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Strange. Their livestream seems to be the same as what's going out OTA since the bug and end of ABC programming is seen. I wish we had a user from Louisville here to confirm whether or not what is heard above is what's actually going out OTA in Louisville.

 

Not technically in the Louisville market, but I do receive WHAS on cable, no it doesn't sound like that.

 

Video of the 6pm open last night recorded from cable:

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Not technically in the Louisville market, but I do receive WHAS on cable, no it doesn't sound like that.

 

Video of the 6pm open last night recorded from cable:

 

Great to hear that it doesn't sound wobbly and all vhs'ish on-air....as much as I don't mind that cut of music, just ONE thing about it makes me want to hate it... the KICK drum! I believe there are versions of that track without it, but the WHAS youtube linked above uses the cut with it. The kick drum sounds like it's not in time with anything else with the rhythm of the music. Maybe I'm the only one who notices that wacky off-timed drum lol. Anyone else? Maybe my criticism isn't fair or warranted, I had earbuds in.

 

A few weeks ago when I first noticed it with another Gannett station, I assumed maybe it was a click track that the Gari folks accidentally left on in their Pro-Tools/MOTU music software when mixing.

 

EDIT: I think I may have figured it out... it sounds like the kick drum clashes with the timing of the 3-note "this is home" melodies but appears to be in time with the underlying rhythm.. The melody on top makes it makes it seem like the timing is off at moments.

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Wasn't there some question as to whether WHAS was in HD? Based on the capture from the cable feed, that looks pretty good and HD?

 

Also, I like the kick drum....but...you need to have it with the right graphics up or it is kinda awkward. I thought it was awkward that WHAS didn't change the intro music, just started the intro graphics...

 

BTW - KUSA has the kick drum on their open.

 

Just my thoughts!

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Wasn't there some question as to whether WHAS was in HD? Based on the capture from the cable feed, that looks pretty good and HD?

 

WHAS actually broadcasts in 1080i as opposed to most ABC affiliates, which broadcast in 720p. But no, their newscasts are still shot and broadcast in widescreen SD. You could tell it wasn't HD if you were to watch it on a television or heck, even watch my video in fullscreen HD mode.
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Guest NewsHound

Not sure if anyone posted this already, but here is KING 5 using the "This Is Home" image promo. Credit to Shawn Mahoney (youtube):

I actually LIKE that version of the image song, I think it's very catchy. Needs a better ending, but not bad, a lot better than the standard. The stock footage they used for the promo was kind of weird though, apparently New Years fireworks on top of the Space Needle stands for sports... Not a terrible promo, but I would have shot new video to line up better with the promo. Like for instance, walking down the street as mentioned in the song would not be flying over a snowy mountain top. I'd have the K5 team walking down the street with other people. Just little nitpicky things, but other than that the song for K5 is a lot better, I just wish the This is Home image song was a bit more customizable for the station and the city.

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I also think (speculate) that my local station, WVEC is next in line to pick up the Gannett graphics on the 9th. They have been using alot of the G3 pieces over the last week or so. Once I saw the start of the transition, a source at the station said they are in-line to get the graphics sometime before the end of July, with their website due before the end of August.

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I am critical of the Gannett package because in this example it shows how there is no structure of writing a lower third.

 

From the WHAS embed:

 

"ALEX SCHULMAN - @WHAS11ALEX

2ND STREET BRIDGE ACCIDENT CIVIL LAWSUIT"

 

Obviously, I object to the top tier. I don't like the dash, and his handle should feature a Twitter icon below his name, then have the slug run by itself. On top of that, (correct me if I am wrong) but the headlines are not in 2 lines. So if a story is very wordy, then the L3 can be so tight because its trying to fit the text onto that single line. That's just crazy.

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I am critical of the Gannett package because in this example it shows how there is no structure of writing a lower third.

 

From the WHAS embed:

 

"ALEX SCHULMAN - @WHAS11ALEX

2ND STREET BRIDGE ACCIDENT CIVIL LAWSUIT"

 

Obviously, I object to the top tier. I don't like the dash, and his handle should feature a Twitter icon below his name, then have the slug run by itself. On top of that, (correct me if I am wrong) but the headlines are not in 2 lines. So if a story is very wordy, then the L3 can be so tight because its trying to fit the text onto that single line. That's just crazy.

 

You know what I've always wondered (and furthermore why I hate this package)? Who determines which story gets what color? I understand they have a key they go by. But let's just say there's a massive tornado affecting the region. Would they use yellow for weather, or blue for news? There's no definitive answer to that, because one producer may categorize a story differently from another.

 

Scott Jones over at FTVLive said it best:

WHAS in Louisville is trying to make the news easier to watch....."trying" might be the keyword here.

 

 

 

The station says that viewers told them that they were tired of flickering graphic animations that added nothing to the story they were watching. Now our new, easy-to-read graphic design actually helps you watch the news.

 

Sounds like a great idea right?

 

Maybe not.

 

WHAS explains their new graphic format and it seems a bit confusing, plus you need to learn what all the colors mean?

 

They write, that on the screen during the newscast, the first line of type tells you what’s happening right now. If you have the sound turned down, or if you just walked into the room, the first line will tell you exactly what’s happening on the screen.

 

The second line of type tells you what’s coming up next. If there’s a story you’re interested in, the second line will tell you when to expect it. Those stories are also color coded to help you find exactly the kind of news you want, and see when it’s coming up:

  • Blue – General News
  • Bright Red – Breaking News
  • Yellow - Weather
  • Green – Money
  • Purple – Life
  • Orange – Technology
  • Dark Red – Sports

At the bottom of the screen, you’ll see a ticker of all the latest news from WHAS11.

 

How about just telling us the news with video and forget all the graphic crap?

 

I know, it's a novel concept.

 

Thanks a lot news consultants.

 

 

He's right. You shouldn't have to learn how to navigate graphics. All newscasts really need is a lower third to tell people the name of a person being interviewed, and maybe a full screen graphic if there's information that the viewers may want to know. That's it. There's really no need for tickers since nobody reads them. No need for the rundown because nobody reads that either. Time and temp somebody can check on their cable box or phone. And I think we all know what channel we're watching. And if I wanted to follow a reporter on Twitter I would just look them up there. No need to give me their handle.

 

I can understand the color concept for newspapers, as many local ones, even ones not owned by Gannett, like the San Francisco Chronicle, use color coding for sections. But TV is not the same as a newspaper.

 

Thanks a lot news consultants for sure.

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You know what I've always wondered (and furthermore why I hate this package)? Who determines which story gets what color? I understand they have a key they go by. But let's just say there's a massive tornado affecting the region. Would they use yellow for weather, or blue for news? There's no definitive answer to that, because one producer may categorize a story differently from another.

 

Scott Jones over at FTVLive said it best:

 

 

WHAS in Louisville is trying to make the news easier to watch....."trying" might be the keyword here.

 

 

 

The station says that viewers told them that they were tired of flickering graphic animations that added nothing to the story they were watching. Now our new, easy-to-read graphic design actually helps you watch the news.

 

Sounds like a great idea right?

 

Maybe not.

 

WHAS explains their new graphic format and it seems a bit confusing, plus you need to learn what all the colors mean?

 

They write, that on the screen during the newscast, the first line of type tells you what’s happening right now. If you have the sound turned down, or if you just walked into the room, the first line will tell you exactly what’s happening on the screen.

 

The second line of type tells you what’s coming up next. If there’s a story you’re interested in, the second line will tell you when to expect it. Those stories are also color coded to help you find exactly the kind of news you want, and see when it’s coming up:

  • Blue – General News
  • Bright Red – Breaking News
  • Yellow - Weather
  • Green – Money
  • Purple – Life
  • Orange – Technology
  • Dark Red – Sports

At the bottom of the screen, you’ll see a ticker of all the latest news from WHAS11.

 

How about just telling us the news with video and forget all the graphic crap?

 

I know, it's a novel concept.

 

Thanks a lot news consultants.

 

 

He's right. You shouldn't have to learn how to navigate graphics. All newscasts really need is a lower third to tell people the name of a person being interviewed, and maybe a full screen graphic if there's information that the viewers may want to know. That's it. There's really no need for tickers since nobody reads them. No need for the rundown because nobody reads that either. Time and temp somebody can check on their cable box or phone. And I think we all know what channel we're watching. And if I wanted to follow a reporter on Twitter I would just look them up there. No need to give me their handle.

 

I can understand the color concept for newspapers, as many local ones, even ones not owned by Gannett, like the San Francisco Chronicle, use color coding for sections. But TV is not the same as a newspaper.

 

Thanks a lot news consultants for sure.

 

I question the quote "that viewers told them that they were tired of flickering graphic animations that added nothing to the story they were watching" because isn't that what people bitched to WUSA, KUSA and KARE? I love how stations can get away lying about "well our new package is in part of our acquisition from the Gannett company which owns the USA Today, if you can tell by the colors!"

 

What's worse is the color code is more than your daily USA Today (9 colors on TV over 4 on the paper) and I said before the colors are hard to catch on the bottom. I disagree on the temperature and time bug and the twitter handle, IMO for some its value to others its not. The rundown in the current format is more tame than the Pyburn, because that was so SportsCenter like. At first I thought it was for some stations not in native HD or something then when I saw it outside the flagships - I was like this is crazy! I remember reading Mike Bloomberg's autobio written around the time he launched Bloomberg TV (and if you want to talk about cluttered graphics for the mid/late 90s - that had a lot of empty space!) but his defense was this: you don't look at your entire Windows desktop at the same time, you only look at what is relevant to you at that time.

 

If Gannett wants to get viewers to take the graphics more seriously, then maybe they should cut the colors, cut out the rundown and then get rid of the black box in favor of the colors to stand out.

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I am definitely one of the minority here, but I like the new graphics. I like being able to see what the story is, as I am one of those people that will have the sound turned down. Especially at work. I also like knowing the line up. I will look for the story I am waiting to see and time when I will be back to watch. The colors are a good idea, and I do agree consistency there needs to improve. KING is horrible about it. The ticker, yeah that could go. Never been a fan of those with any graphics package.

 

I think what it comes down to, you will never make everyone happy. I see on Facebook pages there are usually 20-100 comments after they go live with graphics packages, most are negative. A good majority of them are people that have made modifications to their TV and now the screen is zoomed - not Gannett's problem. But what you have to remember is, that is 100 people out of thousands watching. Most are indifferent, and some like them. And most of the time, you will only get those that complain to be the vocal ones.

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I am definitely one of the minority here, but I like the new graphics. I like being able to see what the story is, as I am one of those people that will have the sound turned down. Especially at work. I also like knowing the line up. I will look for the story I am waiting to see and time when I will be back to watch. The colors are a good idea, and I do agree consistency there needs to improve. KING is horrible about it. The ticker, yeah that could go. Never been a fan of those with any graphics package.

 

I think what it comes down to, you will never make everyone happy. I see on Facebook pages there are usually 20-100 comments after they go live with graphics packages, most are negative. A good majority of them are people that have made modifications to their TV and now the screen is zoomed - not Gannett's problem. But what you have to remember is, that is 100 people out of thousands watching. Most are indifferent, and some like them. And most of the time, you will only get those that complain to be the vocal ones.

 

I like crawls, not the flipper news tickers. And not the FNC style where it rips off a full story off an RSS wire feed. A good story on a crawl can fit into a single sentence, or the worst case have the story broken up w/ the stations logo.

 

I miss the days when humans ran a CG for an entire newscast.

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I am definitely one of the minority here, but I like the new graphics. I like being able to see what the story is, as I am one of those people that will have the sound turned down. Especially at work. I also like knowing the line up. I will look for the story I am waiting to see and time when I will be back to watch. The colors are a good idea, and I do agree consistency there needs to improve. KING is horrible about it. The ticker, yeah that could go. Never been a fan of those with any graphics package.

 

I think what it comes down to, you will never make everyone happy. I see on Facebook pages there are usually 20-100 comments after they go live with graphics packages, most are negative. A good majority of them are people that have made modifications to their TV and now the screen is zoomed - not Gannett's problem. But what you have to remember is, that is 100 people out of thousands watching. Most are indifferent, and some like them. And most of the time, you will only get those that complain to be the vocal ones.

 

Definitely a step up from the pile of garbage that was the last Gannett Package.

 

Gaudy is the word that came to mind when I saw it, and adding the "Run-Down" on the side just made it look even more junky.

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And plus the fonts on the last-gen Gannett graphics made the graphics look chintzy, especially on TV stations like WXIA, WKYC, KUSA, and the flaggy of the group, WUSA. I'm happy that the new graphics look a lot more expensive, even if they do look like they're easy to do on Microsoft PowerPoint.

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And plus the fonts on the last-gen Gannett graphics made the graphics look chintzy, especially on TV stations like WXIA, WKYC, KUSA, and the flaggy of the group, WUSA. I'm happy that the new graphics look a lot more expensive, even if they do look like they're easy to do on Microsoft PowerPoint.

 

DIN comes with Mavericks now, but still, Helvetica when done wrong (like Gannett 2008) is very, very cheap. (If it so happens to be done just right, like the new ESPN package, it can look solid.)

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Great to hear that it doesn't sound wobbly and all vhs'ish on-air....as much as I don't mind that cut of music, just ONE thing about it makes me want to hate it... the KICK drum! I believe there are versions of that track without it, but the WHAS youtube linked above uses the cut with it. The kick drum sounds like it's not in time with anything else with the rhythm of the music. Maybe I'm the only one who notices that wacky off-timed drum lol. Anyone else? Maybe my criticism isn't fair or warranted, I had earbuds in.

 

A few weeks ago when I first noticed it with another Gannett station, I assumed maybe it was a click track that the Gari folks accidentally left on in their Pro-Tools/MOTU music software when mixing.

