BEST LOCAL TV NEWS MARKETS

[recto101]

San Francisco is the best TV market because I live in the Bay Area. Look at KTVU the Local Fox affiliate here. Its less on Propaganda from Fox News and More on real news like what is happening in the City councils around the bay.

I'm also a Bay Area resident, and I can't say "best" because there are many markets I have not travelled to, so its hard to compare. But all of the Bay Area news stations provide a good solid product. In the 70s, KGO-TV (ABC) led in the ratings with sensationalist "happy-talk" news, but that started to change in the 80s. As Recto101 stated, KTVU set the stage with a very solid 10PM newscast (actually before it became the Fox affiliate). They purposely dropped the "happy talk" BS, and generally avoided sensationalistic stories for the more important stories of the day.

KTVU got positive reviews from critics, and it paid off in good ratings. The other stations gradually followed suit, and I'd say that they have all provided solid news programming since the early 90s.

Considering the number of residents with advanced degrees (Masters' and PhDs) in the Bay Area market, they better aim for the delivery of information in a coherent manner or they would be likely tune them out literally. That seems to also be the case with the 2 leading stations in the Raleigh-Durham-Fayetteville market, where there is a higher than average number of advanced degrees as well...

I heard that Seattle, Boston and Portland should be on that list matching with the Bay Area along with Raleigh. By the way if Raleigh-Durham-Fayetteville market, where there is a higher than average number of advanced degrees as well. Also I heard that Former KGO-TV reporter in 1989 Frank Kracher is now in Raleigh-Durham-Fayetteville doing a newscast out there.

Wait One second Dan Ashley of KGO was in Raleigh-Durham-Fayetteville in the 1980's to 1996 before he came to KGO

 

[bpatrick]

Living in between the Raleigh/Durham and Greensboro/Winston-Salem/
High Point markets, I can say that Raleigh/Durham has, by far, the better
newscasts. WRAL (CBS) has made its reputation with innovative technology (first
station to go digital, IIRC) but has a solid anchor team in David Crabtree and
Pam Saulsby, and folks around here swear by meteorologist Greg Fishel, whose
knowledge of weather is such that if he ever tires of being on-air he could
easily get a job as a professor of meteorology at N.C. State. WTVD is the
tried-and-true ABC "Eyewitness News" format; WNCN (NBC) tries hard but
is about what you'd expect from a Media General station, plus it has to compete
with the two long-established ABC and CBS stations.

One big difference in the two markets is that the Raleigh/Durham stations make
no pretense of folksiness; WFMY and WGHP do (WXII has a more big-city feel to it).
(WGHP has taken that approach for years; anyone who's lived in the Triad since the
'70s can remember their weather segments with the late Frank Deal's corny jokes.)

 

[LKellerIII]

San Francisco is the best TV market because I live in the Bay Area. Look at KTVU the Local Fox affiliate here. Its less on Propaganda from Fox News and More on real news like what is happening in the City councils around the bay.

Wait One second Dan Ashley of KGO was in Raleigh-Durham-Fayetteville in the 1980's to 1996 before he came to KGO

Ashley must be the hardest working anchor in the Bay Area. Since veteran anchor Pete Wilson's death, Dan has been the co-anchor at 5:00, 6:00, and 11:00, and the sole anchor for the 1 hour 9:00 PM news that KGO-TV provides to local station KOFY. That would be a total of 3 hours (and 5 minutes) on air between the hours of 5:00 and 11:30 PM

 

[charlestondxman]

Dan Ashley actually anchored in Charleston at WCBD for several years between jobs in Raleigh and San Francisco. He was there until about 1995 or so, until he went to San Francisco.

 

[recto101]

Dan Ashley actually anchored in Charleston at WCBD for several years between jobs in Raleigh and San Francisco. He was there until about 1995 or so, until he went to San Francisco.

I know that Dan Ashley came to KGO TV to replace Richard Brown who went to KLXY in Spokane WA in 1996.

