Cartoons! http://www.tvnewscheck.com/articles/2010/08/02/daily.13/ Sneak Peek At KIAH's Anchor-Less News By Wayne Lorentz TVNewsCheck, Aug 2 2010, 3:29 PM ET Those looking for a truly different spin on local TV news will apparently not be disappointed by Tribune Broadcasting's experiment in KIAH Houston later this year. According to people who have seen the pilot of the NewsFix format produced at Tribune's WPIX New York under the directon of Chief Innovation Officer Lee Abrams, it casts off the familiar anchor-reporter paradigm and replaces it with a lot of animated graphics and man-on-the-street sound bites. In one story, the narrator refers to terrorists as "bozos." In another, a clip of fictional boxer Ivan Drago from Rocky IV is mixed into a story about the West getting tough with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. There are even clips from cartoon shows like Ren and Stimpy and animations from the JibJab website. The pilot starts with a map of the Houston area with scattered icons representing the news stories to come. As the narrator introduces a story, an icon animates to reveal a series of clips with natural sound and sound bites to tell it. The video then squeezes back to a graphic screen, the narrator introduces the next clip and another icon comes to life. Weather is handled with a split screen. One half shows dripping water; the other displays text, while a soothing voice delivers the forecast. Sports receive a similar split-screen treatment, with scores side-by-side with game highlights. "It will be a fast-paced news product and we will be breaking with local news conventions," KIAH General Manager Roger Bare explained in a memo to employees. Bare, who briefly outlined the format for TVNewsCheck last week, could not be reached for further comment. Abrams has declined to be interviewed. Even though Houston is the nation's 10th-largest TV market, Tribune appears to have little to lose by going with this radical approach. The CW affiliate's newscasts are buried in last place. Still, a station employee calls the new format edict from headquarters "a punch in the gut," noting that both ratings and morale have been improving lately. The timing of the launch of a no-anchor news show is also proving to be a curiosity. According to employees, KIAH has just invested in a news set, HD cameras and switcher, and a video server system. The station now has three live trucks for a show that may not have any live reports. Its main female anchor, Mia Gradney, has been the focus of a high-profile billboard advertising campaign along Houston freeways with the tagline "Watch me at 9." There has been no official announcement about whether Gradney will be the voice of the narrator for NewsFix, but she is reportedly under contract with the station for at least another year. The employees say Tribune initially planned to launch the experiment at its Dallas station, KDAF, but was rebuffed by management there. KIAH was a likely alternative since it is currently without a news director. KyAnn Lewis left last May for a job on Acme Communications' Daily Buzz. The station recently launched a search for a "imaginator" to spearhead the effort. The job listing itself has generated a lot of buzz in Houston media circles. It seeks a person who "knows that most local TV news sucks," "has well honed B.S. radar," and "can survive and prosper in a modern high brilliance standards rock n roll culture." It also explains, "Experience in running a TV newsroom is not necessary and might actually be detrimental." Tribune is far from the only station shaking up its newsrooms in search of ratings in an increasingly fragmented media landscape. But unlike those at many other stations, the KIAH shakeup may not involve any layoffs. In session with staffers this past Friday, according to people in the room, Bare explained that the new method of delivering news means the station will need more writers than it has now, and that no firings are planned. But anchors and reporters are being invited to "reinvent themselves" and take part in producing regular feature packages, since the day-to-day news will be handled largely by one-man-band photojournalists, the employees said. Some in the audience had misgivings about the execution of the show. "The anchors are often the safety net when something goes wrong," said one employee. If a piece of equipment fails, it is the anchor — the public face of most TV stations — who tosses to a commercial break with a reassuring, "We'll be right back after this," said one source. Moreover, there are concerns about covering breaking news in a market where a TV newsroom's public reputation can be made or destroyed by its performance during hurricanes and other emergencies. Based on the pilot shown to KIAH staff, some technical employees believe the station may give up the whole concept of live news and produce the news ahead of its 9 p.m. air time, the employee said. Others believe they can make it work, but would like to see the station bid a respectful good-bye to its current news product by signing off 39 News at Nine entirely for a few months while the new format is developed in-house. They believe it will yield a better product since the station's already small news department can ill afford to dedicate employees to both shows simultaneously. They also believe making a clean break between 39 News and 39 NewsFix will help preserve the department's journalistic integrity.
So our news will looks like this now? <object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/lJ9m1an-pQ8&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/lJ9m1an-pQ8&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object> China strikes again! Not that anyone watches the news on chan. 39 anyway, or local news in general for that matter.
New morning show: <iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/23055055?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="600" height="425" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/23055055">EYE OPENER LAUNCH PROMO</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/tribunecentral">Creative Group | Central U.S.</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
^ I give that show about 3 months, then it's "do away with on-camera morning show hosts"... anyone want to start a pot...?
You'll probably like this promo for a couple of reasons: <iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/23056881?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="600" height="425" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/23056881">EYE OPENER ID's with LOCAL TALENT</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/tribunecentral">Creative Group | Central U.S.</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
I hope things don't turn ugly. <iframe width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/UQ7dUlRUJIM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Never in my life have I seen such extreme nippage. Do want. Could it somehow be the cut of her dress? Sometimes the seams can give that effect if they meet in the right place. This may require repeated viewings. We cannot stop until we have an answer.
I wonder if there's a public service/information programming requirement that makes news broadcasts necessary, especially as part of CW. Otherwise, they may just be making programming that's a hair cheaper than whatever scale ad time goes for at that time slot. I really think the UHF channels should get a break on FCC/decency standards, otherwise I wonder how they actually compete.
Funny, probably what local news promos should be like nowadays, but skeptical of anything different going on here.
I actually watched NewsFix for the first time ever last week, and it was like watching news geared towards mentally-challenged, crack addicted, ADD sufferers. The whole thing smacks of "hip" lingo, and cheap animations to keep you engaged. If this is what the future of broadcasting is headed towards, this country is dumber than I thought. Also, that video of Mia Gradney makes my heart feel good.....amongst other things.
Click on the video's title, then on the right side of the Vimeo web page, there's a "download this file" link... 10mb 1080i HD file will download and play for us. http://vimeo.com/download/video:486...ed16053f6&uh=f30ef111c6e2443aef4446179da5c198 is the link I got. (see if it works for you that's what Mia said ) Spoiler I'm afraid it's the dress, but we don't care.
