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rkolsen

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Everything posted by rkolsen

  1. Not virtual - although it was designed to give it that look with the monitor walls. It's just Hearst's way of being creative using a green screen - it would have been perfectly fine with out the monitor wall. I've seen it in use at WCVB, WESH and I believe WPBF.
  2. You mean this type of full screen graphic http://www.rkolsen.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/image.jpg where inside the parallelogram there's the occasional live video feed? Or this one http://www.rkolsen.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/image1.jpg where instead of the first bullet point it's a small video box? I don't think it's necessarily tabloid like WHDH and WSVN are, rather they are just using what's available to them.
  3. WISN's looks a bit difficult to read, I think it's mainly the red on blue background that's making it difficult rather than the size. However the the width of the stylized pillar boxes looks to be bit off. Maybe it's because of the height of the ticker skewing some of the ratios.
  4. You mean this variant: This one was introduced in 2008 was used up until they started using the current weather crawl right a few months before they launched the diagrid graphics - so my estimation is January 2012 the new style was introduced. As for my thinking this was standard aided was because of a press release from the EAS encoder manufacturer saying Hearst bought 30 encoders/receive which receives the alert and is interfaced into the graphic system to generate the crawl. I've seen it in use from air checks from WESH (which actually did a splay spring with one side golf and the other side weather and they have the ability to broadcast both audio programs) and WPBF. I think WCVB used it as well.
  5. Since you appear to be the expert on this subject what is the "best" / most powerful graphics engine platform? VizRT, Avid, Chryon, Vertigo, Orad or something else? Seems like Viz has been the latest go to platform. Also I agree that KINGs set does not match the graphics.
  6. Regarding the cutting off of Jimmy Fallon's head - the issue is fixed and as of tonight they squeeze the picture to fit everything on screen. As for a map of the counties I don't think it is necessary in this region although WBAL has the compatibility to do so through their WSI weather system. There are only twenty four counties (including the city of Baltimore) in the state of Maryland but the Baltimore DMA only consists of 11. WBAL's ticker displays severe weather warnings for the entire state, which I believe has to do with their sister radio station being the primary entry point for the entire state and somehow the encoders are connected. Second in Maryland there is more of an awareness of the county that a person resides and works in because most of the services provided in the state are handled by the individual counties where as in Pennsylvania individual townships provide the services (I asked someone who moved out of state what county they are in and they didn't know and responded with a township.) A third and final reason is that when a station overlays the state map on screen with only certain parts colored it is not aesthetically pleasing and because of its size on screen it's difficult to ascertain which areas are which. Currently the Sinclair triopoly consisting of WBFF, WNUV and WUTB are the only stations that overlay the state map on screen during severe weather which is color coded and rotates through different maps if there is more than one warning. The map is translucent and is about 150 pixels wide by 120 high. The text stating the alert type despite it being bold and colored is difficult to read because the background is translucent to the program. In addition these stations do not give the additional information that the crawl that WBAL, WJZ and WMAR offer which includes a description of the storm type, size, it's current location in the area, where it's heading and when the alert is set to expire. I believe the severe weather ticker was placed at the top so they could easily add a third line for additional information such as a different alert type. Even though the image I posted has the third line repeating the same information - the current ticker that was used tonight during a thunderstorm warning displayed information pertaining to a flash flood warning that was also issued. Furthermore they probably placed it at the top of the screen so they can display additional information such as closings and delays simultaneously. Yes, there is a sense of redundancy in the screen captures that I provided, how ever the ticker is not on screen all the time. The ticker appears when the alert is first issued, the information is repeated twice and then disappears leaving the bug/logo on screen by itself. This process is then repeated after every commercial break. The only time it is constantly on the screen is when there is a tornado watch or warning. As a side note here's their graphic when there's an amber alert: [tweet]https://twitter.com/rkolsen/status/441632698906738689[/tweet]
  7. I know Hearst standardized their severe weather crawl where there is a graphic that displays the type of weather warning that is occurring, next to it the counties and until what time they are affected and below it more detailed information in a ticker stream. Here is what it currently looks like: Then today I started wondering what kind of digital on screen bug do other Hearst stations use during severe weather when the crawl is not in place. You can see one in the above picture on the lower right hand side. However it appears differently during the newscasts - the main thing is that it adds the peacock logo and the 11 is now yellow instead of translucent. Take a look: With all of these differences in graphics made me wonder what other Hearst stations do to alert viewers to severe weather. Do they use the same type of illustration (the storm clouds or snowflake) integrated with their logo to alert viewers or is it completely different? Please share. Secondly if any one has a guide or listing to all the different types of warning logos please share. I remember in the late 90s - early 2000's WBAL used to print out a pamphlet outlining all of their different logos for severe weather (I think there were about 9 different type of alerts) along with tips of what to do in such a situation. I believe the alert logos are the same today as they were in the late 90's.
