International News Presentation: Past and Present

Interesting! I see the comments on YouTube are just about equally divided about the merits of this updated look.

What does everyone here think? I like the virtual control room at the very beginning, and the graphics still look clean and modern, but I'm not sure about the new-style zoom after the opening sequence.

For comparison, here's ZDF's "original new look" from last year:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRujrCZF8QM

not a fan. I hate virtual sets and anything to do with virtual sets.

I certainly understand your feelings, but what makes ZDF's set better than most other virtual sets in my view is that it embraces its "virtuality" -- in other words, it doesn't try to convince viewers that it's a real, physical set.

True. I just find virtual sets make for weird and uncomfortable viewing. Same with ITN.

Europe is so far ahead in style, architecture, design and so on that their love affair with virtual sets is strange, in my opinion!

http://i27.tinypic.com/69i0yd.jpg

30 minutes of this would be painful

And, I guess there is a sort of tangible reason that I can think of for disliking these sets, apart from visually. I feel there is more immediacy and more permission for immediacy in a real set. Something about these looks makes it rehearsed, difficult to suddenly slide into breaking news, quickly bring in a guest or two, show some info in an impromptu or unusual way on the set... all those would seem much easier and faster to do in a real set.. and maybe that bugs me, I dunno!

Here's another German virtual set, this one from the news channel n-tv :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOCMo8vSkDg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v302/az2si/3a4b4a08.jpg



I see your logic. This could well be why I still like open-plan newsroom sets -- they tend to convey that feeling of immediacy very effectively.

What do male news anchors wear from the waist down when it gets hot inside the studio? Not much, at least that's what this clip from POP TV in Slovenia indicates:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrLoZnPZNEQ

Back on topic, here's a French-style virtual set from M6:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vmUATfxPgU

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v302/az2si/c54a4f62.jpg

Cranking up our time machine and traveling 30 years back in time: here's the news from the US state of Minnesota recorded in 1980 (the clip includes a news tease and continuity):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8GJMQ57snM

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v302/az2si/29bc82f1.jpg

QTQ, Brisbane; Nine News Queensland (as seen on WIN Queensland), Australia, 2010:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wgkNRHPf7M

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v302/az2si/6643187c.jpg

Is the following the coolest looking, most elegant morning show you've ever seen or what!
Canal Plus, France, 2010:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhmXh8lDrKA

I thought you'd get a kick out of this, WWU. The CBS standardized graphics, designed by Giant Octopus, are making their rounds. Usually, the look of regional news is only standardized in Europe, but I guess CBS wants a consistent look for many of their stations, too.

WCBS in New York debuted these graphics, which were basically just a refresh of their old ones, in April.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4141/4877452332_3f83ff3a14_z.jpg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bO3KLstFV2g

KCBS in Los Angeles switched to them the same day.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4097/4877452406_89cb5e2f95_z.jpg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJcE0uR4_6I

KCNC in Denver got the new package about a month later, but they kept their theme music.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4114/4876841999_ed423403ab_z.jpg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjoDqdY6DFU

KTVT in Dallas adopted the new look in June and use the original version of the CBS Enforcer theme.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4140/4876842071_70bd1ae662_z.jpg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIPkFUGXZqE

KCAL, KCBS' sister station in Los Angeles, got something similar, but since they're an independent station, not a CBS affiliate, they use different music and tinkered with the graphics to remove the CBS eye and added some nice shades of gold.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4095/4877452580_45c11a4bc1_z.jpg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sSSthbGYNs

WBBM in Chicago switched to the new graphics about two weeks ago and also switched to the new version of the CBS Enforcer theme.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4094/4877452636_93ec9fd703_z.jpg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3v1mbUyHEA

WFOR in Miami changed today. While there isn't any video of it on YouTube yet, I watched the live stream, and they kept their music, but changed their logo to look like KCNC's in Denver:
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs216.snc4/39149_456824073412_44351298412_6242027_4269361_n.jpg

KYW in Philadelphia is switching soon, and because KYW and KOVR in Sacramento currently use the same graphics, I wouldn't be surprised if KOVR got the new graphics too.

The only stations that haven't switched to this are KPIX in San Francisco (but it seems likely they'll switch), WCCO in Minneapolis, KDKA in Pittsburgh, WJZ in Baltimore, and WBZ in Boston, who debuted their own new graphics this week:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4143/4876842257_3c72a69195_z.jpg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ihf5zccRq4k

The O&O look isn't that bad-I think WBBM has the best version of it, even though their old look was better: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CW0OCmShrqk&feature=related

WCBS's version is awful-Arial font, boring open visuals, let alone the fact that it's basically the same look from 2007.

Actually, every station uses Arial. Someone who works at CBS told me that WCBS likes Arial as a font, and because the O&O look is based off of WCBS, that's the status quo. Stations can change the font, but none of them have, unfortunately.

Aside from the lower thirds and messy bug, I like it too.