Jump to content

WJZ Drops Eyewitness News, Slowly Rebrands, New Logo Roll Out and New Set


rkolsen

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 1k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

[MEDIA=imgur]a/5oiPO3P[/MEDIA]

Caught the promo, couldn’t record the full length.

 

The new set looks extremely large compared to the other O&O sets.

Notice how the display of old items they have is inside of a glass casing instead of on glass shelves.

 

Side note: all CBS O&O stations left will have this set according to CBS Chicago-you can thank KCBS.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[MEDIA=imgur]a/5oiPO3P[/MEDIA]

Caught the promo, couldn’t record the full length.

 

The new set looks extremely large compared to the other O&O sets.

Notice how the display of old items they have is inside of a glass casing instead of on glass shelves.

 

Side note: all CBS O&O stations left will have this set according to CBS Chicago-you can thank KCBS.

 

Well, the CBS O&O set looks worlds better than the TEGNA set.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What are we going to talk about when all of this is over with? Can we still relitigate the loss of NBC on KRON a few more times? Or speculate which station will pick up Roz Abrams next?

 

After a week I’m sure the thread will be locked.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Side note: all CBS O&O stations left will have this set according to CBS Chicago-you can thank KCBS.

What are we going to talk about when all of this is over with? Can we still relitigate the loss of NBC on KRON a few more times? Or speculate which station will pick up Roz Abrams next?

 

I think everyone will just go back to bitching about Sinclair and Nexstar.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What are we going to talk about when all of this is over with? Can we still relitigate the loss of NBC on KRON a few more times? Or speculate which station will pick up Roz Abrams next?

Why can't WWJ-TV have a news department?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is honestly one of the best posts ever. I had to skip from page 5 to 35 to reply because I can’t contain myself. I worked in Creative Services from 96-01 and can explain a few things.

 

First and foremost, everything you’ve called out from the traced logo to the awful carnival open with “Baltimore’s Favorite News Team” to the use of Helvetica Extended comes directly from the corner office, directives from the previous GM, he whose name shall not be said. He loved neon so neon logos were made for the newsroom. He liked color so magenta, pink and yellow highlights were added everywhere. He directed, no— imposed— his ideas on every department. From graphics in promos he called branding buttons with the logo covered by type that said “Useful Information” to the camera shots during a newscast or reporter’s scripts. (Which is why they lost Gelfman and Suzanne.)

 

It’s important to note that many things you discussed are also, I’m quite sure, due to budget. They used to brag that JZ was more profitable than WBBM. The directives for austerity came from CBS corporate. When we redid the set in ‘98, it was a major investment that took over a year to get through corporate finance. Using the old chroma cues package this long started as a financial decision (20 years ago when he came and I was still there l) because we had bought out the rights when we had it composed (it was original for JZ) and paid no annual license. Music rights were expensive then and have become even moreso since then. Little JZ could barely send a reporter out of town on a story so there was no way they were paying for music. At the time, we dug up unused cuts from the package to find some way to freshen the sound but here we are today with the same old song, literally.

 

Finally, the issue of the whole corporate package. I’ve been gone for a loooong time, obviously. But when Westinghouse bought CBS, there was a big integration process with a lot of jockeying for control. The Group W sales organization prevailed in their pissing contest and the CBS station group management prevailed in theirs. Group W stations had been going through brand development processes prior to the merger (Done countless times since then, I’m sure!) which later rolled out to the O&O’s. The CBS side pushed the Group W stations to fall in line as traditional O&O’s with prominent CBS branding. Stations nationwide were watching the success of Fox’s “foxification” by calling themselves Fox5, etc., and CBS jumped onboard. Local management, even before he who shall be named was brought in, always insisted that JZ was different and should not have the corporate look stamped onto it. When he who shall be named arrives, he found a compromise by adding the eye all over the place but not renaming the station CBS13. I heard from friends after I left that JZ was never forced to use the CBS graphics package because of its outlier branding. He who shall not be named was an old CBS O&O guy so he had cred to win that kind of fight and, I’m guessing, there was probably an element of “as long as he makes his numbers, well leave him alone.” When you lose a high priced anchor like Sally, you probably go a long way to keeping your profitability up.