  8. I thought about starting a new thread for this but decided against it. I would like to know why ABC has decided to let their stations basically do what ever they want for their local news crawl during Good Morning America. In fact I think their national news ticker which is replaced when a local affiliate keys over their headlines looks horrendous and doesn't mat the graphical style at all. Compare this to what the Today Show and CBS This Morning use where it fits into their graphical style perfectly and requires little operator intervention. For Today all the affiliate has to do is to edit a simple text document and their Namedropper HD system formats it and the machine does the rest. I'm not familiar with what CBS uses but I'd reckon its similar. But for both of them it's essential a set it and forget it operation where the network sends cues for when the crawl should appear or disappear.
  9. I find it interesting that USA Today already updated their homepage to a different design less than a year going live with this version.
  10. The pronunciation Is on the second syllable (according to their annual reports) so I think of it as a rhyme to Annette. I read this as an anonymous comment on GannettBlog.blogspot.com "Gannett: The accent is on the second syllable - just like 'incompetent'." What's next are we going to find out Target is actually pronounced Tarjay. You gotta love a periodical that reads like an elementary school literary magazine. Plus it's full color and has thick margins!
  11. Megan Pringles is going to be joining WBAL-TV's morning show coming mid June as their new breaking news reporter from their "breaking news desk" which I take is their newsroom set. She left WMAR in November to take a job in charge of a PR department because she left this job after six months makes me think she left WMAR already having the WBAL job and had to wait out the rest of her non compete and WBAL didn't want to pay if she wasn't on air. As no one else has announced their leaving it makes me think that there will be a future anchor shuffle coming in regards to Donna Hamilton anchoring the 5, 6 and 11 PM slot maybe moving Mindy back to 5PM pairing her back up with Stan Stovall when he did the morning news shift and the 5 PM. Maybe they could use her to anchor a 4:30 AM newscast solo. WBAL has in the past few months added to their newsteam first Jason Newton from their sister station WISN, Megan Pringle from WMAR, and Miri Marshall for weekend weather. In addition they have two to three free lancers that are used pretty regularly.
  12. Ah the power of VizRT, WSI and a properly coded rundown. There is a reason why graphic creators oftentimes make a style guide with each revision - it's so that the local office doesn't f..k it up. If you want a look at how not to use Look F you have to go to Las Vegas's NBC Affiliate KSNV (look at their lower thirds they use a serif font and have to hastily rotating peacocks one of which is upside down).
  13. Thanks. I can get why they do it so they build up the brand but the radar name seems to be a long stretch.
  14. Yes the only CNBC programming that airs in HD occurs during their CNBC Prime lineup but during the day part it's still 4:3 with a HD graphical sidebar. But what I was getting at is if they did get new graphics which is kind of what was being implied here earlier it would be good if they could standardize it throughout all of NBC News' divisions.
  15. Any particular reason why the stations live shots say "action cam" on the lower line of the chyron? It seems dated.
  16. It looks good, I think they got the design from msnbc which has used it since they went HD in 2009. I don't know why they don't use unified graphics throughout their network and cable channels - it would make it a lot easier for sharing content between NBC, MSNBC and CNBC where you wouldn't have to create unique graphics for each channel. All of the BBCs output is the same between their BBC Breakfast and BBC News on BBC One with BBC News Channel and BBC World.
