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WFAA leaving Victory Park studio


MarkBRollins88_v2

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Was just listening to The Ticket (Dallas Sports Radio station). The Ticket’s studios are right across from WFAA’s in Victory Plaza outside the AAC. 
 

One of the hosts was talking about how they run into WFAA personalities outside from time to time, but that is about to end because WFAA is “moving very soon. They’ll no longer be our broadcast neighbors here in Victory Park.”

 

This was the first I’ve heard of it.


He emphasized that it is happening in the very near future.

 

Makes sense to me since Tegna neglects the station, compared to Belo.

 

Also makes sense WFAA/Tegna isn’t announcing this. This is a big blow to that neighborhood and the station.

 

Anyone have more info?

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Victory Park was a huge development disappointment in general. Despite its prime location, it never picked up the level of foot traffic and attention that they anticipated. Outside of the Mavericks and Stars and concerts / shows, the area is largely dead when I lived there. I’d assume 8 is moving back to their Young Street studios which could also use some TLC (they used to anchor the weekend shows from that space, not sure if they still do). Does 8 own the TXCN studio behind its building as well? It’s a massive space that just sits there empty.

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56 minutes ago, MorningNews said:

Victory Park was a huge development disappointment in general. Despite its prime location, it never picked up the level of foot traffic and attention that they anticipated. Outside of the Mavericks and Stars and concerts / shows, the area is largely dead when I lived there. I’d assume 8 is moving back to their Young Street studios which could also use some TLC (they used to anchor the weekend shows from that space, not sure if they still do). Does 8 own the TXCN studio behind its building as well? It’s a massive space that just sits there empty.

WFAA doesn’t own the TXCN building. It’s part of the old DMN complex, which is in the process of being redeveloped. The developer is planning to tear down the TXCN building to build a hotel.

 

https://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/news/2020/06/11/redevelopment-dallas-morning-news.html

 

 

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18 minutes ago, MorningNews said:

Hmmm. A hotel where the TXCN building is seems odd. It’s right off a bridge and anytime I was in the area it was practically a homeless encampment. I’d be really interested to see how it develops.

That whole property is being redeveloped into an entertainment district. Record street (which runs between the old DMN building and WFAA building) will be reopened to the public. 
 

The front part of the DMN building will remain and is currently being converted to a boutique hotel.

 

The printing press rooms are going to become a concert hall of some sort.

 

That area is ripe for redevelopment. Especially with the convention center right there.

 

The high speed rail station for the line that will run between Dallas and Houston is under construction in that area right now too.

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3 hours ago, MarkBRollins88_v2 said:

That whole property is being redeveloped into an entertainment district. Record street (which runs between the old DMN building and WFAA building) will be reopened to the public. 
 

The front part of the DMN building will remain and is currently being converted to a boutique hotel.

 

The printing press rooms are going to become a concert hall of some sort.

 

That area is ripe for redevelopment. Especially with the convention center right there.

 

The high speed rail station for the line that will run between Dallas and Houston is under construction in that area right now too.

 

I can almost guarantee that WFAA will sell their land in the next few years, once this development gets off the ground.

 

I wouldn't expect much of an upgrade to the Young St. studios as a result. The days of WFAA in that spot are very likely numbered.

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Just now, Weeters said:

 

I can almost guarantee that WFAA will sell their land in the next few years, once this development gets off the ground.

 

I wouldn't expect much of an upgrade to the Young St. studios as a result.

100% agree.

 

WFAA’s Young street days are numbered.

 

A few years ago some preliminary plans for the high speed rail route showed the Dallas train station to be built on the WFAA and DMN site. While they ended up choosing a different site, I guarantee they wouldn’t have released those preliminary plans if they hadn’t talked to WFAA about buying their property for it.

 

(article: https://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/blog/morning_call/2015/01/high-speed-rail-station-could-redevelop-dallas.html)

 

The Dallas Morning News even admitted in that article it would have been open to selling its site for the train station and they had talks with the train company about it.

 

I guarantee WFAA did the same thing or they wouldn’t have released those drawings.

 

In other words, that was evidence to me WFAA would be willing to sell their property given the right opportunity. 

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15 hours ago, Weeters said:

 

I can almost guarantee that WFAA will sell their land in the next few years, once this development gets off the ground.

 

I wouldn't expect much of an upgrade to the Young St. studios as a result. The days of WFAA in that spot are very likely numbered.

 

I have it on good authority that there's a major reno happening in the Young St studio. Haven't seen designs, but if they get the funding the staff is hoping for it will be "the coolest studio/set in local TV," according to my source. I can't imagine that kind of investment if they plan to vacate in the next few years.

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A friend of mine emailed Pete Delkus about it.

 

Here’s his response she forwarded to me:

 

Yes, WFAA is leaving our Victory studios the end of the year. We’re moving to a brand new studio back at our Young Street location. It will not be open to the public. Sorry…wish it was but…”

2 hours ago, alaskanews said:

 

I have it on good authority that there's a major reno happening in the Young St studio. Haven't seen designs, but if they get the funding the staff is hoping for it will be "the coolest studio/set in local TV," according to my source. I can't imagine that kind of investment if they plan to vacate in the next few years.

You’d be surprised though. As long as they’re delivering the product from a certain location, even if that location’s days are numbered, they won’t want to do anything that could jeopardize their product.

 

i.e. cheaping out on a set because they’re gonna move in two years (let’s say) could be detrimental to them during those two years because a cheap set can’t provide the same product a nice set would. Could in turn lose viewers.
 

Look no further than KTVA. You can’t tell me they didn’t know they wanted to sell even at the time they built that fancy building. 
 

I’m sure they knew they were gonna sell in the near future. But until then, they were still going to deliver the best product they could even knowing their days were numbered.

 

Or hell, look no further than WFAA’s Victory Park studio!

 

I guarantee when they updated it in 2018, they knew they would be leaving that space in the near future. Guarantee. They could’ve just left the set as-is until they leave the studio this year… but they knew it was time for an update to keep up with the times. It didn’t matter how long that update was going to last. It was worth the investment for the three years they got out of it.

 

Everything counts until it doesn’t. So why not go all-out (to the extent your budget allows) every chance you get.

 

Not to mention, sets are not permanent fixtures. They can be moved. We’ve seen quite a few examples of sets being moved and rebuilt in a new location exactly as they were before (see KUSA—>KCEN or KXAS—>KTEN). Who’s to say they can’t just pack up and move this “set of all sets” to their new location if and when they were to relocate? Right now, they even have the chance to design it in a purposeful way to be easily moved in the future if they want to. They have a blank canvas.

 

 

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Actually, something I didn't consider:

Tegna has a history of taking old sets and moving them elsewhere, I guess it's always possible they build out this set, and then a few years from now, build them a new set in a new facility and take the now "old" set and move it to one of their smaller market stations. It's a win-win. A secondhand big market set moved to a small market will last an easy 20 years.

 

Which one of their Texas stations has the old KUSA set? Maybe they'll get it. That thing's already old, give it a few more years and it's going to look like they're broadcasting from a TV News museum.

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33 minutes ago, Weeters said:

Actually, something I didn't consider:

Tegna has a history of taking old sets and moving them elsewhere, I guess it's always possible they build out this set, and then a few years from now, build them a new set in a new facility and take the now "old" set and move it to one of their smaller market stations. It's a win-win. A secondhand big market set moved to a small market will last an easy 20 years.

 

Which one of their Texas stations has the old KUSA set? Maybe they'll get it. That thing's already old, give it a few more years and it's going to look like they're broadcasting from a TV News museum.

KCEN has the KUSA set

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3 hours ago, Weeters said:

Actually, something I didn't consider:

Tegna has a history of taking old sets and moving them elsewhere, I guess it's always possible they build out this set, and then a few years from now, build them a new set in a new facility and take the now "old" set and move it to one of their smaller market stations. It's a win-win. A secondhand big market set moved to a small market will last an easy 20 years.

 

Which one of their Texas stations has the old KUSA set? Maybe they'll get it. That thing's already old, give it a few more years and it's going to look like they're broadcasting from a TV News museum.

They redid the backdrop, adding images of local attractions, but yeah … it already looks dated. They were relocated from a building on the highway in the middle of nowhere (where a meteorologist got shot in the parking lot) to an old church. They clearly are doing everything on the cheap. KIII in Corpus Christi has a recycled Tegna set too. 

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10 hours ago, alaskanews said:

 

I have it on good authority that there's a major reno happening in the Young St studio. Haven't seen designs, but if they get the funding the staff is hoping for it will be "the coolest studio/set in local TV," according to my source. I can't imagine that kind of investment if they plan to vacate in the next few years.

 

Tegna doesn't invest in anything, much like Scripps.

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6 minutes ago, ABC 7 Denver said:

 

Who? Scripps or TEGNA?

 

I'm not sure it matters since you're likely judging their investments by the quality of studio or graphic design instead of equipment, personnel, or marketing.

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15 hours ago, ABC 7 Denver said:

 

Tegna doesn't invest in anything, much like Scripps.

Honestly I feel like Tegna has been churning out some pretty nice sets the past few years.

 

WUSA, KTHV, KARE and WXIA come to mind.

 

Even KWES has a pretty cool set given its market size.

 

Of all the major ownership groups, I think Tegna cares a lot about aesthetics. My problems with Tegna lie at their content strategy.

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34 minutes ago, noggi said:

 

I'm not sure it matters since you're likely judging their investments by the quality of studio or graphic design instead of equipment, personnel, or marketing.

 

That's not what I'm judging them on. I've spent time at both KUSA and KMGH. I know what to look for and don't judge by graphics or set. Sets are a money pit anyway.

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29 minutes ago, ABC 7 Denver said:

 

That's not what I'm judging them on. I've spent time at both KUSA and KMGH. I know what to look for and don't judge by graphics or set. Sets are a money pit anyway.

 

I don't want to derail the thread but I've also spent time at KUSA and I have no idea what you're talking about... but we can just let it go. 

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