With the Cotton Bowl on tonight, I had no choice but channel 3 for 9pm news. Boy, is it an inferior product. The main vibe I get with 3's news is that there is a vacuum between the anchor and viewer. There is no energy, no chemistry. Royal Norman is a solid met on a leaky ship.
What would you do to fix channel 3?
I think it needs a top-to-bottom overhaul.
-Imaging. To me, 3's image looks a little out of date. I think, after 30 years and some accessorizing, the circle 3 needs to be axed. I think the image that would make the most sense for 3 is a hybrid of their "Arizona's Family" longtime slogan with some Belo-inspired "Spirit" imagery. To me, the gold standard of news package is KSAZ in the mid-90s. So much can be done with the Arizona state flag. Sadly, KSAZ's experiment in that could not last beyond two years. New graphics, music, and set are needed. 3 needs to shed its image that it acquired in the 90s and this past decade as a fluff-heavy, old-leaning broadcast.
-Format of newscasts. Bring back the title "NewsChannel 3" and make most of your weeknight newscasts two-anchor. One of the things that makes 3 seem distant and robotic is the lack of chemistry between anchors. Fields Moseley should be paired with Patti Kirkpatrick for GEAZ and the 9pm and 10pm newscasts. Better yet, I'd bet Cameron Harper would be willing to jump from the equally leaky S.S. WPTY in Memphis for another round at channel 3. Weather is the station's bright spot, with Royal Norman at chief. Sports is OK as is — I really appreciate their attempt at high school sports coverage (only once in a blue moon does 10 cover high school sports — they did it today!), but it suffers from the same vacuum problem as their newscasts.
I think 3 needs to distinguish itself from its competitors as well with more franchise reporting. They already have 3 On Your Side, but they need more. I've been toying with this concept in my head: a 10:30 newscast M-Th tailored to a different area of the state every night. For instance, Monday could be northern Arizona, Tuesday the Navajo Nation, Wednesday central Arizona (e.g. Yavapai County), and Thursday could be targeted at the White Mountains. Another area that would be interesting for a weekly roundup is Pinal County. KTVK could pick up where little KCAB left off with a weekly newscast focused at this fast-growing area and issues specific to towns like Florence, Coolidge, CG, etc. You build a viewership from these small areas and make them more loyal 3 viewers — it's a sort of WNEP-esque approach to outlying areas. Friday would remain the Varsity Zone show.
What do YOU think needs to be fixed about 3, and how would you go about doing it?
What would you do to fix channel 3?
I think it needs a top-to-bottom overhaul.
-Imaging. To me, 3's image looks a little out of date. I think, after 30 years and some accessorizing, the circle 3 needs to be axed. I think the image that would make the most sense for 3 is a hybrid of their "Arizona's Family" longtime slogan with some Belo-inspired "Spirit" imagery. To me, the gold standard of news package is KSAZ in the mid-90s. So much can be done with the Arizona state flag. Sadly, KSAZ's experiment in that could not last beyond two years. New graphics, music, and set are needed. 3 needs to shed its image that it acquired in the 90s and this past decade as a fluff-heavy, old-leaning broadcast.
-Format of newscasts. Bring back the title "NewsChannel 3" and make most of your weeknight newscasts two-anchor. One of the things that makes 3 seem distant and robotic is the lack of chemistry between anchors. Fields Moseley should be paired with Patti Kirkpatrick for GEAZ and the 9pm and 10pm newscasts. Better yet, I'd bet Cameron Harper would be willing to jump from the equally leaky S.S. WPTY in Memphis for another round at channel 3. Weather is the station's bright spot, with Royal Norman at chief. Sports is OK as is — I really appreciate their attempt at high school sports coverage (only once in a blue moon does 10 cover high school sports — they did it today!), but it suffers from the same vacuum problem as their newscasts.
I think 3 needs to distinguish itself from its competitors as well with more franchise reporting. They already have 3 On Your Side, but they need more. I've been toying with this concept in my head: a 10:30 newscast M-Th tailored to a different area of the state every night. For instance, Monday could be northern Arizona, Tuesday the Navajo Nation, Wednesday central Arizona (e.g. Yavapai County), and Thursday could be targeted at the White Mountains. Another area that would be interesting for a weekly roundup is Pinal County. KTVK could pick up where little KCAB left off with a weekly newscast focused at this fast-growing area and issues specific to towns like Florence, Coolidge, CG, etc. You build a viewership from these small areas and make them more loyal 3 viewers — it's a sort of WNEP-esque approach to outlying areas. Friday would remain the Varsity Zone show.
What do YOU think needs to be fixed about 3, and how would you go about doing it?
