Just read the article and was going to post it. Thanks, Mr. Bad.
I do have a few observations, though - and, mind you, this is from someone who is not a regular viewer of the current WPIX 10 PM news format, though I may sample the new format next week:
The show also will open with 11 stories in 11 minutes. The screen will resemble an iPad, including icons along the bottom with upcoming stories...
This is Tribune taking an idea that has been done before on many stations' newscasts, and turning it into something ugly. In fact, I don't even think that is original. CNN used an iPhone gimmick for the daily "Mashup" segment of its now-defunct "Campbell Brown" show. Nonetheless, given the presentation, "11 stories in 11 minutes" and all, the first segment of the new WPIX newscast, I will bet mightily, will be nothing more than a hard push to get additional news information from their website.
New anchor Jodi Applegate will be deskless and will move around the newsroom.
I think Applegate is savvy enough to blend with this revolutionary change to the WPIX newscast format. And she is indeed easy on the eyes, which helps. With that being said, this idea could backfire for a variety of reasons. For instance, Applegate is about to be married to Michael Kay real soon. What if she gets pregnant? Is the director going to pan down for five months or so, and thus add another distraction (there will likely be a news scroll and perhaps some bells and whistles in the HD sidebars) at the viewers? And again - unoriginal idea, I believe there are a few other stations that did away with a desk for their newscasts. And, of course, the biggest non-news example of someone dropping their traditional desk is Jay Leno when he went to primetime... we all know how that panned out...
There will be online chats during the show, and Applegate will chat with viewers online when the show is over.
I'd have to think that the highest traffic for these chats will be during the most eventful stories happening at that point in time, at least locally.
Instead of typical blue news hues, Ch. 11 will use green, to tie to its CW network.
Again - U-G-L-Y, Tribune ain't got no alibi - especially since it stopped identifying itself as "The CW 11" and began calling themselves "PIX 11". If they really wanted synergy with their network, I believe they're about three years late to the party with the green scheme concept.
And perhaps the most radical change of all...
...in an effort to get more local... Ch. 11 will use neighborhood bloggers...
Yup, bloggers. On a major television station's main newscast in market No. 1. Are you freakin' kidding me? This makes the New York Islanders' new radio deal with Hofstra University's radio station, in which some freshman has a shot at doing color commentary, look like the second coming of Marv Albert and Sal "Redlight" Messina! Hell, Tribune might as well wheel in a relative unknown like me to do live updates from the Garden?
Of course, all of the above has been said before the first installment of the revamped product has been unveiled... so let's give the new format a chance and check back on Tuesday.
