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NewsNation Launch Thread


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Thread Notice: On March 1, 2021 WGN America will rebrand as NewsNation. As it will then become a proper cable news network, this thread documenting the start of the show as it existed on WGN America will be closed on that date. Please consider starting new threads to cover other aspects of the new network.

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12 hours ago, LoadStar said:

It's interesting; many of the stories on this that I saw are ones you'd see on your local news if they would have occurred in your area, but few would have "bubbled up" to the national news level, until now. This "local news on a national scale" allows those local news stories to reach the national stage.

 

To me, this is really not produced anything like a national network newscast *or* a cable news channel would be produced these days. It really feels like they're producing it exactly how they'd produce a local newscast, except "the United States" is the market they're doing it for.

 

 

I really like the fact that they showed the local-type news too.  I too love that that local news stories are getting national exposure, that might not be talked about on more watched news channels/broadcasts.

4 hours ago, FmrENCNewser said:

I enjoyed what I saw the first half hour on my phone. Would have liked to be able to cast it to my television or watch it on a Roku app. There's no way I'm going to watch 3 hours on the phone or tablet. And if it's true that Nexstar is going to charge for this, the first month is the last I'll watch of it. 

 

It was infinitely better than the screaming matches or talking heads on the other cable news networks from 8-11. JMHO

 

 

Yeah, I liked that they're not doing opinion and talking heads compared to the more mainstream cable news outlets. It's a definitely a breath of fresh air. 

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You can add me to the list of not happy about the internet stream being moved to a "sign in with your provider" starting in October. It wouldn't be nearly as bad if streaming options like YouTube TV or Hulu with Live TV were available, but WGN America is one of the few pay TV channels still not available on any streaming platform,  and with cable and satellite subscribers dropping like flies every day, this move could backfine on them. At the very least, Nexstar should put the live feed behind the paywall and put the other stuff completely free. I hope they reconsider that decision.   

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And for the umpteenth time, Nexstar needs to work on getting on more OTT systems and making their streams more OTT-friendly.  

I'd have no problem paying something like 2.99 a month for the ability to watch WGN America a-la-carte via something like a Roku or Fire TV app.  And then make it free for those who get it on cable or satellite.

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2 hours ago, nickInRoseville said:

newsy is not behind a paywall. there are other news video services not behind a cable paywall........i think this will hinder newsnation no matter how good or bad it may be

 

I agree. They could easily turn News Nation into a newsy-type of news service. What's the point of having a News Nation Now anchor that only does 1 (or 2) 3-min. news update(s) and nothing more. Such a complete waste of time/resources.

 

 

16 hours ago, Georgie56 said:

I think NewsNation should run hourly newsbreaks in between regular programming on WGNA and break in if necessary to cover breaking news events before showtime.

 

I hope they start this right away. My guess is that they want the focus to be on the app and NewsNationNow.com when it comes to updates, breaking news, etc... And if that's the case, they can't be dropping the ball like yesterday with the audio problems with the live coverage of them ringing the closing bell of Nasdaq.

 

 

4 hours ago, mightynine said:

Something else also jumped out at me, and this may have happened and I didn't see it, but I would've figured with Compton's background in radio, he would know "appointment setting" is very important, especially in a long broadcast like this. To not have some sort of feature or category of stories at a set time every hour and promote it as such seems like a miss to me. You've got three hours, you have to assume people are going to come in and out, it would make sense to say "headlines at :20 and :40 every hour" to give people a reminder/reason to check in. Also, I noticed on the app there's a radio section that includes an update branded "NewsNation At This Hour". Is this branding they're now using on WGN Radio?

 

Having watched all 3 hours, it is in way set up to be appointment setting. Albert, for example, would come on at the :20, :40 mark each hour. And if you jump in, at say, the top, middle, or bottom of each hour, I feel that you get a complete picture of the day's news.

 

The radio section is pointless. So far, it's random audio they're pulling from the newscast or from video featured on the app/ web site. Some things have been missed labeled or have spelling errors and the like. It's fine if they want to do radio updates for WGN or to provide to radio stations around the country; but again, if that's the plan, do it right (and eliminate the section from the app/ web site).

 

 

4 hours ago, PhillyWatch said:

Straightforward news with people who enjoy being with each other and are amped about bringing you the news. What a concept!

 

ALSO- for folks who have mentioned wanting to be able to cast NN to their TV's, for years I've been using this suite of apps for my Chromecast, Roku, and Fire devices and they're quite straightforward in casting videos from the app's browser on my phone to the device (I have an iPhone but it looks like they're in the Google Play store too).

 

I like the group chemistry and feel it will be an important point of the program's success. As far as casting, I'm aware there are options available; I'm just too lazy/impatient to have to figure it out and make it work. Nevertheless, thanks for the info.

