NewscastStudio Blog
Traffic
New study shows how traffic reporting effects news
Beat the Traffic and Kovsky & Miller Research has released a new study that details how newscasts content is effected by traffic reporting:
TV stations in the study spent nearly 10% of their newscast content time making viewers aware of morning traffic conditions and hazards. Stations using Beat the Traffic technology covered 25% more topics like accidents, road conditions, and visibility despite spending nearly 17% less time on traffic reports. Thus Beat the Traffic stations were 46% more efficient in keeping a broad audience informed of impending auto transportation problems.
Greater use of maps was responsible for the breath of coverage and effective time usage advantages at Beat the Traffic stations. These stations spent nearly 23% more time than its competitors giving traffic information via various map displays.
Local News, Set Design
Hawaii Fox affiliate to debut new set
Photo Courtesy: Star-Bulletin
KHON-TV, the New Vision-owned Fox affiliate in Honolulu will unveil a new set from FX Group Monday.
The new set, which was purported to cost $250,000, features plenty of local influence, according to the Star-Bulletin newspaper, including photography done by one of the station’s videographers as well as new music and graphics from local companies.
The newspaper also included a small photograph of the new set, shown at right, but it’s hard to tell what the set will actually look like.
Cable News, Online
CNN.com adds 360-degree Haiti feature
CNN.com has added a 360-degree view of Haiti. The unique part of this view is that it was taken from a vehicle driving down a street and users can pause or even pan around while the clip is still moving.
It’s an interesting application that’s does do a good job of “placing” the user at the scene of the news, but could benefit from a bit more information. One possible improvement would be “hot spots” where users can click or hover over to get more details. For example, perhaps a location where a rescue took place.
Set Design
Winner of ‘Best Set of 2009′ announced
WPBF-TV, the ABC affiliate serving West Palm Beach, Fla., has won the first NewscastStudio “set of the year” contest by a large margin.
Graphics, Sports
ESPN buys technology company Vistas Unlimited
Broadcasting & Cable is reporting that ESPN has reached a deal to acquire Vistas Unlimited, a Texas-based development firm.
Vistas Unlimited has created “virtual insertion technology” to add ads or graphic elements to live sports coverage.
“This acquisition represents ESPN’s dedication to staying at the forefront of innovation and technology development,” said ESPN EVP of technology Chuck Pagano in a statement. “The team that is joining ESPN brings a wealth of knowledge on developing cutting-edge virtual components that enhance the fan’s enjoyment of a game telecast.”
Vistas Unlimited won a Sports Emmy in 2008 for its AimPoint system, which the Golf Channel uses to analyze putting by showing a blue line of the ball’s “optimal” path compared to the actual path it took.
For more about Vistas Unlimited, including video demonstrations of its products, visit its Web site.
Graphics
MSNBC includes deceased auto tycoon in poll data
TVNewser reports that MSNBC displayed an on-air graphic yesterday that incorrectly listed one of the candidates as “Henry Ford.” Henry Ford died in 1947 and was founder of Ford Motor Company.
The graphic should have read “Harold Ford Jr.” who, as TVNewser points out, once served as an MSNBC contributor.
NewscastTip
NewscastTip: Generic supers add additional info to stories
Using lower thirds to label stories have several names — generic supers, headlines, banners, descriptors, descriptions, labels (we’ll refer to them as generic supers in this column) — and they can be quite effective storytelling tools if done right.
First, when designing the template for your generic super graphics, many stations often use a standard lower third. This works well, but it’s also worth considering if a slightly different look might serve you better. For example, you may not need a second tier for generic supers and can therefore free up some space.
Site Updates
Take our reader survey and you could win $100 gift card
NewscastStudio wants to know more about who uses our site and how, so we’re conducting a reader survey — and one lucky participant will win a $100 gift card to Amazon.com!
To complete the survey, click here. The survey is easy to complete and should only take one to five minutes.
Your answers are vital in helping us understand our audience better!
For details, see official rules following the jump.
Cable News, Set Design
New CNN Center studio?
NewscastStudio has received pictures from a tipster of what he or she says is the new CNN studio in Atlanta.
Inside Cable News previously reported CNN is constructing a new set for its domestic network at its Atlanta headquarters. In addition, a large part of the current newsroom, located camera right, has been walled off for months now, though it’s not clear if this is the location of the new studio.
The set in the photos appears to be very large with many modern elements. The set looks like it will be heavily stocked with technology, including a large array of flat panel monitors in one area.
Though not confirmed to be of CNN, there is one key clue in the photos: a construction cone stenciled with “C-N-N.”
Continue reading for more pictures. Read the rest of this entry »
Music
Network News Music debuts new site with upgraded features
Network News Music, the ultimate resource for well network news music, has debuted a new site with many new updated files and features.
The new site has higher quality audio clips, new theme additions and now you can rate each theme.
Visit the new site today and have a listen.
Cable News, Online
MSNBC.com adds ad options to video player
MSNBC.com has added advertising preferences to some of its online video clips, giving users the option to see fewer ads or shorter ads, as shown above.
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