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


rkolsen

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Run at 0:21 - Did I just hear an ECHO before he even talked????

 

Yeah. Happened during the 4 & 5 tours. There’s got to be a speaker in there and the wall with the monitors looks Iike it’s made of sound obsorbing pads. Also the corner camera needs to be color matched to the rest of the studio cameras.

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from Audra Swain: “We have been working hard for the better part of a year, and the day is finally here. I am so excited to see the future of WJZ come alive today at noon. We are not done yet. We have exciting and innovative changes yet to come… Stay tuned!”

That's right folks, THERE IS MORE TO COME. What I am gathering is that there is still much to be taken care of. Jessica Kartalija did say that the set still wasn't prepped for 1080/1440p during the facebook broadcast. The set is really only 80% complete as they will be doing some more work during the weekends. There is a new doppler radar coming according to marketing, MAX Weather is only staying for probably until December tops. There is going to be a new newsroom for strictly the morning show, small bit online segments, and so on.

 

Audra Swain did answer the question on facebook in regards to about Manic Mondays. Are they sticking around. Yes, Manic Mondays are staying because they are part of the WJZ Lore and culture, they are updating the graphic for it. There will be different opening montages for the morning, afternoon, and evening newscasts.

 

The LED Screen at the desk will function for breaking news segments, ravens stuff, and major news stories. Jessica K. told me directly that it will change.

 

Mark Viviano unfortunately will not get his own sports office or anything... He's probably more than likely going to do on-the-road assignments for sports from this point forward.

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Not sure where it's coming from or what "1080/1440p" is supposed to mean (it's either 1080 or 1440...), but 1440p is not a broadcast format.

 

ATSC supports 1080i at 1440x1080, but that makes it 4:3.

 

Just want to make sure nobody gets confused.

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In her words and employees Jay Newman was sorta of a slumlord, I bet they were asking for a new set 10 years ago. They’re excitement shows that they wanted this change. It was unacceptable having that set 20 years and apparently was being cheap on a radar that last ran windows 98 that isn’t able to operate.

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Not sure where it's coming from or what "1080/1440p" is supposed to mean (it's either 1080 or 1440...), but 1440p is not a broadcast format.

 

ATSC supports 1080i at 1440x1080, but that makes it 4:3.

 

Just want to make sure nobody gets confused.

 

I got confused too... didnt know what she meant by that.

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I got confused too... didnt know what she meant by that.

 

Which is why you don’t ask the non technical people technical questions.

 

Also, as to the radar you keep talking about there would be an FCC application requesting a change a long time ago - well before any installation. An engineer at WJZ specifically told me that the data from the NWS was far superior.

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So I was thinking that maybe WJZ’s use of Welcome Home as a new slogan related to the old CBS promotional spot in the late 90s. It could be used solely for the set or as a new slogan.

 

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Let me take a big, deep breath before I start... Okay...I'm impressed with the beauty of the new set and graphics. Small steps in "eye-ification" of WJZ, but progress nonetheless. Continuing on with "Fireflies" kinda sucks...but I can put up with it for an open. As @rkolsen mentioned, just make some tweaks for the station logo bug and you're good. Also, may I suggest hiding it during weather so that it doesn't get in the way?
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They really need to stop doing that hard transition from the Fireflies open to that melancholy production music that they use for the teaser. It's such a jarring and awkward change in music.

 

Yeah. They’ve been doing that for years. Almost be better if the anchors introduced themselves and then the teaser.

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I found a montage of their opens on YouTube, and I must say, they have made a very gradual shift to what we see today.

 

Maybe they've been tinkering with the width of Helvetica, and gradually making it skinnier again over time up to today's launch? ;)

 

Expect the same with their music. A drastic change could upset the momentum they've clearly been tinkering with for years......

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They really need to stop doing that hard transition from the Fireflies open to that melancholy production music that they use for the teaser. It's such a jarring and awkward change in music.

 

That's my only complaint too. I'm surprised how well Fireflies actually works with those graphics.

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[ATTACH=full]6318[/ATTACH]

 

Greatest shot ever!!!!

Yes when I seen that in the open I was like OMG. Reminds me when KDKA did with the Fort Pitt Tunnel open in the 80s and 90s and the modern one as well. I'm proud the new GM at WJZ understands the value of the history and other things at WJZ while moving forward.

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In her words and employees Jay Newman was sorta of a slumlord, I bet they were asking for a new set 10 years ago. They’re excitement shows that they wanted this change. It was unacceptable having that set 20 years and apparently was being cheap on a radar that last ran windows 98 that isn’t able to operate.

