So like “local tv lite”. Less calories, but less filling.
CBS launching ‘Now’-branded newscasts at owned-stations July 18
First on NewscastStudio: CBS Television Stations is preparing to launch a series of new newscasts ... Read Morewww.newscaststudio.com
KSTW is named as one of the stations getting the now newscasts from CBS. I know KSTW's operations are hubbed from San Francisco from the KPIX-TV offices. KPIX News Anchors might be included on this but the background of the CBS Bay Area offices would change to Seattle when they do the newscast.
I am not so sure of KSTW getting local staff except for the MMA crew. I know of a another CBS affiliate that is notable for producing newscasts in other markets KTVT Dallas. KTVT even produces newscasts for WUPA-TV
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KSTW To Resume Local Newscasts
- Thread starter formeraa
- Start date
But that first attempt actually lasted a good twenty years. As an independent station, KSTW launched a 10 PM newscast in the late 70s and that lasted until 1995 when they became a CBS affiliate for three years. At that point, they moved their newscast to match the conventional pattern for a big-3 affiliate, but when CBS went back to KIRO-TV, they just dumped their news department rather than attempting to go back to a 10 PM newscast.
But when they originated the 10 PM newscast in the seventies, they had the time period to themselves as the only independent station in the market since channel 13 had gone bankrupt a couple years before and been temporarily converted to noncommercial operation as a public TV station. Channel 13 returned to commercial operation in 1980, but did not even attempt to do a 10 PM newscast until sometime in the 90s. KTZZ (channel 22) came on in 1984, but they didn't have the budget for a local newscast (although, again, at some point in the nineties I think that they did carry a newscast produced by one of the big-3 affiliates. So KSTW had the 10 PM slot to themselves for news from the late 70s and throughout the 80s. I assume that they did fine as long as they had no direct competition.
After CBS went back to KIRO, the news department was gutted.
Their very talented A team of anchors - Monica Gayle, Dale Schornack - both departed.
Schornack has had a long run in Sacramento, Monica Gayle recently retired after 25 post-KSTW years in Detroit.
Weatherman Neal Barton, who displaced market legend Larry Schick as part of the transition stuck around until the end. He's still on the air in Texas. Rod Simons at the sports desk was the only main talent to hold his position through both transitions.
Post CBS, KSTW brought back talent like Don Porter that had been pushed aside during the CBS years.
The evening newscast went back to 10PM and lasted a year.
By this time, rather than have the 10PM as they did in the 80s and until 1995, they were facing competition from KING and KCPQ.
It was a whole new world.
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The studio is terrible. The news set is too small. You can see anchors moving around the studio between shots. They rarely show their once heralded street view outside the studio—maybe because a strip club is just across the way. The pre-packaged graphics from TEGNA are tired and unappealing. Not to mention, on the anchor side, am I the only one who notices Steve Bunin’s misery coming through the TV. They have treated him badly. Maybe he can go over to KIRO anchor the new 4:00 pm newscast? Rant over v
So, do you believe their studio size somehow hampers their ability to be the number one local news in the market?
I'm sure someone told you at least more than once; 'that's okay it's not the size, but how you use it'. Same could be said for studio size.
@KellyA, is KING still #1 in Seattle? Some around here seem to imply that they are not. I freely admit that I have no idea of the ratings at this point.
Yes, they are #1 in the sought after demo.
Through the 1980s and '90s until the CBS thing, KSTW had a small, but locally beloved 10pm newscast. The news set and chyrons always looked a few years behind the Big Boys. But they made it work well enough to become a popular and long lamented discontinued local nightly newscast in the market. Which many in Puget Sound consumed snacks to just before bed.
