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UPN news

G

gethigh

Guest
I was wondering about the UPN network. I saw them on sunday after the Phillies game, and I noticed they simulcast CBS3. I have never seen this before, and to my knowledge they are the only network without it's own news team. Why do they use CBS3?
 
> I was wondering about the UPN network. I saw them on sunday
> after the Phillies game, and I noticed they simulcast CBS3.
> I have never seen this before, and to my knowledge they are
> the only network without it's own news team. Why do they use
> CBS3?
>
Co-ownership! KYW (CBS3) and WPSG (UPN57) are co-owned by Viacom and co-located in KYW's facilities. Having UPN is another means of distribution for CBS3 branded news and sports product. It's done in lots of markets where there's a Viacom duopoly (Los Angeles, Sacramento, Miami, Boston, etc).
 
And, UPN57 has its own "news team" now in the form of WakeUPNews. As I understand it, the whole show is run out of and produced by TrafficPulse in Philly (which is also owned by Viacom).

> > I was wondering about the UPN network. I saw them on
> sunday
> > after the Phillies game, and I noticed they simulcast
> CBS3.
> > I have never seen this before, and to my knowledge they
> are
> > the only network without it's own news team. Why do they
> use
> > CBS3?
> >
> Co-ownership! KYW (CBS3) and WPSG (UPN57) are co-owned by
> Viacom and co-located in KYW's facilities. Having UPN is
> another means of distribution for CBS3 branded news and
> sports product. It's done in lots of markets where there's
> a Viacom duopoly (Los Angeles, Sacramento, Miami, Boston,
> etc).

<P ID="signature">______________
</P>
 
Small correction: TrafficPulse is NOT owned by Viacom. Metro/Shadow Traffic is.
 
> Co-ownership! KYW (CBS3) and WPSG (UPN57) are co-owned by
> Viacom and co-located in KYW's facilities. Having UPN is
> another means of distribution for CBS3 branded news and
> sports product. It's done in lots of markets where there's
> a Viacom duopoly (Los Angeles, Sacramento, Miami, Boston,
> etc).
-----------
Then there was Detroit. For awhile WKBD (UPN) 50 and WWJ (CBS) 62 co-produced their newscasts, but after WWJ dropped its news in early 2003 WKBD's 10 PM news came from WXYZ (ABC) 7. That arrangement didn't last too long. Now for at least the second time in the station's history WKBD has no local news. (Apparently they had 10 PM news when they first launched that was dropped sometime in the 70s, and was revived perhaps when Cox took over in 1984)
 
> I was wondering about the UPN network. I saw them on sunday
> after the Phillies game, and I noticed they simulcast CBS3.
> I have never seen this before, and to my knowledge they are
> the only network without it's own news team. Why do they use
> CBS3?
----------
In all honesty, are there any UPN affiliates that produce their own newscast, completely independent of the local CBS or Fox affiliate?
 
> > I was wondering about the UPN network. I saw them on
> sunday
> > after the Phillies game, and I noticed they simulcast
> CBS3.
> > I have never seen this before, and to my knowledge they
> are
> > the only network without it's own news team. Why do they
> use
> > CBS3?
> ----------
> In all honesty, are there any UPN affiliates that produce
> their own newscast, completely independent of the local CBS
> or Fox affiliate?
>

WWOR-TV comes to mind.
<P ID="signature">______________
</P>
 
> > In all honesty, are there any UPN affiliates that produce
> > their own newscast, completely independent of the local
> CBS
> > or Fox affiliate?
> >
>
> WWOR-TV comes to mind.
----------
WWOR is still co-owned with Fox O&O WNYW, and the stations are planning to merge facilities from my understanding.
 
What UPN news?

What news? There is hardly any news on this so-called and misnamed WakeUPNews. Mostly they drone on and on about traffic trivia and weather trivia. It seems like those traffic reports last several minutes, even during the early hours when there is nothing but overnight construction to talk about. And between traffic and weather they have inane chit chat. Occasionally, they toss in a few headlines.

Viacom owns Metro Shadow Traffic, not Traffic Pulse. But apparently their own traffic service wanted no part of this disaster.

The current program is clearly the product of techno-geeks, not true broadcasters and journalists.

KYW Newsradio on UPN57 was a good product. Straight forward, fast moving, to the point. It covered all the bases. It had the strongest news brand in the area behind it (Newsradio 1060) and added pictures to the radio product without letting the pictures get in the way. The main fault of the KYW broadcast was it ended too early (8 am) and they did not promote it very well. To Viacom's credit, they are not promoting this catastrophe either so maybe it can disappear without notice and whichever channel 3 exec bought this mess can keep his job.