 

[radiorob2.0]

In your opinion, which are the best, most competitive local tv news markets?

I personally like Los Angeles and Dallas-Fort Worth best.

Also, any standout markets outside of the top 10?

Los Angeles is the worst unless you need up to the second news on where it might have rained a tenth of an inch or in depth summaries of celebrity drug binges.

KTLA News died with Hal Fishman. I used to watch "News at 10" on the Dish Superstation package just because it was so well done. Fishman's death and budget cuts turned it into, at best, an average product.

 

[searadiofreak]

Dan Ashley actually anchored in Charleston at WCBD for several years between jobs in Raleigh and San Francisco. He was there until about 1995 or so, until he went to San Francisco.

I know that Dan Ashley came to KGO TV to replace Richard Brown who went to KLXY in Spokane WA in 1996.

If anyone cares, here is what happened to Richard Brown...

http://www.spokesmanreview.com/breaking/story.asp?ID=12600

Last I heard he was back in Canada doing talk radio.

 

[recto101]

In your opinion, which are the best, most competitive local tv news markets?

I personally like Los Angeles and Dallas-Fort Worth best.

Also, any standout markets outside of the top 10?

Los Angeles is the worst unless you need up to the second news on where it might have rained a tenth of an inch or in depth summaries of celebrity drug binges.

KTLA News died with Hal Fishman. I used to watch "News at 10" on the Dish Superstation package just because it was so well done. Fishman's death and budget cuts turned it into, at best, an average product.

I noticed that KTLA in 1980's and early 1990's was once Formatted to be like KTVU news in SF it was supposed to have more of a non-tabloid feel before it was formed into a localized version of HLN

 

[johnnya2k6]

New Orleans has to be on the list of best local news markets, and it's because of three simple call letters: WWL!

They have the awards (Murrow, Emmys, Peabodys), talent (Angela Hill, Dennis Woltering, Jim Henderson, Bill Capo, Eric Paulsen, Frank Davis, etc.), and of course the ratings (highest than anybody else in the country) to prove it.

But there's also WVUE (fronted by ex-WWLers John Snell and Lee Zurik), WDSU, and WGNO; the latter two still manages to put on respectable newscasts despite their troubles.

 

[mleach]

New Orleans has to be on the list of best local news markets, and it's because of three simple call letters: WWL!

They have the awards (Murrow, Emmys, Peabodys), talent (Angela Hill, Dennis Woltering, Jim Henderson, Bill Capo, Eric Paulsen, Frank Davis, etc.), and of course the ratings (highest than anybody else in the country) to prove it. But there's also WVUE (fronted by ex-WWLers John Snell and Lee Zurik), WDSU, and WGNO; the latter two still manages to put on respectable newscasts despite their troubles.

For some reason I had thought that honor had went to WTHR's "channel 13 Eyewitness News" out of Indianapolis. I know that in the past on other sites such as TV newstalk.net whenever this subject comes up, somebody always brings up either WTHR or WISH-TV as being at the top ( funny NEVER WRTV ). and whenever someone brings up another station such as WWL as being tops...well in the past I can remember seeing a "war of postings" between Indianapolis..and (..insert the name of another market here ).

 

[Sammi Brie]

New Orleans has to be on the list of best local news markets, and it's because of three simple call letters: WWL!

They have the awards (Murrow, Emmys, Peabodys), talent (Angela Hill, Dennis Woltering, Jim Henderson, Bill Capo, Eric Paulsen, Frank Davis, etc.), and of course the ratings (highest than anybody else in the country) to prove it. But there's also WVUE (fronted by ex-WWLers John Snell and Lee Zurik), WDSU, and WGNO; the latter two still manages to put on respectable newscasts despite their troubles.

