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Was working on a twitter thread about this, but it got derailed due to some household drama, so I'll type everything here. Ed Ansin, in my mind, deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Al Primo, Roone Arledge, and Ted Turner. His stations were that revolutionary and influential, and a lot of people don't know it. In my opinion, local news has three "mother formats". The first is Primo's Eyewitness News (specifically the version perfected at WABC New York). The second is the WPVI Action News format. The third was Ansin's "News Station" format pioneered in Miam

I worked with a news anchor who battled an alcohol addiction. It's not just about someone having too much fun and getting carried away, there sometimes are much deeper issues we don't know about. My co-workers and I tried to build up a strong support network around her, but she still ended up losing her job and eventually her life due to this addiction. When we're talking about on air talent on this website, I don't think it's a lot to ask that you try to have some kind of respect for the person - as we have no idea what they were going through when they made the decisions they did

Fox Business had around 6,000 viewers in 2007 when they debuted. No calls from TVNT to immediately shut it down. Newsy's cable channel currently gets about 6,000 viewers and they've been on cable for years. No calls to shut that down either. NewsNation gets over 10 times those numbers and it must shut down immediately. Interesting...

Simple, Sinclair thought they could get away with it. Just like they thought they could get away with that must-run speech they had their anchors do about "fake news" that turned out to be such a joke it probably jeopardized their acquisition of Tribune because someone complied a video of Sinclair anchors all over the country reading that same script verbatim. Sinclair will never learn. They really are a company run by arrogant people.

Like this post if you're old enough to remember the WITI MyFox site being covered in the "kitebox" logo that was never once used on-air. Is there anything besides the website update that is leading people to believe KCPQ is launching new graphics today?

How DARE you switch to a flat, modern graphic look?!?!? I am TRIGGERED!!!! Next thing you know, TVNT will switch its music package to C Clarity and and hire COMEDIANS to be the mods. SMH. I miss the good ole days. Screw progress! /s of course. Awesome job on the update. Looks great!

tsk tsk, some of you are SO quick to jump to your own conclusions and decisions about this thing. I've said it before and I'll say it again, this is a long game. They didn't pour X amount of dollars into NewsNation just to sell it off with the rest of WGNA. NewsNation is the first step in a much larger idea to (more than likely) create another CNN or FOX News. NewsNation as a show may not live forever, but you don't pour that kind of money into an operation if you aren't playing the long game (5-10 years). There are logical next steps they can take to gain viewership and exponentia

In complete fairness to Scripps: 1) There are way more important things in our current climate to deal with right now than how a GFX package looks on-air--like getting news on the air in some markets while keeping your staff safe, where "safe" not only means protection from the virus, but also protection from any number of Internet trolls screaming muh MEDIUHHHH BIUSSSSS waiting to hang someone out to dry. 2) You can't really do effective marketing that draws exclusively back to your product right now without looking a bit selfish. How many ways can you say "We're in this together, but

Someone had to do it...

I'm going to temper my anger here, and simply say I hope Sinclair is dismantled from the ground up and sold to the lowest bidder. Disgusting.

This thread has drifted way off course and is no longer relevant. Locking.

Drop “abc” from the name of its news operation but make the “abc” logo larger and more emphasized. Makes sense.

I know people are always excited at the prospect of an affiliate getting their affiliation taken away, but this, friends, is a big ol' The NFL upset the time-honored tradition of "local time". KWQC didn't play along. NBC is not going to pull an affiliation because they were forced to schedule a football game on a Wednesday afternoon and take away income from the local stations. I'm honestly surprised more stations didn't do this.

I think they were in a bit of a no-win situation w/ the interview. If Joe went in guns a blazing; they risk the chance of Trump never appearing on NN again. If they played it safe; people will knock them for not being tough enough. Joe unsuccessfully tried to play it down middle and they end up with nothing substantial (i.e... a good soundbite or two). Nevertheless, they walked away with the chance of Trump making another appearance (or two) in the future. We have to remind ourselves that it's going to take some time for NN to find its way. There are going to be things they get bo

