual structure of the set but replace all the dark wood veneers with a very light beech or light birch veneer with the addition of alot more white lighting on the set. All the other stations in Chicago already use dark wood veneers on their sets.. CBS 2 should give their set a futuristic white euro-spaceship look. It would really enhance the anchor desk too in the set. The monitor wall behind the anchors needs to go. Heck, some of those fake monitors behind look like some of the old control room monitors that were ditched at the old building. Go back to a Chicago skyline scene. They have the opportunity to put a really nice 3D looking Chicago skyline in that spot.

 

 

Music-wise, the WBBM musical signature/logo needs to somehow make its way back but not in the form of Gari. The In-The-Groove music now is great. The real instrumentation and the pace of the music is perfect. They use alot of great cuts and the closing theme is a hell lot better than what they've been using the past few years. It just doesn't have a great musical signature/logo. They really need to get In-The-Groove to create the WBBM signature music; however, they should also keep that 3 note sounder at the beginning. It really is a nice touch. Just think of that 3 note sounder being played right before the WBBM signature. They fit perfectly together.

[former newsboy 52]

I've heard he may try to bring back some on-air talent including some that were let go in big layoff earlier in the year.

 

Don't teeeeeeeease me like that lazynet! Details, I need details. Please tell me you're talkin 'bout Mary Ann Childers.

 

The set itself is really too dark. It really doesn't match the light & bright design/color scheme of the rest of the building.

 

That's exactly what I said in a previous thread on here. I was expecting (& hoping) for something along the lines of this rendering of the newsroom:

I like the set better now than I did Sep. 22 especially after seeing it in person (it's beautiful in person and kicks ABC 7's ass IN PERSON). But I still would like to see it the way I envisioned it: clean, white, light, bright, modern, and yes, European.

 

I wouldn't fully blame WBBM for being in 7th place.. Chicago has never really been a fan of Couric (both on The Today Show and Evening News) and I couldn't find anyone who could stand to watch her on election night (or during the whole duration of election coverage for that matter).

 

I have to agree. I hated Katie Couric on election night! And that music! That constant, repetitive siren-like theme. Omg, it was unbearable.

[CircleSeven 1955]

None of this shit is either surprising or amusing. I'm more than happy that Channel 2 is still a status quo. I don't care if they constantly change their set, music or graphics. I don't care if they change their set and make it look like a swimming pool, I don't care if they bring back some on-air talent. It's all about these two lovely words:

 

CONTENT FORMULA!!

 

And it's needs that content to "click" with the viewers, and it looks like it will take a long time (if not Forever (and that's how I feel about it, "FOREVER")) until they drive more viewers. Just like when old Ahern left 2, Fowler should've left behind him. She's another one that's keeping 2 a status quo. They should hire a completlely different behind-the-scenes personnel and start up a new completely. I would love to see when the numbers come out when the November books ends. I wish someday we could see numbers that would include non-news stations like WCIU, because I have a strong feeling that Channel 26 (and their low-power sister stations) could get more viewers on news slots than Channel 2.

[cbs2worksforyou 44]

7th place? ...craptastic.