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  • Air Check: WXLV, TWC Share And Share (News) Alike

    As part of a retransmission consent deal, Time Warner Cable’s statewide 24-hour news channel in North Carolina, is producing three newscasts a day for WXLV Greensboro, Sinclair’s ABC affiliate. Executives on both sides of the agreement say their goal is to use the newscasts to lure and hook more viewers, resulting in ratings for WXLV and subscribers for Time Warner Cable. More | Comments (7)

  • Jessell: Broadcasters, Wireless Missed Joint Victory

    With the passage of legislation authorizing incentive auctions of TV spectrum for wireless broadband use, broadcasters scored a victory in getting numerous safeguards included. Good job. But if the FCC, broadcasters and broadband proponents could have found a way to work together, they could all have been winners. They could have found a plan that produces the extra spectrum that's needed for broadband and improves rather than degrades broadcasting service. More | Comments (6)

  • Sales Office: Is Your Station Getting Enough Legal Ads?

    If not, here is a step-by-step primer on this growing local ad category, including how to get started, what kinds of questions to ask potential advertisers, how to talk to lawyers, how to create a strong value proposition and which dayparts are the best fit for which types of legal ads. More | Comments (1)

  • NAB 2012: Loudness Gear To Make Big Noise In Vegas

    Now that the FCC has decided on tech specs for TV commercial audio loudness, broadcasters will be in a buying mood to get in compliance by the end of the year. A host of companies will be offering equipment and software  to monitor and correct any potential problems and document compliance. More | Comments (5)

  • Focus: David Smith, Sinclair Are Turnaround Champs

    A mere two-and-a-half years after facing the possibility of massive loan defaults, Smith has guided his group of 68 stations into financial security and positioned it to capitalize on the improving economy. Sinclair has whittled down debt and corresponding leverage ratios significantly, all while steadily upgrading station technology and striking deals that expand its scope and scale. It’s bought 15 stations since last September and is ready to buy more if the deals are right. More | Comments (4)

Special Reports

  • 2011—Year In Review: Revisit the year’s top developments in business, programming, journalism, technology, regulation and more.
  • Audience Measurement: The state of ratings is examined in three parts: an interview with the head of the Media Ratings Council; the growing presence of Rentrak; and the search for a better local ratings currency.
  • Traffic Reporting: This four-part TVNewsCheck Special Report focuses on what it takes to stay on top of the growing commuter gridlock across the country.
  • Remembering 9/11: TVNewsCheck looks back 10 years after the attacks with a series of five articles.
  • Severe Weather News: This five-part TVNewsCheck Special Report focuses on the changing technology used to stay ahead of storms.
  • TOP 30 TV STATION GROUPS: TVNewsCheck's exclusive ranking by coverage with a summary of each group's holdings and top executives.

Industry Calendar

March 2012
Tu
Th
13-15
American Cable Association
ACA’s 19th Annual Summit
Washington, D.C., DC
We
We
21-22
Borrell Advertising Associates
The Borrell Local Online Advertising Conference
New York, NY
We
Th
21-23
BIA Kelsey
ILM EAST
Boston, MA
April 2012
Sa
Th
14-19
National Association of Broadcasters
NAB Show
Las Vegas, NV
June 2012
Tu
Th
12-14
PromaxBDA
PromaxBDA: The Conference 2012
Los Angeles, CA

