Holy Graphics Knockoff Batman!!

[ABC 7 Denver 1462]

I have noticed, as I'm sure you have too, a preponderance of graphic packages being knocked off. In fact, it's become so bad in recent years that I thought creating a new thread was in order so that we may critique the major gaffs made when knocking off packages or applauding their work (in very rare instances).

 

Below are a list of knockoffs I've found:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1l2N8A5QH4 (Knockoff of these from KUSA:

)

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJItPpRdWNc (This well-known gem is a knockoff of Look F with Look B elements)

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgvysZGyGX4 (An attempted knockoff of Look G)

 

(Another station trying to knockoff the Belo graphics and they stole the KVUE logo!)

 

 

I already know that there are other knockoffs like KNOE, KHSL, WKYT, etc... Share your knockoffs and opinions here!

[swillh2k2 196]

At KALB, WPVI happy people montage + WNBC 2010-2012 equals:

 

[yt]IFXlMr3enyI[/yt]

 

Also, think whoever did the theme likes the drum effect?

[chrelevator 28]

 

At KALB, WPVI happy people montage + WNBC 2010-2012 equals:

 

[yt]IFXlMr3enyI[/yt]

 

Also, think whoever did the theme likes the drum effect?

 

Yikes, that open is awful. *cringe*

[caliwxdude 235]

 

(Another station trying to knockoff the Belo graphics and they stole the KVUE logo!)

 

Yeah the logo is a ripoff of KVUE, but I actually think the graphics package WTVA uses is syndicated. The same look has been used on

, and is currently used on

and

. Not sure who's responsible for it, though. It's definitely not a Belo ripoff.

[Samantha 2830]

In a time before YouTube, there were knockoffs too. Someone at the Diversified stations, WCJB and WABI, produced ripoffs of other news opens.

 

In 1994

rolled out an open that was heavily inspired by TVbD's WDIV open from 1984.

 

Among the WABI ones were an open based off the

from KMOV and others in 1995; a

open circa 1996* and a KCNC Image X-era open adapted in 1999.

[T.L. Hughes 545]

I believe I saw an open from KVIA once (it is available on one of NewsActive3's compilations) that greatly ripped off WSVN's 1992 to 1994 news open package, complete with the spinning "Circle 7" (WSVN and KVIA's being different "Circle 7"s for obvious reasons).

[Samantha 2830]

 

I believe I saw an open from KVIA once (it is available on one of NewsActive3's compilations) that greatly ripped off WSVN's 1992 to 1994 news open package, complete with the spinning "Circle 7" (WSVN and KVIA's being different "Circle 7"s for obvious reasons).

 

Yup, there's that too.

[TennTV1983 682]

Back in the 90s, there were several stations that copied off of

's look and logo, including those that were owned by Bert Ellis at the time (

,

, and KSLA).

 

Even

and

(pre-WKMG) had copied off the look at one time.

[Samantha 2830]

 

Back in the 90s, there were several stations that copied off of

's look and logo, including those that were owned by Bert Ellis at the time (

,

, and KSLA).

 

Even

and

(pre-WKMG) had copied off the look at one time.

 

I think the work was all done by the same company. The same company did a lot of work for other Cox stations as well, particularly contemporary packages for KIRO, WHIO and WSOC.

[Mrtraveler01 727]

 

(Another station trying to knockoff the Belo graphics and they stole the KVUE logo!)

 

It does look like a cheap version of not just that but the WEWS/WVUE package as well.

[LiveEye57 287]

I've seen WWL use a version of the Cox package.

[Mrtraveler01 727]

 

Yeah the logo is a ripoff of KVUE, but I actually think the graphics package WTVA uses is syndicated. The same look has been used on

, and is currently used on

and

. Not sure who's responsible for it, though. It's definitely not a Belo ripoff.

 

It may be a rip off of the WEWS/WVUE package because some elements of the WTVA version do look different.

[TennTV1983 682]

 

It also looks like someone from WTVA was in New Orleans and was watching WVUE as well.

 

WTVA's copy of the old WEWS look pre-dated WVUE's use of the graphics, actually.

[TheOneManHerd 538]

 

I think the work was all done by the same company. The same company did a lot of work for other Cox stations as well, particularly contemporary packages for KIRO, WHIO and WSOC.

 

From what I understand, that company is actually just one guy: E.Q. Vance. According to his LinkedIn profile he's now doing graphics in-house for WVUE.

