cbs2worksforyou 35 Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 I'm watching CBS 2 News at 5 right now and they have Anne State anchoring solo in the middle of the studio. She isn't at the sports desk but it is in the background and the large plasmas at the sports desk have the CBS 2 logo on them. It is a nice change from doing the news at the windows. I'd still like to see them use the main backdrop but this is nice, too. Anyone else check it out? You can see it in clips on cbs2chicago.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weeters 1806 Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Unless it's just a strange camera angle, it appears they're back in front of the window. The sun is probably at an angle at 5:00 that makes it shine directly in the windows. *sigh* I wish they'd go back to having the desk in front of the monitor wall. I thought it looked fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazynetjunkie 34 Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 They're trying out some new angles and shots. One I noticed yesterday that I liked and I haven't seen done in Chicago in many years was Anne State standing in the weather center with Steve Baskerville at the beginning of the weather segment. Even if they were to use monitor backdrop again, the angles would be very limited.. One of the large plasmas are gone already. The other one may be soon too. A couple of the lights have been removed too, I believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KRAP-TV 145 Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 What's with all the changes? I thought the monitor wall background looked fine... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weeters 1806 Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 What's with all the changes? I thought the monitor wall background looked fine... The new management seems to think sets contribute to ratings. This in a market where one station does it's newscast in front of a ugly purple and blue lightbox and in a dated newsroom, and another that just discarded a horrid renovated FX set with a mismatched RP screen cobbled in. In other words, WBBM ran out of people to blame for poor ratings and now blame the set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazynetjunkie 34 Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 The new management seems to think sets contribute to ratings. This in a market where one station does it's newscast in front of a ugly purple and blue lightbox and in a dated newsroom, and another that just discarded a horrid renovated FX set with a mismatched RP screen cobbled in. In other words, WBBM ran out of people to blame for poor ratings and now blame the set. Last I heard, the set's for sale along with alot of what management calls "unnecessary extras" around the studios like all those plasmas in the entrance lobby. However, I only heard this from one person so I don't know if it's 100% true or not.. I don't think Cohen has been a fan of that set since the day he set foot in that building.. Although, towards the beginning, he did put that set to more use than previous management did. Then a little bit after the November election, he decided to stop spinning that anchor desk around. However, I do know he's also not a fan of people waving behind the anchors' heads so I know what they have now is not going to be their permanent set.. For Cohen and team now, it's all about saving money and getting the most money out of what they have. He's all about getting the streetside studio leased out. One idea I've heard thrown around is they put up a wall in there and divide the space. WBBM would keep a very small portion of the studio to continue using. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spring Rubber 609 Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 Even though it's a completely cloudy day, I see the 5:00 news is still being done with Anne at the same position described before, and Rob's anchoring from in front of a city backdrop. Is that the sports desk? I've been away in college and just got back, so I don't know the studio that well. Edit: Now Rob has moved into a new position with most of the studio behind him, just like Anne. They just showed a 2-person shot; they sitting at what appears to be the anchor desk turned around so that the studio instead of the windows is behind them. It's kind of weird looking. Edit 2: It's not the anchor desk they're using; it looks to be just a small two-seat desk. The sports area is directly behind them, and the monitor wall is behind them and to the right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbs2worksforyou 35 Posted April 29, 2009 Author Share Posted April 29, 2009 Even though it's a completely cloudy day, I see the 5:00 news is still being done with Anne at the same position described before, and Rob's anchoring from in front of a city backdrop. Is that the sports desk? I've been away in college and just got back, so I don't know the studio that well. Edit: Now Rob has moved into a new position with most of the studio behind him, just like Anne. They just showed a 2-person shot; they sitting at what appears to be the anchor desk turned around so that the studio instead of the windows is behind them. It's kind of weird looking. Edit 2: It's not the anchor desk they're using; it looks to be just a small two-seat desk. The sports area is directly behind them, and the monitor wall is behind them and to the right. They've been doing a lot of weird angles/one-/two- person shots lately. The other day they had Anne in the newsroom and Rob in the studio, tossing back and forth, and it was really awkward. I think they've been using the sports desk for those 1 or 2 person seated anchor shots. The main newsdesk is seen behind them at an angle near the sports area. Why can't they just use the main backdrop? The only thing wrong with it was the monitor wall...everything else was fine... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jase 818 Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 They seem to be obsess with this stuff for some apparent reason. The management team doesn't get the fact that this is distracting and may alienate the few viewers they have. I tried watching a bit of their weekend newscast but couldn't help notice Jim looking uncomfortable and somewhat hunched over the desk while sitting next to Mia. I never seen a station so determined to lack any type of consistent look/feel to their newscasts. This week-to-week, month-to-month "let's try something new" attitude isn't a good thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbs2worksforyou 35 Posted April 29, 2009 Author Share Posted April 29, 2009 They seem to be obsess with this stuff for some apparent reason. The management team doesn't get the fact that this is distracting and may alienate the few viewers they have. I tried watching a bit of their weekend newscast but couldn't help notice Jim looking uncomfortable and somewhat hunched over the desk while sitting next to Mia. I never seen a station so determined to lack any type of consistent look/feel to their newscasts. This week-to-week, month-to-month "let's try something new" attitude isn't a good thing. AGREED! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spring Rubber 609 Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 So if I watch the 5:00 news later today, should I expect yet another completely different format? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazynetjunkie 34 Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 So if I watch the 5:00 news later today' date=' should I expect yet another completely different format? [/quote'] Probably.. The 5PM newscast appears to be the guinea pig newscast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spring Rubber 609 Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 Since I'm recording something else today, I just snapped a few quick shots with my camera phone, so sorry about the poor quality. The same desk where Rob and Mike are sitting here is where Rob and Anne tend to anchor the show once the weather segment is over. http://g.imagehost.org/0300/0429091708.jpg http://g.imagehost.org/0437/0429091708a.jpg http://g.imagehost.org/0842/0429091708b.jpg Edit: And here's where Anne spends pretty much the whole newscast until after the weather segment: http://g.imagehost.org/0975/0429091718a.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weeters 1806 Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 Since I'm recording something else today, I just snapped a few quick shots with my camera phone, so sorry about the poor quality. The same desk where Rob and Mike are sitting here is where Rob and Anne tend to anchor the show once the weather segment is over. http://g.imagehost.org/0300/0429091708.jpg http://g.imagehost.org/0437/0429091708a.jpg http://g.imagehost.org/0842/0429091708b.jpg Edit: And here's where Anne spends pretty much the whole newscast until after the weather segment: http://g.imagehost.org/0975/0429091718a.jpg Hmm, looks as if they've physically taken the plasma out of the set itself and moved it over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazynetjunkie 34 Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 Hmm, looks as if they've physically taken the plasma out of the set itself and moved it over. No, that's not the actual plasma that was in the set.. The actual plasma that was in the set was a 103 inch. It's gone now. The plasma you see there is just the regular one on the rolling stand used for stand-up shots. It's really much closer to the back of Mike Flannery's head then it appears and it was just positioned in a way to block the big black spot where there once was a huge plasma.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
first on fox 18 Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 Where did the 103 inch plasma go? I want it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazynetjunkie 34 Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 Where did the 103 inch plasma go? I want it. I'm not exactly sure.. I've actually heard a couple different stories of where it went. Lol.. It's either that they sold it to another station, the people wanting to lease the other studio wanted it, or they took it to one of those high value electronics resellers that gave them some money for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtmclaug 43 Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 You think that they're doing something with the glass behind the anchor desk? You think they would replace that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murray slaughter 0 Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 the 103 was sold to CBS News and the glass on the plaza is too expensive to be replaced, and what would you replace it with anyway Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbs2worksforyou 35 Posted May 14, 2009 Author Share Posted May 14, 2009 So they continue to use solo shots of anchors in front of a plasma screen when the chroma-key screen is rolled up. They've also done two person shots in front of the screen, with VERY awkward zoom ins/outs. The last few nights they've opened with Rob Johnson in front of the chroma key wall and a weather map and then Steve Baskerville walking in and Johnson walking out. It looks SO tacky and not something you'd see at a big-market TV station. I don't know what's going on over there, but I don't really like it. I continue to hate that they don't use the main backdrop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
l14dap 1 Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 The last few nights they've opened with Rob Johnson in front of the chroma key wall and a weather map and then Steve Baskerville walking in and Johnson walking out. Is the walking anything like this, which I find pretty neat? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbs2worksforyou 35 Posted May 14, 2009 Author Share Posted May 14, 2009 Is the walking anything like this, which I find pretty neat? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8gsOFGaqr4#t=0m40s No...the video you posted is 10000 times better than what CBS 2 is currently doing. Just watch them one day and you'll see. CBS 2 never pans the camera around the studio anymore. They change shots between cameras abruptly and have a VERY awkward way of tossing between reporters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbs2worksforyou 35 Posted June 4, 2009 Author Share Posted June 4, 2009 They continue to use unusual camera angles and anchor setups...but I was glad to see them use one of those 103" plasmas near the monitor wall during the 5pm news right now. Mike Parker reported a story in front of one of them. It looked good. They even showed part of the monitor wall. I wish they would go back to using that area of the set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TurnTo2 0 Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 Is it me or does the whole thing look like a jazzed-up version of Carol Marin's old show? This single anchor format has already been tried. Doesn't Cohen know he's repeating past failures? A set, no matter how it's shot, won't increase ratings nor fool viewers into thinking there's actual, relevent content. Stop messing with camera angles Bruno and fix your newscasts with content! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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