What Must WVIT, WTNH or WTIC do to beat WFSB?

[jg]

WFSB is the long time # 1 station and is crushing the competition this November. What can the other stations do to beat them?

 

[kms575]

I would think WVIT must be hurting partly due to NBC's poor ratings.

WTNH needs a credible news department. Too many technical screw-ups, poor reporting (on tv and online), terrible writing. WTNH needs to climb a very large mountain.

Can't really comment too much about WTIC, but it seems pretty low budget from what I've seen.

 

[DToTheJ]

WTIC: Wait until "American Idol" returns.
WVIT: Pray Jay Leno gets blown out of primetime.
WTNH: No comment.

 

[ansky212]

Doesn't WTNH cover more news from New Haven and Fairfield counties? I would think it would be hard to compare them to WVIT and WFSB that focus more on the Hartford area. In a way I think WTNH should carve out their own niche and focus 100% on New Haven plus Bridgeport/Stamford which is an area that is rarely covered by Hartford or NYC stations.

 

[rb21089]

Can't really comment too much about WTIC, but it seems pretty low budget from what I've seen.

I think that opinion will change when you see the launch of the HD newscasts...

 

[kms575]

Can't really comment too much about WTIC, but it seems pretty low budget from what I've seen.

I think that opinion will change when you see the launch of the HD newscasts...

Yes, that is coming soon, last I heard. I have to believe WFSB can't be too far behind either. As for 'TNH, a cold day in hell comes to mind. I might be wrong, of course.

 

[rb21089]

WFSB will be doing their news 16:9 soon, but it will not be HD.

WTIC launches Saturday Dec 12th at 10pm.

 

[kms575]

The resolution already looks pretty sharp on WFSB, so hopeully the new ratio will improve things even more.

Has WTIC had any promos for their HD newscasts? I haven't seen any.

 

[rb21089]

No promos yet.

 

[scottg]

WFSB will be doing their news 16:9 soon, but it will not be HD.

WTIC launches Saturday Dec 12th at 10pm.

WFSB should have been in HD from the get go when they moved into their new studio. The only reason why I watch channel 30 news is because its in HD. To make it in 16 x 9 is just faking it, why not just do it in true hd?

 

[RonTheEngineer]

The resolution already looks pretty sharp on WFSB, so hopeully the new ratio will improve things even more.

Has WTIC had any promos for their HD newscasts? I haven't seen any.

It's going to be a few months, I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't launch until summer sometime. The equipment was only ordered in June or so. I was hanging out with Dean at WTXX.

 

[jiminCT]

It pretty much on the brink of driving me to jack daniels if we are talking about how WVIT and WTNH have to resort to lower mediocrity to compete with FSB (at least newswise). Sad state of affairs in Hartford/New Haven TV...but its the industry as a whole.

 

[rb21089]

The resolution already looks pretty sharp on WFSB, so hopeully the new ratio will improve things even more.

Has WTIC had any promos for their HD newscasts? I haven't seen any.

It's going to be a few months, I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't launch until summer sometime. The equipment was only ordered in June or so. I was hanging out with Dean at WTXX.

Not sure where you're getting that information, but we'll be launching HD newscasts on December 12th. Rehearsals started Saturday night.

 

[jg]

There is talk of anchor changes at Channel 8. Anyone have the info?

 

[scottg]

Here is a look at the new FOX 61 HD stuidos. Looks good.

http://www.courant.com/business/hc-courantfox61.artdec06,0,3840393.story

 

[ctsnoozedog]

Wow, talk about the blind leading the blind...let's do some actual facts, kids.

Let's see, WFSB dominates the Hartford-New Haven market in all time periods by sizable margins. The only station that ever comes close to them in total audience is WTNH (in fact from time to time they actually were slightly ahead of 'FSB on certain days in November) so all of this talk of who is or isn't HD for local news doesn't mean squat. FSB and TNH will likely go 16 X 9 in 2010, but at SD resolution and about 90% of the audience will think its HD and won't care.

A new studio for WTIC will likely help it about as much as a whole new building helped WVIT. TIC's product is about as un-Fox like as any station in the US. Unless the new studio comes with all new talent and an all new attitude, being able to poach off The Courant is not going to elevate their Morning News--which barely has a pulse, or their 11 am and pm newscasts which aren't much better.

WVIT is soon to be owned by Comcast, pending the sale of the majority of NBC Universal to the cable giant. There will likely be some kind of change in the station's ownership beyond that, because there doesn't seem to be a lot of appetite by the Federal and State regulators for the nation's largest cable operator to own television stations inside it's wired footprint. And it really isn't hard to figure out which property Comcast would keep between its cable holdings in CT and Channel 30. In the meantime, WVIT needs to join the consortium of ailing NBC stations that is quietly figuring out how to hire a hitman to take Jay Leno out. In primetime.

WFSB is going to win here until another generation of viewers that can't imagine watching anyone else, finally dies off or all those viewers in Fairfield county who watch WTNH start getting counted as actually living in Connecticut, rather than in NYC. Neither is likely to happen soon, because as the saying goes--it is the land of slow and steady habits.

 

[Bill-in-CT]

A new studio for WTIC...Unless the new studio comes with all new talent and an all new attitude, being able to poach off The Courant is not going to elevate their Morning News--which barely has a pulse

I try not to be negative on these boards, but 61's morning news is unwatchable. I prefer 3 in the morning, but also like 8.

Regarding Leno at 10...December will be a major test. The claim has been that Leno will do well when the dramas are in reruns (which they will be most of this month and next). If overnight numbers are in the tank for the late night newscasts, expect affiliates to to demand a change or take back the 10:00 hour.

 

[ROBGv1]

I think they should put Access Hollywood and Extra on the national feed, and give 10pm back to the affiliates.

 

[rb21089]

Although it's true WTNH had a good November book - everyone in CT media knows that WVIT and WTNH will more than likely close up shop in the next couple of years. Word on the street is Comcast wants to turn the WVIT building into a local sports channel, wiping out the news department.

WTNH isn't making any money. A good book doesn't mean anything if you're not making money, and they haven't made money in quite some time.

WFSB could put up color bars and they'll be #1. They're not going anywhere. Neither is FOX.

 

[ctsnoozedog]

Although it's true WTNH had a good November book - everyone in CT media knows that WVIT and WTNH will more than likely close up shop in the next couple of years. Word on the street is Comcast wants to turn the WVIT building into a local sports channel, wiping out the news department.

WTNH isn't making any money. A good book doesn't mean anything if you're not making money, and they haven't made money in quite some time.

WFSB could put up color bars and they'll be #1. They're not going anywhere. Neither is FOX.

Seriously? We all get WFSB's strength. But where do you come up with the rest of this?

WTNH hasn't lost anymore money than any other station in the market. The whole market is down millions of dollars.

Last time anyone checked, it would be Tribune that is in bankruptcy so your pronouncements are more than a little suspect.

Cite some facts if you are going to make statements that pretend to be facts.