 

I can only imagine the dust and dirt and dead insects that went out with that old set. As much as that old set had history and was arguably one of the most elaborate sets built 21 years ago, I hope they took a sledgehammer to it, threw it into a large dumpster, and set it on fire. The only thing I miss and I wish they had still kept and integrated into the new set somehow was that vibrant colorful Baltimore backdrop that they most recently used (I assume it was a duratran). It would have also been neat if they could have incorporated a chunk of the old crown molding from the old set into the new couch area, put a piece of it in the glass case as a throwback. I can't imagine any of it could be salvaged though after 21 years.

 

They're not using MAX for Weather, they are still using LYNX. (Coming from a LYNX user. I can spot it a mile away.)

 

They got OMNI in 2015, and LYNX in 2016. They'll have it until at LEAST 2020.

 

THANK YOU! If one more person calls it MAX Weather, I'm going to scream. It's not MAX, and it's obvious that it isn't. It's Baron LYNX.

 

Yes when I seen that in the open I was like OMG. Reminds me when KDKA did with the Fort Pitt Tunnel open in the 80s and 90s and the modern one as well. I'm proud the new GM at WJZ understands the value of the history and other things at WJZ while moving forward.

 

And THIS. As much as I hate Chroma Cues, as much as I don't like Like Fireflies, and as much as I think Marty Bass should retire.

 

The new GM Audra Swain was the absolute best fit for WJZ, in the fact she could have come in and completely gutted the place and made it a standard O&O but CBS made a fantastic choice in hiring her because she does understand WJZ's history, she does understand WJZ's quirks that makes it WJZ, and she knows that old things that made WJZ well...WJZ have largely been the reason WJZ has been dominant for so long. The new graphics, the 21st century O&O style set, the ditching of the overstretched Helvetica, it's all asthetics to make the station more modern and bring it up to the current era, but what lies underneath is still uniquely WJZ.

 

We have long given WJZ hell for being the lone holdout on switching to O&O graphics and set and music. Now, we gotta take a step back and realize that WJZ isn't and was never meant to conform to that O&O mold. They largely still aren't, and won't. They may look more like an O&O now, but they are still that unique station we all know. And I'm fine with that.

 

I was off base earlier for being pissed off about them not using CBS Enforcer and I apologize for that. To be honest, I'm actually glad they aren't after doing some more watching. They are still holding on to the things that make them unique and I applaud them for that.

 

Now, if this music lasts remains to be seen. I'm actually hopeful that this IS temporary for now because I'm hoping they have a surprise up their sleeves. Hopefully, with any luck, they are having a new music package created that will be a 21st century update to Chroma Cues. If that actually turns out to be a thing (and it's just not ready yet), that would be epic.

 

Al Sanders and Jerry Turner are looking down from heaven with smiles on their faces and a sense of relief knowing the place they called home and largely made into the powerhouse that it is is still largely in tact and not turned into a corporate clone.

 

So I'm going to keep looking forward to the new changes to come for WJZ. I'm very glad to say this was well worth the over one year wait, and even if they say it wasn't 100% ready, it sure looked it.

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Is that the WMAR-WBAL-WJZ tower atop Television Hill? If so, WJZ is genius to use it.

 

Yes, the tower each of those sticks holds WMAR, WJZ and WBAL-TV and WIYY-FM. The towers owned by all three of them but currently (it appears they rotate in filings) its managed by CBS (Maryland records say its registered to Hearst, however).

 

Here are all the afternoon openings. I will do all the morning show openings maybe tomorrow or wait until they launch their 4:30 newscast.

 

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Yes, the tower each of those sticks holds WMAR, WJZ and WBAL-TV and WIYY-FM. The towers owned by all three of them but currently (it appears they rotate in filings) its managed by CBS (Maryland records say its registered to Hearst, however).

 

Here are all the afternoon openings. I will do all the morning show openings maybe tomorrow or wait until they launch their 4:30 newscast.

 

 

I hate that Vic and Denise didn't do a walk around tour of the set like they did 21 years ago (and if they did I missed it). That would have been icing on the cake. As far as their premiere of the "new home", they sure haven't been outwardly enthusiastic on air about it like the last one. Of course there's no fake fireplace to do the pretend "burning your hand" gag and we don't have a sports director who is an absolute nutcase. Still, I was hoping they would have had them roam around a bit and "play with it".

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As far as their premiere of the "new home", they sure haven't been outwardly enthusiastic on air about it like the last one. Of course there's no fake fireplace to do the pretend "burning your hand" gag and we don't have a sports director who is an absolute nutcase. Still, I was hoping they would have had them roam around a bit and "play with it".

 

They’ve been over the moon. There’s not really much to explore. Pretty much there’s the desk, the cube and soft area aside from the standup area.

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