I heard this morning that KPTV will add another newscast (at 5PM) and their sister station, KPDX will add a 8PM newscast this fall. If this is true, KPDX will have to move their MyNetworkTV programming at 9PM or later.

Also, KGW will add a 7PM newscast in the fall. The KGW information is a few weeks old, but you can see the trend in television news. While station groups nationally are laying off their employees, it seems that Portland TV news is growing in programming. So, will adding more news help these stations?

How can this last with the eroding economy?
Newsgathering is very expensive.
Give em 6 months and then cutbacks?

More news means more opportunities to spoil this rare and beautiful Portland weather with reminders of just how sh!tty being an American is these days.

No it doesn't. It just means more hours that my TV will not be turned on. Hmmmmmmmm....maybe I will be outside instead, enjoying a little sun and blue sky while getting rained on at the same time! Gotta love the PNW!

If I want to feel shitty, I will turn on chanel 12 news at 10.

I would go crazy If i didn't keep up with the Meth reports, the rape reports, and dirty dining.
Good info to feed the soul.
If it wasn't for all those Meth heads in Portland, Channel 12 would have no news to give us since that is 90% of the news each night.

"Newsgathering is very expensive."

On the other hand, maybe the cost of other programming has gone up.

Still, blow dried guys and dolls are a dime a dozen and buildings on fire can be pulled off "off the bird" sprinkle in some Britnany and a few Wanted mug shots, PRESTO!, instant 30-min news bloc.

I don't even bother with TV news anymore. I used to flip it on when curious about the weather but not anymore. Can't see suffering through that when local weather is just a mouse click away and available right when I want it!

We are a swing state. There is an election in November. Local news is a very, very attractive time buy for politicians. One political party is particularly fond of Fox's slant on the news.

You may place your bets now on how many of these added newscasts will survive into the new year!

I get so tired of the promos of what's coming up (about stories that never seem to come up)! "Deadly heatwave approaches...details at 11!"
I go to bed at 10.
It would be interesting to look at cumulative cable total news viewing vs local over the air news totals. I know that Fox News doesn't beat any local channel by itself but when you add the NWNC, CNBC, and CNN then how many bodies do you have?
I've always questioned a 5pm newscast. How many commuters get home by 5? The News Hour at 7 seems about right if you want to dedicate an hour to see what happened during the day. Plus, if it was really that important, it was being updated all day long on your homepage!!

If KGW is smart they will package there 7pm slot into more of an old PM Magazine style show.

As for KPDX, I would imagine regardless of how big or small MyNetworkTV is that they have certain restrictions or rules on preempting programming. I can see it being a potential problem on Friday nights as the powerful WWE will be moving Smackdown from CW to MyNetworkTV, in addition to the fact that WWE has already made the move of two of there most vital longterm stars to Smackdown.

The political ad buying angle is pretty interesting and one that I had not considered before. However, these newscasts are nothing that Edward R. Murrow would be proud of.

All you have to do is watch one hour-long local newscast to realize that there isn't anything resembling local news.

(Last night 2 did a story about a hot air balloon that came down in a (maple/oak?) tree in Ohio. The balloonists had to be rescued by firemen. There were NO injuries. There was no film of the rescue--just film of the deflated balloon in a tree. NOTNEWS from beyond the NW!"

These added timeslots are nothing more than local ad time delivery systems.

I suspect that outside of "The News Hour"/PBS and a few shows like "Meet the Press" -- there is nothing that Edward R. Murrow would recognize as, or consider, news.

I've finally accepted TV news for what it really is...a babe delivery system.
I refuse to watch much Fox but they seem to have the most porcelain chicks whenever I flip by. Suzanne Malveoux (sp) on CNN VA-VA-VOOM!!!

True enough.

So, it's entertainment that happens to still kind of sort of look like news.

Why not just bite the bullet then? Newscasts are boring as hell these days.

So suck it up, admit that news-tainment is where it's at, and post up some strong personalities that present news + commentary. Pick a few, who are complex enough to still entertain and just go!

It will all work just like Lars does. Pissed people calling in to vent still makes the money same as happy people calling to affirm does.

Run the ads like no other, and for bonus points have the commentary poke at them, just like the blogs do.

Would be a political / pro wrestling free for all.

