Local News: 24 hours

[jaybird2001wi]

For those who have Time Warner Digital Cable in the Milwaukee area, they have WTMJ WeatherPlus channel on 104 of the Digital lineup. But since they essentially have a 24-hour local weather channel and a 24-hour sports channel (Time Warner Sports Channel 32), why not have a 24-hour local news channel? There are lots of ways to make it interesting and very local for a 24-hour stretch, here is what I'd have in mind for a Programming LineUp or for a better word, local shows with local celebrities, politicians and anchors.

 

6a-10am: The Morning Rush with (insert two local prominent anchors)

10am-11am: Local Sports Report

11am-12pm: Local Business Outlook/Report (for those white-collar people)

12pm-2pm: The Lunch Report with (insert two local prominent anchors) with some features on local heroes and celebrities

2pm-4pm: Local Headlines with continuous loop (same type of setup as say SportsCenter or CNN Headline News)

4pm-5pm: Nightly Sports Preview (reporters on scene with pre-game coverage of Brewers, Bucks, Packers, Admirals)

5pm-6:30p: Local News with (insert two prominent anchors)

6:30p-7p: Weather Report and feature involving a weather issue of the day or maybe a gardening feature or something

7p-9p: Mike Gousha (idea as a talk show host) Show (Larry King Live setup)

9p-11p: Local Headlines and any breaking news

11p-1am: Nightly Sports Report Final (same format as FSN Final Score)

1a-2:30am: Re-Run of 5pm newscast

2:30a-3a: Weather Report Re-Run

3a-5a: Off Air/Infomercials

5a-6a: DNR Report/Wisconsin wildlife feature

 

On top of all of that, since there are a lot of communities surrounding Milwaukee (Waukesha, Racine, Brookfield, Kenosha, etc.) they can have a show every other day or something featuring a local business or maybe a feature on one of their people. They can easily find a lot of programming ideas to make this channel possible.

[InsomniacInkRoss]

Time Warner was planning to do a "Headline News" type news (24/7) back in 2003 or so, but changed their minds

 

I think the current local news in Milwaukee is one of the most abysmal, non-informative, sensationalized, and useless things on TV

 

Most of it is a regurgitation of the news paper... imagine that in 2008 the news paper drives news in a market

 

Channel 4 just ran a long story on where Milwaukee Cougars (middle aged women looking for young men) go drinking, thats just the latest thing that sticks out in my mind, I could rant for hours about what a steaming pile of dung this market puts out as "news"

[Invader3K]

A lot of the local news also seems to be very agenda driven, with the reporters being pretty biased. I could go into a whole rant on FOX 6, but I won't. I suppose it's probably similar in many markets these days, though.

[rluzinski]

How many hours can you spend talking about gas prices (have you SEEEEEN how hight they are!?), child sex offenders and a three-legged dog named Stumpy that likes swim?

 

With the internet, people can get the sports, weather and world news that they want, whenever they want it. I don't see a very large market for the stuff that only the local news can offer. What is that anyway? Fear mongering and feel good stories?

[bork]

With the internet, people can get the sports, weather and world news that they want, whenever they want it.

Exactly. I can't remember the last time I've watched TV news. What's the point?

[Invader3K]

You ever notice how often the local newscasts just happen to run a special piece on a show or personality on the parent network (obviously the FOX stations are notorious with this and their American Idol recap segments)? The average person probably doesn't realize how much cross promotion happens because these networks are all part of wider conglomerates.

[Samurai Bucky]

I don't know if it would be cost effective. You would have to probably change up the stories which would involve more staffing. You could have your one hour of death. It would just be an expansion of the 10 minutes of current news casts talking about all of the people murdered in the area.

[ccbrew]

Since I've always tried my hardest to avoid local news shows whenever possible, the 24 hour local news channel is one that I would avoid 24 hours at a time.

[dadofandrew]

Yeah, I don't see this being cost effective at all. Local newscasts regularly lose to Seinfeld and the like, so this seems unlikely. Wouldn't it be the same hour after hour?

[bork]

Wouldn't it be the same hour after hour?

Really. Fox 6 can't even come up with different stories for their 9 and 10 PM news.

[dadofandrew]

True. The 9PM broadcast in Wausau and the 10PM is 90% the same.