I feel like I’ve caught enough of NewsNation to form an opinion. It’s not that it’s necessarily bad, but it’s just a really puzzling concept and execution. Nexstar could have had a much bigger (but less sexy) impact had they pumped $20 million into their existing stations instead of trying to make something up from scratch. I still think the overall positioning is setup for failure. WGN is a brand that is somewhat known nationally, yet they barely use it anywhere other than in some of the set pieces. NewsNation is otherwise how everything is branded, and it’s such a generic soundin

I do not understand how, after just a few days on the air, someone can declare, "this will not survive" or that "Nexstar's plan is just all wrong." This is a well-produced program that just launched. It is way too early to rule it a failure or success. If success was measured solely by a program's first week, the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric would still be on the air. Also, comparisons to Al Jazeera and NewsNet aren't really applicable. The biggest cost in launching a news organization is not the set, it is the news gathering infrastructure, technology, and staff. Nexstar had that in pla

Those images speak volumes. Same desk, same chairs, same lamp, same portrait on the wall over 30-plus years. It speaks to not only what may have been Mr. Ansin's own frugality, but on two more important themes: Simplicity and stability. With all the money he had, he could have easily upgraded his office furniture and design on numerous occasions. It's safe to assume that the phone was one of the few items there to have changed over the years. WSVN and WHDH were lucky to have a guy like that for an owner.

More than that, actually. See, Rupert made his mark in the UK and his native Australia with gloriously sensational tabloids. Even when he took over the New York Post, he put his stamp on that paper in a hurry ("Headless Body in Topless Bar") and was poised to do the same in Chicago and Boston. Which brings us to the Metromedia Five: WNYW, WTTG, KRIV, KTTV and even WFLD. Outside of shared logo stylings and the "network + channel number" brandings, not much had changed at that core group since the sale beyond a stateside import of A Current Affair with WTTG's Maury Povich

No. Just because you can put someone on TV doesn't mean you always should. If this doctor were in some position of power accountable to the public (a health department director or the head of a notable research institution, for example), a case could be made that her claims would be worth examining and scrutinizing. But she is not. She is a discredited researcher who is being used by right wing factions to instill fear and cast doubt on the best science we have during a pandemic. She is otherwise a relatively unknown whose opinions are already well documented and dismissed. Putting

Yep, our first set for Gray TV...just putting the finishing touches on it, truck is rolling tomorrow!

Not directed to anyone in particular, but a message for all: enough people are losing their jobs. There is zero need to suggest who should be fired. I doubt we're even halfway through the announcements, so many more dismissals are coming, and we'll find out who in due time.

This is getting remarkably overblown. People don't want to watch other people at their homes reading the news. They're doing it now because there's a public health crisis and emergency. People watch other people at home on YouTube, Twitch, etc because they're typically doing something else, like streaming a game, etc. Not to mention horrible lighting, sound, etc. I realize some of that stuff can be fixed if everyone weren't flying by the seat of their pants right now, but it won't be fixed because long-term, it won't matter. News consumers--not just us--like the theater

IT'S BACK! OUR PRAYERS ANSWERED! https://www.youtube.com/user/cmsloan2002/videos

Someone was asleep at the wheel

I think it's incredibly naive to declare something dead after only three months of existence.

Trust me, we know. I bet this industry would stay stuck in the early 2000's if TVNT had its way.

Fox News has a very well respected decision desk that is not at all like most of its operation.

Until there's FCC regulations about TV stations hiring outside security guards, the FCC has no jurisdiction here and no reason to get involved. Let's summarize things here: KUSA/Tegna contracted with Pinkerton to provide a security guard. The vast majority of security guards, whether they be at TV stations, your local mall, a defense contractor, a technology company, or wherever, are outsourced from contractors. The bigger names in this field are companies like Securitas (which owns Pinkerton) and Allied Universal. These contracts typically require some sort of

Did Perry Sook run over your dog?

Lot of strong opinions in here for a show that's three days old. They're laying the foundation for a cable news network. The writing is on the wall, and i have to wonder why some of you feel so strongly after three days that it's a failure. It's well produced, they have all of the right people and equipment, and Sook himself /claimed/ they broke even on startup costs by ending some shows that aired on the WGNA, and Nexstar isn't exactly hurting for money right now. They've got big ticket ad revenue, at least based on commercials, so there's absolutely no reason in the near term for an

Apparently someone in the KPIX graphics department reads TVNT. Now roll this out across the O&Os!