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6 minutes ago, Newsjunkie24 said:

149th of all cable programs for the day is not that bad. This might be better than WGN America's normal ratings for reruns. I know the ratings only count new episodes of shows, but I have a feeling the ratings will climb as more people discover it.


Correct. And hopefully the #s from those that watched via app and NewsNationNow.com were good as well.

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Watched all 3 hours last and watching again tonight though missed the first half hour. Definitely reminiscent of headline news in its heyday. Will definitely be watching more and hope they are successful. 🤞

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I agree with everyone that wishes NewsNation was available to stream. I'm a YouTube TV subscriber so I don't get the channel. But we have to remember NewsNation is currently a mere three hour show on a cable channel. So the carriage contract with cable operators rules the day. Since WGNA is a legacy channel, launched in 1978, I bet their contracts offer operators a iron clad "exclusive" access to distribute WGNA signal within their designated service area. Hence, why viewers wanting to stream will need to prove they are a cable customer. They can't stream NewsNation any more than they could stream their Blue Bloods reruns. 

 

Yes, times are changing and consumers don't access media the way they used to but that doesn't change the contract terms, antiquated as they may be. I suspect it is also why you see a 3 hour block without talk of reformatting the channel. The format of a cable channel is also stipulated in the contract. So, if Nexstar ultimately wants to turn WGNA from an entertainment channel into a national news channel, and I don't see that as a bad idea, they will have to amend a lot of agreements to do so. Totally possible but will take time.

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14 minutes ago, carolinanews4 said:

I agree with everyone that wishes NewsNation was available to stream. I'm a YouTube TV subscriber so I don't get the channel. But we have to remember NewsNation is currently a mere three hour show on a cable channel. So the carriage contract with cable operators rules the day. Since WGNA is a legacy channel, launched in 1978, I bet their contracts offer operators a iron clad "exclusive" access to distribute WGNA signal within their designated service area. Hence, why viewers wanting to stream will need to prove they are a cable customer. They can't stream NewsNation any more than they could stream their Blue Bloods reruns. 

 

Yes, times are changing and consumers don't access media the way they used to but that doesn't change the contract terms, antiquated as they may be. I suspect it is also why you see a 3 hour block without talk of reformatting the channel. The format of a cable channel is also stipulated in the contract. So, if Nexstar ultimately wants to turn WGNA from an entertainment channel into a national news channel, and I don't see that as a bad idea, they will have to amend a lot of agreements to do so. Totally possible but will take time.

WGN America has evolved over the years, starting from their roots as a "passive" superstation with United Video distribution, and later Tribune's purchase of United Video's assets, giving them control over their own distribution in 2001. 

Their "separation" from WGN-TV in 2014 marked the change into a traditional cable channel, and now devoid of WGN's newscasts and sporting events, which have slowly disappeared over the years.

 

It may take a year or two, but I would imagine WGN America will eventually be part of any negotiations when Nexstar discusses retransmission fees.

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WGN America is available on AT&T TV Now (nee DirecTV Now).

Tonight only had one "around the Nexstar Nation" segment as Ashley Ketz did stories on lumber prices going up, deaths at Fort Hood, and the Russian opposition leader who was poisoned. It felt more of a national newscast than stories about found kids in Georgia or trucks skidding in North Carolina. 

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I think it's a curious decision putting the "PRERECORDED" text during the rerun all the way down on the bug in the lower right yet having the "LIVE" text be in the upper right during reports. Seeing "PRERECORDED" in one corner and "LIVE" in the other corner is kinda confusing. I wish they could just cover up the "LIVE" text with "PRERECORDED" instead.

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32 minutes ago, Spring Rubber said:

I think it's a curious decision putting the "PRERECORDED" text during the rerun all the way down on the bug in the lower right yet having the "LIVE" text be in the upper right during reports. Seeing "PRERECORDED" in one corner and "LIVE" in the other corner is kinda confusing. I wish they could just cover up the "LIVE" text with "PRERECORDED" instead.


And what makes this worse is that ‘prerecorded’ transitions in/out and isn’t constant. This gives the viewer a false impression given the time is correct/updated.

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1 hour ago, jase said:


And what makes this worse is that ‘prerecorded’ transitions in/out and isn’t constant. This gives the viewer a false impression given the time is correct/updated.

What also irks me about the time display is that the word "NOW" doesn't animate in with any respect to the time display cycles. Instead of it appearing after all four time zones cycle through east to west, it animates in roughly every 3.75 time zones, so all four time zones are shown, but then it gets out of sync and starts displaying in between Central and Mountain or between Mountain and Pacific instead of just displaying after Pacific and before Eastern. Minor gripe, but that's what TVNT is for. 😉

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