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Chicago's "ABC7 News" Rebranding to "Eyewitness News"


IndyNewsGuy

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True, but didn't lots of people complain when WPVI tried to use an orchestral version of MCTYW instead of the traditional version in the 1990s?

 

Yep.

 

There are some pros and cons to making dramatic changes like WLS is planning.

 

On the one hand you have the chance to attract new viewers to your station, but the con is that it could be at the expense of your loyal viewers who may not be happy with the new changes.

 

WLS needs to be careful with how much they change because even something simple as moving the time of a program can cost your station viewers, let alone a whole imaging/branding revamp.

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True, but didn't lots of people complain when WPVI tried to use an orchestral version of MCTYW instead of the traditional version in the 1990s?

 

WPVI has had MCTYW since the 1970s I believe, compared to WLS which has been using Stimulus since 1992. 6abc's music has been around longer and while I'm sure that viewers would complain about WLS changing music, they will eventually get over it.
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Yep.

 

There are some pros and cons to making dramatic changes like WLS is planning.

 

On the one hand you have the chance to attract new viewers to your station, but the con is that it could be at the expense of your loyal viewers who may not be happy with the new changes.

 

WLS needs to be careful with how much they change because even something simple as moving the time of a program can cost your station viewers, let alone a whole imaging/branding revamp.

They have to acknowledge the past in some form, no matter how much they say 'Eyewitness News' is going to be the future.

 

WPVI has had MCTYW since the 1970s I believe, compared to WLS which has been using Stimulus since 1992. 6abc's music has been around longer and while I'm sure that viewers would complain about WLS changing music, they will eventually get over it.

WPVI started using MCTYW in '72 and made the change in '96. That's 24 years. I'm sorry that NS2K+'s 21 years doesn't count as legacy or tradition.
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They have to acknowledge the past in some form, no matter how much they say 'Eyewitness News' is going to be the future.

 

 

WPVI started using MCTYW in '72 and made the change in '96. That's 24 years. I'm sorry that NS2K+'s 21 years doesn't count as legacy or tradition.

 

And if you notice, they went back to the original MCTYW after that failed experiment in 96. So it's a lot longer than 24 years.
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WLS began using "News Series 2000 Plus" in 1992 before they dropped Eyewitness News. The theme is iconic to Chicago and viewers always recognizing it returning home to Chicago. They'd be crazy to get rid of that.

 

They need to update the backdrops in the studio behind them. NBC 5 really has cool live monitors that make it look like a live big window. ABC 7 hasn't changed whatever that stuff is behind them since they debuted that street level studio in 2007. It needs a serious update.

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And if you notice, they went back to the original MCTYW after that failed experiment in 96. So it's a lot longer than 24 years.

 

Oh, that's what you meant. I thought we were comparing the backlash at WPVI in '96 and WLS in 2013. My mistake.

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I think it would be a good idea if KGO changed their format to ABC7 Eyewitness News. As mentioned earlier KPIX dropped their Eyewitness News format about a year ago.

 

KPIX hasn't been Eyewitness News for a long time. They just dropped the "CBS 5 News" branding in favor of "K-P-I-X 5 News" I wish they'd just say "K-PIX" instead of actually spelling it out.

 

**Edit: Brain fart. I forgot they were CBS5 Eyewitness News before the KPIX 5 rebrand.

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http://www.robertfeder.com/2013/10/16/abc-7-looks-forward-to-return-of-eyewitness-news/

 

We knew there'd be change at somepoint, but I don't think anyone saw this coming. WOW

 

I'm thinking "News Series 2000 Plus" is Gone.

 

New Graphics are coming, and Gari's "ABC Eyewitness News" New Generation will be the new theme...Probably something from the under-used, elegant and contemporary New Generation 3.

 

Afterall, “The execution of this is going to be very contemporary,” he said. “It is not going to be a look back to ‘Eyewitness News.’ It is going to be a look forward to what ‘Eyewitness News’ means to viewers today.”

 

EDIT: Oh and Bill Ratner as the V/O

 

No thanks! I'll take Cutler over Ratner.

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KPIX hasn't been Eyewitness News for a long time. They just dropped the "CBS 5 News" branding in favor of "K-P-I-X 5 News" I wish they'd just say "K-PIX" instead of actually spelling it out.

