Good Day Chicago ratings hit all time low

[lazynetjunkie 34]

It's been the talk around town for a few days now and it's mentioned in today's Feder blog.. Ratings at WFLD FOX Chicago have been horrible. They've just been going down to all time lows. Especially with Good Day Chicago which now have the lowest ratings the station has ever seen with any of their newscasts.

 

 

I personally have to say that Good Day Chicago is probably the most watchable right now that it has been in years. It's no longer a bore-fest like it's been the past couple years. News, sports, weather, entertainment, and breaking news coverage is really good plus all the interviews and "add-ons" they have all work for me. Probably removing Jan Jeffcoat from Good Day was a good factor to ratings loss due to the fact that ALOT of guys turned on GDC just to watch Jan Jeffcoat. WFLD and their problem with creepy guys and female morning anchors. lol.. But really, what do people in Chicago want in their morning news? Because the 2 top stations in Chicago morning news have 2 completely opposite things going on. WLS is a 2 and a half hour zombie bore-fest to make you want to go back to sleep and WGN is the wacky fun and entertaining morning crew. It seems whenever someone tries to balance both here in Chicago, it doesn't work out so well.

 

 

One thing I'd do differently on GDC is switch around some talent after seeing various filling-in the past couple weeks. I think Kori Chambers with Anita Padilla would be the best for the 4:30-7AM portion and Corey McPherrin with Dawn Hasbrouck during the 7-10AM portion. Anna Davlantes is too "newsy" and is more fitting for an evening newscast. What ever happened to the early evening newscast(s) they had planned again? Seeing the same Simpsons reruns over and over again that they've had during the those timeslots since the mid-'90s is getting old..

 

However, I don't think switching around any talent on that station will improve ratings any. The 9PM newscast isn't any different with the ratings being the lowest they've ever been. Management dumping their highest rated newscast crew (the weekend 9PM) baffled everyone. I think the firing of ALOT of good people (both on-air and behind the scenes) all around the same time was just too noticeable by their viewers and just tainted the station's image beyond repair. Technical problems have never been as bad as they are now. A couple bad clip-on studio mics that management don't want to spend on to replace. Robotic cameras that just move or turn away on their own for no reason at all. I don't think I've seen a day the past couple months where I haven't seen less than a handful of technical problems on any of the newscasts.

 

 

You could replace management again but what will that do? Would new management just replace people again? I think even if you were to change management now, ratings won't improve.. Is that Newsic service still around? I remember watching that when I used to spend summers down in Florida in the '90s and early 2000's. Maybe GDC should just be replaced with Newsic.

 

 

 

What are some thoughts?

[Weeters 1811]

I think the firing of ALOT of good people (both on-air and behind the scenes) all around the same time was just too noticeable by their viewers and just tainted the station's image beyond repair. Technical problems have never been as bad as they are now. A couple bad clip-on studio mics that management don't want to spend on to replace. Robotic cameras that just move or turn away on their own for no reason at all. I don't think I've seen a day the past couple months where I haven't seen less than a handful of technical problems on any of the newscasts.

 

This. This x100. Believe it or not, the mistakes automation makes are more glaring and obvious than stations think. I've been able to talk to non-TV people who have noticed the mistakes WTMJ puts on air because of whatever crappy automation they have installed. Production values are what separates "real" TV and your local cable access station. Randomly moving cameras, bad microphones, incorrect switching, ect... Those mistakes amateurs make. I know if I were an advertiser, I'd think twice about putting my ads on a station that can't seem to get through a newscast without messing up.

 

There comes a point when the content can no longer make up for the technical mistakes that end up on air. You could have a great package set to air, but it's quite embarrassing when it plays out with no audio or doesn't play out at all.

 

Sadly, when presented with the option of saving money or putting a quality product on air, companies chose to save their money.

[essentials 0]

The problem with FOX Chicago is the arrogant mentality that "local news is dead."

That was a comment made a few months ago by management.

Local news is not dead, just ask ABC 7 and NBC 5. What is dead is the way local news was and is still done at FOX.

The 9pm has morphed into a Dollar Store version of Chicago Tonight. Sirott using every segment from when he was there down to the rock and roll music. Wasn't the point to reinvent local news? Nothing FOX has done at 9 is innovative or cutting edge.

The shake-up on the morning show seems two-fold. Fowler's belief that you need local people to get local people to watch. This from a woman not even from Chicago. How many times has a viewer based their choice of newscast based on someone's birthplace. "No I will not watch that breaking report because Novarro is not from Chicago!" The second reason is what do you do with Davlantes? Robin Robinson is and will always be the 9pm anchor until she decides to leave. Should Davlantes remain at FOX she will be delegated to the backburner.

