Local Newscasts Today

[Mario500]

WALA-TV's one-hour newscasts at 5:00 PM and 9:00 PM each had one more half hour today after reporting mainly on the tropical cyclone and featuring a special report and guest during the late newscast for the November ratings period. WEAR-TV's one-hour newscast at 10:00 PM was longer than usual, since the usual tape-delay version of "Nightline" began at about 11:13 PM.

WALA-TV interrupted network programming tonight for long updates on the weather and WPMI-TV updated viewers during commercial breaks in prime time and late night. As I was creating this post, WKRG-TV interrupted "The Late Late Show" with a weather report (flash flood watch) at 12:00 AM. This is the first such interruption I noticed on WKRG-TV since Monday morning.

 

[cspotrun]

lLocal TV news is the ONLY programming originated by TV these days, and the big thing they SELL out in the community, so it is not likely to go away.

 

[bpatrick]

I can understand the Mobile/Pensacola stations
devoting significant amounts of time to Ida, but
here's what I can't figure out: several years ago,
ABC was pressuring its affiliates to clear "Nightline"
live at 11:35/10:35. How did WEAR manage to
hold out?

 

[Mario500]

According to the book "Hot Talk: All Talk, All the Time" by Howard Kurtz, only 60 percent of ABC's affiliates were airing "Nightline" live in 1992. By this time, ABC provided "Nightline" free of charge and kept three and a half minutes of commercial time for the network, while the stations had three minutes of local commercial time. Some folks from the stations said carrying "Nightline" live would cost them close to one million dollars in potential advertising revenue over the course of one year.

In the summer of 1992, at a meeting of ABC affiliate representatives in Los Angeles, California, Ted Koppel said, "You are making this job increasingly difficult for us. We are trying to do this with one hand tied behind our back. If this (the delay of "Nightline") continues, we will reach a point that I decide you don't care enough about keeping the program alive, and I will reach the appropriate conclusion." Roone Arledge, the president of ABC News, could not attend the meeting in person due a recent operation involving cancer of the prostate, but sent a similar message to the stations representatives by videotape.

In 1994, Ted Koppel, Roone Arledge, Robert Iger, the president of ABC, and Tom Murphy, the chairman of Capital Cities/ABC, visited ABC affiliates and their executives and made deals in which stations carrying "Nightline" live would be allowed to sell seven more 30-second commercial advertisements during other ABC programs, including "20/20". By 1995, 78 percent of ABC's affiliates were airing "Nightline" live. Minneapolis, Minnesota, Cincinnati, Ohio, Kansas City, Missouri, and San Antonio, Texas were mentioned as "significant holdouts", but not Mobile-Pensacola.

By the way, WKRG-TV pre-empted "The Early Show" today for two more hours of the local morning newscast, including more reports on tropical cyclone named "Ida". WPMI-TV and WEAR-TV aired their network morning programs with weather graphics either obstructing or squeezing the picture. In the 9:00 AM hour, all the stations stopped displaying weather graphics.

 

[PTBoardOp94]

By 9am this morning, Ida was no longer considered a tropical system by the weather service and all the watches and warnings were dropped.

 

[Mario500]

The stations in Mobile have news presenters who make quick reactions to recorded news reports (“oh gosh,” “that’s terrific”, and “hmm” for example), change their tone of voice constantly depending on the news being presented (normal tone, sad tone, and excited tone), dramatize their news presentation by emphasizing words (“apparently”, “however”,” and “billions”), and speak in a sarcastic tone when presenting reports with silly subjects. These sorts of presentations make me want to switch stations or avoid the newscast whenever a particular person is on screen, especially when he or she is alone at the desk.

 

[oldiesfan6479]

WEAR-TV, which interrupted "Good Morning America" after a commercial break with another weather report,
even though the network program is also featuring reports about the same weather conditions...

Assuming WEAR-TV was running GMA 7-9 AM CT that day (its regular timeslot,
per the program schedule on their website), it was definitely appropriate since the
network show is an hour old when it airs in the Central zone. Same for the CBS and
NBC 7 AM shows.

 

[landtuna]

lLocal TV news is the ONLY programming originated by TV these days, and the big thing they SELL out in the community, so it is not likely to go away.

That's too bad since our versions, at least, are virtually useless. Examples:

AM and noon newscasts have recycled sports news from the day before. Anyone actually interested in what happened probably would have been watching the actual event(s) or would have tuned in to the late news the night before. Useless.

AM (and sometimes noon) have traffic reports but they are typically 10-30 minutes after the fact enabling anyone watching then hopping into their vehicle for the daily commute to arrive along with everyone else. Marginally useful. No traffic reports on evening news to speak of (since first evening newscast comes on at 5 (before actual rush hour) and then again at 6 (when you are already caught up in the mess you were trying to avoid). Totally useless.