Station Directory

Net Essentials

AP Breaking News

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Air Check by Diana Marszalek
WXLV, TWC Share And Share (News) Alike
TVNewsCheck, Feb 21, 2012, 8:07 AM EST
As part of a retransmission consent deal, Time Warner Cable’s statewide 24-hour news channel in North Carolina, is producing three newscasts a day for WXLV Greensboro, Sinclair’s ABC affiliate. Executives on both sides of the agreement say their goal is to use the newscasts to lure and hook more viewers, resulting in ratings for WXLV and subscribers for Time Warner Cable. Full Story | Comments (7)
Air Check by Diana Marszalek
Mike Cavender: A Strong Voice For RTDNA
TVNewsCheck, Jan 31, 2012, 8:16 AM EST
After a relatively quiet few years, the organization is hoping to raise its visibility with its new executive director, an experienced broadcast news veteran who can speak out on the First Amendment and other issues affecting electronic journalists and perhaps restore the annual conference to its former stature. Full Story | Comments (1)
Air Check by Diana Marszalek
New Site Asks: 'Whatever Happened To...'
TVNewsCheck, Dec 6, 2011, 2:09 PM EST
Chris Buck, Larry Chollet and Steve Ives are starting a new nonprofit, RetroReport.com, that will examine high-profile stories from the past to find out if they were true and what has happened since. They hope the site will educate people to be more critical about what they see on TV. Full Story | Comments (1)
Air Check by Diana Marszalek
Post-‘Oprah’ Newscasts: So Far, So Good
TVNewsCheck, Oct 19, 2011, 8:47 AM EDT
Most of the seven top-25 stations that filled the 4 p.m. time period left by Oprah's departure with local newscasts report they’re pleased with their performance so far in this new TV season. Three are holding their top positions in household ratings, and at least two more are leading their markets in key demos. Here’s a first look at how the newscasts are doing. Full Story | Comments (1)
Air Check by Diana Marszalek
Hubbard Puts Premium On News Experience
TVNewsCheck, Oct 4, 2011, 6:20 AM EDT
At the broadcaster’s KSTP and KSTC in Minneapolis, News Director Lindsay Radford is looking for reporters with ability, not just affordability. “We still value paying talented reporters,” she says, and she’s willing to wait for individuals who not only bring news know-how, but also the perspective that comes with time. Full Story | Comments (2)
Air Check by Diana Marszalek
How Social Should A Newscast Be?
TVNewsCheck, Sep 20, 2011, 8:02 AM EDT
KOMU Columbia, Mo., in DMA138, has taken the plunge into social media news, last week launching a 4 p.m. newscast that makes viewers an integral part of the show. And there’s a social media desk that includes two reporters tracking bloggers, Tweets and online conversations about topics making the news. Industry watchers applaud KOMU for pushing the envelope in its use of social media at a time when many stations are still trying to figure them out. But some question their heavy use in what has always been a sit-back, passive medium. Full Story | Comments (2)
Air Check
Relevance Is Top Priority At RTDNA Show
TVNewsCheck, Sep 6, 2011, 5:42 AM EDT
After teaming with the NAB for its annual conference, the Radio Television Digital News Association has a new partner this year, the Society of Professional Journalists. It’s a move RTDNA Chairman Kevin Benz says gives the group an opportunity to present a conference “that is absolutely and totally journalism-based. We believe that we will be putting on the most important journalism discussion in the country.” Full Story | Add comment
Air Check by Diana Marszalek
WTHR Sets Itself Apart With Serious News
TVNewsCheck, Aug 23, 2011, 8:24 AM EDT
The Dispatch Broadcast Group’s NBC affiliate in Indianapolis has a clear goal — to be the best station in the country — and a strong strategy to accomplish it: a total commitment to enterprise and investigative reporting. It’s working as its RTDNA, DuPont-Columbia and Peabody awards this year attest. And it’s No. 1 in the ratings, too. Full Story | Comments (2)
Air Check by Diana Marszalek
DC Bureaus Give Stations A Local Edge
TVNewsCheck, Jul 26, 2011, 7:19 AM EDT
As TV stations struggle to distinguish themselves with hyperlocal strategies, one old solution is looking new again. A number of station groups — including Hearst, Belo, Cox, Gannett and Scripps — are finding that the specialized, localized reporting they get from their Washington bureaus has become a differentiator for them. As the head of Cox's bureau says: "Our sole mission is to give stations hyper-local, unique coverage they can’t find anywhere else.” Full Story | Comments (2)
Air Check by Diana Marszalek
Are Beat Reporters Key To Better TV News?
TVNewsCheck, Jul 12, 2011, 7:19 AM EDT
The beat system, under which reporters cover their beats — and only their beats — hasn’t existed in many TV newsrooms for years. And some believe that it's contributed to a decline in the quality of local TV news. Although the new economic realities of the business make the widespread return of full-fledged beat reporters unlikely, some are trying to bring them back in different and limited ways. Full Story | Comments (6)
Air Check by Diana Marszalek
WGRZ: Small Market, Big News Commitment
TVNewsCheck, Jun 28, 2011, 7:43 AM EDT