Feeling a bit journalistic? Great, have the commentary clearly differentiated from the news like Olberman does.

Only worried about the money, just blend it together like FOX does and get people talking.

...or just open up a lotta slots, capture the ads like Tdanner says, and close them down when the thrill is gone.

The advantage of just doing news-tainment is that the hosts may well get popular enough to keep on the air afterword!

I never watch a news cast. Just can't. It's torture.

I would so totally tune in for something like that. Oregon people, putting their Oregon spin on both national and local politics, with some latitude to actually entertain with it, advocate with it (which is really what it's all about for the entertainment factor), would see some sparks fly, be thought provoking too.

First station that does it, RULES. The others will be me too wanna bes and I would totally run with that as well. Plug the hell out of the fact that KXXX, the station that grew a pair, got after it and delivered some entertaining and informative programming that makes that antenna worth it.

I like the newsbot on 970

http://imgsrv.970.am/image/kcmd-/UserFiles/Image/newsbot7521.jpg

It's all about branding when it comes to TV news. The more your brand is out there, the bigger it gets, the higher the ratings, and the more revenue. However, if you try to watch all these news shows at once it becomes complete and total saturation with repetition of stories, and of course weather "hits" every 10-12 minutes. And those weather hits are very much a part of the branding. "Your First Alert Double Doppler Viper Stormtracker forecast is next!"

This news trend might have something to do with TV trying to grab younger viewers. Here's a interesting article in Variety about network TVs aging demographic.

http://www.variety.com/VR1117988273.html

What I find fascinating about looking at the schedule for the old KPTV and other television stations in the 1950s is that the nightly newscast back then was only 15 minutes long! I have never watched a kinescope of one of these early television newscasts, so I don't know how they were able to make them so short. Does anyone on this board know? I would suspect that they had few, if any, commercial breaks, and that very little footage of news actualities was used.

Alfredo, I wasn't around either but I have seen video of local newscasts from the 50's & 60's. You are correct, little footage and the anchorman (women did not do this job then)would often just read in front of the camera. It was radio on TV for the most part. Definitely a far cry from today's graphics, video jumps, and anchors moving around the set.

How were they able to make them so short? My guess is that the networks had more power then and they demanded more evening and late night time. The other answer was TV news departments, even in larger cities, had few staff.

The big change in local TV news started in the 1960's when a guy by the name of Al Primo invented the "Eyewitness News" format that brought multiple anchors, a faster pace, and the so-called "happy talk" format. By the end of the decade this format was operating on most of the ABC owned and operated stations such as WABC New York, KABC Los Angeles, and WLS Chicago. Eventually the style took hold on many, if not most, stations in the 70's.

If the average television viewer is 50 yet the industry wants to attract a younger demo it doesn't make any sense to me to increase news coverage as in almost all cases but the extreme does the younger demo watch newsbroadcasts especially local and network news.

When it all comes down to it, it may be a serious struggle for control in general between an older guard who wants to remain in control and thinks they now whats best and the younger generation who if given the chance probally has new and fresh ideas that would end up more effective and successful than those of the old codgers still in charge.

Had dinner over the weekend with a local TV news exec. The person thought I had been wildly optimistic in assuming that the additional newscasts would survive until the new year. The person suggested that the week after the elections was more like it.

What I don't under stand is why don't more of the FM music stations have a news segment on their morning shows. And I'm NOT talking about the celebrity gossip CRAP, Im talking REAL NEWS!
Im surprised stations like the Buzz or Charlies doesn't have a news segment on the show. I don't buy the fact that these SOCCER MOMS don't want to be kept up with the latest headlines. They have kids, they WANT to know whats going on BESIDES who Brittney Spears slept with or how much of a skank Paris Hilton IS. Soccer moms should be given more credit, Its kind of an insult to the Soccer moms to think that they just want to hear the celebrity trash. Now Im not saying they don't want to hear about how big of a skank Paris Hilton is, BUT I would also think they do care about REAL NEWS. But than again, Im not a soccer mom, (At least last time I checked I'm not)

Soccer Moms are not dumb, but It seems like most program directors think they are. The "dumbing down" of the news to ONLY talking about Celebrity trash makes soccer moms look like unintelligent Bimbos who's only purpose in life is to find out the latest gossip on K-fed.

