TVNewsRI 4 Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 Some mic flags with the CBS4 logo used from 2004-2007 have begun showing up on the air. I wonder if they are going to be switching to the standardized look of the other CBS O&Os? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark 55 Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 A mic flag I saw on their website had the CBS 4 logo on one side, and the current WBZ logo on another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hometown News 11 Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 That'd be a huge mistake, IMO. WBZ is one of the few stations with recognizable call-letters, and it'd be a shame if they stopped promoting them. And as for the graphics, I sure hope they don't adopt those awful CBS O&O graphics, unless they heavily modify (and improve) them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C Block 1487 Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 It sounds like they are getting it. And it looks like they'll do what WCCO did: use their current call sign logo with their previous CBS4 logo above it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bostonmediaguy 122 Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 It sounds like they are getting it. And it looks like they'll do what WCCO did: use their current call sign logo with their previous CBS4 logo above it. Kind of sad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamTheJ 87 Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 If I was in charge of 'BZ, instead of using the 04-07 '4' Logo, Call me Crazy, but I would've gone with the red Group W '4' logo. Also, instead of going back to CBS4, I would've called WBZ "4 New England". Just a couple of suggestions by me. As for BZ's sister, WSBK, My38 is a big mistake. WSBK's sister in Miami, WBFS, calls themselves TV-33. WSBK, if you're reading this, let's use the pre-1995 TV38 logo, if you can. I'm a New England native, but worry that 'BZ is on the brink of, You Guessed It, Enforcer. Ditto with Baltimore's 'JZ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daybreak 269 Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 If I was in charge of 'BZ, instead of using the 04-07 '4' Logo, Call me Crazy, but I would've gone with the red Group W '4' logo. Also, instead of going back to CBS4, I would've called WBZ "4 New England". Just a couple of suggestions by me. As for BZ's sister, WSBK, My38 is a big mistake. WSBK's sister in Miami, WBFS, calls themselves TV-33. WSBK, if you're reading this, let's use the pre-1995 TV38 logo, if you can. I'm a New England native, but worry that 'BZ is on the brink of, You Guessed It, Enforcer. Ditto with Baltimore's 'JZ. They should just call it "WBZ 4 News" but they want CBS in it so bad that they don't care what the people like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess 1110 Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 They should just call it "WBZ 4 News" but they want CBS in it so bad that they don't care what the people like. But that's what the stations not using CBS/channel number branding are doing. KDKA and WCCO are on the O&O look but they're still using their calls. WBZ is going to do the same thing, because they've really built up that brand over the last few years. They're going to get the standard look, but they're not gonna make the "CBS 4" mistake again. And yes, I think we all know what's coming: The giant glass eye and the Enforcer v2 cuts where they use the morning-suitable cuts in the evening and the evening-suitable cuts in the morning. I want to see how they manage to fit WBZ's square logo into all of this, since they're heavily relying on it as their branding. It sucks, because BZ's branding is/was great, but what CBS wants, CBS gets. At least they're on a VizRT, so it's going to look decently implemented. My thing is that if CBS is insisting on a uniform look, they should conform the network graphics to that look. There's a lot of crossover with that already (network is already feeding reports to the stations using a weird combination of the Evening News graphics and the O&O giant glass eye), and they're pushing it to the affiliates. (Hell, at this point I'd use a version of Enforcer.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C Block 1487 Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 I'm not completely opposed to the idea of network-wide standardization. The CBS O&O look is well executed for the most part (save for the messy bug and L3s), but as an image itself, it's very bland. Competent, but boring. I would have loved to have seen CBS invest in creating a truly unique and dynamic brand for their news department and affiliates (akin to the BBC, ITV, or ABC in Australia, for instance) rather than just implementing an inexpensive look that looks like everything else out there in US local news. My thing is that if CBS is insisting on a uniform look, they should conform the network graphics to that look. There's a lot of crossover with that already (network is already feeding reports to the stations using a weird combination of the Evening News graphics and the O&O giant glass eye), and they're pushing it to the affiliates. (Hell, at this point I'd use a version of Enforcer.) Weren't there rumors of CBS News getting a new look this fall? My understanding was that they merely refreshed the network graphics when Scott Pelley took over, along with an impending full-scale redesign to come. I would think that if this were