The early KSTW toupee collection however always looked problematic. I could imagine many a heated argument between male anchors and KSTW's floor manager ending with something like "Now look pal, I don't care if this is 1982 and everything here is a hand-me-down from KIRO, circa 1975. You are going to wear one of these. You are going out on the set. You are going to smile and say 'Good Evening'. And then you are going to read a graphic description about a homicide in Federal Way that would shock Ted Bundy. Like we pay you to do here at KSTW....Now what will it be? The Impossible Comb Over? Mike James' Vengeance (with matching mustache)? Or The Patented, KIRO-TV Forehead Obscuring Swoop-O-Bangs?.....15 minutes to air time....Get going!...."
News was shuffled around during the CBS years. 4pm, then traditional 5pm, CBS network news at 5:30, then traditional 6pm. Followed by a rerun of something (which KSTW had no shortage of.) More reruns, then joined the network at 8pm until 11pm. During this time, KIRO scooped up KSTW's 10pm audience. There were attempts at an 11am and Noon newscasts on KSTW during the CBS years. But even though they had a solid talent lineup, things changed so rapidly at KSTW in 1995/1996 that sometimes, you could visibly see the stress on some of the faces on camera.
But after the CBS shakeup, well, it just wasn't our lovable little regional 10pm newscast anymore. It completely lost all it's 4:3 ghosty analog charm. I think KIRO also produced a 10pm newscast for KSTW after CBS.
The early KSTW toupee collection however always looked problematic. I could imagine many a heated argument between male anchors and KSTW's floor manager ending with something like "Now look pal, I don't care if this is 1982 and everything here is a hand-me-down from KIRO, circa 1975. You are going to wear one of these. You are going out on the set. You are going to smile and say 'Good Evening'. And then you are going to read a graphic description about a homicide in Federal Way that would shock Ted Bundy. Like we pay you to do here at KSTW....Now what will it be? The Impossible Comb Over? Mike James' Vengeance (with matching mustache)? Or The Patented, KIRO-TV Forehead Obscuring Swoop-O-Bangs?.....15 minutes to air time....Get going!...."
News was shuffled around during the CBS years. 4pm, then traditional 5pm, CBS network news at 5:30, then traditional 6pm. Followed by a rerun of something (which KSTW had no shortage of.) More reruns, then joined the network at 8pm until 11pm. During this time, KIRO scooped up KSTW's 10pm audience. There were attempts at an 11am and Noon newscasts on KSTW during the CBS years. But even though they had a solid talent lineup, things changed so rapidly at KSTW in 1995/1996 that sometimes, you could visibly see the stress on some of the faces on camera.
But after the CBS shakeup, well, it just wasn't our lovable little regional 10pm newscast anymore. It completely lost all it's 4:3 ghosty analog charm. I think KIRO also produced a 10pm newscast for KSTW after CBS.
At the time of the CBS affiliation, I was living in Dallas, but visiting Seattle at least once a month. Gaylord owned Channel 11 in both Dallas and Seattle. Seattle even stole a couple of anchors from the Dallas area (Dale Schornack and Neal Barton). They used nearly identical branding for "11News", even the late news "11 on 11/11 at 11" branding. Of course, in Dallas, it was "11 on 11 at 10".
That common ownership is the reason why KSTW shifted to CBS in 1995. The CBS affiliate in Dallas, KDFW channel 4 had just gone to Fox and CBS was looking for a new affiliate. Gaylord served notice to CBS that if they wanted to be on channel 11 in Dallas/Fort Worth, they had to also agree to affiliate with channel 11 in Seattle/Tacoma. With the Dallas alternative being that CBS would end up on a UHF station, they agreed and the CBS affiliation was yanked from KIRO-TV in Seattle.
Huh?
I am sure Seattle gm’s and nd’s will get all this muck cleaned up. The revenue is too important to not. But may result in more changes in talent and lower executive positions. In other words, if it isn’t working, it will change. Stay tuned!
I predict major changes with all Seattle affiliates in the next 6 months. Get the popcorn out, this should be interesting.. (reminds me of 2015 when everyone played musical chairs). The 7 year rule?
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