What is the worst local series currently in production in your market?

[Ultimajock]

...I don't mean just for low production values, or a perspective you disagree with (Sunday Insight with the insufferable Charlie Sykes on WTMJ-TV/v4 Milwaukee, for example), but a series that just plain doesn't have any real reason to exist on any level...

...my choice is Jennifer Day TV on KDOC/v56 in Anaheim, California. Mind you, this isn't the country singer now known as Jennifer Day Morrison, who had a couple of minor hits on the Billboard Country chart a dozen years ago. This is an absolutely awful "singer, dancer and actress" (read "glorified pole dancer") who buys a half hour of time on KDOC every Saturday night/Sunday morning at 2:00 AM to sing karaoke in a tone-deaf manner and strut around in a bikini or bathing suit. Apparently, Ms. Day thinks a marginal facial resemblance to Mariah Carey entitles her to be the modern-day Angelyne. At least Angelyne's billboards only took a few seconds of your time (at most) as you were driving around Hollywood, whereas Jennifer Day demands 30 minutes of your life you won't ever get back. Jennifer Day TV is so wretched that even the heel characters on the show immediately prior to it on the KDOC schedule, NWA Championship Wrestling from Hollywood, use it as a gag reference in their promos. Jennifer Day TV makes Cheaters (another Saturday late night offering on KDOC) look like the Don Hewitt-era 60 Minutes by comparison, it's so bad...

 

[azumanga]

I wonder how good or how bad was another KDOC program, "Short Ribbs", a sketch program which starred Billy Barty and aired for 13 weeks in 1989? Its only notoriety is in a 1990 case involving Barty and a couple of writers -- his loss led to a ribbing (no pun intended) by the press for being a 'short man" who loss in "small claims court":

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short_Ribbs

 

[nathannah]

...I don't mean just for low production values, or a perspective you disagree with (Sunday Insight with the insufferable Charlie Sykes on WTMJ-TV/v4 Milwaukee, for example), but a series that just plain doesn't have any real reason to exist on any level...

Pretty much any local "daytime" show which pretty much exists as an hour-long infomercial designed as an 'informative demonstration segment'. Speaking of WTMJ and Journal, The Morning Blend may be even worse and insufferable than Media General's Daytime franchise. The only reason it seems to exist is to catch the few suckers too lazy to change the channel between Today's second and third hours and to get in local programming obligations without any effort at all (and the ratings show it as it struggles to even compete with Jeremy Kyle on the MyNet station while the good Fox local program, Kelly & Some Guy and Let's Make a Deal manhandle it).

These days there isn't much "local" programming left in Milwaukee or Green Bay beyond news-related programming, and unfortunately for many markets, they don't want to do what WLS does and produce a good show like Windy City Live. They'll only do it if they get money out of it, thus, the stupification of local daytime programming into infomercial content.

Speaking of chain shows though, America Now from Raycom & Cox is also pretty terrible. Imagine the worst consumer reports segments from your local 4 o'clock news. Multiply it by 30 with varying local efforts and add Bill Rancic and Leeza Gibbons from the 1992 school of hosting. Grab the Excedrin and hope for the sweet release of death soon :.

 

[Wright County Guy]

...I don't mean just for low production values, or a perspective you disagree with (Sunday Insight with the insufferable Charlie Sykes on WTMJ-TV/v4 Milwaukee, for example), but a series that just plain doesn't have any real reason to exist on any level...

Pretty much any local "daytime" show which pretty much exists as an hour-long infomercial designed as an 'informative demonstration segment'. Speaking of WTMJ and Journal, The Morning Blend may be even worse and insufferable than Media General's Daytime franchise. The only reason it seems to exist is to catch the few suckers too lazy to change the channel between Today's second and third hours and to get in local programming obligations without any effort at all (and the ratings show it as it struggles to even compete with Jeremy Kyle on the MyNet station while the good Fox local program, Kelly & Some Guy and Let's Make a Deal manhandle it).

These days there isn't much "local" programming left in Milwaukee or Green Bay beyond news-related programming, and unfortunately for many markets, they don't want to do what WLS does and produce a good show like Windy City Live. They'll only do it if they get money out of it, thus, the stupification of local daytime programming into infomercial content.

