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WMAR Baltimore Putting Focus on 6PM News


Dantheflash2014

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WMAR Baltimore Putting Focus on 6PM News

These days, the 6p.m. evening news often starts at 4 o’clock.

So at 4, the evening news has become a 2-hour, or 2.5 hour affair for many stations.

I guess we can blame Oprah for that. Since her talk show went off the air at 4, local TV stations have been scrambling to fill that time slot with something that’s profitable and is a good lead-in to the news at 5. And for many stations, that means more news.

To the viewer though, each hour of news at 4 and at 5 can be pretty much indistinguishable from the other.

But what about the 6p.m. newscast?

Decades ago, the 6 o’clock evening news was the newscast of record for most viewers.

At 6 o’clock, people are coming home from their day, the HUT levels are rising, and they spend the time to sit around and catch up on the day by watching the 6 o’clock news.

The format is pretty much the same today as it was then–top stories, expanded weather and sports.

Except in Baltimore.

Here, WMAR, the Scripps-owned ABC affiliate, made the bold and brave move in April of changing the format and focus of its 6p.m. news, and signaled the change by renaming it In Focus.

(To read more about the genesis of In Focus, click here).

So how’s it doing?

“Presently our household numbers for In Focus are up in comparison to this same time period last year,” says Alex Shaw, WMAR’s director of creative services.

“And we are definitely seeing traction in other ways, both in social media and online. We know this is going to take time to grow and therefore we have a long term commitment to the show.”

WMAR describes In Focus as a unique and innovative news program designed to serve the local community with more in-depth and original reporting and investigations.

A few weeks ago was an example of how In Focus is making a difference in the Baltimore area.

Baltimore’s VA Maryland Health Care System was known as one of the top VA hospitals with long wait times for veterans trying to get a primary care appointment.

In Focus focused on this story for months. The end result came a few weeks ago when the VA Chief of Staff added 13 new doctors to help cut down on wait time.

“Before launching In Focus,” says Shaw, “we were getting approximately 3 to 5 story ideas from viewers a week. Now we get 20 to 25 a day, and a great many of them become actual In Focus content.”

Here’s a spot from WMAR touting its focus.

 

Source: TV Newscheck

 

:agree:

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The only problem with that article was that Oprah didn't air on WMAR for atleast the last 15 years of her show.

 

From what I have watched (when there's been a subject I'm interested in) it's a good show.

 

PS we already had a thread about the show here. http://forums.tvnewstalk.net/index.php?/topic/13765-wmar-6pm-newscast-to-be-relaunched-as-abc-2-in-focus/?hl=wmar

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Yeah it was in 1996 the station made the bold move to ditch Oprah for Rosie, but Oprah had the bigger numbers. I think it was all about saving $$$. The station (WMAR) switched from NBC to ABC due to Scripps' deal. It would have behoove WMAR to have kept Oprah. When WMAR was NBC affiliate their Oprah lead-in numbers had WMAR 5pm newscast the most watched it was #2.

 

For WBAL 11 it was a win win when Oprah moved to the Hearst owned station, and by far out of all the (4) shops in B-More WBAL 11 has the best newscast. WJZ might be the winner, but they need the CBS mandate bad. WMAR Scripps' step-child has been done a rotten hand the last 6 decades. They need some major changes to compete, and Scripps seem to continue to throw pennies at WMAR. WBFF FOX 45 It a Sinclair station enough said, but they have beaten WMAR in demos/HH. So the beat will go on with 11 vs.13 for top spot & 2 vs.45 for last place.

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