 

It’ll be interesting to see what the new set and package look like. I really hope the new GM is able to bring them to the year 2018 without losing all of what makes JZ unique, even though so much of that was lost by cost cutting since ‘98.

 

Oh, one last thing. I don’t know KC but i definitely know what he’s been up against because i was there. Having no money and a dwindling staff is no fun. Give him credit for all he’s done to keep the wheels on while driving the fricking car.

 

This probably has to be the best post from someone who says they work for station. If not it’s highly believable.

 

From what I’ve seen of old posters inside the station in the same color scheme you mentioned along with the neon signs. Was the neon sign up on the building when you started there? I’m asking if it was his doing but then again the building is old and white neon tubes are used on the WBAL sign.

 

The magenta and everything you mention certainly links up especially when they relit the set backdrop. Almost makes me wonder if he was an old hippie with the color scheme and neon lights. Look at this recent photo showing some signage which has magenta and neon blue lines (this has to have been made at the turn of the century):

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BTrVjodhAzy/

 

As to them being more profitable than WBBM I wonder how much that it because of the various expenses that go along with being in market #3. They probably had a much larger reporting staff, high priced amchors and definitely higher leases and taxes. Unless of course they are just talking about money they bring in.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looks like @CaptainBAL was semi right. The old transmitter was not compatible with Lynx but it was shut off because it ran on Windows 98, was tube based making parts hard to find and the data from the NWS is far superior. [URL='https://twitter.com/kalenxi/status/1025560080819863552?s=21']https://twitter.com/kalenxi/status/1025560080819863552[/URL]
Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='rkolsen']Looks like @CaptainBAL was semi right. The old transmitter was not compatible with Lynx but it was shut off because it ran on Windows 98, was tube based making parts hard to find and the data from the NWS is far superior. [URL='https://twitter.com/kalenxi/status/1025560080819863552?s=21']https://twitter.com/kalenxi/status/1025560080819863552[/URL][/QUOTE] You are kidding me right??? ON A WINDOWS 98!?!?! lol!!!! They really do need an upgraded radar because this is 2018. We have ARMOR now, VIPIRCast, HD Dopplers... I'm trying to figure out what WMAR and WBAL are running on now.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This set is going to be the CBS-Branded Set designed by BDI Broadcast Design International, and though other CBS-Owned Station have this set like WCBS in New York, and WBBM in Chicago just to name a few. but this set closes similarity will probably WCBS in New York because of the side monitor which is adjacent to the news desk but also is behind the news desk along with the other big-screen monitors.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Along with the new set and graphics debuting on the 9th, I hope they can finally use a well known V/O like Steve Kamer or the one that WCCO uses.

Orrr they can keep using the ones they have now. Nothing wrong with them frankly.

 

My personal favorite announcer isn’t nationally known.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You are kidding me right??? ON A WINDOWS 98!?!?! lol!!!!

 

They really do need an upgraded radar because this is 2018. We have ARMOR now, VIPIRCast, HD Dopplers... I'm trying to figure out what WMAR and WBAL are running on now.

 

WSI.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Along with the new set and graphics debuting on the 9th, I hope they can finally use a well known V/O like Steve Kamer or the one that WCCO uses.

It's safe to say Pat Garrett's sticking around with the new O&O graphics. He's been the VO guy since about '03 (rkolsen can surely correct me if I'm wrong though). The female (Lynn Hoffman) will probably stick around for promos.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's safe to say Pat Garrett's sticking around with the new O&O graphics. He's been the VO guy since about '03 (rkolsen can surely correct me if I'm wrong though). The female (Lynn Hoffman) will probably stick around for promos.

 

To be honest I didn’t watch much WJZ until recently. It was usually WBAL because that network has the shows and news programming I watch.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's safe to say Pat Garrett's sticking around with the new O&O graphics. He's been the VO guy since about '03 (rkolsen can surely correct me if I'm wrong though). The female (Lynn Hoffman) will probably stick around for promos.

Pat Garrett's a great VO. It's just sucked that he had been stuck with absurdly horrible copy for WJZ's news opens under the previous GM (see my signature).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I hope It's Academic gets a revamped set too because they've been in desperate need for one for a long time. Personally, they also need some serious updates to their countdown clock and people should have the ability to see what the score is like they did in the past.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. By using TVNewsTalk you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.