TV happeinings I've noticed

[bobdavcav]

Hey guys,
Two things I've noticed in the last week,
1. My grandpa had KING on the other night and I could hear from the other room a new anchor with a very deep voice. Who is it? This would have been at 11.
2. Does anyone have any thoughts about the new format on KOMO? They seem to have more of a conversational approach to news as of Monday, but the one thing I don't like is they break up the weather report with a commercial break. I'm not sure why they don't just do like they used to where the weather was in full including the seven day outlook, then go to a break. Now, they do the summary of what's going to happen tomorrow, then they go to a break, then sports, then back for the extended forecast. Any thoughts?
3. I might as well address this while I'm here, does anyone know if a board op needs to be on staff for the simulcast on radio? I've noticed, especially around holidays, KOMO radio will miss the TV simulcast at 11 and usually run an ABC special, sometimes the ones they've run the previous hour.

 

[seatownmedia]

Hey guys,
Two things I've noticed in the last week,
1. My grandpa had KING on the other night and I could hear from the other room a new anchor with a very deep voice. Who is it? This would have been at 11.
2. Does anyone have any thoughts about the new format on KOMO? They seem to have more of a conversational approach to news as of Monday, but the one thing I don't like is they break up the weather report with a commercial break. I'm not sure why they don't just do like they used to where the weather was in full including the seven day outlook, then go to a break. Now, they do the summary of what's going to happen tomorrow, then they go to a break, then sports, then back for the extended forecast. Any thoughts?
3. I might as well address this while I'm here, does anyone know if a board op needs to be on staff for the simulcast on radio? I've noticed, especially around holidays, KOMO radio will miss the TV simulcast at 11 and usually run an ABC special, sometimes the ones they've run the previous hour.

My guess is the anchor you are speaking of is David Espinosa-Hall, who has been in place since late last year. There are other comments about him on other KING TV threads, though I can't locate those precisely right now. KOMO has always had a somewhat conversational approach, though I don't know if that has changed recently.

 

[bobdavcav]

It seems it's gotten more so in the last week. The on-screen rundown of feeds they're watching is new, and I've noticed at least one time in every newscast this week that the anchors will address one another about a particular story. The broken up weather report is new though, and I really don't like that.

 

[seatownmedia]

It seems it's gotten more so in the last week. The on-screen rundown of feeds they're watching is new, and I've noticed at least one time in every newscast this week that the anchors will address one another about a particular story. The broken up weather report is new though, and I really don't like that.

The on-screen rundowns first started with sports networks, mostly ESPN, and Tegna made this graphic presentation standard I believe in 2013 or 2014. If KOMO is reacting to that, I guess it makes sense. I have to admit as a consumer, I do like to see what is coming up. Don't mind it at all. Weather is an interesting subject...research shows it is the #1 viewer draw for local news, and this is why local tv is trying to maximize it. Some stations actually promote their local news with "we start our newscasts with the weather". True, it works, and then they tease the full weather report. I would guess that breaking up the report is just another example of this tease.

 

[Kelly A]

The old saying still holds: "Weather wins!"

 

[swhyde1980]

Another TV happening... I've noticed Erin Mayovsky does weather at both KOMO and KCPQ. Is Sinclair already contemplating that they will have Q13, and starting to share on-air staff?

 

[KMan]

Another TV happening... I've noticed Erin Mayovsky does weather at both KOMO and KCPQ. Is Sinclair already contemplating that they will have Q13, and starting to share on-air staff?

She's freelanced all over town for years. Her LinkedIn indicates she's been double dipping for two years.

She's also an awful weathercaster. Better at the sports desk.

 

[seatownmedia]

Seattle TV news seems pretty quiet heading into the fall sweeps, though I would expect some tune-ups heading into September. I understand the ratings are year-round, but many decisions are still made on Fall results.
Based on a market scan from last Friday, IMO...KOMO is running pretty smoothly. They do a good job mixing serious hard news with the usual fluff, and have good personalities. KING still seems to this viewer as struggling, and not sure of where to go at times, and still not certain how to position their optics. KIRO is Kiro, and are par for the course. They need to go to flexible background scenes on set. I think they have much more potential to shine, especially with some of their features like consumer and weather highlights. KCPQ is running on all cylinders, can't find much missing with them.

 

[Kelly A]

Seattle TV news seems pretty quiet heading into the fall sweeps, though I would expect some tune-ups heading into September.

