Here is what I am getting from deep inside Fox 13 after a major staff meeting:
Staffers were left in shock over these changes that came out of the blue. A couple of layoffs, positions and schedules also changing for some staff.
Emphasis will be on streaming not linear with 4-5-8-9-10 TV newscasts having a ONLY a fresh A block and the remainder of the newscast repeated across those hours. In other words the back halves of the shows don't change and I am told that repeat section will be called 'news magaine,' likely populated by longer community interviews and feature stories that hold. Only the 4 will be a full base show laid down to sub out A block. Live Desk to be manned most of the day for quick updates. Broadcast stations don't generally rerun large sections of newscasts in key day parts. We shall see. Stay tuned.
If I'm understanding this correctly, everything but the A block of the 4pm, 5pm, 8pm, 9pm, and 10pm newscasts will be repeated across those shows. Will these segments be live during the 4pm newscast before they begin repeating in the 5pm hour? Or will these segments be recorded before the 4pm newscast even begins?
ReplyDeleteAlso, will some of these segments be either live during the 8pm newscast or updated before the 8pm newscast so that they are more up-to-date for viewers later in the evening? Or will they be fully repeated from the 4pm newscast with no updates?
Additionally, do we know how Fox 13 will handle breaking news and severe weather alerts that will inevitably occur during the portions of these newscasts that are repeated from previous hours? Will these all be made to wait until the top of the next hour?
I can speak to this from experience running NWCN and before that a regional cable in DC. You have to lay down a full base newscast so that you can sub out sections later. So the 4 pm would be the base here, with the ability to keep the back halves of the shows consistent while updating news and a weather pop in the top block. Not an new idea at all, but not usually done by broadcasters. Big breaking news and severe weather will cause overrides to what is running at times or be supplemented by streaming, which is the emphasis here by Fox 13 anyway. Hope that helps.
ReplyDeleteYour explanation helps a lot in making sense of what they're aiming to do. They would hardly be a "news" station if they weren't keeping things somewhat current, so they have to be able to sub out sections or override planned content as needed.
DeleteI do have a couple more questions, if you don't mind.
1. By "weather pop", are you referring to an initial weather segment ("forecast first" and that sort of thing) or a full/main weather segment?
2. Since they almost always show live elements (radar, towercam, etc.) in the main weather segment, will that portion of the newscast continue to be live, even if its not in the A block? Or are we potentially going to get the main weather segment in the A block?
Thank you for informing us about the changes Fox 13 announced today, and a double thank you for helping us better understand the ins and outs of this business. It is greatly appreciated.
I would say a weather pop would 1:00-1:10 with one towercam, radar, and two gfx, one overnight snapshot and one morning with conditions and temps. Quick and dirty. The main weather in the body of the newscasts would have the full deal 3:00 each most likeluwith 10-day outlooks, trends and any national weather to discuss. So, three weather hits for the hour, one in the A block and a couple later, say at 20 and 40 minutes in. You could also have a :30 pop before end credits. When I worked in cable, we had "fixes." You could go into a tape portion and fix copy or add video in any block. This is not a new thing and with technology as it is, I would surmise "fixes" are even off of servers, etc.
DeleteWith today's technology, I suppose you could potentially override a tape portion to add in a live towercam shot or live radar loop, so long as the audio from earlier matches up. That would help make the newscast look more "live" than it actually will be. Of course, with live towercam images and radar available on Fox 13's website and mobile app, there might not be a real need or desire to do this.
DeleteAt some point, AI anchors and reporters will populate perhaps the repeated portions of the shows (to be referred to as 'news magazine' on Fox 13). It still a ways down the road but there will be a 'rise of the machines."
ReplyDelete