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9 hours ago, TheRob said:

Personally, I like the branding concept. But if the station is to leave the cellar, it will be because viewers like the on-air talent, not the graphics or the slogan.

If anything, the slogan 'Atlanta News First' will put behind much of its past, including the sleazy gossip tabloid period of CBS Atlanta (where they attempted to make Atlanta gossip on the level of New York's a thing) and when they had Ben Swann. The same slogan and direction has done wonders for WVUE's perception in New Orleans., along with their hires.

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From the AJC:

 

By Rodney Ho, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
9 hours ago
New ownership is dropping WGCL in favor of WANF
 

Starting early next month, CBS46 will begin calling itself Atlanta News First and will change its call letters to WANF-TV.

 

It’s part of a rebranding campaign by new owners Atlanta-based Gray Television, which took over the station, along with Peachtree TV (WPCH-TV), last December after purchasing Meredith Corp.’s TV stations.

 

Gray is trying to reinvigorate CBS46, a longtime ratings laggard under Meredith and has gone on a hiring spree this year with the intent of growing its newsroom by the end of the year by at least 40 people. Recently, its local news operation has seen a lift in ratings against NBC affiliate 11Alive (WXIA-TV) but remains behind leaders WSB-TV (Channel 2 Action News) and Fox 5 (WAGA-TV).

 

The slogan “Atlanta News First,” said general manager Erik Schrader, “really matches up with what we’re trying to do. It seems like there is so much cable and national news. There’s room for us to be hyper local and make sure people understand that when we cover the news.”

The call letters have been WGCL since 2000 when the station briefly used it to promote “Clear News.”

 

 

Gray this year has added newscasts at 9 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. on CBS46. It now has eight hours of local news on the channel, up from six hours a year ago. It has also added regular “One on One” interview specials on Peachtree TV from longtime journalist Monica Pearson, who so far has talked to a range of local celebrities such as rapper Yung Joc, comic Jeff Foxworthy and Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens.

Gray is now one of the largest owners of TV stations in the United States.

 

 

 

 

So- the former owners changed the call letters/ branding two decades ago- and now within 5 decades on the air- it changed it call letters. 

Wasn't Erik Schrader responsible for Cleveland 19?  He should stop doing branding names for 4th place CBS affiliates.

Edited by Breaking News
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14 hours ago, Breaking News said:

So- the former owners changed the call letters/ branding two decades ago- and now within 5 decades on the air- it changed it call letters. 

Wasn't Erik Schrader responsible for Cleveland 19?  He should stop doing branding names for 4th place CBS affiliates.

That Cleveland 19 News brand suck. He really should stop hopefully there still include the CBS46 as the general brand.

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6 minutes ago, AdamTheJ said:

Honestly, it wouldn’t surprise me if they beat channels 11, 5, AND 2 in the ratings. Their new image has me under the impression that ANF has Serious potential to be #1 in Atlanta for years, if not decades to come.

I would not go full out on that just yet. Yes WSB is slowly dying but it's legacy and anchors will keep it up until the ship sinks. WAGA will be their real competitor for the foreseeable future for #2 thanks to the rate WXIA is going thanks to TEGNA until WSB starts to kick the bucket (aka the current anchors start leaving)

Plus we will have to wait and see what product ANF even produces, but we do have what maybe three weeks until launch so not too long? Just pray they don't get any of the extremely bad Gray packages! 

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22 hours ago, ATLNewsExpert said:

I would not go full out on that just yet. Yes WSB is slowly dying but it's legacy and anchors will keep it up until the ship sinks. WAGA will be their real competitor for the foreseeable future for #2 thanks to the rate WXIA is going thanks to TEGNA until WSB starts to kick the bucket (aka the current anchors start leaving)

Plus we will have to wait and see what product ANF even produces, but we do have what maybe three weeks until launch so not too long? Just pray they don't get any of the extremely bad Gray packages! 

 

Of course, we also don't know what future owners of WSB and WXIA will do to their stations. WAGA has the stability advantage more than anything, even if it isn't a legacy station.

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On 9/3/2022 at 8:14 PM, Breaking News said:

From the AJC:

 

By Rodney Ho, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
9 hours ago
New ownership is dropping WGCL in favor of WANF
 

Starting early next month, CBS46 will begin calling itself Atlanta News First and will change its call letters to WANF-TV.

 

It’s part of a rebranding campaign by new owners Atlanta-based Gray Television, which took over the station, along with Peachtree TV (WPCH-TV), last December after purchasing Meredith Corp.’s TV stations.

 

Gray is trying to reinvigorate CBS46, a longtime ratings laggard under Meredith and has gone on a hiring spree this year with the intent of growing its newsroom by the end of the year by at least 40 people. Recently, its local news operation has seen a lift in ratings against NBC affiliate 11Alive (WXIA-TV) but remains behind leaders WSB-TV (Channel 2 Action News) and Fox 5 (WAGA-TV).

 

The slogan “Atlanta News First,” said general manager Erik Schrader, “really matches up with what we’re trying to do. It seems like there is so much cable and national news. There’s room for us to be hyper local and make sure people understand that when we cover the news.”

The call letters have been WGCL since 2000 when the station briefly used it to promote “Clear News.”

 

 

Gray this year has added newscasts at 9 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. on CBS46. It now has eight hours of local news on the channel, up from six hours a year ago. It has also added regular “One on One” interview specials on Peachtree TV from longtime journalist Monica Pearson, who so far has talked to a range of local celebrities such as rapper Yung Joc, comic Jeff Foxworthy and Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens.