The Gannett NBC affiliate in Buffalo, N.Y., is bucking industry trends with its focus on in-depth reporting. And that effort isn’t going unrecognized. It’s making steady gains in the ratings and was just honored by the Radio Television Digital News Association with an Edward R. Murrow Award for overall news excellence in a small market. Full Story | Comments (2)
Air Check by Diana Marszalek
Stations Welcoming Media-Savvy Graduates
TVNewsCheck, Jun 14, 2011, 8:07 AM EDT
There are currently good opportunities for broadcast journalism grads, at least in medium and small markets. While it’s true that there are fewer TV news jobs these days, newsroom recruiters are interested in the newbies because they bring increasingly important skills — digital know-how, multi-platform reporting and the like — that veteran reporters may not have. Of course, they also come cheap. Full Story | Comments (10)
Air Check by Diana Marszalek
TV Mobilized As Routine Turned To Disaster
TVNewsCheck, May 31, 2011, 2:33 PM EDT
Once the weather service issued a tornado warning for the Joplin, Mo., area on May 22, local TV and radio stations followed protocol for severe weather, ramping up their weather coverage in the 90 minutes or so before the twister hit at around 5:30 p.m. either with cut-ins or going wall-to-wall. But such alerts had become so frequent, especially lately, that even the station staffers themselves did not take them as seriously as subsequent events demonstrated they should have. After the storm hit, news teams scrambled to figure out what exactly had happened and how they could help their striken community. Full Story | Comments (5)
Air Check by Diana Marszalek
Sunny Forecast For Station Weathercasters
TVNewsCheck, May 17, 2011, 6:33 AM EDT
“There are, in my opinion, more good jobs in weather than any other aspect of the business,” says Rick Carr, a Denver-based attorney who represents news talent. Even stations in small markets, he says, will go out of their way to secure weathercasters blessed with a knack for accurate forecasting and a telegenic personality. Full Story | Comments (9)
Air Check by Diana Marszalek
It’s Not Your Father’s Late News At Fox O&Os
TVNewsCheck, May 2, 2011, 1:20 PM EDT
The 16 Fox-owned stations that produce news are trying to change the way they do latenight news and “break out of the box.” Among the innovations are debates, interviews and commentary about controversial local issues. Says AR&D’s Jerry Gumbert: “Fox realizes, perhaps better than some broadcasters, that the same old content and same old format and presentation style are barriers to future growth and relevancy with consumers." Full Story | Comments (6)
Air Check by Diana Marszalek
KAUT Oklahoma City Seeks Military Viewers
TVNewsCheck, Apr 18, 2011, 2:34 PM EDT
Local TV's low-rated MNT affiliate has calculated that it may be able find its place in the 45th largest TV market by focusing on the large local community with connections to the military. If successful, Freedom 43, as the station is now calling itself, could prove the value of seeking niche audiences other than those based of gender, age or ethnicity, says Hofstra media prof Bob Papper. Full Story | Comments (3)
Air Check by Diana Marszalek
WLEX News Finds A Friend In Facebook
TVNewsCheck, Mar 28, 2011, 1:42 PM EDT
The news page for Cordillera-owned NBC affiliate in Lexington, Ky. (DMA 63), is third in the U.S. in number of Facebook fans — almost 57,000 with more coming daily to check out the news department's weather alerts, story teasers, polls and interactive features. Bruce Carter, the station’s news director, expects to have 100,000 by year’s end: “That’s bigger than our audience for our noon newscast.” Full Story | Comments (8)
Air Check by Diana Marszalek
Odd Angles Emerge From TV News Research
TVNewsCheck, Mar 14, 2011, 12:01 PM EDT
Academicians often come up with unconventional topics to study. And those involved in television are no exception. Here are four research projects that range from tracking the lipstick factor in female anchor credibility to weathercasters who think they’re God. Full Story | Comments (2)
Air Check by Diana Marszalek
Cox Ohio Media Share Space, But Not Scoops
TVNewsCheck, Feb 28, 2011, 12:13 PM EST
While working together on a 14-acre Media Center, WHIO Dayton, three radio stations, four daily and four weekly papers plus digital properties cooperate on some stories, “we are staying away like the plague from the homogenization of news,” says Alex Taylor, the Cox VP for Dayton. “Reporters are still going to compete against each other.” Full Story | Add comment
Air Check by Diana Marszalek
Hopes High For Local TV-Nonprofit Co-Ops
TVNewsCheck, Feb 1, 2011, 8:17 AM EST
As part of its commitment to the FCC, NBC’s O&Os are looking to partner with nonprofit news organizations that can provide investigative, community-focused stories. Proponents are hoping that other commercial stations will see the symbiotic benefits of such deals and join the movement. The partnership between NBC’s KNSD San Diego and VoiceOfSanDiego.org could be the model. Says the nonprofit’s CEO Scott Lewis: “They have skills to do video and production that we don’t, but they don’t have the personnel anymore to do analysis and writing. It’s a perfect kind of match.” Full Story | Comments (4)
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Symbol Last Change (%)
Nasdaq 2933.17 -15.40 (-0.52%)
NYSE 8094.39 +0.00 (+0.00)
S&P 500 1357.66 -4.55 (-0.33%)
Updated 02/22 7:39p ET Quotes delayed at least 20 mins.
Source: Financial Content