Speaking of chain shows though, America Now from Raycom & Cox is also pretty terrible. Imagine the worst consumer reports segments from your local 4 o'clock news. Multiply it by 30 with varying local efforts and add Bill Rancic and Leeza Gibbons from the 1992 school of hosting. Grab the Excedrin and hope for the sweet release of death soon :.

This horrendous format (in our case, "Showcase Minnesota", slapped in-between the third and fourth hour of "Today") came and left in Minneapolis/St. Paul. It was replaced a couple of years ago with a more traditional 11am hour-long newscast that must be making KARE more moolah than "Showcase". If Today's Touchy TMJ can't make money on it (and if it's getting rating-pummeled as you suggest), it will mercifully go bye-bye.

How many other markets have this type of hybrid?

 

[Skynet74]

Come to Providence and watch this train wreck called "Rhode Bytes" on WJAR. The only thing that bites is the show. It's a comedy sketch program hosted by an annoying yenta who appears to be an expert at bad over dramatic acting. It's enough to make you quickly change the channel. But since it's on at 1 in the morning on the weekend, most people watching are probably to drunk to even care.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpU6mzxE3Cs

 

[EricStein]

This horrendous format (in our case, "Showcase Minnesota", slapped in-between the third and fourth hour of "Today") came and left in Minneapolis/St. Paul. It was replaced a couple of years ago with a more traditional 11am hour-long newscast that must be making KARE more moolah than "Showcase". If Today's Touchy TMJ can't make money on it (and if it's getting rating-pummeled as you suggest), it will mercifully go bye-bye.

How many other markets have this type of hybrid?

Phoenix has FOUR stations airing hour-long shows with this format. Plus, we're the originating market for "RightThisMinute," which airs on Scripps, Raycom, and Cox stations across the country (KNXV-15 airs it daily, plus uses it as weekend filler).

As for shows that have been on for too long, I would have to say the paid real-estate magazine "Home Hunter," which has been on the air for 30 years on various stations in the Phoenix market. I'm surprised that the producers have kept this going, given that the housing market in the area is still soft after the bubble burst. However, the winner for worst weekly local show of any kind in Phoenix has to be "The Positive Side of Sports."

 

[bpatrick]

...I don't mean just for low production values, or a perspective you disagree with (Sunday Insight with the insufferable Charlie Sykes on WTMJ-TV/v4 Milwaukee, for example), but a series that just plain doesn't have any real reason to exist on any level...

Pretty much any local "daytime" show which pretty much exists as an hour-long infomercial designed as an 'informative demonstration segment'. Speaking of WTMJ and Journal, The Morning Blend may be even worse and insufferable than Media General's Daytime franchise. The only reason it seems to exist is to catch the few suckers too lazy to change the channel between Today's second and third hours and to get in local programming obligations without any effort at all (and the ratings show it as it struggles to even compete with Jeremy Kyle on the MyNet station while the good Fox local program, Kelly & Some Guy and Let's Make a Deal manhandle it).

These days there isn't much "local" programming left in Milwaukee or Green Bay beyond news-related programming, and unfortunately for many markets, they don't want to do what WLS does and produce a good show like Windy City Live. They'll only do it if they get money out of it, thus, the stupification of local daytime programming into infomercial content.

Speaking of chain shows though, America Now from Raycom & Cox is also pretty terrible. Imagine the worst consumer reports segments from your local 4 o'clock news. Multiply it by 30 with varying local efforts and add Bill Rancic and Leeza Gibbons from the 1992 school of hosting. Grab the Excedrin and hope for the sweet release of death soon :.

This horrendous format (in our case, "Showcase Minnesota", slapped in-between the third and fourth hour of "Today") came and left in Minneapolis/St. Paul. It was replaced a couple of years ago with a more traditional 11am hour-long newscast that must be making KARE more moolah than "Showcase". If Today's Touchy TMJ can't make money on it (and if it's getting rating-pummeled as you suggest), it will mercifully go bye-bye.

How many other markets have this type of hybrid?

"Atlanta & Company" on WXIA at 11 AM, and it gets manhandled by "The View" on WSB and "The Price Is Right" on WGCL. In fact, I don't think it even registers a 1 rating. Sister station KUSA Denver has "Colorado & Company," but I don't know what the ratings are for it. BTW, both are sister stations to KARE.