 

If you call 8 months a long time, then I guess you're right. They dropped the Eyewitness part back in February 2013. They were (KPIX) Channel 5 Eyewitness News from 1965-1994 and 1995-2003, CBS 5 Eyewitness News from 2003-2013. That's just under 40 years with Eyewitness News in their branding. Only since February and a brief period in 1994-1995 have they been known as KPIX 5 News. They were never just CBS 5 News. I honestly think that KPIX will regret dropping the Eyewitness News brand, and will probably revert back to it sooner rather than later (also think WBZ and KDKA will eventually come back to it too).

 

I think if KGO were to change, it would go the Action News route. There's less of a history in the Bay Area of the Action News brand, plus Fresno's ABC 30 uses it, so does 6ABC in Philly, and Channel 7 in Detroit.

 

Personally, despite the histories in other cities, I think Philly's got it right. The Eyewitness News name goes better with the CBS affiliates, the CBS Eye, and the CBS themes of "Eye on ...". On the other hand, Action News goes better with ABC affiliates, for starters because they both begin with "A", plus the network as a whole seems to be more action-themed. Just my two cents.

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I think we might have a launch day for "Eyewitness News". Effective Saturday, November 2, BOTH weekend morning newscasts (like WMAQ a few months back) will begin at 5am, and Ben Bradley will officially join Stacey Baca on the Saturday morning anchor desk. No word on any whether or not new hire Troy Christensen will play a part on the Sunday morning show, but it's becoming obvious that management is trying to murder Phil Schwarz. With college football in full-swing, the Saturday night news has been ending about midnight, leaving only 5 hours before he'll be back on the air.

 

http://chicagoradioandmedia.com/news/6042-abc-7-to-again-expand-weekend-morning-newscasts

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If you call 8 months a long time, then I guess you're right. They dropped the Eyewitness part back in February 2013. They were (KPIX) Channel 5 Eyewitness News from 1965-1994 and 1995-2003, CBS 5 Eyewitness News from 2003-2013. That's just under 40 years with Eyewitness News in their branding. Only since February and a brief period in 1994-1995 have they been known as KPIX 5 News. They were never just CBS 5 News. I honestly think that KPIX will regret dropping the Eyewitness News brand, and will probably revert back to it sooner rather than later (also think WBZ and KDKA will eventually come back to it too).

 

I think if KGO were to change, it would go the Action News route. There's less of a history in the Bay Area of the Action News brand, plus Fresno's ABC 30 uses it, so does 6ABC in Philly, and Channel 7 in Detroit.

 

Personally, despite the histories in other cities, I think Philly's got it right. The Eyewitness News name goes better with the CBS affiliates, the CBS Eye, and the CBS themes of "Eye on ...". On the other hand, Action News goes better with ABC affiliates, for starters because they both begin with "A", plus the network as a whole seems to be more action-themed. Just my two cents.

 

 

Oops..........I had forgotten that they were CBS5 Eyewitness News before they rebranded (I was thinking it was just CBS 5 News). Sorry about that.

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WLS began using "News Series 2000 Plus" in 1992 before they dropped Eyewitness News. The theme is iconic to Chicago and viewers always recognizing it returning home to Chicago. They'd be crazy to get rid of that.

 

They need to update the backdrops in the studio behind them. NBC 5 really has cool live monitors that make it look like a live big window. ABC 7 hasn't changed whatever that stuff is behind them since they debuted that street level studio in 2007. It needs a serious update.

 

I've been a longtime TVNT lurker—my history reading this site dates back to 2002, and I joined in 2010. And NS2K+ is one of the first pieces of news music I recognized by name—ever. (The others were, unsurprisingly given my family being in Chicago and vacations there, The Tower and The Enforcer. Even if WBBM wasn't always using it.)

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Hope this isn't a thing but via Watch ABC this appeared.

 

http://hulkied.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/20131017-224420.jpg">[url=

 

[yt]74hA6Q7vPI4[/yt]

 

I would not at all mind if the KABC package became standard (with modifications) for the ABC stations. However, this looks to me like a cheap knock-off of the KABC package, and it going station-wide would suck monkey sphincter.

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May NS2K+ a,k.a. Stimulus rest in peace..... but only in Chicago. Looks like WLS is going back to their roots as they once went by "Eyewitness News". But if you look at it this way: The CBS O&Os in NYC, LA, and Chicago, i.e. WCBS, KCBS, and WBBM respectively, use Enforcer. The NBC O&Os in the markets I just mentioned along with several others use the same graphics (NBC Artworks); but KNBC in LA and WNBC in NYC also use L.A. Groove. I wouldn't be surprised if WLS starts taking cues from either WABC or KABC in terms of graphics. And the Eyewitness News NG3 music package will go well with them.