All newscasts have three, count 'em, three presentations of local weather. One a teaser at beginning of show which usually gives a summary, one in the middle of the show which adds national temps and still one more summary at show's end. One is enough. Not very useful (especially when weather person is live promoting some useless event for most of the segment).

In between, the "news" contains repeats of the national news (just aired or about to be aired) and breathtaking local news such as house fires and traffic accidents - things we all need to hear to be useful citizens. If there is a local story of wide interest (such as today's visit to Phoenix by the VP) it consists of headlines only with no detailed information. Oh....forgot dramatic shots of VP's motorcade whistling through deserted streets. Virtually worthless.

And the teasers....I forgot the teasers. Most stations have local news at 5 & 6 and national news at 5:30. Not only do most of these newscasts miss working/commuting people all together but frequently have screaming teasers for the late night news at 10.

And in the Phx market the relative few news stories are punctuated all too frequently by shouting lawyers and screaming car dealers. Complete waste.

 

[searadiofreak]

lLocal TV news is the ONLY programming originated by TV these days, and the big thing they SELL out in the community, so it is not likely to go away.

That's too bad since our versions, at least, are virtually useless. Examples:

AM and noon newscasts have recycled sports news from the day before. Anyone actually interested in what happened probably would have been watching the actual event(s) or would have tuned in to the late news the night before. Useless.

AM (and sometimes noon) have traffic reports but they are typically 10-30 minutes after the fact enabling anyone watching then hopping into their vehicle for the daily commute to arrive along with everyone else. Marginally useful. No traffic reports on evening news to speak of (since first evening newscast comes on at 5 (before actual rush hour) and then again at 6 (when you are already caught up in the mess you were trying to avoid). Totally useless.

All newscasts have three, count 'em, three presentations of local weather. One a teaser at beginning of show which usually gives a summary, one in the middle of the show which adds national temps and still one more summary at show's end. One is enough. Not very useful (especially when weather person is live promoting some useless event for most of the segment).

In between, the "news" contains repeats of the national news (just aired or about to be aired) and breathtaking local news such as house fires and traffic accidents - things we all need to hear to be useful citizens. If there is a local story of wide interest (such as today's visit to Phoenix by the VP) it consists of headlines only with no detailed information. Oh....forgot dramatic shots of VP's motorcade whistling through deserted streets. Virtually worthless.

And the teasers....I forgot the teasers. Most stations have local news at 5 & 6 and national news at 5:30. Not only do most of these newscasts miss working/commuting people all together but frequently have screaming teasers for the late night news at 10.

And in the Phx market the relative few news stories are punctuated all too frequently by shouting lawyers and screaming car dealers. Complete waste.

Generally agree, but a couple of thoughts...

The weather teasers work. Research study after research study show that local tv news viewers want weather. I don't get it, but apparently it is true. So the teases are built in as a ratings builder.

The recycled sports are pretty obvious. In most cases, the sports guy does a pre-recorded bit (the night of), for the morning news.

Many times the early evening traffic reports are not meant for those stuck in traffic, or even those planning to drive, but for those waiting for loved ones to come home.
(I suppose many today would call or text that info to their families, but not in all cases)...

The 10p, 11p teases are obnoxious, but evidently work to bring those viewers back later in the evening. Unfortunately, with most local tv news, most of the story has already been told in the "tease".

One more thought: I agree shots of motorcades, etc. are useless, but for some reason when it happens locally, viewers eat it up. (Wow, we've got an important figure right here in our city!) Human nature, and probably has a root way back to Dallas in '63. I know, sounds like a stretch, but that episode is so ingrained in our minds, it is real.

 

[bpatrick]

Could be that stations feel an obligation to
carry motorcades in the wake of JFK's assassination.
Ironically (as I think everyone here knows), none of
the Dallas/Ft. Worth stations carried JFK's motorcade.
WBAP (KXAS) had carried his breakfast speech in Ft.
Worth that morning and had not planned any more live
coverage; KRLD (KDFW) and WFAA had planned to carry
his speech at the Trade Mart live at 1 PM (CT), so there
were no camera crews on the motorcade route and thus
no pictures of the shooting, other than the Zapruder film
(although I think there may have been other spectators
taking pictures which didn't provide much, if any, information).
I suppose that since then, stations want to carry motorcades
live, just in case something like that happens again.

 

[imhomerjay]

A 40-year old news event driving, no pun intended, local coverage decisions today, on the miniscule chance something bad would happen? Not likely. It happens to be something people, for whatever reason(s) pay attention to.

I totally get the pre-recorded sports bit; I'm not staying up to watch the late news, and want a combination of headlines--sports included--weather, traffic, etc., while watching the morning news getting ready to head out to work. SportsCenter or the local equivalents are great for those who want the more detailed sports options; for the rest of us, the brief recap is fine.