  17. Maybe it's just me but the ticker doesn't seem to work with the graphics. How many times can you have a logo on screen without it being overkill? (The logo in the ticker doesn't count in my book because I expect the headline separator to be the station bug.) I'm thinking three is too many. Keeping with the three too many logos here's a quick aside: My local station seemed to think it was okay to but three versions of their bug up when the Today Show had it's prior graphics: first was the basic crystal logo that appears during primetime, then a horizontal version of their logo made to look like it belonged in the graphics next to the Today.com URL and then third that would sporadically appear. Then earlier this winter we got this gem of graphical vommit : https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BdlE7coCcAA_TJh.jpg
  18. Is he really that bad? But I expect their will be set changes and new graphics - new GMs seem to always want to change things to put their mark on it.
  19. Is it the commercial talking about home security systems where two people are chatting in front of a large tv with a bad copy of the Scripps orange graphics (the gfx that were prior to the current ones)? I was going to make a thread about it but thought maybe it was local. I think it would be very easy to confuse people especially when the commercial airs on a Scripps station. As a similar side note about sponsored content into newscasts here in Baltimore there is this financial consulting firm that is currently or has in the past ran a weekly show on WBAL-TV (NBC) and WJZ (WJZ) called The Money Guys at the same time on both stations. While I have nothing wrong with stations running paid programming in off hours ( I believe it was like 11:30 AM or Noon on Sundays) they further run a commercial during the newscasts that is deceptive by saying right here on WBAL-TV 11 or WJZ 13 almost implying that they are part of the news team. I am surprised that the two top television stations in the market are willing to let a commercial air during a newscast inferring that the station is involved with it. Further more WJZ has aired one or two stories of the financial consulting firm making a donation to a local charity during the evening newscasts. The really funny thing is each show is the same as the week before (the last I checked) using data and charts that ended in 2012 so the show is long out of date especially when it comes to investing your money and I think deceptive sales practice. http://www.everestwm.com/media.html
  20. I think that has more to do with on the contour map WBAL-TV has strong penetration of all but 4 MD Counties and one Delaware County, those five excluded counties are the only ones that are included in the Salisbury DMA. WCAU only covers two northern MD counties SNF one Delaware County. The Salisbury DMA only accounts for Delaware and Maryland, leaving out the southern tip which is part of the Newport News VA DMA on the western shore. All of this gives me reason to believe that there is significant coverage but lack of the need of a permanent affiliate for NBC since NBC can be received OTA on the for more than half of Delmarva peninsula save for the Salisubury market which receives WBAL via cable and a satellite. All of this plus the fact that Salisbury DMA is in a tourist area part of the state where there aren't many permanent residents. WBAL-TV Contour Map: https://stations.fcc.gov/station-profile/wbal-tv/contour-maps/ WBOC-TV Contour Map: https://stations.fcc.gov/station-profile/wboc-tv/contour-maps/ WCAU-TV Contour Map: https://stations.fcc.gov/station-profile/wcau/contour-maps/
  21. Early Today and MSNBC First Look anchor Veronica De La Cruz posted on Facebook Friday that she got the main evening anchoring job at the CBS O&O in San Francisco, KPIX.
  22. They are all hubbed from Atlanta at Encompass Digital Media which provides NBC Local Media with master control solutions for all their stations and most of Telemundo's O&O. When a channel does local news, the ads are placed there on a local server and locally controlled on site but for everything else it's hubbed. The stations are all interconnected by fiber and satellite at transmission and in the event of emergency one station could broadcast to another area (say if during a hurricane WCAU is knocked off they would have WNBC fill in). http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/55504/outsourced-master-control-drives-nbc-oos/
  23. According to an LA Times Night Side was in Charlotte because of access to an airport that allowed correspondents and tape to come in person via US Airways and earlier satellite access to European news (Really?) and that it was cheaper than producing it in New York. http://articles.latimes.com/1991-11-04/entertainment/ca-780_1_overnight-news Thinking about it I wonder if it was chosen to be located there because it is a service for the affiliates where either they voted for Charlotte or one of the affiliate board at the time chose to base it at his station.
  24. As a side question why is it that NBC decided to locate NBC Newschannel at WCNC?
  25. I'm reading this and can't help but laugh at "Heathens of Hunt Valley" I live a mile from them on a clear day can see the building.
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