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May NS2K+ a,k.a. Stimulus rest in peace..... but only in Chicago. Looks like WLS is going back to their roots as they once went by "Eyewitness News". But if you look at it this way: The CBS O&Os in NYC, LA, and Chicago, i.e. WCBS, KCBS, and WBBM respectively, use Enforcer. The NBC O&Os in the markets I just mentioned along with several others use the same graphics (NBC Artworks); but KNBC in LA and WNBC in NYC also use L.A. Groove. I wouldn't be surprised if WLS starts taking cues from either WABC or KABC in terms of graphics. And the Eyewitness News NG3 music package will go well with them.

 

Many have their own opinions, but here's my view...

 

NS2K+ isn't perfect. It is aging, and could use a refresh. I couldn't imagine it matching well with new graphics, so I'd rather hear new music over seeing the current package become a caricature of itself. That said, I will miss it immensely, more than anyone could know. I was born only months before it made its debut. It's the only theme I've ever known on ABC 7, so a piece of my childhood will go with it. As it seems likely that EWN will be the package of choice, I wholeheartedly hope that it's Series 3, the WABC version (or something close). It's solid, iconic, and arguably the last good rendition of EWN. Yes, it's not Chicago, but it's closely associated with another fantastic, storied station, and that's good enough for me. And surprisingly, while I'm really going to miss NS2K+, I just might miss the morning theme, the NS2K+/First News mash-up more. It might be my favorite theme ever. The tone it sets, the authority it conveys, it's what I like to hear to start my day (yes, I made that rhyme).

 

An era is (might be) ending, but I'll never forget News Series 2000 Plus, and I think fond memories are almost as good. Are we all being a little too sentimental? Possibly, but just like the ABC 7 anchors that report the news, this theme is like part of the family, and many of us aren't quite yet ready to say good-bye.

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Didn't Gari make some updated cuts/package for WLS a few years back only to see it get rejected? Perhaps they 'll go with those?

 

We don't like to talk about that. :D

 

I mean, it was a "decent" update, but it got the NewGen treatment that the Barr regime was specifically trying to avoid...and I think it's obvious why they passed. Now? I'd consider it, but it seems highly unlikely.

 

[yt]N47_a2wOOgo[/yt]

 

Frankly, (and I've said it before) I'm pulling for this, but it's even more unlikely...

 

[yt]GKUombnvY-I[/yt]

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Just to make things clear, and please correct me, these are the different editions (series) of Eyewitness News:

 

Series 1: 1990's WABC, KABC, etc (http://newsmusicnow.com/player.php?file=musicdir/2/eyewitnessnews/series1rejoin.mp3&t=Eyewitness%20News%20-%20Rejoin)

 

Series 2: [unsure]

 

Series 3: Current WABC package (http://newsmusicnow.com/player.php?file=musicdir/2/eyewitnessnews/series3primaryopen.mp3&t=Eyewitness%20News%20-%20Primary%20Open)

 

Series 4: Would that be like KABC's pre-2012 theme or KGO's current cuts? And if so...

 

Would that make KABC's current cues (

) Series 5?
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Just to make things clear, and please correct me, these are the different editions (series) of Eyewitness News:

 

Series 1: 1990's WABC, KABC, etc (http://newsmusicnow.com/player.php?file=musicdir/2/eyewitnessnews/series1rejoin.mp3&t=Eyewitness%20News%20-%20Rejoin)

 

Series 2: [unsure]

 

Series 3: Current WABC package (http://newsmusicnow.com/player.php?file=musicdir/2/eyewitnessnews/series3primaryopen.mp3&t=Eyewitness%20News%20-%20Primary%20Open)

 

Series 4: Would that be like KABC's pre-2012 theme or KGO's current cuts? And if so...

 

Would that make KABC's current cues (

) Series 5?

 

I really don't want correct anybody on this, so here it is:

 

Series 1 is the WABC version

 

Series 2 is the KABC version

 

Series 3 is the KTRK version

 

Series 4 is the current WABC version

 

Series 5 & 6 is the pre-New Gen cuts

 

New Generation 1-3 are all KABC versions

 

The current cues used by KABC would be New Generation 4

 

Hope I'm wrong about this.

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