NewscastStudio Blog
Set Design
Stations purchasing news sets again with HD push
TVNewsCheck has an article on set design and how more stations are now budgeting for them with the move to HD.
“After a period of deferred studio upgrades due to a sluggish economy, TV stations are once again building new HD studio sets and, in some cases, looking to incorporate multimedia elements, big visuals and improved lighting. That’s the word from set and lighting designers who all seem to be busy, but who are having to cope with a demanding market. Stations are insisting on trimming costs - new sets range from $75,000 to $350,000 - and they want projects completed faster, in some cases in as little as a month, the designers say.”
Mentioned in the article are two concepts many stations are moving towards, multimedia content and captivating large-screen visuals.
“We are now moving into a phase of less bling on the set - meaning less fine detail - to more large focal elements. We are starting to see more iconic designs that are visually stimulating,” said Dan Devlin of Devlin Design Group.
Read more on TVNewsCheck
Local News, Online
Open source WordPress powering CBSNewYork.com
In a major coup for open source software lovers, the newly-launched CBSNewYork.com is powered by popular blogging and content management platform WordPress.
The first hint of a WordPress backbone was the “W” icon that appears in Google Chrome, as shown below.
Networks, Set Design, Sports
CBC’s Fifa World Cup set added to SetStudio
We’ve added photos of CBC’s 2010 Fifa World Cup set to SetStudio.
The set was designed by AKA Creative Group, a Toronto based company that has designed many sets for Canadian news and sports programs.
“This set covered this summer’s 2010 FIFA world cup for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s Sports Division. Designing for both French and English boradcasts and using the latest in video technology, the sets designed by AKA helped deliver unprecedented coverage of the tournament to more Canadians than ever before,” said AKA Creative Group.
Branding, Local News, Online
WCBS-TV rolls out CBSNewYork.com
WCBS-TV has relaunched its online presence as CBSNewYork.com, following NBC’s trend with WNBC-TV.
The new site combines the online side of WCBS-TV and its CBS owned radio counterparts in New York City.
A search engine has also been rolled out as part of the deal to help locals find “everything New York City.” Branded as CBS Local Search, the search engine uses Google for its backend.
Mobile, Online
ABC News launches iPad app
ABC News has launched a new app for Apple’s iPad that features a very unique display of news.
Appolicious writes, “ABC News for iPad has got to be one of the most unique ways of browsing for news stories that interest me. Open the free app, and you see a globe covered with photos and headlines. Drag the globe around with your finger, and tap a photo to choose a story.”
Advertising, Online
Mediaite Cs go red for ‘The Big C’
Visitors to Mediaite, the media-centric site founded by MSNBC anchor Dan Abrams, are noticing something a bit different this morning — the first “C” in each headline has been turned red. At first I only noticed it in the first headline and thought perhaps it was a code issue.
Graphics, HD, Networks
‘This Week’ debuts with updated graphics and theme
“This Week with Christiane Amanpour” debuted this past Sunday with many changes, including new graphics, music and an updated set at the Newseum.
The new graphics use red as the dominant color, dropping the previous red and blue look. The new graphics are also much more polished than the previous hodge-podge. While the open in the previous package was nice, the rest of the graphics felt like an afterthought.
The opening now shows various places around the world, while the previous focused on Washington D.C. landmarks, echoing Amanpour’s journalism background.
Continue reading for video.
Music
Stephen Arnold Music sonic brands ‘Golf Central’ for the Golf Channel
Over the past year, Stephen Arnold Music created new sonic brands for many of Golf Channel’s marque programs as they transitioned to HD, including “Golf Central”, its nightly news program.
For “Golf Central,” the directive was to create an emphatic opening theme for a show providing elite analysis of one of America’s most popular sports.
”This theme was a unique chance to evolve the music that’s associated with a particular sport,” said Stephen Arnold. ”The Golf Channel wanted a bigger sound with lots of energy to appeal to a young audience. In addition, they wanted a sonic logo — or mnemonic — with the potential to become a classic signature that people can immediately recognize and remember.”
Branding, Local News
WTSP-TV dumps 10Connects
WTSP-TV has dumped its 10Connects brand, in favor of 10News, a brand used in 2002 by the station.
The previous brand, lasted almost two years and was met with some criticism from the start. In a NewscastStudio poll, 55% of users thought the brand was not going to be effective.
Branding and slogan change in the news industry is common place as news directors change and go, but WTSP-TV promoted this change as a new way of covering the story. Read the rest of this entry »
Cable News, Online, Weather
Weather.com unveils new site in beta
The Weather Channel has launched a new beta version of Weather.com
The new site is cleaner than the previous and features larger maps and images. The site also does a good job of matching TWC’s new on air branding.
The site also does a better job of ad integration, unlike some competitors.
Too bad the designers of this site couldn’t help sister network MSNBC with its recent redesign.
Branding, Cable News
MSNBC hires new ad agency
The Star-Tribune is reporting that Minneapolis-based Mono has been hired as the new ad agency for MSNBC.
Mono is the agency behind MSNBC’s sister cable channel USA Network’s “Characters welcome” tagline. That tagline apparently sits well with both USA Network management and viewers — it’s been in use for five years.
NewscastStudio Web
Categories
Blogroll
More News
