Re: I agree/disagree...
I think mainly he has forgotten that the station has only improved since Comcast. Master control has its issues, for sure. There have been more flub up's there then I can count, BUT you need to realize they are working from cramped quarters, and they are the "little news team that could" in some respects.
Who watches the news for graphics? Hardly anyone. But a "shiny new package" does attract viewers. If they didn't, stations wouldnt change their graphics.
Mercury was on another board complaining about how comcast has cut funding for public access (as was I), but I think he just has a thing against "CONCAST" and he is using NECN as his bait.
> > They have improved in LEAPS AND BOUNDS in the past 5
> years,
> > news wise, graphic-wise, and just the whole product in
> > general. They are live for a very good portion of the day
> > during the weekday.
>
> Allow me to respectfully disagree with you here. Graphics
> wise they may have improved five years ago, but the graphics
> are still pretty stale.
> But who watches news for Graphics?
>
> News-wise, they have gone major leaps and bounds BACKWARDS
> in the last 5 years. Here is the main context of their news.
> Boston area news, National News, Weather, Break, National
> News, Break, Weather... see a trend here. The NE in NECN
> once stood for "New England", because that is what they used
> to do, cover NEW ENGLAND news. Now a days they try to be,
> during news times, a CNN clone, and really have given the
> cold shoulder to the rest of New England news. There is a
> lot of news that happens throughout New England, and once
> upon a time they would cover it. Most had video and such as
> well. Now it's just relegated to a crawl on the bottom of
> the screen. While the News Talent is good, the product is
> mediocre. If NECN ever started airing New England news
> again, I'd go back to watrhing them.
>
> The only other gripe I have about NECN, really, is the fact
> that the Master Control can't run a consistantly even
> commercial break, audio wise. Monitoring a commercial break,
> if you're not quick to hit the mute button, your TV speakers
> will blow out from the audio level difference. Although I
> never recorded it using loudness metering, I can tell there
> is a real issue with that.
>
> > If news has changed, and they are playing a newscast from
> > tape, they will do a live-fix. It's happened several
> times.
> > They are careful.
>
> Sometimes. Sometimes, they sit on the replay while a major
> event happens without even a word from them. However, most
> others do the same.
>
> > > As for the weekends, the live broadcasts are fewer and
> far
> > between(er). This is the same with every station. WHDH
> isnt
> > live from 4pm to 6:30pm on a Sunday.
>
> Yes, but it is an unfair comparison. WHDH is not a cable
> news channel. WHDH is network affiliate, and as a Network
> affiliate there are sports and network obligations to cover
> from 4p-6p. A better example, and some of this was given
> below, is that CNN Headline News isn't live from 4pm-6:30 on
> a sunday. You watch, the "Live" bug doesn't appear till 6p,
> last I recall.
>
> > For you to say NECN is a hack of a news station is pretty
> > unjust though. They are, far and away, the most successful
>
> > regional news station. Their documentaries are second to
> > none. They have recently added a SLEW of new shows.
>
> The documentaries are good, I will definatley agree there.
> Some of the new shows are decent. I can't stand TV diner,
> but thats a personal taste thing.
>
> > There are infomercials. Yeah. I hate infomercials too. But
>
> > at 2pm on a Sunday, there is NO NEED FOR A NEWSCAST.
> Sundays
> > afternoons are SLOW. There is no reason Comcast, or any
> > other company should pay for 24 hour newscasts.
>
> All stations have them, don't listen to that complaint.
>
> > NECN still has some work to do to improve their product,
> but
> > I think you are selling them WAY too short.
>
> His gripe has nothing to do with NECN but with Comcast. He
> seemed to forget that Comcast is only the PART owner of the
> station, with Hearst owning the other half.
>
<P ID="signature">______________
-TheGuy...InTheRadio</P>
I think mainly he has forgotten that the station has only improved since Comcast. Master control has its issues, for sure. There have been more flub up's there then I can count, BUT you need to realize they are working from cramped quarters, and they are the "little news team that could" in some respects.
Who watches the news for graphics? Hardly anyone. But a "shiny new package" does attract viewers. If they didn't, stations wouldnt change their graphics.
Mercury was on another board complaining about how comcast has cut funding for public access (as was I), but I think he just has a thing against "CONCAST" and he is using NECN as his bait.
> > They have improved in LEAPS AND BOUNDS in the past 5
> years,
> > news wise, graphic-wise, and just the whole product in
> > general. They are live for a very good portion of the day
> > during the weekday.
>
> Allow me to respectfully disagree with you here. Graphics
> wise they may have improved five years ago, but the graphics
> are still pretty stale.
> But who watches news for Graphics?
>
> News-wise, they have gone major leaps and bounds BACKWARDS
> in the last 5 years. Here is the main context of their news.
> Boston area news, National News, Weather, Break, National
> News, Break, Weather... see a trend here. The NE in NECN
> once stood for "New England", because that is what they used
> to do, cover NEW ENGLAND news. Now a days they try to be,
> during news times, a CNN clone, and really have given the
> cold shoulder to the rest of New England news. There is a
> lot of news that happens throughout New England, and once
> upon a time they would cover it. Most had video and such as
> well. Now it's just relegated to a crawl on the bottom of
> the screen. While the News Talent is good, the product is
> mediocre. If NECN ever started airing New England news
> again, I'd go back to watrhing them.
>
> The only other gripe I have about NECN, really, is the fact
> that the Master Control can't run a consistantly even
> commercial break, audio wise. Monitoring a commercial break,
> if you're not quick to hit the mute button, your TV speakers
> will blow out from the audio level difference. Although I
> never recorded it using loudness metering, I can tell there
> is a real issue with that.
>
> > If news has changed, and they are playing a newscast from
> > tape, they will do a live-fix. It's happened several
> times.
> > They are careful.
>
> Sometimes. Sometimes, they sit on the replay while a major
> event happens without even a word from them. However, most
> others do the same.
>
> > > As for the weekends, the live broadcasts are fewer and
> far
> > between(er). This is the same with every station. WHDH
> isnt
> > live from 4pm to 6:30pm on a Sunday.
>
> Yes, but it is an unfair comparison. WHDH is not a cable
> news channel. WHDH is network affiliate, and as a Network
> affiliate there are sports and network obligations to cover
> from 4p-6p. A better example, and some of this was given
> below, is that CNN Headline News isn't live from 4pm-6:30 on
> a sunday. You watch, the "Live" bug doesn't appear till 6p,
> last I recall.
>
> > For you to say NECN is a hack of a news station is pretty
> > unjust though. They are, far and away, the most successful
>
> > regional news station. Their documentaries are second to
> > none. They have recently added a SLEW of new shows.
>
> The documentaries are good, I will definatley agree there.
> Some of the new shows are decent. I can't stand TV diner,
> but thats a personal taste thing.
>
> > There are infomercials. Yeah. I hate infomercials too. But
>
> > at 2pm on a Sunday, there is NO NEED FOR A NEWSCAST.
> Sundays
> > afternoons are SLOW. There is no reason Comcast, or any
> > other company should pay for 24 hour newscasts.
>
> All stations have them, don't listen to that complaint.
>
> > NECN still has some work to do to improve their product,
> but
> > I think you are selling them WAY too short.
>
> His gripe has nothing to do with NECN but with Comcast. He
> seemed to forget that Comcast is only the PART owner of the
> station, with Hearst owning the other half.
>
<P ID="signature">______________
-TheGuy...InTheRadio</P>