FOX can have a solid newsroom once again. The GM inherited Fowler. She was just one year into her deal when he arrived. The safest choice for an outsider was to stick with a woman who knows the market. But for how long. She has cleaned out the place for him while trying to put her twist on the newscasts. She is now 1-14 when it comes to moving the ratings needle. A paltry 2.6 to 2.8 for August. Odds are she will survive November and Februrary but that's it. The GM should tap his ND that helped him turn around Philly. Relying on a ND, who helped sink WBBM into a ratings abyss is not the person you turn to , to lead another station. Look what happened when Kiernan took over 2. The 10pm began to retain its lead in. The other problem Fowler brings to the table is her obsession with bringing on board "buddies." She finally broke down and hired her former #2 at WBBM. Again why bring in someone who wasn't getting the job done at your previous station.

 

At the end of the day, a newscast should just be that - a newscast.If a viewer wants in-depth analysis they have 3 major cable channels to chose from.

Do you really want to see a 5 minute live interview with a gospel singer during an evening newscast? Or would you rather want that extra 5 minutes to see what's happening in your city?

You need to be 18 to vote, and 16 to get a driver's license. But any moron can run a newsroom and declare that they know what is "best for the viewer."

Here's a clue, why not just realize that when the viewer is not watching you it is because they don't like what they are giving you.

[Jase 818]

I agree that the changes (most of which were not necessary) have been too jarring for viewers to take. They're in a tough spot I'm not sure they can get out of.

 

GDC is better, but they haven't brought back enough elements that really worked well during the "Fox News in the Morning" era. I don't think they have done anything on the Fox Plaza in months, if not years. They need to get out of the studio more and have some fun. That's really what's needed. Finding a balance between serious news and light moments is an issue also.

 

Fox Chicago News @ 9 was headed toward becoming a "Chicago Tonight"/ "Carol Marin Reports" hybrid before Sirott got there, so you can't blame him for embracing what works for him. I like what I see @ 9 and both Bob and Robin work well together. Instead of slowly adding new elements to the newscast, they went about it the wrong way. Trying anything and everything all at once was a bad idea. While things have settled down a bit, they need to finished whatever changes are left and be done with it. Whether what they have done will pan out ratings-wise is unknown.

 

The mass firing of off-air/on-air staff has been disastrous. I don't recall so many people's contract being up within a 1-year time frame ever. The never-ending techinical problems remind me of the issues WMAQ had during their HD changeover, but worst. Without question, this is something WFLD needs to address fast.

[Link 3]

Fox stations make the mistake of all trying to be the same. They don't seem local at all. Their slogan the most powerful name in local news is a joke. Hardly any of the Fox O&Os are top rated in their respective markets. I think Atlanta and Tampa are the top ones. Most all of the ABC and CBS stations that became Fox affiliates in the early 90s saw their ratings drop as a result.

 

I've never considered WFLD a serious competitor in local news.

[kjohnson 15]

KTVI was one of FOX's strongest stations, and they sold it. They are now running a close third, or even second place in timeslots, so not all of the New World converts are failures.

 

I mentioned this few years ago regarding WFLD. the difference between that station and a KTVI is that a KTVI is consistent, and WFLD is trying to be a FOX News Bureau for Chicago. It's not working.

[Jase 818]

I think one of their biggest problems is that some people believe they're the local version of the Fox News Channel. And that, to a certain extent, is not a fair representation of the station or its newscasts. While it's true they follow some of the corporate mandates as other Fox O&Os, more often than not, they try to do their own thing.

 

For example, the 'most powerful name in local news' promos lasted about a month (if not shorter) before they went back to using 'Local Coverage. FIRST' and then later 'Asking THE Questions'. Heck..calling themselves Fox News Chicago for so many years probably didn't help them either, but I digress...

 

I think a good chunk of the viewers they had overwhelmingly rejected the changes made and stop watching. It could be as simple as that.

 

Looking at their most recent changes, Lou Canellis gets 9PM sports job, Larry Yellen to solo anchor on weekends and Dan Jiggetts returns as weekend sports anchor (unofficially), these are all safe choices. This leads me to believe they're scared to make any more bold, yet stupid moves for fear of losing more viewers. In essence, they're forced to live with the decisions they have made.

[The Anti Cub 2]

This leads me to believe they're scared to make any more bold, yet stupid moves for fear of losing more viewers. In essence, they're forced to live with the decisions they have made.

 

Look at GDC though. It's come to the point where I've lost track of who's going to be the anchors every morning. In fact they have a small rotation going on everyday now on that show. They're also using the no desk approach, which is fine with me. I have no problem with Anna Davlante's leg shots. If anything I wish they'd hire some more eye candy there. I can understand why Tammie Souza departed, but I was insulted with who they replaced her with. :ack: