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WVEC is launching a 4pm newscast beginning September 8th.

 

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They'll be (once again) the last in the market to get a 4pm newscast -- they were previously the last to host a 5:30 newscast back in the early 2000s (correct me if I'm wrong). Speaking of that 5:30 newscast -- I don't know if ntropolis was here when it debuted -- but, for some reason, I get the feel like the 4pm newscast will be something similar to that, where David Alan used to anchor the entire half hour from the newsroom sans jacket.

 

But seriously: three anchors -- Lucy, David and Janet, plus LaSalle (now a MMJ or as they call him, a "social media correspondent"), and Traffic Anchor Ashley Smith (who just started pulling her double shifts last week -- she still does the morning show), how in the world will the cycle through or make them all fit?

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Probably 2 anchors at 4, and 2 anchors at 4:30 - I thought Lasalle wasn't going necessarily be an anchor?

 

He's now a MMJ and is dubbed as the"social media correspondent"... he's been on Facebook like crazy since he left Daybreak. He's also supposed to be taping "good news" segments for the show, highlighting positive news in the community. IMO, they should probably use him as an anchor at the first half hour, then maybe try three anchors at 4:30. But if they do 2 per half, I'd think it'd be David & Lucy at 4, and then run Lucy & Janet at 4:30 to run them into their original half at 5.

 

That is, unless WVEC/G-Team shakes up the entire anchor lineup on down to the 6pm show.

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I have to applaud WFAA for trying their damnedest dead-level best to make the best of the new graphics, music, and website in a can . Just as a freelance and recreational graphic artist myself, the now-old Belo stuff (the Evolution, Propulsion v1 and Propulsion v2 graphics packages) made WFAA unique, and in fact, trendsetting. Quite inspiring.

 

One thing about the music is that TIH could have been ever so slightly amended to incorporate The Spirit Of Texas musical logo right before the TIH logo. That could have worked, and it would have sounded great. I see it as basically no different than working WJXT's logo into, I believe, Gari's NewsChannel,

, or
(which, imho, was a hell of a lot better than TIH). But at least they aren't using the warm-and-fuzzy cuts other [G] stations are using... **coughkusacough** ...and are choosing
.

 

And viewers are still blowing up WFAA's facebook page with complaints about the functionality of the website, and the cluttery, tacky news graphics.

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I have to applaud WFAA for trying their damnedest dead-level best to make the best of the new graphics, music, and website in a can . Just as a freelance and recreational graphic artist myself, the now-old Belo stuff (the Evolution, Propulsion v1 and Propulsion v2 graphics packages) made WFAA unique, and in fact, trendsetting. Quite inspiring.

 

One thing about the music is that TIH could have been ever so slightly amended to incorporate The Spirit Of Texas musical logo right before the TIH logo. That could have worked, and it would have sounded great. I see it as basically no different than working WJXT's logo into, I believe, Gari's NewsChannel,

, or
(which, imho, was a hell of a lot better than TIH). But at least they aren't using the
...and are choosing
.

 

And viewers are still blowing up WFAA's facebook page with complaints about the functionality of the website, and the cluttery, tacky news graphics.

That is also one thing I applauded WFAA on - their music choice. That cut they are using sounds more "regal" and news-y. For some reason, it actually makes me THINK Texas when I hear it.

 

As for those comments...Some of these complaints are just absolutely ridiculous. Seriously, Belo had one of the WORST websites in the industry (sans some of the WorldNow sites). They had huge amounts of scripts on their websites, among other non-responsive issues. If anything, the new G-Team websites are easier to navigate and find information. Those complaints grind my gears more than the ones about the TV graphics, although those are equally as ridiculous.

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That is also one thing I applauded WFAA on - their music choice. That cut they are using sounds more "regal" and news-y. For some reason, it actually makes me THINK Texas when I hear it.

 

As for those comments...Some of these complaints are just absolutely ridiculous. Seriously, Belo had one of the WORST websites in the industry (sans some of the WorldNow sites). They had huge amounts of scripts on their websites, among other non-responsive issues. If anything, the new G-Team websites are easier to navigate and find information. Those complaints grind my gears more than the ones about the TV graphics, although those are equally as ridiculous.

 

Booo! Hissss! I miss The Spirit of Texas. This is Home is NOT for Texas. Only the Spirit belongs.

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Booo! Hissss! I miss The Spirit of Texas. This is Home is NOT for Texas. Only the Spirit belongs.

 

-ducks a tomato toss-

 

I never said it was better. I just sounds better than the "nice" music the legacy G-Team stations have been using. If I could make WVEC go back to Convergence circa 2001, I would, because that's my favorite music...

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Booo! Hissss! I miss The Spirit of Texas. This is Home is NOT for Texas. Only the Spirit belongs.

 

 

 

As a native Texan born and raised in Dallas for almost 30 years, I second that!

 

Not from Texas, but I'm in touch of my inner Texan - People might be "4 New York*" but I just celebrate The Spirit of Texas.

 

*the 2nd best local image ID ever behind "The Spirt"

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Instead of people bitching about the new graphics and website, people should (and I say should) bitch on WFAA's (and at some point KHOU's) pages demanding they bring back The Spirit. Name drop 615, TM Productions or even Stephen Arnold (and if you like/follow them, then add them into the wall conversation.) Some management are so arrogant they think the viewers are too stupid to know the details about sonic branding, despite said sites have been existent for more than 15 years now.

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Instead of people bitching about the new graphics and website, people should (and I say should) bitch on WFAA's (and at some point KHOU's) pages demanding they bring back The Spirit. Name drop 615, TM Productions or even Stephen Arnold (and if you like/follow them, then add them into the wall conversation.) Some management are so arrogant they think the viewers are too stupid to know the details about sonic branding, despite said sites have been existent for more than 15 years now.

 

It still baffles me if WMAZ in Macon is able to have customized "straight from the heart" lyrics on at least ONE of the Gari TIH songs, then I don't see why the Texas stations could not have "The Spirit of Texas" logo added into both the lyrics of the songs and a custom remix of the news themes. Takes next to nothing for Gari to add the logo as the front melody with TIH as the tag logo on the opens, bumps and such. I'd rather it be 615, TM or Arnold too -- but since it HAS to be Gari, makes no sense that WMAZ can get custom lyrics and the Texas powerhouses with such a strong legacy brand can't budget up for a Gari logo/lyric remix.

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That's a great idea...... still baffles me if WMAZ in Macon is able to have customized "straight from the heart" lyrics on at least ONE of the Gari TIH songs, then I don't see why the Texas stations could not have "The Spirit of Texas" logo added into both the lyrics of the songs and a custom remix of the news themes. Takes next to nothing for Gari to add the logo as the front melody with TIH as the tag logo on the opens, bumps and such. I'd rather it be 615, TM or Arnold too -- but since it HAS to be Gari, makes no sense that WMAZ can get custom lyrics and the Texas powerhouses with such a strong legacy brand can't budget up for a Gari logo/lyric remix.

 

*ahem*

 

Or Channel 4 with the Spirit of Louisiana logo - it can work (not with the current cut of TIH they're using though).

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*ahem*

 

Or Channel 4 with the Spirit of Louisiana logo - it can work (not with the current cut of TIH they're using though).

 

Yes and definitely WWL as well. Gotta give them a couple of kudos for occasionally airing their Arnold "Spirit of Louisiana" spots. I've seen them, a handful of times, even up until this spring with Mardi Gras. Guessing those are now out with the recent TIH changes.

 

After doing some thinking on this, it could very well be that the Creative Services Directors at some of the Texas station and WWL in Louisiana may not understand the legacy and market power that the "Spirit" holds. I know a lot of long-timers in the creative services world have either been downsized or swapped around in recent years, but if they are longtimers or know about the station's branding history (and they should) and did NOT push and fight with their GM and then their GM push with corporate to budget for modifications then they shouldn't be in the position. That somewhat adds on to my previous thought that if WMAZ can have at least one of their campaigns from the Gari boys customized then WWL and the Texas heritage stations have no excuse. Such a waste of a powerful, emotional brand and sonic logo that is and "was" "The Spirit of..."

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I have to applaud WFAA for trying their damnedest dead-level best to make the best of the new graphics, music, and website in a can . Just as a freelance and recreational graphic artist myself, the now-old Belo stuff (the Evolution, Propulsion v1 and Propulsion v2 graphics packages) made WFAA unique, and in fact, trendsetting. Quite inspiring.

 

One thing about the music is that TIH could have been ever so slightly amended to incorporate The Spirit Of Texas musical logo right before the TIH logo. That could have worked, and it would have sounded great. I see it as basically no different than working WJXT's logo into, I believe, Gari's NewsChannel,

, or
(which, imho, was a hell of a lot better than TIH). But at least they aren't using the
...and are choosing
.

 

And viewers are still blowing up WFAA's facebook page with complaints about the functionality of the website, and the cluttery, tacky news graphics.

 

 

 

Booo! Hissss! I miss The Spirit of Texas. This is Home is NOT for Texas. Only the Spirit belongs.

 

 

 

As a native Texan born and raised in Dallas for almost 30 years, I second that!

 

"This!" to both of you. As someone who was born, raised and still lives in DMA 5, I couldn't agree more.

 

 

-ducks a tomato toss-

 

I never said it was better. I just sounds better than the "nice" music the legacy G-Team stations have been using. If I could make WVEC go back to Convergence circa 2001, I would, because that's my favorite music...

 

My personal biggest problem with TIH is that it is WAY too touchy-feely to be taken seriously as theme music for television news. Especially with the nation's largest non-O&O ABC station by DMA rank. It just strikes me as, "news lite". Which is not what WFAA is about. This is a station that was once, basically, a talent farm for network news (Lisa McRee, Rene' Syler, Scott Pelley, Bill O'Reilly, Renay San Miguel, etc.) And as far as the quality of the station's news product down through history, this is a station whose news reporting has gotten laws changed, corruption exposed, children and pets adopted, people talking (Dale Hansen's Michael Sam commentary that garnered worldwide attention), and has gotten life-saving information out to the public in times of bad weather. This is not a "news lite" station, and, hopefully will never be one. The general feel of TIH simply does not fit this station, not at all. I think the've picked the cuts of TIH that best fit their station out of what's been given to them. But TIH simply does not fit this station at all. Period.

 

 

Instead of people bitching about the new graphics and website, people should (and I say should) bitch on WFAA's (and at some point KHOU's) pages demanding they bring back The Spirit. Name drop 615, TM Productions or even Stephen Arnold (and if you like/follow them, then add them into the wall conversation.) Some management are so arrogant they think the viewers are too stupid to know the details about sonic branding, despite said sites have been existent for more than 15 years now.

 

That's a thought. It did work for WPVI back in the day, IIRC.

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Instead of people bitching about the new graphics and website, people should (and I say should) bitch on WFAA's (and at some point KHOU's) pages demanding they bring back The Spirit. Name drop 615, TM Productions or even Stephen Arnold (and if you like/follow them, then add them into the wall conversation.) Some management are so arrogant they think the viewers are too stupid to know the details about sonic branding, despite said sites have been existent for more than 15 years now.

The only - ONLY - station to have revived a newscast theme due to popular demand... was WPVI in 1996. And they had good reason: NO ONE liked the London Philharmonic Orchestra's rendition of MCTYW.

 

This is Home isn't bad. It's generic. It's a bit corporate-ish. But there's nothing that garners immediate negative reaction like MCTYW by the London Philharmonic Orchestra did. And honestly, I don't think the majority of viewers to either station are spitting angry that "The Spirit" - a musical signature barely in use for YEARS - got retired.

 

Your idea is not only impractical, it is impossible and almost childish. No suit from Gannett is going to read posts on FB fan pages for WFAA or KHOU and think, "Ah ha! Let's bring back The Spirit!"