Now with year-round PPM ratings measurement, Fall sweeps aren't anywhere near as big a deal as they used to be. Now what you have is "hot zips", where certain area zip codes will have a higher concentration of deployed PPM and STB's. News operations will do either in-front or behind the scenes marketing to those zip codes. Fall is important for network show debuts which may coincide to a local station news lead-in, but that's about it.

 

[crainbebo]

I've read that KOMO usually throws all of those Sinclair 'must-runs' (Kristine Frazao/Michelle Macaluso reports, 'Bottom Line with Boris Epshyten' and Circa stuff) to their 4:30AM news, so they don't have to run them during their most-watched newscasts. Yet KIMA/KEPR run 'Bottom Line with Boris' after the 5 or 6pm news, depending on the day...
Sinclair has come under plenty of fire for those segments, claiming they lean far-right. This also includes Mark Hyman's 'The Point' commentary.
Did KING's management think cheap, transferred from market #100 anchors would make them the #1 newscast in town? Not the same after they cleaned out Jeff Renner's and Dennis Bounds' desks.
KIRO and KCPQ still doing great, they know how to keep veteran anchors and reporters...and they know how to hire anchors with good chemistry.

Out here in the desert, KNDU always starts with a weather tease from Tim Adams. The others don't. In fact, KIMA's Jake Taylor never introduces himself...just starts the first story. News quality on 23/25 is much better than the others; the awful 'green screen' effect of KAPP that looks like a high school's announcements show; and KIMA's tired HDTVs only used to display their Action News logo.

 

[Kelly A]

Out here in the desert, KNDU always starts with a weather tease from Tim Adams. The others don't. In fact, KIMA's Jake Taylor never introduces himself...just starts the first story. News quality on 23/25 is much better than the others; the awful 'green screen' effect of KAPP that looks like a high school's announcements show; and KIMA's tired HDTVs only used to display their Action News logo.

It is small market TV.

 

[seatownmedia]

It is small market TV.

Yes, it is. But for some of us who have been exposed to major market tv for many years it can be frustrating. I want to throw objects toward my Sony flat screen at times, But those flat screens are very capable of taking the abuse...

As for the Fall sweeps, I agree, and stated that in my post. They certainly are not as important as they used to be. Your point about new network shows premiering in the fall is well taken. But I have noticed when local tv makes changes they tend to do it either right before or during the Fall season.

 

[crainbebo]

I've always thought about moving to Ellensburg/Kittitas someday. Charter still carries KOMO, KING and KIRO from Seattle. I don't think they even black out primetime programming duplicated with Yakima stations. Ellensburg is a great town, lots of friendly people and far less people and traffic than Yakima.
I don't remember Erin Mayvosky, by the way. She may have started in Seattle after I left. A few weeks ago I watched a KIRO newscast online...Morgan Palmer is doing very well as chief meteorologist. Although I do miss Rebecca Stevenson, but she's at KCPQ now. Looks like Rebecca and M.J. are both morning WX now. Oddly, Charter Ellensburg doesn't carry KCPQ for Fox but they have KCYU. Q13 still runs a digital OTA translator there...I think?

 

[seatownmedia]

I've always thought about moving to Ellensburg/Kittitas someday. Charter still carries KOMO, KING and KIRO from Seattle. I don't think they even black out primetime programming duplicated with Yakima stations. Ellensburg is a great town, lots of friendly people and far less people and traffic than Yakima.
I don't remember Erin Mayvosky, by the way. She may have started in Seattle after I left. A few weeks ago I watched a KIRO newscast online...Morgan Palmer is doing very well as chief meteorologist. Although I do miss Rebecca Stevenson, but she's at KCPQ now. Looks like Rebecca and M.J. are both morning WX now. Oddly, Charter Ellensburg doesn't carry KCPQ for Fox but they have KCYU. Q13 still runs a digital OTA translator there...I think?

I had occasion to stay in a hotel in Ellensburg last year and they only carried the Tri/Yakima lineup. I assume Charter/Spectrum was the carrier, unless you were watching an alternate provider.

Wenatchee cable, however, carries Spokane and just KING-TV and KCPQ-TV, no KOMO or KIRO.

 

[swhyde1980]

I had occasion to stay in a hotel in Ellensburg last year and they only carried the Tri/Yakima lineup. I assume Charter/Spectrum was the carrier, unless you were watching an alternate provider.

Wenatchee cable, however, carries Spokane and just KING-TV and KCPQ-TV, no KOMO or KIRO.

KCPQ has a translator in Wenatchee, hence why it's probably carried there (Which makes an interesting situation, since KHQ also has a translator in that area as well. You have a Q6 and Q13 in the same area, whom have no relation to each other)

KING I think is allowed to be carried because of the common ownership between them and KREM, dating back to the days of KING Broadcasting.