 

[searadiofreak]

A 40-year old news event driving, no pun intended, local coverage decisions today, on the miniscule chance something bad would happen? Not likely. It happens to be something people, for whatever reason(s) pay attention to.

I totally get the pre-recorded sports bit; I'm not staying up to watch the late news, and want a combination of headlines--sports included--weather, traffic, etc., while watching the morning news getting ready to head out to work. SportsCenter or the local equivalents are great for those who want the more detailed sports options; for the rest of us, the brief recap is fine.

I tend to agree with you on the JFK motorcade, I threw it out only as a possible "root" of why this type of coverage occurs today. I agree, the reasons today have more to do with trying to be as local as possible, and for some reason viewers are fascinated by this kind of stuff. Perhaps the news editors are too.

 

[firepoint525]

AM and noon newscasts have recycled sports news from the day before. Anyone actually interested in what happened probably would have been watching the actual event(s) or would have tuned in to the late news the night before. Useless.

I have watched morning newscasts (primarily weekend morning newscasts) in which even all of the news was a rehash of the previous evening's newscast. I remember watching the news one morning, and seeing and hearing one recycled story after another! It got so bad that I was yelling at the TV! "I've seen that before!" or "I've already heard that," or "I already know that," or "so what else is new?"

Sports, on the other hand, should be recycled, because no sporting events take place during the overnight hours. However, sometimes a late score will be added to a previously taped sportscast.

 

[imhomerjay]

I've certainly seen stories repeated from the late news to the next day's early news, though I've found it varies based on city/size, but also have to wonder just how much audience duplication there is among the audience at large.

 

[landtuna]

One more thought: I agree shots of motorcades, etc. are useless, but for some reason when it happens locally, viewers eat it up. (Wow, we've got an important figure right here in our city!) Human nature, and probably has a root way back to Dallas in '63. I know, sounds like a stretch, but that episode is so ingrained in our minds, it is real.

Interesting view which I hadn't considered. But I did not have JFK's motorcade in mind.

The shots of the VP's motorcade were taken very early in the morning, well before sunrise here in Phoenix. As you might expect there were no people standing on the sidewalks waving greetings or, in fact, any other traffic of any kind. Just the usual motorcycles and escort vehicles with lights flashing.

I mentioned it only because, while the VP's visit was indeed real news, the station couldn't seem to capture portions of his speech (or other comments) but rather only his motorcade driving down a deserted street.

It seems, for TV news anyway, there has to be a visual component or it doesn't make the cut. never mind that the story might deserve to be aired for real journalistic purposes.

 

[mjlarochelle]

One thing that bothers me about news reports is when a single report, especially video with anchor voiceover, will repeat footage several times, almost in a loop. I'd rather see the anchor talking to the camera after the footage has been shown once. Maybe it's just me, but it seems like this repeated use of the same video is being used increasingly.

 

[searadiofreak]

Yes, this technique of re-cycling video can be be irritating. In most cases, this is the only footage available, (or atleast quality footage), so the approach is that the turnover of viewers will not notice. High TSL viewers, to borrow a radio term, will immediately sense this. My guess is the cables operate on a much different platform...trying to take advantage of viewers who are just stopping by, and probably won't stay too long. When I start to see repeating video, it is my cue to tune out.

 

[firepoint525]

It always irritates me when they start "rolling tape" on a pre-recorded report before the live anchor finishes talking, so you have two voices at once, overlapping each other, and it is impossible to understand either of them! The video, in effect, "interrupts" the live anchor. Can't the trigger-happy person in the control room at least wait until the anchor finishes talking before "rolling the tape"? :

 

[bpatrick]

A 40-year old news event driving, no pun intended, local coverage decisions today, on the miniscule chance something bad would happen? Not likely. It happens to be something people, for whatever reason(s) pay attention to.

I totally get the pre-recorded sports bit; I'm not staying up to watch the late news, and want a combination of headlines--sports included--weather, traffic, etc., while watching the morning news getting ready to head out to work. SportsCenter or the local equivalents are great for those who want the more detailed sports options; for the rest of us, the brief recap is fine.

I tend to agree with you on the JFK motorcade, I threw it out only as a possible "root" of why this type of coverage occurs today. I agree, the reasons today have more to do with trying to be as local as possible, and for some reason viewers are fascinated by this kind of stuff. Perhaps the news editors are too.

You could have fooled me; I thought you meant that interest in covering motorcades started then. Two things did occur as a result of the JFK assassination: facilities to put the network anchor on the air immediately (and not just a voice over a "bulletin" slide), and the network camera people riding ahead of the motorcade. But it does sound sadistic--even morbid--to think that a news director somewhere thinks that it could happen again, despite what I said in my previous post. Motorcades, and parades in general, do make for great pictures, though.

 

[dhett]

Motorcades, and parades in general, do make for great pictures, though.

That, and nowadays, people can watch VP motorcades for the same reason they watch NASCAR: for the crashes. ;D