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KING TV studio update

seatownmedia

seatownmedia

I have been giving updates on the KING SoDo studios for over 6 months now. What I originally said is coming into play here this summer. Watch as they do more broadcasts from the 2nd floor of the complex, still looking over Safeco. Whether they eventually move everything up to the 2nd floor, I'm not sure. But this offers a much better outlook, and now that NWCN is gone, there may be more room to relocate the main studio up on 2. (I have no inside info on this one! and am not even sure the ceiling heights would allow it)...
 
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Kelly A said:
So? What's your point?
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The point, I imagine, is that the KING studio was inadequate from day one. Compared to the expansive sets over at KOMO, KIRO, and KCPQ, KING 5 is small and poorly lit. It looks like they are doing the news from a warehouse, not a news set.
 
This.

The point is simple. KING TV, with their move, made a major mistake. They tried to build a set in a small area that just didn't cut it. They have been scurrying to find a solution, and they are looking to the 2nd floor for answers. I don't know if this is the ultimate solution, but I am sure that execs are trying to find the solution. Unfortunately, they don't have much to work with.
 
Different scenario is when KSTW moved to Renton from what was a VERY nice custom-designed studio setup in Tacoma. No studio when they moved. In the end maybe good decision because they wound up moving all technical aspects to SFO; and the sales office shares a building with CBS radio on Dexter. KTZO (22) had considered designing and building a remote truck and then backing that up to the building when they wanted control room for the studio there.
 
LITTLEBOYBLUE said:
Different scenario is when KSTW moved to Renton from what was a VERY nice custom-designed studio setup in Tacoma. No studio when they moved. In the end maybe good decision because they wound up moving all technical aspects to SFO; and the sales office shares a building with CBS radio on Dexter. KTZO (22) had considered designing and building a remote truck and then backing that up to the building when they wanted control room for the studio there.
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That's right. As we've talked about, the TV business is changing. Only those who are broadcasting hobbyists care about the size of the KING, or whatever studio. Size of studio doesn't translate into ratings or revenue.

I was over at ABC in New York recently, and they have about five "studios" (sets really) crammed into one 15,000 square foot open office floor. No 15' ceilings with big lighting grids, just green cyc's (rounded green screens) with studio furniture for the various news shows. They move the cameras around the floor, pointing them into whatever set being produced at that time. The actual backgrounds of the sets on this floor are all virtual. ESPN and CBS do the same.
 
Kelly A said:
That's right. As we've talked about, the TV business is changing. Only those who are broadcasting hobbyists care about the size of the KING, or whatever studio. Size of studio doesn't translate into ratings or revenue.

I was over at ABC in New York recently, and they have about five "studios" (sets really) crammed into one 15,000 square foot open office floor. No 15' ceilings with big lighting grids, just green cyc's (rounded green screens) with studio furniture for the various news shows. They move the cameras around the floor, pointing them into whatever set being produced at that time. The actual backgrounds of the sets on this floor are all virtual. ESPN and CBS do the same.
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But Tegna is not ABC. They choose not to provide ABC-type resources to their individual markets. It is all well and good that ABC is able to accomplish what you describe. Tegna can't re-create that in Seattle, nor even if they poured hundreds of millions into it. The bottom line remains KING looks less than professional IMO, and are simply being blown away by the competition. I certainly can understand how the medium is changing, but atleast give KING the resources to compete.
 
wn3 said:
Then why invest in a studio at all? Just put everything in front of a green screen and be done.
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Many do now. It depends on what management wants. Some GM's don't feel comfortable running virtual studios. "But what if something technical happens during the newscast and all our viewers see is a green screen??"

If you've ever watched sports pregame shows or ESPN sports shows, you've been watching a virtual studio.

I've seen a lot of audience research over the years, and have never, ever seen responses that viewers watch a particular newscast because they're impressed with a studio.
 
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Kelly A said:
Many do now. It depends on what management wants. Some GM's don't feel comfortable running virtual studios. "But what if something technical happens during the newscast and all our viewers see is a green screen??"

If you've ever watched sports pregame shows or ESPN sports shows, you've been watching a virtual studio.

I've seen a lot of audience research over the years, and have never, ever seen responses that viewers watch a particular newscast because they're impressed with a studio.
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Of course not. But that isn't the point. It is perception and an overall idea of how the newscast is presented. While nobody will ever mention "the set" as important in research, the overall impression comes into play, and the set is still a significant part of it. While the visual includes many aspects, (the anchors, the graphics), the set is also part of the equation.
Most viewers judge on a visual sense. Nothing new here.
 
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Kelly A said:
Many do now. It depends on what management wants. Some GM's don't feel comfortable running virtual studios. "But what if something technical happens during the newscast and all our viewers see is a green screen??"

If you've ever watched sports pregame shows or ESPN sports shows, you've been watching a virtual studio.

I've seen a lot of audience research over the years, and have never, ever seen responses that viewers watch a particular newscast because they're impressed with a studio.
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Yet millions are spent on studios, virtual and real, all over the world. They're an important part of the presentation.
 
wn3 said:
Yet millions are spent on studios, virtual and real, all over the world. They're an important part of the presentation.
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Exactly my point. The BBC spent millions a few years ago to completely rebuild their broadcast sets, though, that is all government money, a bit different revenue source than what our commercial stations have in the U.S. But we see studio rebuilds happening all the time. It is all apart of how viewers perceive the entire product in the end.
 
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