[Ntropolis 589]

 

Among the WABI ones were an open based off the

from KMOV...

 

That was some sort of syndicated graphic element...

and

used it, among others.

[Samantha 2830]

 

That was some sort of syndicated graphic element...

and

used it, among others.

 

Right, it was syndicated, but WABI didn't actually order the syndicated package. They recreated it themselves.

[tyrannical bastard 2931]

Speaking of KALB and Hoak....lest we forget their low-budget ripoff of WKRG...even down to the Gimme 5! :bang:

http://www.kalb.com/category/185185/video?clipId=9923832&topVideoCatNo=185184&autoStart=true

 

And let's not forget their "replica" of WEWS's 2004 logo that ended up verbatim on KREX-TV for awhile (and later bastardized as seen below)

 

and KAUZ...(scroll to the 2:30 mark to see the KAUZ-ified WEWS logo.....)

 

Here's another KAUZ clip with their news intro....it looks like a custom version of West Virginia Media's 2002 graphics package used by WOWK, WTRF, WBOY and WVNS...

 

I know that this has been going on since the beginning of time in TV, but in this age of YouTube, video streaming and email, it's painfully obvious anymore. Some companies buy their way into it by purchasing syndicated packages (like WWSB, WTXL and WAAY buying the old WTVG Giant Octopus look). But others, take an idea and rip it off en masse. Local TV LLC and Newport were notorious for doing this, since they were both owned by private equity shops and headquartered in places where they didn't even own stations. I'm thinking KMBC (and their logo) played a major hand in how Newport imaged WSYR (since Newport was out of KC). WHAM was heavily inspired by WTVG and KTRK's 13abc logo. WOIO was a major inspiration for WAWS/WTEV, WHP, KMTR, and KGPE. WKRC's constant identifier made its way to virtually ALL of Newport's stations, and even the "Local X The Weather Authority" brand made its way down to Mobile and WPMI. WREG-TV almost looks like a Post-Newsweek station with their L3s, and WJW hasn't changed since they've been a Fox owned station. WTVR and KDVR are almost identical. Most of this lives on with Sinclair, Tribune and Nexstar, but it could be done away with over time.

 

In this day and age of centralization and corporate control, the stations are getting weaker and original ideas are being eschewed in favor of "tested and true" things that have worked elsewhere, or "whatever works in X, has gotta work in Y" mentality. It's pretty sad to see something done verbatim in another market just because someone higher up had a "brilliant idea" they saw on Youtube.

[swillh2k2 196]

Here's another one--WNEM's "attempt" at the Scripps standardized package.

[yt]iaDWGH_BGOw[/yt]

[MidwestTV 1064]

 

Here's another one--WNEM's "attempt" at the Scripps standardized package.

[yt]iaDWGH_BGOw[/yt]

 

WTF was with that weather graphic at the start there? They were obviously trying to give the effect of circling the doppler, but it failed miserably. (it was already going to since the doppler is rectangular shaped)

[Mrtraveler01 727]

 

and KAUZ...(scroll to the 2:30 mark to see the KAUZ-ified WEWS logo.....)

 

 

Not only did they rip off the WEWS logo, they also ripped off the "6" of the WKMG logo.

[WXmanTim 88]

@tyrannicalbastard (seems I can't quote posts on the mobile version on the site): KREX and KAUZ used the syndicated versions of the WEWS package.

 

So did KFBB-Great Falls (my old station), right down to the logo as well.

[sanewsguy 503]

Mentioned a while back that WBNG got new graphics (and it looks like WPTA also got them and in fact they were created there). Mentioning it here too and if you take a look at them, looks like a huge ripoff of the Hearst look and Look F.

[tyrannical bastard 2931]

Gray seems to be one of the major "ripoff factories" in the industry. Something about them doesn't seem right to me.

 

There's bits and pieces around everywhere. One of the most glaring is WKYT in Lexington (ripping off KDKA and WBZ), and bits and pieces of WVLT in Knoxville. They like to over-slogan things like "Your Breaking News and Weather Authority"

 

Since they're based in Atlanta, I wonder how much influence the local stations there have on Gray's own products. The same can be said for any company that doesn't own stations in the market they're headquartered in....

[LexTVandRadio 408]

Yeah WKYT seems to be a step behind WBBM/WBZ.

 

[ProButtonPusher 228]

Those WKYT graphics are in-house (built in VizRT), and based off a 6 or 7 year old PKG they used to have. All the Hub graphics packages are more unique.