In American Idol, Huntsville, Independent News Network, Local News, WAAY, WHDF, WZDX on January 13, 2008 by thetvmanifesto
Huntsville’s Fox affiliate, WZDX, is getting into the local news business. Starting as early as tomorrow, Fox 54 will air 30 minutes of news at 9 p.m.
The taped newscast is slated to air weeknights and is produced with the technical support of the Independent News Network, an Iowa company that produces local newscasts for small stations such as Fox 54.
It’s an interesting idea and the first time in about seven years that a Huntsville station has tried a 9:00 newscast. In 2000, WAAY 31 (an ABC affiliate) produced a local half-hour for then-UPN affiliate WHDF. Due in part to the fact that the set was constructed in part from the pegboard one might hang tools from in a garage, the experiment was not a particular success.
This new strategy may be a better fit for the market and for a station with a smaller news budget trying to compete with the established players in Huntsville. Look for Fox 54’s 9 p.m. newscast to roll out this week, in time for the season premiere of American Idol.
In Big Brother: After Dark, Meta, SHO2 on January 9, 2008 by thetvmanifesto
After a monthlong holiday hiatus, I’m back with some news and announcements. I can’t think of a better week to return than the one that brought us word of a revival of non-celebrity Mole (minus Anderson; you can’t win ‘em all) and the long-awaited (around here, if nowhere else) renewal of SHO2’s Big Brother After Dark. More on that in a moment.
“But first…” [dramatic head-whip and camera change] The format of the blog will be changing a little bit. All the fascinating TV news out there is more than one person can keep up with, and there’s little value in me rehashing what the big guys are reporting. That’s where the Newswire comes in.
Newswire is an RSS feed of the TV news stories you’re used to me linking to and writing about. To borrow a collegiate analogy, Newswire would fall under ‘recommended reading’ on the syllabus. The five latest stories display in the recently tweaked sidebar; for more Newswire, visit its Google Reader page or subscribe to its feed.
Meanwhile, look for more original content from me: my analysis of industry happenings, random television thoughts, and obsessive observances from the TV listings. I’m looking forward to flexing my writing muscles here on the Manifesto in 2008.
Of course, this blog owes much of its readership to online devotees of the Big Brother franchise, which returns on CBS for a ninth trip inside the house February 12. That same night, Big Brother After Dark also returns to SHO2, with a live nightly three-hour look inside the house (12a-3a/ET).
For Manifesto readers, this means our nightly After Dark headlines, a creamy blend of gossip, rumors and spoilers, will also return for a second season February 12. I, for one, can’t wait!