The music stations on FM dropped news when the FCC stopped requiring it in the late 1980s. The conglomerate mentality seems to be, "if you want news, flip over to one of our news/talk outlets on AM."

Im not talking about a 15 minute news segment, BUT what I am taking about is someone going over the headlines for maybe 2 minutes every couple of hours on the morning show. Is that too much to ask for? Sheesh!

We live in a pretty shady society when a soccer mom can tell you how many people Paris Hilton has slept with, but have no clue THAT WE HAVE A WAR GOING ON IN IRAQ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Soccer Moms are not dumb!"- I'm going to make a bumper sticker with that saying on it and plaster it on the back of my Yugo!

I've bitten my tongue long enough regarding KPTV's 10 o'clock News.

I can't take it any more.

I remember when, under previous ownership, KPTV had a very responsible newscast. It is obvious now, however, that the goal is to give as many sensational CRIME stories as possible during the first 15 minutes.

I publish a local newspaper for a specific demographic, and believe me, I RARELY criticize fellow newsgatherers, whether in broadcast or print. Most are working their tails off under increasingly tight budgets and limited staff.

But whoever is setting the guidelines for 12's news coverage now should be ASHAMED. The way the program opens is not balanced journalism. And I imagine Wayne Garcia isn't very happy about having to deliver it...

My two cents...

Johnf, remember when KIRO-TV in our hometown of Seattle went with the crime angle in the 80's? Sad to say, that was probably the last time KIRO had decent ratings. A commentary on the state of TV news, but it isn't new.

Right with you, johnf... KPTV news is just about as bad as it gets. If their ratings are good, it's a sad commentary on "joe & jane viewer". Sometimes you can almost see the involuntary cringing on the anchors faces.

As an aside, I've never seen a newscast with so many consistent mistakes... like misspellings in the crawlers and storyboards; always leaving (I'm guessing here) the HD ratio up when they go to a studio shot, making the anchors looking stretched-out and distorted; mispronunciations of what should be common NW names... and the list goes on.

If this is what passes for contemporary journalism, count me out.

While I find fox 12's news coverage lacking, you can't argue with their viewership. I think the real culprit is the executives who realized years ago that news should be entertainment and marketed and make as much money as possible the cheapest way possible. Doing crime stories doesn't take much imagination or work at all. They can easily be done.

Also, look at the O-J Simpson trial. There were stations that dropped daily coverage and were then criticized by listeners and viewers wanting coverage, so clearly there is some kind of demand for the sensationalistic story. I don't think you can just single out 12. There are plenty of tv stations that do silly dog stories all the time. Are those really any more newsworthy?

News on television? That would be unique!

In response to Paul's comment, I moved from the Puget Sound area to Oregon in 1985, so may have missed that particular chapter in KIRO news. Was that during the much-hyped "news out of the box" format?

I'm old enough that I remember when KIRO launched the Eyewitness News format in the late 60s or early 70s with anchorman Clif Kirk. I enjoyed that newscast.

I know Brooks Burford was at KIRO-TV for a time. Maybe he has some insights on local TV news then and TV news now....?

John, I believe the crime era for KIRO was somewhere in the mid-80's, you may have just missed it. But it wasn't just crime, I remember one series on satanic worship that got media watchers at the time worked up in a lather as to how KIRO's approach was ruining the, up until then, quality Seattle media scene.

The disasterous KIRO "out of the box" format came around '93 if memory serves. Even though it was a forerunner to some of the "anchor roaming" we see today, this experiment was a mess. The anchors awkwardly didn't know where to stand, the set was cluttered, the logo hard to read...I don't think it lasted more than six months! They quickly went back to a "in the box" format. Not too long after that they lost their CBS affiliation, only to get it back a couple years later. The ratings have never recovered and some blame the "out of the box" move.

As a kid, I also remember the Eyewitness News format on KIRO starting I believe in 1969. It was modeled after KABC in L.A. The late Clif Kirk was very good. He was eventually joined by Kim Mariner, also excellent. And who can forget Sandy Hill as first the afternoon movie host, then weather girl (not pc today), then finally a reporter/anchor. She went on to L.A. and eventually Good Morning America. KIRO was always my favorite Seattle station, starting with JP Patches.

Just for fun, here is a very young Brian Wood from KATU on KIRO in 1987.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=BhqQTg-gc-4&feature=related

Fox and Craig are precisely right! This is exactly why we need the Newsbot.

We can have news 24 hours a day by automatons. Nobody's thought of that yet, right?

I've watched KIRO 7 Eyewitness News on the Vancouver Comcast Cable system recently and it's seems to be a pretty good news product. The anchors are just as good as what you find in Portland -- and the reporters seem to cover their beats well. Because I don't have access to KING 5, KOMO 4 or Q 13, I can't honestly say they better or worse than their counterparts. The one fault I did find was a lack of good sports coverage on KIRO. It was at the very close of the broadcast I watched that sports coverage was provided – but by a news anchor and not a sports anchor. For a station in a market the size of Seattle with professional sports teams, I thought sports warranted better coverage.

Thanks for the mention, John. KIRO-TV was owned by Bonneville International (LDS Church) at the time and run by the cheapest bigot in the West, Lloyd Cooney. We could have been #1 when I was there if they actually spent money on their news department, which was packed with quality professionals shackled with few resources. KIRO remained a distant third until Lloyd Cooney retired.

The state of local television news is tons better these days I think than many of the people who post here reflect. My friends at KGW, KATU and KOIN work very hard. In my newsroom at CC KEX we have 5 hd monitors on the wall, and 3 are delegated mostly to 2, 6 and 8 and my eyes are on them a lot. The quality of their presentations and the facts in their stories, plus the professionalism of their presenters, all are better than in many markets. Even 12 is expanding.

Access to technology puts them all on par with all networks, which also contributes to network television's waning popularity.

Now that we're in the early stages of recession, it's KGW which is spending cash, investing to garner greater returns. I look forward to watching what comes out of their live hd studio in Pioneer Courthouse Square. Nobody in Seattle dares to even think about doing something like this. I commended KGW for the committment they make to their viewers 24/7.

And, John, Chris Wedes (J.P. Patches) and Bob Newman (Gertrude) are even funnier in person.

(Those of you who didn't grow up in Seattle, forgive us for getting off topic a bit)

Brooks, I may never forgive Bob Newman (Gertrude). I went with my Cub Scout group to appear on J.P.'s show when I was in fourth grade. After our appearance was done and we were off the air, the two clowns continued to ham it up with us kids. Well, Newman, who obviously relished his outlandish Gertrude character with the huge painted lips, apparently thought a particular red-haired boy would blush easily, and he planted a KISS right on my forehead in front of the rest of the group! I still remember our den mother wiping the massive lipstick off my forehead.

I was teased mercilessly at school the next day.

Oh, well. I have to forgive Newman. He and Chris Wedes were a daily part of my life from age 3 on up. They are sincerely beloved by us Seattle baby boomers, just as Rusty Nails and Rambling Rod were here in Portland.

(By the way, one of the funniest things I've ever seen on the web is a video on the J.P. Patches web site, with Newman as another of his characters -- Ketchikan the Animal Man -- reading a story and cracking up on air for pretty obvious but unstated reasons...)

We got our TV set in about 1956. KOIN-TV Channel Siiiiix ran a 15 minute newscast with Art Kirkham and sports with Johnny Carpenter. It opened with a door with frosted glass opening to the sound of a Teletype printer. Pretty much a guy sitting at a desk reading from a handfull of papers. Usually the sponsor's logo or something was on the desk sign with the guy's name on it. I don't remember any film, but they sometimes used still wire photos.

Both Art and Johnny had moved over from KOIN radio. You have to remember that TV news was something the stations did as part of the license responsibilites and didn't gain any traction until later when local ad rates depended on news ratings.

The weather on KOIN was delivered by Dr. Bob Lynott, who drew lines on the map and temperature numbers. I heard later that the numbers were written on the board in advance in light red which was invisable to the black and white TV camera. Chuck and Betty Foster also produced the news for one of the Portland stations and did more with black and white 16mm silent film. Sometime later, sound was sometime possible with an optical sound track, but it was pretty low quality. The magnetic striped film didn't come along until the late 60's, and sync sound was finally of good quality.

Johnf--
A couple years back, Bill Gallagher devoted about an hour a day of his talk show on KPAM to crime. I know that Bill still does news for them, but I do miss all the local talk on KPAM.

How about KOIN 6 expanding their weekend newscast from 1/2 hour to 90 minutes.