> And, UPN57 has its own "news team" now in the form of
> WakeUPNews. As I understand it, the whole show is run out
> of and produced by TrafficPulse in Philly (which is also
> owned by Viacom).
>
 
> > > In all honesty, are there any UPN affiliates that
> produce
> > > their own newscast, completely independent of the local
> > CBS
> > > or Fox affiliate?
> > >
> >
> > WWOR-TV comes to mind.
> ----------
> WWOR is still co-owned with Fox O&O WNYW, and the stations
> are planning to merge facilities from my understanding.
>

You're right in saying that they share an owner (Fox Stations Group), but so do WNBC and WCAU. A shared owner does not imply dependency among those stations. WWOR has had a completely independent newscast (among many other things) for as long as they've been a UPN affiliate since before Fox ownership when it was owned by UPN co-founder Chris-Craft, and they still do even under FTSG ownership.

As for the shared facilities, I've heard the same, but nothing concrete.<P ID="signature">______________
</P>
 
Re: What UPN news?

> What news? There is hardly any news on this so-called and
> misnamed WakeUPNews. Mostly they drone on and on about
> traffic trivia and weather trivia. It seems like those
> traffic reports last several minutes, even during the early
> hours when there is nothing but overnight construction to
> talk about. And between traffic and weather they have inane
> chit chat. Occasionally, they toss in a few headlines.
>
> Viacom owns Metro Shadow Traffic, not Traffic Pulse. But
> apparently their own traffic service wanted no part of this
> disaster.
>
> The current program is clearly the product of techno-geeks,
> not true broadcasters and journalists.
>
> KYW Newsradio on UPN57 was a good product. Straight
> forward, fast moving, to the point. It covered all the
> bases. It had the strongest news brand in the area behind
> it (Newsradio 1060) and added pictures to the radio product
> without letting the pictures get in the way. The main fault
> of the KYW broadcast was it ended too early (8 am) and they
> did not promote it very well. To Viacom's credit, they are
> not promoting this catastrophe either so maybe it can
> disappear without notice and whichever channel 3 exec bought
> this mess can keep his job.
>
>
> > And, UPN57 has its own "news team" now in the form of
> > WakeUPNews. As I understand it, the whole show is run out
>
> > of and produced by TrafficPulse in Philly (which is also
> > owned by Viacom).
> >
>


So, is Karin Adams a Traffic Pulse employee, even though she works for KYW 1060?

I think what UPN57 should have done is just put a camera in the news booth of KYW Am during the morning hours, run a scroll, and match the stock footage from CBS3. What else could you shove on 'PSG in the AM? Better yet.....just simulcast CBS3 from 5-9AM. <P ID="signature">______________
I've done it all...HOO HOO...tell 'em, Fred!
FOX News Alert: YOU SUCK!!! Ya like apples?</P>
 
Morning Show a liability?

CBS affiliates were actually doing better when CBS fed segments which affiliates could incorporate into their own local morning shows between 7 and 9 am. The big brains at Black Rock decided they HAD to have a regular morning show and went out and paid big bucks to hire Bryant Gumble. But a lot of stations would have peferred to stay with local morning shows with network features and cut-ins.

Instead of simulcasting from 5 am to 9am, 3 and 57 could simulcast from 5 am to 7am and then continue the full channel 3 morning show on channel 57 until 9 or 10 am (simulcasting the local news cut-aways from the CBS morning show). Much of the prepared material gets recycled from one half hour to the next, so the talent just keeps going (updating weather, traffic and live shots from the field). Ironically, the network stations have to cut way back on traffic at 7 am, just as traffic starts getting messed up. Before 7 am, they have lots of time but not much to talk about ("looking good on...." "overnight construction cleared....").

Too bad Viacom/UPN 57 did not stay with KYW, promote it more and keep it on longer (at least until 10 am). Unlike other cities, Philly does not have a local cable news channel (NY1, LI and NJ 12). KYW is the best known news brand in the area and the old morning broadcast could have formed the nucleus of a local news channel. Certainly, it was a much better morning news product than what they are doing on 57 now.

Interestingly, XM Radio gets info for their voice traffic reports from Traffic Pulse (Sirius from Metro Networks). But recently, XM announced they are providing text message customized traffic alerts to subscribers through their satellite radio receivers. Even though Traffic Pulse touts themselves as a "technology company" and focuses on new media, XM signed with an affiliate of Viacom's Metro Networks to provide this new high tech service. And while channel 3 (and other Viacom/CBS stations) take Traffic Pulse for their flashy graphics, maps and animation, they continue to take traffic information from Viacom-owned Metro Networks.


>
> I think what UPN57 should have done is just put a camera in
> the news booth of KYW Am during the morning hours, run a
> scroll, and match the stock footage from CBS3. What else
> could you shove on 'PSG in the AM? Better yet.....just
> simulcast CBS3 from 5-9AM.
>
 
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