true, they would try to match it with the O&O look. P.S.: I was in Denver this weekend and was able to upload some of KCNC's "new" opens with the Enforcer: Link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bostonmediaguy 122 Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 My biggest gripe with any standardization is that no market is one size fits all. Each city is different, each station is different, each market has different competitor ownership groups. You cannot use one same playbook across the board. In addition, this does away with the strong brands that were already in place; and arguably better and more known than the flagships. It dilutes a strong brand. I have the same issue with the web, too. CBSBoston.com means nothing; wbz.com does, and has for ninety years (okay, not the dot-com, but you get my point). I thought that WBZ and WCCO would have gotten a reprieve. How foolish of me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TennTV1983 742 Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 My biggest gripe with any standardization is that no market is one size fits all. Each city is different, each station is different, each market has different competitor ownership groups. You cannot use one same playbook across the board. In addition, this does away with the strong brands that were already in place; and arguably better and more known than the flagships. It dilutes a strong brand. I have the same issue with the web, too. CBSBoston.com means nothing; wbz.com does, and has for ninety years (okay, not the dot-com, but you get my point). I thought that WBZ and WCCO would have gotten a reprieve. How foolish of me. One can only hope that ABC stays far away from standardizing their O&Os like what Fox, NBC, and now CBS have done. Originality is enduring a slow and painful death these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark 55 Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 But that's what the stations not using CBS/channel number branding are doing. KDKA and WCCO are on the O&O look but they're still using their calls. WBZ is going to do the same thing, because they've really built up that brand over the last few years. They're going to get the standard look, but they're not gonna make the "CBS 4" mistake again. And yes, I think we all know what's coming: The giant glass eye and the Enforcer v2 cuts where they use the morning-suitable cuts in the evening and the evening-suitable cuts in the morning. I want to see how they manage to fit WBZ's square logo into all of this, since they're heavily relying on it as their branding. It sucks, because BZ's branding is/was great, but what CBS wants, CBS gets. At least they're on a VizRT, so it's going to look decently implemented. My thing is that if CBS is insisting on a uniform look, they should conform the network graphics to that look. There's a lot of crossover with that already (network is already feeding reports to the stations using a weird combination of the Evening News graphics and the O&O giant glass eye), and they're pushing it to the affiliates. (Hell, at this point I'd use a version of Enforcer.) Personally, I HATE the idea of the network using the same graphics/music as the affiliates. I know it's common in other countries but I feel like it cheapens the network look. Maybe I'm just not used to the idea of it. My biggest gripe with any standardization is that no market is one size fits all. Each city is different, each station is different, each market has different competitor ownership groups. You cannot use one same playbook across the board. EXACTLY! I understand how having a set graphics/music package can save money, but I think that has to be balanced with the fact that each market and situation is different. I'm not completely against standardization, it can really help some stations; I am against standardization just for the sake of standardization. To me, the best solution for most station groups is having a standard, versatile graphics package (or multiple packages that are available for station use) that can be tailored for a specific market. Same with music. I realize this isn't going to happen anytime soon. And any news on WJZ? They arguably need this the most. And thanks for posting the KCNC stuff.I really liked the look KCNC had before the standardization, but I feel like they use the new stuff well. And I actually think it's been a step up for WCCO; I love how 'CCO uses the package. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
groupwfan 95 Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 One can only hope that ABC stays far away from standardizing their O&Os like what Fox, NBC, and now CBS have done. Originality is enduring a slow and painful death these days. You are right. Originality is dead these days. My only gripe is the lower thirds. Have a different font for EACH station for a change. Save Arial for the time/temp stamps. NOT as the overall placement. For BZ's case, Have their current Interstate font in tact with the GFX! Jeez!!! Least the Peacock's O&O GFX looks better for a lower place network. The Eye's O&O GFX? Not cool for a network that's been #1 since 1999. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bostonmediaguy 122 Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 No change today. Here's the new mic flags though: http://twitpic.com/71uh1d The WBZ logo appears on the third, unseen, side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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