24994J 5269 Posted September 5, 2012 Author Share Posted September 5, 2012 Here's some SD shots to keep you all occupied. Bravo on the watermark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jase 818 Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 This nighttime video they're using for the background is horribly grainy. Looks abolutely horrid on HD. They need to figure out what to do about that. First off..I was right (and first) to guess they were changing the monitor and I agree (based solely on the pictures), it's a much needed improvement. Even the small adjustments to the weather center are a + as well. I'm guessing the interview area may have also been refreshed maybe? As far as the video, until they can place more hi res/HD cameras in other parts of the downtown area, this is what you're going to get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess 1110 Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 Someone else there also liked how WNBC's set, graphics, and music turned out much better. Heck, a handful of WMAQ's newer promos use the WNBC font in them.. I also wouldn't be surprised if we got something that looked more like WNBC. It'd be a shame if they got rid of the Stephen Arnold 360 package(gah I keep thinking of it as an "official" Arnold pack), but I can understand them going to a bigger sound. I love the 360 package, but admittedly it might have been the wrong package for the right group. And I'm all for a cleaner look - Chicago's version looked, I dunno, a little lesser to me. The all-blue background didn't help. I wouldn't, though, suggest they go for the WNBC version - I'd look into what WTVJ got, which was ultra-glossy yet still looked like Look F. (I don't think serif fonts really work on lower thirds, as nice as Berthold Daily News is.) I was wondering - a lot more graphics are done at station level these days, yes? I got the feeling that WMAQ's Look F was executed partly in house. I would not be shocked if most of the extreme modifications for WCAU's version was done by the Studio Ten unit, as it has some of their design tendencies (they love to bevel). It doesn't feel as "templatey" as some of the past standardized packs looked. It must be nice to have that kind of money to make changes whenever management sees something they don't like... This. Especially since Comcast is making some cuts to NBC on the network side. They laid off a chunk of Jay's staff, they're reportedly looking at Today, they cut at G4 again. But at the same time, from the comments I've seen from NBC, the O&Os seem to be sort of a pet project. Now, granted, the O&Os were starved for years, and by the last years of GE they were literally cutting bone. I expected Comcast to come in, and reverse some of the more egregious cuts. I expected them to reintroduce local promotions departments. I expected to have actual HD-quality graphics equipment at WCAU. I expected a restoration of the 5pm on WNBC. Under Comcast, they have done all of that, but I expected that to maybe be the extent of it. Modest improvements, maybe a newscast here or there on the subchannels, but nothing beyond that save a token effort to tell the FCC "hey, we're keeping local news coverage! We've added programming*coughonoursubchannelscough*!" This is going way, way, way beyond putting on a good face for the FCC. They scrapped the block logo graphics for an entirely new design. They did bring back the 5pm on WNBC, but they had all of the O&Os establish midday newscasts for the sole purpose of being ready to cover breaking news if needed. They've built two sets that were torn down and rebuilt essentially because they sucked. New York and LA have regained choppers, and it looks like WCAU and maybe WTVJ are on the way. At least here, the changes (and improvements) to WCAU have been particularly impressive. Their newscasts are the best they've been in YEARS. They have more reporters working the 11pm than even WPVI on most nights. They're now the first to break in for special reports and the last to end coverage. And they have been sending reporters to spots the other stations aren't. For the Penn State sanctions, they actually sent someone to Indianapolis, where the NCAA is based. No other station did that. I'm sure WCAU's improvement has everything to do with it being the "home market". It's the station that Brian Roberts watches when he wants to check on his network. I think Steve Burke still spends some time here every week. And I'm pretty sure when they demonstrate changes to their cable system, the channel is tuned to 10. I don't know if the other O&Os have made the massive strides that 10 has in the last eighteen months. (Though what I've seen of WTVJ has been impressive, both in terms of visual style and reporting.) But it's clear they've made improving the O&Os a top priority; maybe even a bigger priority than fixing NBC. They've talked openly and candidly about the cuts made to the stations,to the point of admitting that GE neglected those stations. It's clear that Staab's mission is to make the O&Os competitive again, no matter the cost. You don't tear down brand new sets, you don't scrap a brand new graphical look, and you don't go on a hiring and buying binge if you're not gunning to make those stations the top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spring Rubber 609 Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 As far as the video, until they can place more hi res/HD cameras in other parts of the downtown area, this is what you're going to get. In the meantime, I would support shooting a one-off video loop in HD that can be used every single night as opposed to live video. Maybe they could also shoot video on a stormy night so that they have video with lightning, and in December, they can shoot a video where it's snowing that they can use on snowy nights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weeters 1805 Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 I was wondering - a lot more graphics are done at station level these days, yes? I got the feeling that WMAQ's Look F was executed partly in house. If it isn't in house, that's just embarrassing for Artworks. Some of WMAQ's 3D work is just plain awful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazynetjunkie 34 Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 Knowing WMAQ, they're probably going to use the video camera feeds as much as possible, and slap up some still images when they can't (extremely windy days shaking the cameras like crazy). They've also made modifications to the interview/multi-purpose areas of the set. More wood laminate glued on the walls and larger monitors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NBC 5 Chicago 164 Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 Like tonight? It's not bad but there is a slight movement that resembles an earthquake. Like the whole set is shaking! The video is less grainy tonight too. Could be a new camera? One of Brant's pictures tonight had a capture of the skyline from the planetarium. Allison commented and said it should be behind them. That's actually not a bad idea. Have a camera there and you'll have a nice big shot of the skyline! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfomspphl 453 Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 Here's a full tour of the set from their website http://www.nbcchicag...w-Set/168987056 The wall and the close in shot used in the video feed make all the difference...when the buildings are too far in the distance you lose the sense of expansiveness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spring Rubber 609 Posted September 10, 2012 Share Posted September 10, 2012 NBC 5 decided to put up a crawl to alert people that the Chicago Public Schools teachers strike is going to happen tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24994J 5269 Posted September 10, 2012 Author Share Posted September 10, 2012 ...Big enough? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spring Rubber 609 Posted September 10, 2012 Share Posted September 10, 2012 NBC 5's live feed of the strike's press conference had an annoying whining sound throughout the whole thing. All of the other stations' feeds were fine. IMO, NBC 5 is still one of the worst stations (next to WFLD) when it comes to quality control, and that goes for everything (audio, lower thirds, picture quality). Their newscasts are annoyingly rough around the edges. I keep hoping it will get better, but it never really does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24994J 5269 Posted September 10, 2012 Author Share Posted September 10, 2012 NBC 5's live feed of the strike's press conference had an annoying whining sound throughout the whole thing. All of the other stations' feeds were fine. I'd beg to differ on this one...ABC 7's feed was in the crapper tonight. In the 20-25 minutes that the mayor and co. talked, their feed broke down three times. CBS 2's video was actually fantastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spring Rubber 609 Posted September 10, 2012 Share Posted September 10, 2012 Now this looks very beautiful. It's a nice super hi-res image they're using, and it looks fantastic on the video wall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spring Rubber 609 Posted September 10, 2012 Share Posted September 10, 2012 Also, as you may notice from that pic, NBC 5 has signed Brandon Marshall to be an analyst on Sports Sunday all throughout the NFL season. He'll be in studio on weekends that the Bears are in town. Will he also join them remote from road games? That part is not quite clear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C Block 1487 Posted September 10, 2012 Share Posted September 10, 2012 Finally, a set and studio that makes WNBC's Studio 3C look massive... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.