For some reason I had thought that honor had went to WTHR's "channel 13 Eyewitness News" out of Indianapolis. I know that in the past on other sites such as TV newstalk.net whenever this subject comes up, somebody always brings up either WTHR or WISH-TV as being at the top ( funny NEVER WRTV ). and whenever someone brings up another station such as WWL as being tops...well in the past I can remember seeing a "war of postings" between Indianapolis..and (..insert the name of another market here ).

I thought the highest newscast share in a market in the US honor went to WHIO in Dayton.

 

[KERCAlum]

I might agree with those who say D/FW is one of the best news markets in the US, with one exception: KXAS/Channel 5. Since even before NBC purchased controlling interest in the station, it has been a joke. The "glory days," if you will, were in the early to mid '90s, with Brad Wright, Jane McGarry (before she became brain-dead ditzy), and Harold Taft. (I don't consider Scott Murray in that group, even though he's a genuinely nice guy, but he's more of a used-car salesman as a sportscaster.) When Mike Snyder became 6 and 10 anchor, and Doug Adams left as news director, it started its downhill slide. Now, it's a joke that looks like any of the other 13 NBC O&Os in the country. I prefer WFAA and KTVT, although KDFW is solid, if somewhat sensationalist at times.

 

[formeraa]

I might agree with those who say D/FW is one of the best news markets in the US, with one exception: KXAS/Channel 5. Since even before NBC purchased controlling interest in the station, it has been a joke. The "glory days," if you will, were in the early to mid '90s, with Brad Wright, Jane McGarry (before she became brain-dead ditzy), and Harold Taft. (I don't consider Scott Murray in that group, even though he's a genuinely nice guy, but he's more of a used-car salesman as a sportscaster.) When Mike Snyder became 6 and 10 anchor, and Doug Adams left as news director, it started its downhill slide. Now, it's a joke that looks like any of the other 13 NBC O&Os in the country. I prefer WFAA and KTVT, although KDFW is solid, if somewhat sensationalist at times.

Harold Taft died in 1991. So, the "dream team" was on for, what, 12 months???

 

[kilamanjero]

I might agree with those who say D/FW is one of the best news markets in the US, with one exception: KXAS/Channel 5. Since even before NBC purchased controlling interest in the station, it has been a joke. The "glory days," if you will, were in the early to mid '90s, with Brad Wright, Jane McGarry (before she became brain-dead ditzy), and Harold Taft. (I don't consider Scott Murray in that group, even though he's a genuinely nice guy, but he's more of a used-car salesman as a sportscaster.) When Mike Snyder became 6 and 10 anchor, and Doug Adams left as news director, it started its downhill slide. Now, it's a joke that looks like any of the other 13 NBC O&Os in the country. I prefer WFAA and KTVT, although KDFW is solid, if somewhat sensationalist at times.

NBC only have 10 O&Os these days. 4 O&Os were sold to Media General in 2006 when the ratings tanked for the network.

 

[vchimpanzee]

Living in between the Raleigh/Durham and Greensboro/Winston-Salem/
High Point markets, I can say that Raleigh/Durham has, by far, the better
newscasts. WRAL (CBS) has made its reputation with innovative technology (first
station to go digital, IIRC) but has a solid anchor team in David Crabtree and
Pam Saulsby, and folks around here swear by meteorologist Greg Fishel, whose
knowledge of weather is such that if he ever tires of being on-air he could
easily get a job as a professor of meteorology at N.C. State. WTVD is the
tried-and-true ABC "Eyewitness News" format; WNCN (NBC) tries hard but
is about what you'd expect from a Media General station, plus it has to compete
with the two long-established ABC and CBS stations.

One big difference in the two markets is that the Raleigh/Durham stations make
no pretense of folksiness; WFMY and WGHP do (WXII has a more big-city feel to it).
(WGHP has taken that approach for years; anyone who's lived in the Triad since the
'70s can remember their weather segments with the late Frank Deal's corny jokes.)

I liked Frank Deal. Still like Roy Ackland. Nevertheless WGHP is professional.