Did an upgrade to the software that powers the blog.
I kind of jumped the gun to have the latest and (not so) greatest and there are already problems cropping up.
You may experience either pages slowing down, or files downloading at turtle pace or maybe both.
Monthly Archive for December, 2005
Looks like the pastel colors on CNBC are gone, and more 3D tricks have been added. TVnewser reports viewers hate it
- Just saw a promo for Squawk Box - looks like CNBC brought back the 3D graphics with blue and chrome like they had around 2003 when they moved to the new studios. I personally thought the previous graphics looked like something you’d see on the Today Show and most of them just didn’t make much sense. They had all these arrows and circles swirling around for no apparent reason
- They’ve moved the Walstreet stripe from the right side of the screen to the top. It now looks like something you’d see on Nascar. But at least it’s out of the screen and doesn’t get in the way of what’s on the screen
Has anyone seen promos on 7 in the last few weeks? I’m talking image campaigns, not the Habitat for Humanity or the promos for newscast reports. They don’t even have a promo for yesterday’s coverage of the plane crash which is a bit unusual. Unless I’ve missed them
Update - they are having new promos out soon. The new Creative Services Director is in charge. He comes from WHDH so it would be interesting to see what he comes up with.
A rather fast preview of what the new features on CBS4.com are. They used that white frame gimmick from the HP commercials to illustrate the “save it” feature on the site 
- What’s New on CBS4.com
Dave Malkoff is also the one handling the technology blog - Technology Blog and currently there’s an interesting explanation of how the edited the report on the new CBS4.com
Anonymous tipster says:
Maggie Rodriguez will appear as herself and on CBS4 News during Monday night’s CSI: Miami at 10 p.m. You can see her, and CBS4 News graphics featured in the show’s promo on CBS.com
Anonymous emailer says: 7;s Marilyn Mitzel Fired. check the website; bio’s gone
I think, I’m not sure, but this isn’t it around the time her contract was up for renewal? I could be wrong.
Will try to get more info
Update 10:04pm - Anon emailer says Mitzel was let go. WSVN allegedly told her the station was moving in a different direction. The emailer also said that she is already calling stations in the market.
So I guess my gut feeling was right when WHDH let go of Todd Gross saying the station was moving in a different direction that someone at WSVN would also be let go. Or is this reason just a nicer way for TV stations to gently get rid of people they don’t want anymore?
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Earlier -WHDH fires long time weatherman
Marylin Mitzel bio - /Google cache/
There seem to be problems with the comments. Some comments get flagged as spam even though they are not. If your comment doesn’t appear immediately it’s probably the spam system that cought it and I’ll have to manually approve it first.
Palm Beach FOX affiliate WFLX will have a redesigned website soon. WorldNow has announced they’ll be introducing new design and publishing tools. FOX29’s website is part of WorldNow and in the next 3-6 months it will have the updated look.
10 stations around the US have received the update so far, here’s how they look: KPTV, KXAN, WAFF, WATE, WHOTV, WTHR, WAVE3, WNEM, WNEP, WOODTV
(via LostRemote) New Tools and Publishing Features Allow Sites to Differentiate and Customize
WB39’s website has a new look. Tribune Broadcasting are updating all of their station’s web sites with the new look and WB39 is one of them.
Check it out
WTVT-FOX13 Tampa is owned and operated by Newscorp. They’ve just introduced an 11pm newscast called “News Edge”, a first for a FOX O&O station. The newscast is very fast paced with flashy graphics and dramatic music that closely resembles Fox News.
I think it’s a preview of what’s to come to other owned and operated station by Newscorp. Especially considering that the same people who run Fox News are in charge here as well
Even WTVT’s slogan is “The Most Powerful Station in Local News”
Florida News Center has a few screen and video caps from the broadcast.
$5.36 million fine for DirecTV because they called people who had registered their phone numbers with the “Do not call” registry.
Score one for the annoyed by telemarketing bullshit.
Yahoo news
DirecTV to Pay for Do-Not-Call Violations
I’ll be doing some much needed blog maintenance in the next few days. Mainly cleaning up old links and stuff that should be deleted because right now this blog is sitting at 1.3GB space which is a pain to download for backup.
Also a new disclaimer policy will be posted
If you load the site during the maintenance time and it gives you a blank white page just come back a bit later.
Max from BTVN just alerted me that WSVN sister station WHDH has promoted Pete Bouchard to chief meteorologist. Bouchard, who was previously the morning meteorologist, replaces the recently departed Todd Gross.
(via LostRemote) NYTimes reporting MSNBC have budgeted $1 million to advertise Countdown, Live & Direct and Scarborough Country on the web only. On Wednesday Slate.com, Washingtonpost.com and Newsweek.com will only serve advertising for MSNBC the whole day.
They’ll go a bit more advanced and use Google AdWords to buy keywords for “viral video” that will show up during Google searches. Although I’m not really sure people searching for “viral video” would think of MSNBC first.
NYTimes
To Promote a Cable Network, a Plan to Inundate the Internet
Saudi billionare Al-waleed bin Talal who has an “influential number” of voting shares in News Corp, the owners of Fox News, has allegedly made Fox News change their coverage the french riots.
in an interview Al-waleed said he called Fox News “as a viewer” to complain about coverage of “The Muslim riots” and convinced Fox News to change their coverage because “they were not Muslim riots but riots against poverty and indequality”.
Dubai-based newspaper Khaleej Times reported Al-waleed has said he personally called Rupert Murdoch to complain and that “”After a short while, there was a change” in Fox News’ coverage.
Accuracy in Media is now calling for a full inquiry into the report because it “underscores the danger of giving foreign interests a significant financial stake in U.S. media companies,”
Tracking promos
Besides 7, are the other 3 stations running any year-in-review promos?
My DVR is full but so far I haven’t come accross anything from 4 6 or 10