Ratings

Overnights, adults 18-49 for February 21, 2012
  • 1.
    2.9/8
  • 2.
    2.8/7
  • 3.
    2.1/5
  • 4.
    1.7/4
  • 5.
    1.4/4
  • 6.
    0.5/1
Source: Nielsen
Reviews
Opinions
Features
  • Hank Stuever

    Clinton, a four-hour PBS American Experience documentary, is an honest but sometimes tediously predictable exercise in the further Wikipedia-ing and storage-packing of those years. Whether intentional or subliminal, the film conveys the obvious and completely mortal recognition of time's inevitable passage, but not much else.

  • David Knowles

    Nancy Buriski's HBO documentary The Loving Story chronicles the lives of Richard and Mildred Loving, the interracial couple whose court case brought down the last remaining miscegenation laws in the United States. The Loving Story is a perfect time capsule that illuminates the racist past of our country with a uniquely personal and poignant emphasis. It's a film that will continue to be enjoyed whether viewed on Valentine's Day, during Black History Month or any other time of year.

  • Neil Genzlinger

    Smash, NBC’s series about backstage Broadway, comes with New York and Hollywood names off screen (Steven Spielberg, Therese Rebeck) and on (Debra Messing and Brian d’Arcy James). Given that pedigree, you’re expecting to be bowled over by the pilot, but it ends up feeling like a collage of devices from the zillions of previous backstage plays, musicals and movies. However, be patient — Smash gets better as it goes along and by Episode 3 it shows signs of becoming an addictive pleasure along the lines of this season’s Revenge.

  • Lori Rackl

    Pop some Dramamine before watching ABC's new horror series, The River, because the shaky camera work is more likely to make you seasick than scared. You can, however, skip the sleeping pill. The River's two-hour premiere should suffice. Billed as a thriller, the show tries hard to be terrifying and eerie in a Paranormal Activity kind of way. It ends up being hokey and, even worse, boring.

  • Robert Lloyd

    Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, veterans of Fox's sketch comedy MADtv, have a new series of their own, Comedy Central's Key & Peele. It is a genial, at times almost genteel, half-hour in which the pair's obvious niceness shines through even their more pugnacious characters. (Key's version of road rage is to shout, "Selfish!") In a roundabout way, that's the point. The sketches are consistently smart and smartly acted and flow easily from ordinary premises to weird conclusions.

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