• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

NBC 17 in Raleigh Loses Their News Director

T

tothedj

I was reading from the "News & Observer" that Nannette Wilson is no longer the News Director of WNCN-TV in
Raleigh(NBC 17) which brings up this question, how much longer will they continue do operate a news division?,
no one has ever overcome WRAL & WTVD, going back to the days when Channel 28 tried and failed, and probably
will remain this way, so don't be surprised if they disband or cut back soon.
 
In general, to have NBC programming, the affiliation agreement requires a news operation!
 
XTalker said:
In general, to have NBC programming, the affiliation agreement requires a news operation!
Click to expand...
Apparently ABC has no such requirement. WXLV in Greensboro tried and tried and gave up. They were the newcomers and couldn't compete with the NBC and CBS stations or with the former ABC affiliate which is now Fox.
 
NBC's former affiliate in Raleigh-Durham, the aforementioned WRDC-TV 28, was without a news operation for the last four years of their affiliation, one of the reasons the Peacock network was so eager to secure a new affiliate here, even to the point of going with a Goldsboro-licensed station that, a year before NBC, was a marginal independent.

Even if there weren't a news requirement in place at NBC, I don't know how eager Media General would be to cut WNCN's news department, though, as Raleigh is the group's second-biggest market (Behind WFLA in Tampa-St. Petersburg).
 
Media General is a strong #2 in the Columbus Ohio area ( they purchased the station from NBC a few years ago). I would like to see NBC 17 upgrade to HD broadcasting of their news...
 
NBC 17 upgrading to "HD" for their newscasts would help, but if the networks didn't have the requirement to
carry local news, some of them would have ended operations years ago.
 
Last I heard NBC 17 news was upgrading to HD by the end of the summer... Still some summer time left though.
 
I just saw this discussion and wanted to add a thought.

Some smaller market affiliates have shut down their news departments because there was not enough local ad revenue to support them. Others have merged with other stations to save money.

I know this doesn't apply to every station. But generally, even an underperforming station in a top 30 market makes money from its news. Especially in election years. If the owners do away with their news programs they will have to replace it with syndicated product and they will lose half their ad inventory as well as having to pay a weekly fee to the syndicator. And most of the good syndicated programs are already taken.

Also, most affiliate stations built their brand on local news. Without local news they would almost certainly lose what viewers they do have to the competition that has local news.

Obviously there are exceptions. The CBS O&O in Detroit shut down its news department a few years ago.

Any thoughts on who the new ND will be at NBC 17?
 
Yeah, you're right! They hired Tom Collins and he's going to change the format to Oldies.
 
Two local TV news outlets are enough. The local news shows have exactly the same news unless one station has an EXCLUSIVE interview with a burned-out school superintendent. The only reason two are needed is to keep each other hopping. (I almost said "honest".)
 
Two PLUS Cable!

NBC has never had a competitive station in the market. Being on 28, then 17 handicapped them and they never recovered even as Cable and Satellite equalized the coverage. It is rare that a UHF station dominates a mixed market. Even now with everybody being UHF (in HD), coverage disparities remain.
 
Atticus said:
Yeah, you're right! They hired Tom Collins and he's going to change the format to Oldies.
Click to expand...


Now that's FUNNY!!!BIG APE
 
Unfortunately, hundreds of VHF HD stations discovered that VHF is a poor choice for OTA HD. In Greensboro WGHP had to petition to return to 35 after they fell off the face of the earth transmitting HD on Channel 8.
 
Stephen White said:
DubbaDon said:
Even now with everybody being UHF (in HD), coverage disparities remain.
Click to expand...

Not quite everybody. WTVD is VHF, and I can't pull them in with my rabbit ears like I can every other station in the market.
Click to expand...
Me neither. 11 has NEVER come in with the rabbit ears, at least the other stations come in SOMETIMES on a rescan.
 
DubbaDon said:
Unfortunately, hundreds of VHF HD stations discovered that VHF is a poor choice for OTA HD. In Greensboro WGHP had to petition to return to 35 after they fell off the face of the earth transmitting HD on Channel 8.
Click to expand...
HD has nothing to do with it. We're talking about DTV here. HD is just something you can get if have the equipment and you get the DTV signal.

I have one VHF here but that's one of the reasons I have cable. My DTV has been doing well lately, at least on the two stations I regularly watch that way.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom