WNBC soon to be RIP?

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nitrah55 · #1 Post by **nitrah55** » Wed May 07, 2008 11:35 am

WNBC is the New York City television station owned by NBC. Its offices and studios are at 30 Rockefeller Center, just like the NBC network.

NBC today announced that they will start a 24-hour local New York news channel, using the personnel from WNBC. The news channel will air on cable outlets in the New York City area.

Here's a quote from the Times story:

"Mr. Wallace [president of local media for NBC] said local television 'has a perception issue right now as to whether it is a sustainable business long term.' Once a huge generator of cash for media companies, local stations, whose audiences are 'eroding and aging,' have become 'slow-growth business,' Mr. Wallace said, now averaging between 1 percent and 3 percent revenue growth.

"'We look at our content and we believe it’s relevant content,' Mr. Wallace said. 'It’s just not convenient because of the way people’s lives have changed with technology.'

"WNBC will continue to broadcast local newscasts but Mr. Wallace said the new structure for local news 'will be organized around the content, not the show.' The Channel 4 (WNBC) newscasts will be simulcast on the new channel, which will be called New York’s Newschannel. Mr. Wallace said he was hoping for a November start to the channel."

NBC does not intend to hire any new people for this 24-hour news channel, just re-train and re-assign the people they have now.

If this works, the article says, NBC will make the same changes at the other TV stations it owns- it currently owns 10, and is looking to sell two of them.

This change will include taking the designation "WNBC" off the web site for the broadcast station, and call it "NBC New York." This makes it sound like the local station will become more and more a pipeline for network programming, and not much else.

When I was a young'n, there were 3 networks broadcasting in black and white. It's a brave new world out there.

mellytu74 · #2 Post by **mellytu74** » Wed May 07, 2008 2:14 pm

Hokey smoke!

5LD · #3 Post by **5LD** » Wed May 07, 2008 6:36 pm

Do you think this is to compete with NY1?

Seems like it to me but I ain't there anymo to see for myself.....

nitrah55 · #4 Post by **nitrah55** » Thu May 08, 2008 8:24 am

5LD wrote:Do you think this is to compete with NY1?

Seems like it to me but I ain't there anymo to see for myself.....

Somewhat, but NY1's only on carriers in NYC, and this will be on cable systems throughout The Greater New York Area, as we call it around here.

Which makes me wonder, what would be described as The Lousier New York Area?

Marley...reply before someone else does.

gsabc · #5 Post by **gsabc** » Thu May 08, 2008 9:36 am

nitrah55 wrote:
5LD wrote:Do you think this is to compete with NY1?

Seems like it to me but I ain't there anymo to see for myself.....
Somewhat, but NY1's only on carriers in NYC, and this will be on cable systems throughout The Greater New York Area, as we call it around here.

Which makes me wonder, what would be described as The Lousier New York Area?

Marley...reply before someone else does.

Too late.

Newark.