Channel 18's new 9PM News

[Tom Snyder]

Now that they've had a little time to iron out the technical kinks, what do you think of their entrance into the news fray?


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Tom Snyder
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[Gregg Lengling]

I've only caught bits-n-pieces but for a nationally syndicated news show with a little local activity...not bad...but of course I think they are only thinking about numbers (not viewers but production costs).

[John L]

Chances are its not gonna work out as far as the ratings game. They're better off sticking that money into purchasing some Hi-Def gear so that they can actually make use of their Digital transmission, especially since WB Network is promising some programs in HDTV.

-John L.

[davezen2]

Anyone else see the spot where they say they are "Milwaukee's only nine o'clock news"?

I could've swore Fox6 had a 9 PM newscast....:rolleyes:

[jfish]

The WB18 News at Nine isn't all that bad. Their weather product could use some work. The national stuff is solid (as it should be). The local stuff looks similar to the material CBS 58 put out when it launched. But the 18 studio needs work...the lighting seems off and the set seems a bit small with a weird contrast of colors that doesn't seem to mesh completely with the on screen graphics.

[midwesterntv]

Sadly, not many changes can happen at WVTV - all Sinclair stations must look alike for NewsCentral to work - and to re-tool things slightly would take a lot of work.

Don't think that WVTV has the worst part of the Sinclair deal, all of the new Sinclair NewsCentral stations have small sets.

[foxeng]

If your NewsCentral does in the ratings like other NewsCentral operations in markets with direct competion, it will not do well in the ratings, but you have to remember, the only number Sinclair is intersted in is the BOTTOM LINE NUMBER, and NewsCentral is cheap to produce and it will pull a better clientel than say Star Trek in the same time frame which equates into cheaper cost points so in the end, they make more money and they have a block checked off on license renewal with the FCC.

In my own market, we do a one hour head to head with a NewsCentral newscast and where we usually pull anywhere from a 7 to 12 share depending on other shows and news events in general going on, (we are at 10pm being eastern time) the highest NewsCentral ever had was a 2.1 on a night when we had NFL football and not news on a Thursday night. They usually get anywhere from a .5 to 1.5 share. On the other hand, our ratings haven't really dipped any at all and you are right, it isn't a very good product. We had a large flooding situation going on and had it live and NewsCentral was talking about how it MIGHT be bad if the rain picked up. After 20 minutes after we we went live with the flooding, they did a "Breaking News" update. Obviously they saw it on us and made some phone calls. A sign of a quality news department. Another time they had audio and no picture for the first 10 minute local block.

On the surface that newscast would be history, but since they are actually making money with it, it will stay. When Sinclair did a full blown local news a couple of years ago, it drew the same numbers and it was bleeding them dry.

I suspect FOX6 News will hold up well and your NewsCentral will have low numbers, but since it is makng money, it will stay.

JMO

[midwesterntv]

I have a strong doubt that anyone would leave FOX 6 News at Nine to watch WB18...

Especially since the 9:00 team has such great chemistry.

[AndrewP]

I can't imagine someone with HDTV watching FOX6 news.
Maybe it can work with TWC feed.
For me FOX6 still exists ONLY on Sunday 12p.m.-3p.m during Packers game. But this is the only case when I am forced to watch crappy analog feed and cannot switch to a DTV.
WB18 - who cares about them now. Let them first interest us with some HDTV stuff.

Andrew

[kjnorman]

There's a channel 18? :D

Perhaps if they put on something that was worthwhile to watch it would show up on my radar screen but for now, I do not even bother looking at them. ..

[Tom Snyder]

Same thing for me... If they don't have HD OTA, they simply do not exist. As far as I'm concerned, the Milwaukee Market consists of 58, 12, 4 and PBS.

Fox 6? I used to watch their 9PM news religiously every night for years. But they didn't lose me to 18's news... they lost me because they told me they don't want/need me to watch when they launched a digital signal that I couldn't pick up. So I changed my media habits simply to say "screw 'em."

