Jump to content

WBZ/Boston (and other CBS O&Os?) to Rebrand Newscasts?


bostonmediaguy

Recommended Posts

2 hours ago, GodfreyGR said:

I still argue the "If it isn't broken..." argument. WCCO desperately needs a graphics refresh like all the CBS O&O's; but they have done a good job going with what they know works in the market- a set that has aged shockingly well for being 10-years old (minor updates, of course), iconic branding, and recognizable air staff. On the other side of town, KARE11 used to be #1 with that same formula, and now they're just happy to be in the Top 5 (as of Nov 2021).

I tend to agree with that argument, and if CBS even goes with the CTV-style branding at all, I wouldn’t be surprised if they made exceptions for their market leaders. WCCO, WJZ, KDKA, etc are known by their longtime brands on social media, billboards, a weather tower (in CCO’s case), and their vehicles. That’s too much successful brand familiarity to change overnight for the *chance* that the other markets improve.

 

That said, we likely won’t know anything for sure until we see station promos in August/September. Some signs point to brand standardization, other signs point to keeping the call letters, etc. We’re all making guesses at this point, and none of them will be reliable until we see more.

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, RGSJenkins said:

Especially after the paint on their vehicles, black and yellow nor KDKA ain't going nowhere any time soon.

1920px-KDKATVNewsTruck2021.jpg

While I’m leaning toward this argument, I wouldn’t be so sure of it.

 

I’m not sure if this was covered (my apologies if so), but CBS Pittsburgh’s YouTube channel looks to have changed their profile picture and banner to “CBS News Pittsburgh.” Their icon was previously “CBS Pittsburgh,” in line with the old CBS (City) idents of years past. However, their new channel banner is noticeably missing references to either KDKA or WPCW, which were present in the old banner. This isn’t conclusive evidence of a change on KDKA’s end, as their channel has (AFAIK) always gone by the CBS (City) brand, but the complete absence of KDKA branding certainly supports the standardization hypothesis. Again, I don’t think we’ll be able to gauge what will happen until we see station promos closer to the fall.

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 hours ago, nycnewsjunkie said:

I tend to agree with that argument, and if CBS even goes with the CTV-style branding at all, I wouldn’t be surprised if they made exceptions for their market leaders. WCCO, WJZ, KDKA, etc are known by their longtime brands on social media, billboards, a weather tower (in CCO’s case), and their vehicles. That’s too much successful brand familiarity to change overnight for the *chance* that the other markets improve.

WCCO, KDKA, WJZ and KYW share their identities with wholly unrelated radio stations. John Q. Public has no clue about KDKA not having any tie to it’s onetime TV sister, so of course the TV station got all sorts of flack when Wendy Bell’s career imploded at the radio station. Or that KYW radio is now co-located with, and operated alongside, WCAU.

 

Call sign brand equity doesn’t mean as much as you think it does when it’s been split both ways for decades.

19 hours ago, RGSJenkins said:

Especially after the paint on their vehicles, black and yellow nor KDKA ain't going nowhere any time soon.

1920px-KDKATVNewsTruck2021.jpg

How much do vehicle wraps cost? Something instituted by prior management (the GM that instituted the gaudy black-and-gold look left months ago) always can be reversed through a simple Paramount Global budget line item.

Edited by Myron Falwell
Cleanup
  • Like 2
  • Thanks 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, Myron Falwell said:

WCCO, KDKA, WJZ and KYW share their identities with wholly unrelated radio stations. John Q. Public has no clue about KDKA not having any tie to it’s onetime TV sister, so of course the TV station got all sorts of flack when Wendy Bell’s career imploded at the radio station. Or that KYW radio is now co-located with, and operated alongside, WCAU.

This reasoning makes some sense when it comes to WCCO, KDKA, and KYW, but not WJZ. WJZ shares call letters with a Baltimore sports radio station, but that station doesn’t brand w/ their calls. Most people probably wouldn’t know that there even is a WJZ radio station unless they pay attention to the TOH IDs. The WJZ brand originates (and is best known from) from the TV side of things. Brand standardization might alleviate confusion in those markets and restart failing stations in other markets, but when it comes to Baltimore, they would be throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 7/7/2022 at 2:22 PM, ddaniels20 said:

As of now, there does not appear to be any changes for WLNY, WPCW, or KCAL.