Gray is now one of the largest owners of TV stations in the United States.

 

 

 

 

So- the former owners changed the call letters/ branding two decades ago- and now within 5 decades on the air- it changed it call letters. 

Wasn't Erik Schrader responsible for Cleveland 19?  He should stop doing branding names for 4th place CBS affiliates.

Dominic Mancusco was the one responsible for Cleveland 19.  Schrader was the one who dropped that doomed brand for 19 News.

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On 9/10/2022 at 9:27 PM, AdamTheJ said:

Honestly, it wouldn’t surprise me if they beat channels 11, 5, AND 2 in the ratings. Their new image has me under the impression that ANF has Serious potential to be #1 in Atlanta for years, if not decades to come.

 

On 9/10/2022 at 9:37 PM, ATLNewsExpert said:

I would not go full out on that just yet. Yes WSB is slowly dying but it's legacy and anchors will keep it up until the ship sinks. WAGA will be their real competitor for the foreseeable future for #2 thanks to the rate WXIA is going thanks to TEGNA until WSB starts to kick the bucket (aka the current anchors start leaving)

Plus we will have to wait and see what product ANF even produces, but we do have what maybe three weeks until launch so not too long? Just pray they don't get any of the extremely bad Gray packages! 

 

16 hours ago, GoldenShine9 said:

 

Of course, we also don't know what future owners of WSB and WXIA will do to their stations. WAGA has the stability advantage more than anything, even if it isn't a legacy station.

Despite changes at WSB-TV it still number 1 with still 50% share of the audience.  They have 5 anchors for their main afternoon/evening newscast and that big!   WSB ship isn't sunk just yet and WAGA has been

chasing WSB-TV for years.  There a few times WAGA has passed them, but as always WSB-TV rebounds.  46 will pass 11 up no doubt, but 46 needs stability! 

It can't be the revolving door it has been for the last two decades. 

WSB-TV been Action News for 50 years or close to it.  WXIA has been 11Alive for 4+ decades  WGCL/WANF still has their work cut out for them.

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On 9/12/2022 at 12:27 PM, Breaking News said:

WSB-TV been Action News for 50 years or close to it.  WXIA has been 11Alive for 4+ decades  WGCL/WANF still has their work cut out for them.

WAGA if Fox didn’t make them adopt the mandate they would’ve keep Eyewitness News. I’m some renanas they still kinda act like it sometimes. I wish FOX would give them permission to bring it back. Since they’ve  de-emphasize the Boxkite look.

Edited by Gavin M.
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I'm not sure I'd say that WAGA is not a legacy station.  It has been on since 1949, although it has been with Fox since 1994.

All that time it has been a (mostly) competitive second to WSB.  WXIA, however, had no ties to a radio station (unlike WSB

and WAGA), and has been on the air since 1951, but I doubt if anyone considers it a legacy station, what with a long history

of turnover in ownership, call letters, and personalities.

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6 hours ago, bpatrick said:

I'm not sure I'd say that WAGA is not a legacy station.  It has been on since 1949, although it has been with Fox since 1994.

All that time it has been a (mostly) competitive second to WSB.  WXIA, however, had no ties to a radio station (unlike WSB

and WAGA), and has been on the air since 1951, but I doubt if anyone considers it a legacy station, what with a long history

of turnover in ownership, call letters, and personalities.

WSB & WAGA are both a legacy station.

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Just want to point out that the WGCL Vimeo page has been changed.

 

Also the Roku app store has been updated with ANF and so have the preamble on the station Facebook Video page.

 

I'm also fairly certain that Gray owns AtlantaNewsFirst.com.

Edited by ABC 7 Denver
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I've just learned that WSB has started a 3 PM newscast, which will run at least through the election.  Tamron Hall has

occupied that slot and I'm not sure what happens to her show in Atlanta now; she's airing at 1:35 AM at present.

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10 minutes ago, bpatrick said:

I've just learned that WSB has started a 3 PM newscast, which will run at least through the election.  Tamron Hall has

occupied that slot and I'm not sure what happens to her show in Atlanta now; she's airing at 1:35 AM at present.

I'm going off of another site that claims the 3pm is temporary only through the election. Something in that other sites words as a "money grab"...

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That's my understanding: the 3 pm newscast is only through the election.  But if it catches on, Channel 2 will be facing a decision regarding whether to keep the newscast and what to do with Tamron Hall.  At any rate. the timeslot winner at 3 is on WAGA: Judge Judy.

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1 hour ago, bpatrick said:

That's my understanding: the 3 pm newscast is only through the election.  But if it catches on, Channel 2 will be facing a decision regarding whether to keep the newscast and what to do with Tamron Hall.  At any rate. the timeslot winner at 3 is on WAGA: Judge Judy.

Correct me if I'm wrong but are three pm newscast really a thing outside the ATL market on the east coast?

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I wouldn't be surprised if this transferred to other Gray markets; it already has in Nashville, Louisville, and Greenville/New Bern/Washington, while Charlotte and Roanoke have lifestyle shows.  I think that Gray's ultimate goal is to eliminate syndicated shows and go all-local when the networks are down.  That may take awhile; I know of Gray stations that have Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!,  and some, like WIS Columbia, SC, and WWBT Richmond, have Entertainment Tonight.  Obviously, the contracts for these shows have to expire and I can't tell you how far into their contracts each station is.

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