Now they only get me for 3 hours a week... Packer Kick-off to the final whistle. And during that time, I need to switch over to CBS HD or upconverted SD during the commericals to give my eyes some time to re-focus from the Fox "blur."

The real bummer about this, is that I'm paying 5 bucks a month to DirecTV for ithe locals.. and channel 6 is the ONLY local I have to access through DirecTV... because they're the only digital station in town that I can't pick up.

I haven't even seen the 18 9pm news, because, as I said before... they don't exist. :D

[midwesterntv]

I must say this .. FOX really needs to cut back on the animations and sound effects during the game....

It's nice, for a little while, but then it just gets annoying.

[Kevin Arnold]

I can't believe 18 is making a nickel running news at 9. Unless the anchors, photojournalists, editors, and others are working for tips, I can't see it. The Sinclair national product is lame, kind of like just going through the motions. Can this company do anything at above the absolute minimum? What bothers me most is their detachment from the community they supposedly serve.

[John L]

I dunno either (throws his arms up in the air). I liked it when Channel 18 was operated like a Mom & Pop station (when Gaylord Broadcasting operated it). But Sinclair operates all their stations as comparable to radio's Clear Channel Communications. They worry about buying about TV stations, sometimes as many as 2 or 3 in the same market. Look what we have. The majority of NewsCentral 18 is broadcasted from Baltimore, MD. The only local personel is Lisa Fielding or anyone who subs for Lisa when doing the local Milwaukee News scene. Other then that, The Weather is also done from Baltimore even thou it is the Milwaukee forecast, the weather person is doing it from a studio in Baltimore, Md. Thus Channel 18 today is nowhere near what it used to be in the 60s, 70s, and 80s.

If Fox decides to sell WITI-TV, I wouldn't be surprised if Sinclair will buy it. Same with in case Hearst Corp. decides to sell WISN-TV, the samething. Heaven forbid if Journal Comm. decides to depart its 2 TV stations here, WTMJ-TV & WPXE.

-John L.

[midwesterntv]

I don't think it's legal to have a triopoly of stations in a market now, is it?

Anyways, at least we have the comfort of knowing FOX will always be owned by FOX, and WTMJ will always be owned by WTMJ, unless something bad happens.

WISN seems to be the new flagship station for Hearst-Argyle (In terms of trying out new things.) They have really started to slowly move away from the standard IDs and opens. (If you compare, WCVB-TV, WBAL-TV, and WISN-TV, there are many differences)

But, I doubt WISN would be sold.

(I do with WTMJ would be an NBC owned-and-operated station anyways, though)

As for WDJT, I could easily see them being sold in the near future.

I also could see the Ten O'Clock News being launched on WCGV in a few years - or I could see Sinclair folding and someone else taking over UPN 24 (which would probably go to FOX) and WB18 (Which, heaven forbid, would go to Tribune.)

OK... I've said enough. :)

[Milwaukee12]

Now that they have been on for over a year, what does everyone think of it?

[John L]

Originally posted by Milwaukee12
Now that they have been on for over a year, what does everyone think of it?

Well I MUST say that WVTV has improved. Perhaps in the News program but most of all the improvement is now High Definition with 5.1 Dolby Audio. Lord of the Rings will make it's WB Network debut and WVTV will be airing it in HD with 5.1 Dolby. Oh yeah don't forget the Program Guide which is a feature I don't have, but I guess they are sending a Program Guide now.

Glad you brought it up, what does everyone else think of WB18 now?

I believe UPN 24 will be making changes to their DTV signal in the upcoming couple of weeks.

-John L.

[oz]

Originally posted by John L
The Weather is also done from Baltimore even thou it is the Milwaukee forecast, the weather person is doing it from a studio in Baltimore, Md.

It doesn’t matter to me where the weather is “forecasted.” I can do the same job by looking at the NWS maps on the internet, and I might get the forecast correct 50% of the time too.