 

[FreddyE1977]

My vote would be for Steelers TV on WPCW in Pittsburgh.

This series is nothing more than a Steelers PR Department promotional handout in video form.
Almost nothing new or interesting about the team is ever revealed, particularly in off-season episodes.
We can only watch members of the team attend charity bowl-a-thons or tell us about their favorite
local eateries so many times.

This show appears to exist for the sole purpose of keeping WPCW's big sister KDKA in the good
graces of Steeler management when it comes to landing interviews, pre-season game broadcasts, etc.

 

[TheRob]

I don't want to speak ill of my competitors, because I know the reason stations produce extra local programs is to sell local spots and save money by using existing talent to fill 30-60 minutes, rather than buying programming from elsewhere.

 

[landtuna]

I don't want to speak ill of my competitors, because I know the reason stations produce extra local programs is to sell local spots and save money by using existing talent to fill 30-60 minutes, rather than buying programming from elsewhere.

Hence the flood of "regurg-a-news" shows that repeat not only what they just broadcast 30 minutes earlier but repeat what the national news just presented.

 

[nathannah]

This horrendous format (in our case, "Showcase Minnesota", slapped in-between the third and fourth hour of "Today") came and left in Minneapolis/St. Paul. It was replaced a couple of years ago with a more traditional 11am hour-long newscast that must be making KARE more moolah than "Showcase". If Today's Touchy TMJ can't make money on it (and if it's getting rating-pummeled as you suggest), it will mercifully go bye-bye.

It's been five years and spread throughout their station chain to Omaha, Las Vegas, and SW Florida. It's making enough money for them and it's not going anywhere anytime soon, since it seems the guy who handles buying Journal's syndicated product (which hasn't been much lately, especially on TMJ) has an innate sense of picking up the worst shows every season which have zero advertiser and viewer appeal. So it seems better to just let two local hosts have a job and sell products and get local critics off their backs than having lousy national product dragging down their image.

 

[ShawnHill1]

This horrendous format (in our case, "Showcase Minnesota", slapped in-between the third and fourth hour of "Today") came and left in Minneapolis/St. Paul. It was replaced a couple of years ago with a more traditional 11am hour-long newscast that must be making KARE more moolah than "Showcase". If Today's Touchy TMJ can't make money on it (and if it's getting rating-pummeled as you suggest), it will mercifully go bye-bye.

It's been five years and spread throughout their station chain to Omaha, Las Vegas, and SW Florida. It's making enough money for them and it's not going anywhere anytime soon, since it seems the guy who handles buying Journal's syndicated product (which hasn't been much lately, especially on TMJ) has an innate sense of picking up the worst shows every season which have zero advertiser and viewer appeal. So it seems better to just let two local hosts have a job and sell products and get local critics off their backs than having lousy national product dragging down their image.

I can speak to Las Vegas, as I go out there a couple of times a year. KTNV, Journal's ABC affiliate there, doesn't have a lot of syndication product (at least top-tier), although they just picked-up Judge Judy from Sinclair's CW affiliate, KVCW, a few months ago; KVCW has a lot of syndicated product you would think belongs on a Big Four affiliate, such as Dr. Phil. KTNV also had Extra until last fall, and that moved to KVVU (Fox); they also lost Live with Regis & Kelly to KLAS (CBS) a couple years ago, and they have The Morning Blend in its place. I've noticed that KTNV, KLAS, KVVU, and KSNV (NBC) are pretty news-heavy, especially for a market of its size, again with more of the top syndication product airing across Sinclair's duolopy of KVMY/KVCW, as well as on low-powered indy KTUD. 'TNV and 'VVU are notorious, in my opinon, with the "if it bleeds, it leads" mentality as far as covering local news--they make the local news here in L.A. look real fluffy in comparision.

 

[Joseph_Gallant]

A nominee might be Boston's "What's In Store", produced by WBZ-4 and seen in fringe slots on both WBZ and sister station WSBK-38.

The format features DJ's from radio stations owned by WBZ/WSBK owner CBS talking with local businesspeople who are plugging their businesses (and probably paying WBZ/WSBK for the privilege).

It's just dull.

 

[justpassingthough]

If only Wally George was still around to keep KDOC's name off of this thread...