LA local news looks all alike

[seatownmedia]

I lived in SoCal in the 80's, and it was a wild local television market with every station trying to outdo each other. Big personalities, different graphics/sets/music. I have a brother who lives in the area so I come back once or twice a year and I have never seen such a "sameness" as this past week. All the local stations look similar with their news product. Have the consultants finally outlived their usefulness? Seriously, everyone uses a general blue graphic package, and the sets are indistinguishable. (again, the color blue seems to be king). Yes, all have attractive (mostly young) anchors, but outside of Dallas Raines on KABC, and Chuck and Colleen over on KNBC, nobody really stands out. I understand local news tends to be dying out, but seriously, one station from another has become almost (to use the word again), indistinguishable.

 

[CaliRadioFan]

I hardly think local news is "dying out" here in the LA market. It seems to have expanded year by year. In fact, there is only one hour in the weekday - 2-3pm - when no Local station has a newscast. As far all looking the same, Channel 2 (KCBS) and Channel 9 (KCAL) did consolidate some years back and now both operate out of the same studio. KTLA seems to have a solid, high-rated team of people; Frank Buckley, Jessica Holmes, Mark Kristi, Sam Ruben, to name a few.

 

[Joey1986]

I hardly think local news is "dying out" here in the LA market. It seems to have expanded year by year. In fact, there is only one hour in the weekday - 2-3pm - when no Local station has a newscast. As far all looking the same, Channel 2 (KCBS) and Channel 9 (KCAL) did consolidate some years back and now both operate out of the same studio. KTLA seems to have a solid, high-rated team of people; Frank Buckley, Jessica Holmes, Mark Kriski, Sam Rubin, to name a few.

Fixed.

 

[TheBigA]

I understand local news tends to be dying out, but seriously, one station from another has become almost (to use the word again), indistinguishable.

I'm not aware that different is actually better.

 

[seatownmedia]

I'm not aware that different is actually better.

Well "different" may not have been "better", but it was certainly more entertaining, though that is not the true goal of most news organizations. But point taken!

(btw, even my brother who rarely watches local news called Dallas Raines a "crazy, funny" weather guy.)

 

[TheBigA]

Well "different" may not have been "better", but it was certainly more entertaining, though that is not the true goal of most news organizations.

For example, I'm shopping for a new car right now. It was pointed out to me that pretty much all of the cars in this particular class "look alike." They all have a similar shape, similar options, similar features, etc. As I took all of this information, and tried to compare these cars, I found that basically my decision was going to based on the car company, not the car, because I could find no differences among the various cars. So there you go. It's possible this is happening in TV news, where people are choosing the news they watch because it's the station they've always watched, or because it's the station they were watching immediately prior to the news. You hear that phrase "least objectionable," as well thrown around.

 

[TeaPartyDude]

A lot of male viewership in LA us based on how attractive the female on air personalities are. There is a reason why they hire the young buxom chicks and put them in tight short skirts.

 

[Prescott Joe]

Being able to view many major and minor markets news via Roku, it was
shocking to see the quality of KABC, KTTV and KTLA "newscasts." Equally
surprising was the quality of some very small market stations..........