 

[crainbebo]

Your hotel in Ellensburg was probably hooked up to DirecTV or Dish Network's business account. They sign you on to Yakima/T.C. locals. Cle Elum satellite subscribers ALSO get Yakima/Tri-Cities locals. I wonder if DirecTV and Dish ask Cle Elum subs if they want Seattle or Yakima.
KCPQ is translated on digital channel 7 in Ellensburg (K07ZC-D), but this is not carried on cable, they take KCYU. Charter Ellensburg lineup lists KING on channel 5 and KOMO on channel 11 (KNDO is ch 4). No KIRO on the lineup YET the Ellensburg Daily Record had KIRO listings in their newspaper a few weeks ago. Don't know who to believe.
The cable in Cle Elum/Roslyn carries 4/5/7 Seattle + Yakima locals and even a couple of their subchannels (13 is MeTV from KAPP-DT2). Not sure if they are getting them from Yakima or from the Ellensburg translators, but Elk Heights blocks the Manastash line-of-sight that far west. Easton's cable has zero from Yakima, all Seattle (and some channels are missing).

In fact, Leavenworth has SPOKANE translators! That's about 75 miles farther than Seattle as the crow flies.
Zap2It claims Wenatchee's Charter gets KREM/KXLY/KSPS/KAYU Spokane, but no KHQ. They carry most Seattle stations minus KONG. Even KFFV's Evine Live shows up. Central Washington outside of Yakima is a very odd place for television.
Then you've got Charter Tri-Cities still carrying KCTS to this day...

 

[swhyde1980]

Then you've got Charter Tri-Cities still carrying KCTS to this day...

They might actually be carrying KCTS via KYVE 47 Yakima. KYVE is a semi-satellite for KCTS (Master control for KYVE is operated from there), where they insert promos, shows, and IDs specifically for KYVE. Years ago, KYVE went bankrupt I believe due to lack of contributions, so KCTS picked them up and started operating the station.

 

[crainbebo]

Nope, KCTS is the raw ch 9 feed from Seattle. Channel 9 was carried in the '90s as well in Tri-Cities, when KYVE was separate. Nothing except the required TOH ID (which is 'KYVE-DT YAKIMA' at the bottom of the screen at TOH) comes from Yakima anymore. 47 used to carry a few local shows like the Apple Bowl, and Northwest Outdoors, but those are long gone. They used to have studios and offices at YVCC, then they moved to the Larson Building for several years. Now the only KYVE, anything, in Yakima is their Ahtanum Ridge transmitter!

 

[seatownmedia]

Nope, KCTS is the raw ch 9 feed from Seattle. Channel 9 was carried in the '90s as well in Tri-Cities, when KYVE was separate. Nothing except the required TOH ID (which is 'KYVE-DT YAKIMA' at the bottom of the screen at TOH) comes from Yakima anymore. 47 used to carry a few local shows like the Apple Bowl, and Northwest Outdoors, but those are long gone. They used to have studios and offices at YVCC, then they moved to the Larson Building for several years. Now the only KYVE, anything, in Yakima is their Ahtanum Ridge transmitter!

KYVE = KCTS Seattle
KTNW = KWSU Pullman

Actually, this is a perfect alignment and both central WA markets tend to offer both. Their programming can be similar at times, but also different at times. A nice combo.

 

[KMan]

I don't remember Erin Mayvosky, by the way. She may have started in Seattle after I left. A few weeks ago I watched a KIRO newscast online...Morgan Palmer is doing very well as chief meteorologist. Although I do miss Rebecca Stevenson, but she's at KCPQ now. Looks like Rebecca and M.J. are both morning WX now.

Mayovsky has bounced around. She was KIRO's first AM traffic anchor, in the early 2000s. Then left for a bit. Came back as the Saturday morning meteorologist, and then left again. She's married to Gaard Swanson and with his far flung work adventures, seems she sticks to freelancing to allow time for their kids.

IMHO, she is a substandard weather anchor. There's better talent on the beach in this market if you need someone to cover a weekend shift. See: Tiffany Sanders, who left KCPQ in the early 2000s to raise her kids, spent nearly 15 years off the air, and is doing a great job as a fill-in freelancer at KIRO. It's as if she never left.

Do we know what the actual split of duties is between Rebecca and MJ. I don't get to watch (out of market) but when Rebecca started, she was going to do the early AM show and then transition over to doing the weather cut-ins for the Tribune Portland station (which is what Tim Joyce previously did in that role) with MJ continuing as the primary AM show meteorologist.