Update: WLNY's 9PM news will now be known as CBS News New York Now as of the 18th. (That's a lot of Ns...)

 

Sad since they just started using the WLNY name during that newscast again not too long ago, but it was probably inevitable at this point.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, ddaniels20 said:

Update: WLNY's 9PM news will now be known as CBS News New York Now as of the 18th. (That's a lot of Ns...)

 

Sad since they just started using the WLNY name during that newscast again not too long ago, but it was probably inevitable at this point.

Can't they just shorten the name to CBS (location) Now? It's much easier to say. 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 minutes ago, NYTV said:

Can't they just shorten the name to CBS (location) Now? It's much easier to say. 


 

they could, but a consultant likely told them it wouldn’t capitalize enough on the corporate synergy of the CBS News brand and the local CBS station brand…. 🙄 

 

 CBS News and CBS Local Stations are all one department now, so they want to emphasize CBS News at every local level possible. 
 

that said, I don’t see why it couldn’t be CBS (Location) News at (time). 

  • Thanks 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, wabceyewitness said:


 

they could, but a consultant likely told them it wouldn’t capitalize enough on the corporate synergy of the CBS News brand and the local CBS station brand…. 🙄 

 

 CBS News and CBS Local Stations are all one department now, so they want to emphasize CBS News at every local level possible. 
 

that said, I don’t see why it couldn’t be CBS (Location) News at (time). 

It blows my mind to think you’d want to take these legacy Group W stations—market leaders with recognizable brands—and fold them into a network news brand that has been the bottom dweller for probably close to 40 years. 

  • Like 2
  • Thanks 5
  • Sad 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

53 minutes ago, newscopter7 said:

It blows my mind to think you’d want to take these legacy Group W stations—market leaders with recognizable brands—and fold them into a network news brand that has been the bottom dweller for probably close to 40 years. 

not to mention do away with the famous Eyewitness News brand that first began at KYW, then became widespread to other Group W stations. WBZ gave it up in 1993 (WBZ News 4/News 4 New England/WBZ 4 News/CBS 4 News/WBZ News). WJZ retired the EWN brand. KPIX took a break from EWN brand, then brought it back, then gave it up entirely. KDKA retired the EWN brand in the late 90s.

EWN's founding station KYW also took a break from the EWN brand in 1991, but brought it back in 1998, and is still in use today. But, that could change, seeing that KYW could be the last CBS O&O (and former Group W station) to give up EWN for CBS News Philadelphia Now.

  • Thanks 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 7/11/2022 at 1:26 PM, ddaniels20 said:

Update: WLNY's 9PM news will now be known as CBS News New York Now as of the 18th. (That's a lot of Ns...)

 

Sad since they just started using the WLNY name during that newscast again not too long ago, but it was probably inevitable at this point.

 

Other ideas:

CBS New York News Now.

CBS News York Now.

CBS News Now York.

Now CBS New York News.

Now News New York CBS.

Now New News York Now Now Now.

Now Bedtime.

 

  • Haha 16
  • Sad 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

47 minutes ago, Georgie56 said:

I wonder how KSTW in Seattle will be running it’s operation, their Master Control is at KPIX.
 

Will it be in house or will they rely on KPIX to produce its newscast since they already produce  weather forecasts on its CW11 website with the old 2010 O&O Glossy Eye graphics package and “Inside Sports.” with KBCW’s Nightbeat graphics package 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 hours ago, Kenneth Kissel said:

How about CBS NYC News Now or CBS 2 News Now?

The goal is brand unification. CBS already has an open position for Group Creative Director which explicitly states that they will “work closely with CBS Stations, CBS News and CBS Marketing to unify our brands.“

On 7/11/2022 at 11:46 PM, newscopter7 said:

It blows my mind to think you’d want to take these legacy Group W stations—market leaders with recognizable brands—and fold them into a network news brand that has been the bottom dweller for probably close to 40 years. 

Group W hasn’t existed for nearly 26 years. Legacy is one thing but not if it’s holding back the evolution of the station group/rebuild of the network news division.

 

Moreover, outside of KPIX and WJZ-TV, the Group W TV stations never fully owned those recognizable brands. They were always shared with radio and now mean totally different things to different people since CBS sold off the radio unit. (Nevermind that KYW-TV was never a “market leader” in any sense of the word.)

Edited by Myron Falwell
  • Thanks 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is gonna be a long one, so my apologies to everyone in advance.

2 hours ago, Myron Falwell said:

The goal is brand unification. CBS already has an open position for Group Creative Director which explicitly states that they will “work closely with CBS Stations, CBS News and CBS Marketing to unify our brands.“

That quote certainly points to changes, and explains the increased emphasis on “CBS News” online and with their local/national streaming services. However, “unify our brands” doesn’t mean there aren’t room for exceptions, nor does it have to mean that local identities vanish at all. The main reason I point this out is because of a few key quotes from the Variety article on the situation in LA:

Quote

The decision came after a new management regime installed last year at the now-combined CBS News and Stations division questioned why a station with a strong news brand would sit out the lucrative early morning hours.

Quote

“As one of the most trusted local news providers in Southern California, the window of opportunity for KCAL 9 News in the morning is wide open.”

That second quote is from Wendy McMahon herself, and she directly references “KCAL 9 News.” That’s not to say that you’re wrong and that they won’t eventually unify the brand there, but there is a clear emphasis on a strong brand for their morning news. Even with brand unification, management still values placing emphasis on a successful local identity. If it’s that important for a station like KCAL, I fail to see why it’s not important for a station like WJZ, which has built its identity, good reputation, and successful news operation on their call letters. That said, there’s still the question of radio:

2 hours ago, Myron Falwell said:

Moreover, outside of KPIX and WJZ-TV, the Group W TV stations never fully owned those recognizable brands. They were always shared with radio and now mean totally different things to different people since CBS sold off the radio unit. (Nevermind that KYW-TV was never a “market leader” in any sense of the word.)

The more I think about the radio issue, the less I think it matters in the long run for two reasons. First, while the KDKA situation caused a bit of an uproar directed at the TV station, I think most people know the difference. The classic example of this is none other than WABC. WABC TV and Radio have been separate operations for close to 15 years now, and the radio station could not be more different from the TV station. They aren’t associated with ABC in any way whatsoever (they’re affiliated w/ Fox News Radio IIRC,) even though “ABC” is in the name of the station. Yet, you don’t hear too many cases of people calling WABC-TV, ABC News, or Disney demanding that Bernie and Sid be fired. Besides, the kind of people that do complain to the TV station are probably not the type of viewers that stations are looking for anyway. Second, rebranding a station like KPIX as “CBS News Bay Area” will actually create confusion in that market. It will unintentionally create a false association between KPIX and KCBS radio, even though they no longer share common ownership.

2 hours ago, Myron Falwell said:

Group W hasn’t existed for nearly 26 years. Legacy is one thing but not if it’s holding back the evolution of the station group/rebuild of the network news division.

This is certainly true in the case of KYW. That’s a Group W station that could really use a branding shake-up. However, legacy doesn’t always hold back the network news division; in fact, it often enhances it. Look at WRAL. When NBC moved there from third-place WNCN, they hit the jackpot. Their overall ratings went from last to first virtually overnight. That is because a station like WRAL, with strong news programming and a good reputation built around a local identity, contributed to the growth of NBC programming in the market. It’s well known that there’s more overall trust in local news than national news in the United States, so even with brand unification, there is no convincing reason why the successful local brands at CBS must go away. That kind of move would hurt the successful local stations more than it would enhance the national operation.