 

EDIT: I think I may have figured it out... it sounds like the kick drum clashes with the timing of the 3-note "this is home" melodies but appears to be in time with the underlying rhythm.. The melody on top makes it makes it seem like the timing is off at moments.

 

As a musician, I can tell you that the kick drum is executing a musical trick. I can't believe that I forget what it's called.

 

Basically, it's taking an overall rhythm being counted with 3 beats in a measure. That's what the kick drum is doing. But, at 0:36, the melody line is laying down a rhythm that is a 4 beat pattern. It's sounds like it's off because it is. It's trying to fit more beats in a measure than what there are. It's what's called a "cross-rhythm." It's something like this.

 

Anyway... I can tell that it is the entire stream because the anchors will get really high pitched and then really low pitched. You can really hear it with the music, but I can hear it when it's just them talking, too.

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I did notice something a few minutes ago that perturbed me about WHAS's use of "categories" to delineate the content of each story. They used a teal-colored travel category when discussing a local bridge closing and some other construction work. I get that this is technically "travel" information, but when I think travel I think of something like a trip to a faraway location, rather than having to take the longer way to work in the morning. Does the Gannett package really not have a category for traffic?

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I did notice something a few minutes ago that perturbed me about WHAS's use of "categories" to delineate the content of each story. They used a teal-colored travel category when discussing a local bridge closing and some other construction work. I get that this is technically "travel" information, but when I think travel I think of something like a trip to a faraway location, rather than having to take the longer way to work in the morning. Does the Gannett package really not have a category for traffic?

 

They use that same color for traffic as well as travel.

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I did notice something a few minutes ago that perturbed me about WHAS's use of "categories" to delineate the content of each story. They used a teal-colored travel category when discussing a local bridge closing and some other construction work. I get that this is technically "travel" information, but when I think travel I think of something like a trip to a faraway location, rather than having to take the longer way to work in the morning. Does the Gannett package really not have a category for traffic?

 

 

 

They use that same color for traffic as well as travel.

 

A work commute technically IS travel.
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A work commute technically IS travel.

 

Yeah. Travel conditions. I know that. But that doesn't mean they can't place the word TRAFFIC on there. Again, that would lead to the impression that they're talking about traveling to a vacation destination, and not an actual morning commute segment. I don't see anything wrong with changing its graphic from TRAVEL to TRAFFIC. It can be done.

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I did notice something a few minutes ago that perturbed me about WHAS's use of "categories" to delineate the content of each story. They used a teal-colored travel category when discussing a local bridge closing and some other construction work. I get that this is technically "travel" information, but when I think travel I think of something like a trip to a faraway location, rather than having to take the longer way to work in the morning. Does the Gannett package really not have a category for traffic?

 

 

They use that same color for traffic as well as travel.

 

 

A work commute technically IS travel.

 

 

Yeah. I know that. But that doesn't mean they can't place the word TRAFFIC on there. Again, that would lead to the impression that they're talking about traveling to a vacation desitination, and not an actual morning commute segment. I don't see anything wrong with changing its graphic to TRAFFIC.

 

The perfect example of why I hate the color coded system here. No two people interpret the categorization of a story exactly the same. Again I may not have filed that under travel but rather news. So again leads to the confusion over the color system and what gets filed under what.
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I did notice something a few minutes ago that perturbed me about WHAS's use of "categories" to delineate the content of each story. They used a teal-colored travel category when discussing a local bridge closing and some other construction work. I get that this is technically "travel" information, but when I think travel I think of something like a trip to a faraway location, rather than having to take the longer way to work in the morning. Does the Gannett package really not have a category for traffic?

 

The native Gannett stations explained this last year when the package was rolling out. First thing after I saw the WUSA piece was that "travel" and I'm like "shouldn't this be traffic?" Did they explain the similarities to USA Today and explaining this is part "of our new owners" (like the native Gannett stations did?)

 

 

A work commute technically IS travel.

 

In some cases, not always as pleasant a traveling for pleasure.

 

 

Yeah. Travel conditions. I know that. But that doesn't mean they can't place the word TRAFFIC on there. Again, that would lead to the impression that they're talking about traveling to a vacation destination, and not an actual morning commute segment. I don't see anything wrong with changing its graphic from TRAVEL to TRAFFIC. It can be done.

 

This was one of my issues since day 1 of the Gannett graphics package. The "travel" is better fit for their online portal at the USA Today not the local news outlet at the Gannett owned TV stations.

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Here's an article that was posted on Poynter today about the discussion of their content management system, called Presto, and the design of the website.

 

http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/business-news/the-biz-blog/journalism-and-business-values/257767/case-study-gannetts-monumental-task-a-content-management-system-for-all/

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