Re: Philly TV News - in one word: "lackluster"
dustintv said:
Shame you missed out on WFMZ, they in my opinion have the best newscast in Philadelphia.
Yes, its a good newscast - but aimed at Berks County and the Lehigh Valley. Although technically in the PHL market, WFMZ's newscasts should not be considered to be "Philadelphia" newscasts...they don't really serve that area. But, they do a fine job with their target areas and should be commended for that.
To me (as a newcomer to the area), NBC-10 has the best newscast in Philadelphia. By far, the most professional and straightforward coverage in the market - IMO. Also, the only really good meteorologist in the market seems to be Glenn Schwartz - despite the nerdy bow tie. Having Renee Chenault-Fattah as anchor does make me question their ethics; then again, most media outlets are biased in one way or another. They do seem to play it pretty straight overall, so I am willing to overlook that glitch. In summary, it's not that 10 does such a spectacular job, but it is better than the others (see below).
The 1970's style of 'Action News' put my wife off immediately and wore off on me within about two weeks of living here. initially, I found it amusing because I recall when that kind of stuff was en vogue - but the novelty faded pretty quickly. Despite some good reporters, the style is just too heavy handed and the *duh-dah-dah, duh-dah-dah* music is blasted at you before and after every break. Didn't they even do weather on a magnetic board and use grease pens until, like 2001? It's all just too much. In general, we find that channel's news unwatchable. I know it's the most popular newscast in the market, but my conclusion on that is that local viewers probably don't know any better. They should drop their old habits and turn to 10.
CBS-3 suffers from the same maladies that other CBS O&O's seem to have: lackluster anchors, dull presentation, dull graphics, and not-so-compelling lead-ins. It's reminiscent of WBZ's newscasts in Boston, only not as good of a newscast as 'BZ offers (in a more competitive market, I might add). And, who's the housewife doing weather? Yeeech! As a parting cheap shot, Alicia Lane has simply lost too much weight. Last year, she looked foxy - now she just looks skeletal. As she was about the only reason to watch, CBS-3 gets no attention from me anymore.
I do not find Fox 29's news to be very good. The morning newscast is their best, which is faint praise indeed. The anchors are forgettable and the traffic gal is reminiscent of a bar maid that you'd find in a watering hole in NE Philly! The 10 o'clock news is not compelling either. After years of watching 10 pm newscasts on Fox affiliates elsewhere, we either check on the channel 10 newscast on My17 or wait until 11. As a whole, Fox 29's coverage is very superficial (more so than the 'average' Fox O & O) and they base newscasts on personalities that I don't find interesting. They certainly do not hold a candle to Fox affiliates in NY, Washington or Boston - or any other top 10 TV market.
As for "WakeUp News" on CW57 - it's so bad that it's almost good. Kind of like that blonde weather gal on that show - really ugly at first, yet I can't look away. Quite peculiar! ;D