 

Again, this (very long) post isn’t to say that you’re wrong and that CBS isn’t thinking along the lines of 100% brand unification; it’s only to say that there is evidence that CBS still wants some regional emphasis at their more successful stations. It’s certainly true that the CBS O&Os are generally last-place stations that have been run into the ground by David Friend, Peter Dunn, etc, and that their more successful stations are in comparatively smaller markets. However, when you have stations like WJZ, WCCO, KDKA, and WBZ that have built their success around their local identity, there’s no good reason for CBS to throw those babies out with the bathwater. I could be wrong, but I think management realizes that.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

48 minutes ago, nycnewsjunkie said:

when you have stations like WJZ, WCCO, KDKA, and WBZ that have built their success around their local identity, there’s no good reason for CBS to throw those babies out with the bathwater. I could be wrong, but I think management realizes that.

I will mention a couple of things I believe about KDKA-TV's position in this (due to this being my home market and I watch their news a lot). Why would they change their Identity when they are #1 in every time slot except the morning newscast (which Hearst's WTAE is destroying the other 2 stations) and the 6 PM Newscast (also to WTAE due to the high rated ABC World News Tonight over the CBS Evening News with Norah O Donnell).  Even the WPCW 19 local Newscasts are beating the WPGH/WPXI 10 PM Newscast and The National Desk. KDKA also competes with WPGH/WPXI for 6:30 PM viewership over the 2 national newscasts on ABC and NBC (KDKA airs the CBSEN at 7 PM) and probably wins that too. 

 

The only thing that needs to change for KDKA-TV is their weekday morning newscast and I hope they will go with a hard news approach instead of a soft news approach. Your Day Pittsburgh is horrible and needs a shake up.

 

I also hope if KDKA does get new graphics like the other CBS O&Os,  They will keep its Black and Gold. It actually has made KDKA-TV better (as much as many on this forum hate it.)

Screenshot_20220602-093914_Facebook.jpg.e8068386b8fac42021030e21cd00a69d.jpg

Edited by Kenneth Kissel
Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, Kenneth Kissel said:

I will mention a couple of things i believe about KDKA-TV's position in this. Why would they change their Identity when they are #1 in every time slot except the morning newscast (which Hearst's WTAE is destroying the other 2 stations) and the 6 PM Newscast starting this month due to the high rated ABC World News Tonight over the CBS Evening News with Norah O Donnell. Even the WPCW 19 local Newscasts are beating the WPGH/WPXI 10 PM Newscast and The National Desk. KDKA even now competes with WPGH/WPXI for 6:30 PM viewership over the 2 national newscasts on ABC and NBC (KDKA airs the CBSEN at 7 PM). 

 

The only thing that needs to change for KDKA-TV is their weekday morning newscast and I hope they will go with a hard news approach instead of a soft news approach. Your Day Pittsburgh is horrible and needs a shake up.

 

I also hope if they do get new graphics like the other CBS O&Os, it keeps its Black and Gold. It actually has made KDKA-TV better (as much as many on this forum hate it.)

Screenshot_20220602-093914_Facebook.jpg.e8068386b8fac42021030e21cd00a69d.jpg

To be honest, a graphics color change is not determining whether someone watches a station (it’s not like they changed it to fuchsia,) but I do think their established identity is certainly a determining factor. However, I am curious about the ratings for the CBSEN in Pittsburgh compared to other markets.

Edited by nycnewsjunkie
  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, nycnewsjunkie said:

To be honest, a graphics color change is not determining whether someone watches a station (it’s not like they changed it to fuchsia,) but I do think their established identity is certainly a determining factor. However, I am curious as to the ratings for the CBSEN in Pittsburgh compared to other markets.

My point about the Graphics color change is this. I would love to see other CBS O&Os do the same thing even if it is only for Sports or special programming. It keeps the viewer guessing as to what will come next.  Maybe even do throwbacks to earlier station packages once in a while.  Black and Gold works in Pittsburgh because people associate those two colors with Pittsburgh. It can work in other places too for different seasons,sports teams,culture, and much more.

 

Edited by Kenneth Kissel
  • Confused 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • 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.