 

That is not how the world works.

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The only - ONLY - station to have revived a newscast theme due to popular demand... was WPVI in 1996. And they had good reason: NO ONE liked the London Philharmonic Orchestra's rendition of MCTYW.

 

This is Home isn't bad. It's generic. It's a bit corporate-ish. But there's nothing that garners immediate negative reaction like MCTYW by the London Philharmonic Orchestra did. And honestly, I don't think the majority of viewers to either station are spitting angry that "The Spirit" - a musical signature barely in use for YEARS - got retired.

 

Your idea is not only impractical, it is impossible and almost childish. No suit from Gannett is going to read posts on FB fan pages for WFAA or KHOU and think, "Ah ha! Let's bring back The Spirit!"

 

That is not how the world works.

 

It could even be said that after the 90s the signature was something completely different.

 

KTVK has it (for now). It has absolutely no meaning to people in Phoenix (the closest we came to Spirit was KSAZ's Spirit of Arizona campaign, complete with John B. Wells narration, and even that had a completely different feel to it and lasted just months in its full form), and given how much Texas has changed in the last 30 years it might not even have meaning to large swaths of the Texas markets of Gannett (especially the ones that never used it — though WFAA, KHOU, KIII and KBMT all did). Heck, in one market (San Antonio, where KMOL had it in the late 80s) it wouldn't be on the right station for those who do remember it.

 

I may think the WFAA symphonic update of 1987 (which was also used by KAMC, KVIA and KBMT) is one of the best news packages ever produced (and the definitive version of the original TM work), but I have to agree here. It's a dead duck.

 

Also, there is another example of a "change back". It's KWQC, which used U-Phonix for three months in 2007 and then spent the next five years still using Hello (though almost exclusively the newer parts). However they dumped it for Breakthrough in 2012.

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At least one station is keeping The Spirit alive...

[yt]QoIcKI_L96w[/yt]

 

And yes, WNIR still uses that jingle package to this day.

 

Yes.. The Talk of Akron. WNIR.. I'm glad the Klaus Brothers have never changed the jingle package. Every since Howie Chizek and Tom Erickson's death in 2012 the station has never been the same. Even after Stan Piatt and Maggie Fuller left the station in 2013 and Bob Earley in 2014. I hope The Spirit of Akron lives on for years to come at WNIR. If ain't broke, don't fix it (same goes for WJZ, with Chroma Cues)
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The only - ONLY - station to have revived a newscast theme due to popular demand... was WPVI in 1996. And they had good reason: NO ONE liked the London Philharmonic Orchestra's rendition of MCTYW.

 

This is Home isn't bad. It's generic. It's a bit corporate-ish. But there's nothing that garners immediate negative reaction like MCTYW by the London Philharmonic Orchestra did. And honestly, I don't think the majority of viewers to either station are spitting angry that "The Spirit" - a musical signature barely in use for YEARS - got retired.

 

Your idea is not only impractical, it is impossible and almost childish. No suit from Gannett is going to read posts on FB fan pages for WFAA or KHOU and think, "Ah ha! Let's bring back The Spirit!"

 

That is not how the world works.

 

 

Well then, maybe my part of the world is childish.

 

We agree to disagree.

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Well then, maybe my part of the world is childish.

 

We agree to disagree.

Come later this month, when Scripps installs the standardized graphics/music on WKBW, bringing that station into the 20th century, there will be some that mourn the loss of MCTYW. But WKBW has a terribly antiquated look and sound, so much so that MCTYW's retirement is sorely needed.

 

Change is a hallmark of the industry. Anomalies like WJZ and WPVI (and WNIR) are exceptions to the rule.

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The only - ONLY - station to have revived a newscast theme due to popular demand... was WPVI in 1996. And they had good reason: NO ONE liked the London Philharmonic Orchestra's rendition of MCTYW.

 

This is Home isn't bad. It's generic. It's a bit corporate-ish. But there's nothing that garners immediate negative reaction like MCTYW by the London Philharmonic Orchestra did. And honestly, I don't think the majority of viewers to either station are spitting angry that "The Spirit" - a musical signature barely in use for YEARS - got retired.

 

Your idea is not only impractical, it is impossible and almost childish. No suit from Gannett is going to read posts on FB fan pages for WFAA or KHOU and think, "Ah ha! Let's bring back The Spirit!"

 

That is not how the world works.

 

 

 

It could even be said that after the 90s the signature was something completely different.

 

KTVK has it (for now). It has absolutely no meaning to people in Phoenix (the closest we came to Spirit was KSAZ's Spirit of Arizona campaign, complete with John B. Wells narration, and even that had a completely different feel to it and lasted just months in its full form), and given how much Texas has changed in the last 30 years it might not even have meaning to large swaths of the Texas markets of Gannett (especially the ones that never used it — though WFAA, KHOU, KIII and KBMT all did). Heck, in one market (San Antonio, where KMOL had it in the late 80s) it wouldn't be on the right station for those who do remember it.

 

I may think the WFAA symphonic update of 1987 (which was also used by KAMC, KVIA and KBMT) is one of the best news packages ever produced (and the definitive version of the original TM work), but I have to agree here. It's a dead duck.

 

Also, there is another example of a "change back". It's KWQC, which used U-Phonix for three months in 2007 and then spent the next five years still using Hello (though almost exclusively the newer parts). However they dumped it for Breakthrough in 2012.

 

I have to agree.

 

Of course, we all have our nostalgia factor. We get connected to a piece and it grows on us and becomes a part of the station. I have my connections with WVEC's Spirit Campaign too, simply because I'm a long-time fan of WVEC, But if it hasn't been prominent on the station for years, then it doesn't really have much of an effect of being retired.

 

But for example, if WAVY-TV 10 kicked their "On Your Side" branding, it'd be more troublesome, but that's because its been a prominent part of their station for 20 years now, even outliving both Spirit Campaigns at WVEC. People have grown to know WAVY as "10 on Your Side" so much in the last twenty, that the reporters now sign off with that. That makes it more likely to be noticed in the community when it's gone. It's not missed so much if it's only shown in an occasional spot or promo on air. And from what I can tell (I'm not in Texas), but other than being the in the musical signature of Propulsion, it had begun to be phased out when they launched their new Hothaus graphics in 2012, dropping the "In the Spirit of Texas" from the open.

 

But let's face it -- the majority of those complaining at all about the quiet packing away of a legacy theme created in the 80s are just the vocal minority. Even when WVEC ditched "The Spirit" TWICE, there wasn't a backlash. They only seems more prominent now (just like the vocal minority in every other aspect of life) because of social media -- now they can go online and tag/post on the Stations website and scream about it, instead of just barking at their TV's at home. These people also tend to be the older generation who have simply grown up it, and they also tend to be less apt to change. It's the same complaints with the graphic-haters as well. I get it, I understand it. But I still think the anger is weird, ridiculous and even more so, temporary. Even if 1% change their viewing habits, The G-Team will continue with the status quo.

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Sadly the music signature was what was remaining of The Spirit. I won't repeat what was already said of its hyperlocal patriotism that is missing of local TV. It's an utter shame that KHOU/WFAA nixed the image ID.

 

I am all for tolerance of people's views, I do not like petty attacks such as calling my opposition "childish". I respect others views, and opposites attract a diversity of opinions. If you disagree with me, then just say it instead of acting like a teenager and slandering me as someone who doesn't like change.

 

Got it?

 

Thanks

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Come later this month, when Scripps installs the standardized graphics/music on WKBW, bringing that station into the 20th century, there will be some that mourn the loss of MCTYW. But WKBW has a terribly antiquated look and sound, so much so that MCTYW's retirement is sorely needed.

 

Change is a hallmark of the industry. Anomalies like WJZ and WPVI (and WNIR) are exceptions to the rule.

 

And have we learned how the word "change" has been "changed" for the better or for the worst in the last 5 years (whether way you see it...)

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