So I was rewatching an old clip from 1987 about Ed Ansin challenging the sale of WTVJ to NBC... and something dawned on me. Note the scenes in which he's interviewed in his office, which was apparently the quietest room at the studio complex. ...it never changed.

That open...the best photo of “Acadiana” they could use was a parking garage?!

"Major disappointment" probably describes their choice to work at Scripps. I have yet to see more than a handful of viewer complaints about this package, and viewers love to complain about everything they can. In fact, I used to see more complaints when stations were switching to the (much beloved by TVNT) over-the-top 3D swoosh in-your-face packages than I have seen complaints about the new Scripps gfx and music. Yeah, they're really basic. Yeah, some stations probably hate them because they don't fit the news director/creative services director's "vision" of their sta

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! [Breathe] HA.

Why on earth would FOX go through all the trouble getting WITI from Nexstar, and sell WJZY to Nexstar, if they only wanted to... swap them again soon. Keep dreaming...

Or -SC means, bear with me now, Sub-Channel.

We don't know what type of working relationship (or lack thereof) Cheryl and Mark have, so while I agree the comment in question doesn't seem like a big deal, WE don't know the full story (and may never will).

Dunn and Friend are officially fired. Announcement coming tomorrow evening. Update: My contact at CBS said there would be a statement today, but it was not termination - turns out CBS is launching another investigation and has retained counsel. An announcement went out to staff this evening. One can only wonder if this will result in action against more than just Dunn & Friend?

Ukee's statement about the scandal.

I think now would be a good time to reconsider that 45 logo...

I'll summarize my thoughts from the Discord: I don't think this is an attempt at a new OTA weather channel or anything close to WeatherPlus. I think this is a vehicle to enable the hubbing of weather. The press release says "Fox Weather will feature local, regional and national updates... [Drawing] on more than 75 meteorologists across 17 stations and Fox News Channel’s news gathering teams." and makes no mention of affiliate stations. This is a project that involves only the O&O group. Rebrand all the local weather departments under the "Fox Weather" banner (Which

I know damn well that station bug doesn't suppose to look all stretched out like that.

Every set is (and should be) different, as it is a result of the set design team and each individual stations production needs, restrictions, studio size, budget, and last but not least, brand support. Unless of course a client chooses to take more cookie cutter, one size fits all approach, which happens. The client plays an important role in the creative direction a set project takes, a set designer doesn't, and shouldn't, dictate the final product. The set design team needs to bring the required creative skills to the table, and then the creative journey begins. Some stations rarely chan

A Twitter exchange I had at 1am that turned bizarre led me to think a lot tonight about NewsNation and how it's playing to potential viewers. So far, most Twitter conversation about NN has been from the right-of-center to right. This is a consistent theme I have noticed monitoring social media in recent days, and I have identified several reasons this might be the case: Slogan promotion turns off potential viewers on the left. Looking at you, "balance, not bias". In trumpeting their adherence to this principle, they may be actually causing their viewership to become even mo

Thank you. Perry's here for the long haul.

KDKA-TV has updated its graphics package to a more Pittsburgh black and Gold feel.

I would love to know who let it get this far. As stated above, one of the key elements of reporting is being a responsible gatekeeper of information - good and bad. Things are changing, but all this would have done was deepened the divide between fact and fiction, and you don't give a voice to fiction. We're 22 years removed from one quack doctor saying "vaccines cause autism," and an ever growing number of people believe it, even though it is proven FALSE. Imagine the type of damage that would have been done if you put the 'Plandemic' tape on air, even if you followed it up with t

As he proclaimed himself, Ed Ansin "died with his boots on", owning his two stations until the very end. Even with his recent presence at WSVN several days ago shows the importance of an owner who is in it with his employees, that cannot be said for a mega-company that has 150+ stations that may see a regional VP fly into once or twice a year. With both of his stations, he took situations that would have crippled others and used them to redefine how we watch local TV. Losing NBC at WSVN led to a news-intensive approach as a Fox affiliate that many stations have adopt

You cannot hand over your air to an unqualified person claiming that the Earth is flat, have someone else fact check her, and then say you are merely giving two sides of the story. Responsible gatekeeping is an integral part of journalism.