djlynch

The current round of sets for Nexstar's large- and upper-mid-market stations (KDVR, KTLA, KXAN, WPIX) seem to be missing the local touches that the bigger stations from the previous round (KOIN, KRON, WFLA) had. I couldn't even tell you what's LA about KTLA's set other than being bright and shiny and modern.

Looks like KXAN is off the air long-term.

Nothing much to see from the debate itself. The only shot besides the candidate podiums was a very tight shot of the anchors/moderators at a tiny desk with a dead screen and a monitor array behind. The desk isn't completely identical to the one from the temporary set, but it looks close. Seeing that desk and wondering if it's going to be the permanent anchor desk makes me realize just how much I dislike the tiny desk trend. KXAN's old desk did a really good job of having room for four people but not looking too big for just one or two. s

This image keeps popping up on KXAN's social media in connection with the mayoral runoff debate they're hosting tonight. I guess the new set is making its debut then.

Time lapse of the set being brought into the studio. Looks like it matches the backdrop for temporary set, so I assume that panel will get reused somewhere.

I really wish someone would, but I have a hard time seeing anyone doing it any time soon. The networks aren't going to bother with a second full production when they can insert segments into the east coast-produced shows. Out of the big station groups, Nexstar is the only one that has enough non-big-3 affiliates to make it work but I think they're too busy trying to push NewsNation to try anything else.

Fun facts: Since KEYE's news department signed on at the time of the 1995 affiliation swap with KTBC they have had... 2 sets 4 owners (Granite, CBS, Four Points, Sinclair) 5 station logos 6 different brands (K-EYEwitness News, KEYE News, CBS 42 KEYE News, CBS 42 News, KEYE-TV News, CBS Austin News)

I keep hoping that they decide to bring that back instead of the 87 version. It's got so much more energy.

Maybe I overestimate the market for this kind of thing but I'm surprised none of the non-big-three stations on the west coast (that I know of) is doing the reverse of KCBS and doing a live nation/world focused newscast up against the three-hour-old network newscasts. Nexstar could even slap a NewsNation logo on the version from KTLA or KRON and simulcast it on cable. I know Hawaii is pretty late to the party both in terms of how much things are delayed and how long it took them to get satellite feeds instead of flying in videotapes, but it seems to work well enough for KHON to have kept it all these years.

And in more KXAN news, political reporter Daniel Marin will take over 5, 6, and 10 PM when Robert Hadlock retires later this month.

The studio where Studio 512 originated pre-pandemic (it's still being done from the hosts' homes, based on the videos on kxan.com) is connected to the news studio by a double door. I assume they're going to knock out the wall with that door and merge the two studios. ISTR that the adjacent studio was also where they stuck the temporary set the last couple times they redid the main studio, so them being in a different part of the building this time would also seem to point that way. The set that was just decommissioned came in in 2016, so it was under Media General. That backdrop started out as part of the permanent set in the mid-2000s, but the switch to HD, having a monitor stuck in front of it, and not being properly lit or hung on the temp set made it look awful. I did some quick digging on YouTube and grabbed screen shots. 2005 permanent set 2016 temp set

Note to TEGNA: This is how you do flat graphics well

Don't know if these rolled out at the same as the rest of the update, but I've noticed that some stations are using a different L3 for anchors/reporters with white on whatever accent color is being used for the rest of the graphics.

Wasn't it also supposed to be moving to Times Square along with the Monday-Saturday "Mornings"? I'm kind of curious now if it's a matter of avoiding the Broadcast Center or if they took down the previous set but never finished the move.

Looks like KXAN is going to be switching over to a variation on the the WISH/WTNH graphics, based on maps posted to their social media today. The existing look is a 2015 refresh of one that launched in 2011, so it's definitely time for something new.