North American Affilliates/Network Set Design

Nice to see the sit-up tv sets being reused in the US.

WTHR-13 NBC Indianapolis Debut new set moments ago.
http://www.wthr.com/category/238092/wthr-eyewitness-news-live
This a network-style Clickspring set. I personally dont like wood. But there are quite a few elements on this set I like. The lighting from what i've seen is quite good. And it adds depth to the background materials.
WTHR updated their logo and graphics. Debut a somewhat cleaning modern look. The graphics package is quite nice and simple and unfussy. But a slightest bit of sparkle in the open..not too much.
The set looks good on air. Nice result. Since it was designed by Clickspring...you can get a whiff of the new Weather Channel sets in this WTHR set.

http://wthr.images.worldnow.com/images/6171287_G.jpg
http://wthr.images.worldnow.com/images/6171288_G.jpg
http://wthr.images.worldnow.com/images/6171293_G.jpg

I loath wood..but i do like this desk

KNXV -15 ABC Phoenix - Looks good.
http://www.newscaststudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/ncs_knxv_041.jpg

A fairly uninspiring new studio for independent station KRON 4 in San Francisco - who have moved into the same building as KGO, the local ABC affiliate. But an improvement on their very dated old studio in any case.

http://www.newscaststudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/ncs_kron_set_051.jpg

http://www.newscaststudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/ncs_kron_set_01.jpg

http://www.newscaststudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/ncs_kron_set_07.jpg

Images from NewscastStudio: http://www.newscaststudio.com/2014/12/16/san-francisco-station-broadcasts-from-new-location/

I actually like the desk. I dont like the "wing" walls on either side of the centre "anchor montior". Having said that is KRON4 is quite unique in that its 100% independent with a robust newsteam.

I think the image behind the desk is just a duratrans rather than a monitor. It doesn't seem to move.

They definitely do a lot of news for an independent station - 6 hours in the morning, plus 5-7pm, 8pm and 11pm.

KRON is unique - yes, robust newsteam - not so much. KRON was a really respectable station as the largest NBC affiliate not owned by NBC until about fifteen years ago. NBC wanted to buy it badly and got into a bidding war with the station's owner, Young Broadcasting. Young paid over $800 million for it — more than any other station sale in history, including today. NBC then imposed a bunch of terms on their affiliation renewal shortly afterward, but Young told them to pound sand and thought that they could do well without NBC, so NBC pulled their affiliation. The problem is, Young didn't actually have the money that they paid for the station, and KRON became worthless without a major network affiliation. Ratings plummeted, Young went into bankruptcy protection and sold off most of their other stations, but it wasn't until they merged with Media General in the last few years when they were able to finally restructure their debt and sell KRON's large and outdated studio that sits on an expensive piece of real estate in San Francisco.

So what you see now is an extended newscast schedule from a newsroom that has been repeatedly been cut and cut down to a skeleton staff. Sure, they have six hours of morning news, but about 70% of it is continuous weather and traffic newscasts and other low-cost filler content. They only have one live truck, so almost anything that they run resembling local news is taped and/or several hours old, and one of their "signature" segments is called "People Behaving Badly," which you can imagine the sort of journalistic excellence that involves. Also, in another effort to make money, they sell extended ad spaces sprinkled throughout their newscasts for sponsored segments that they produce for advertisers. They're not directly in the newscast, but they're produced by KRON and look pretty similar, with the only difference being that the lower thirds are blue.

It's a tragic story watching a reputable station crash to last place, though I'm glad they at least moved to a new facility, even if they're sharing it with a competitor. I'm also surprised that they even paid for a new set that turned out somewhat decent.

Too bad KRON couldn't do what KTVK did in Phoenix. After losing its ABC affiliation, KTVK expanded its news operation and was, by the turn of the century, more profitable as an independent than when it had been as a network affiliate.

That was a nasty dragged out affair. I guess the San Jose station was the benefactor. Which is weird for that station not to be HQd in SF. But its goofy the way NBC brands it. But thats my opinion.

3 is pretty amazing what they are able to do without a network affiliation. Well lets see what WISH 8 is going to be able to do in Indy when they lose their affiliation.

EDIT - WISH 8 just picked up the Indy affiliation for CW. So they will have some first run programming.

WSNS 44 Chicago Telemundo - (Telemundo - 2nd largest US Spanish lang. network, NBC owned)
This channel is located in the NBC Tower and shares a space with WMAQ 5 the Chicago NBC affilate. The sets are next to each other as is the newsrooms. They use the live tower cam beauty shot that WMAQ should be using rather than the live "quake-cam" they currently use. Quite a simple set. Yet it looks good on air.
http://forums.tvnewstalk.net/uploads/monthly_12_2014/post-2048-0-60480600-1419308992.jpg
http://www.newscaststudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/chicagotele.png

CNN Domestic - behind the cameras of the CNN NY Bureau main broadcast space that has effectively replaced CNN Center