Thursday, January 31, 2008

WDAZ's new digs

WDAZ debuted their new set on Thursday. If you didn't get a chance to see it, check out one of the day's newscasts. I must say, I really like the new set so far. Previous sets have looked very...well, let's just say the new set looks much more professional than its predecessors. Me like.

I'm glad to see WDAZ/Forum Communications finally spend a little bit of money to improve the station's visual appeal. I realize that a flashy set doesn't in itself make a better newscast. However, it does provide for a more professional looking overall package and I think that makes a difference.

What do you think of the new set? Do you miss the lovely carpet on the wall? How about the new graphics and opening sequence?

34 comments:

Beth Lemer said...

wow. nice. what happened? they come into some money? I love it. I may watch it more often now!

Anonymous said...

SO many things that are wrong....

They still have that stupid TV to the side, and they still sound like they are podcasting from the boiler room in the basement of an abandoned building, for starters.

The news desk is covered with green marble-patterned Formica. It looks like they are doing the news from the breakfast island in my parent's kitchen.

And what's with the red and black wallpaper in the background?

"Good evening, and now the top stories from HELL!!"

And lastly, am I the only one, or don't those black and blue glowing pillars look almost like something off of the Death Star?

Otherwise, looks good!

Anonymous said...

I dunno, I really liked the old set up. I don't really care about the TV to the side because I've always liked it. The background seems just a little bit too dark, even though it is pretty nice looking.

It's nice. I also miss the river icon or whatever that was in the background. It added a visible center to the background.

Anonymous said...

I like the new set.

Hopefully they will now spend some money on updating some of their equipment from the 50's.

elucidarian said...

It is a little dark.

Anonymous said...

As long as Tami Osbourne's blonde hair is there, I'm a happy guy.

Anonymous said...

W-D-A-Cheesy

Anonymous said...

Let us look at McCain’s conservative credentials:
-IMMIGRATION: he wrote the bill granting amnesty to illegal immigrants (co-sponsored by Ted Kennedy)
-SOCIAL SECURITY: he voted to give your social security money to illegal immigrants
-TAXES: he voted against the Bush tax cuts multiple times (he has since flip-flopped and has campaigned as a lifelong tax-cutter)
-RHETORIC: he routinely engages in Democratic class warfare against big companies in America, particularly the “evil” drug companies who research cures to debilitating diseases for a profit
-ECONOMY: as recently as December 2007 he admitted “he does not know the economy very well” and needed to get better at it
-1ST AMENDMENT: he wrote the McCain-Feingold campaign finance bill that was declared to be an unconstitutional infringement of the 1st Amendment (co-sponsored by ultra-liberal Democrat Russ Feingold)
-2ND AMENDMENT: he was called the “worst 2nd amendment candidate” by the president of the NRA
-ENERGY TAX: wrote a bill (co-sponsored by his buddy Lieberman) imposing a massive tax on energy which, according to the Department of Energy, would drastically raise the price of gasoline and put 300,000 Americans out of work
-GLOBAL WARMING: supports radical global warming legislation which involved him voting with every Democrat; think only America is responsible to take action, not other superpowers
-JUDGES: he joined forces with Democrats (Gang of 14) to block the Senate Republican’s attempt to confirm conservative, strict constructionist judges; also said Alito was topo conservative for his liking
-WAR ON TERROR: fought with Hillary Clinton to demand that terrorists be given a full American trial
-GAY MARRIAGE: he joined liberals to fight against a federal marriage amendment supporting the institution of traditional marriage
-CHRISTIANS: campaigning in 2000, he famously described Christian leaders as “agents of intolerance”
-PRO-LIFE: he filed an amicus brief against pro-life advocates in Wisconsin
-BI-PARTISANSHIP: he met with leading Democrats in 2004 to discuss the possibility of being John Kerry’s Vice-President; publicly considered leaving the Republican Party in 2001 after he lost the primary
-PROFESSIONAL ETHICS: ringleader of the infamous Keating 5 ethical scandal which cost US tax payers $160 billion (Google it)
-PERSONAL ETHICS: McCain cheated on his first wife after she had a severe accident that left her partially disabled. He then divorced her and married his multi-millionaire mistress, whose daddy bought McCain a spot in the Congress

Anonymous said...

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Sure would be nice if Midco (or DISH/DirecTV) had ABC/WDAZ in HD....

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Anonymous said...

WDAZ doesn't broadcast in HDTV. Otherwise it would be on there. Neither does KBRR/Fox, so no Super Bowl on HDTV in Grand Forks.

But they'll both be in HDTV by 2009 because of new FCC requirements of going off air on analog over the air (antenna) TV and switching to HDTV (if programming is broadcast in HDTV).

Anonymous said...

Ron Paul is the true conservative. Here's Ron Paul's conservative credentals:
-IMMIGRATION: He voted against the bill granting amnesty to illegal immigrants, and is against giving ANY benefits to illegal immigrants.
-SOCIAL SECURITY: He supports allowing young people to opt out of the system, and introduced legistlation repealing taxes on Social Security benefits.
-TAXES: Supports abolishing the IRS, voted for making Bush's tax cuts permanent, and has introduced legislation of repealing taxes on tips.
-SPENDING: The only presidental candidate who is in reality about the $9 trillion national debt that is bankrupting the U.S. Has never voted for increased spending, and believes abolishing wasteful beuarocratic agencies such as the Department of Education, FEMA, and Homeland Security.
-ECONOMY: Has studied Austrian economics for over thirty years, and knows the Federal Reserve's meddling with interest rates help cause recessions in the first place.
-1ST AMENDMENT: Voted against Patriot Act and H.R. 1955, and supports repealing both of them as they evade privacy and free speech.
-2ND AMENDMENT: NRA has given him an A for a pro gun rights voting record.
-ENERGY TAX: Voted against a bill imposing a massive tax on energy which, according to the Department of Energy, would drastically raise the price of gasoline and put 300,000 Americans out of work
-GLOBAL WARMING: Believes property rights are the foundation of protecting the environment, although he doesn't accept the theory of global warming.
-JUDGES: Supports constitutionalist judges, and will only nominate judges who refuse to legislate from the bench.
-IRAQ: The only presidental candidate to vote against the Iraq War in 2002, and supports bring all troops home in the safest manner if elected as president.
-WAR ON TERROR: Believes the "war on terror" is used as a boogey man to evade constutional rights. He's staunchly opposed to the illegal and impearlist war in Iraq, but supports Afganistan to capture those who plotted attacking 9/11.
-GAY MARRIAGE: He believes marriage should be defined by churches, not governments, and prefers state governments over the federal government on defining marriage.
-CHRISTIANS: Believes government should not legislate morality, and morality is best taught by families.
-PRO-LIFE: Staunchly against abortion, but believes abortion should be decided by states as of the 10th amendment.
-BI-PARTISANSHIP: Supports standing up for Constitution in any way.
-PROFESSIONAL ETHICS: Easily the most honest politican, an oxymoron worse than jumbo shrimp, proven by his consistent constutionalist voting record in the House of Representatives.
-PERSONAL ETHICS: He has been married over 50 years, and has several children and grandchilren. Ron Paul was a flight surgeon in the Air Force during the Vietnam War (McCain isn't the only war veteran), and is currently an OB/GYN (same profession as Grand Forks Mayor Mike Brown) that has delivered over 4,000 babies.

Anonymous said...

Actually, Fargo gets ABC and FOX in HD. Thief River Falls gets ABC (WDAZ) in HD also... (for a year or two now) so what the hell is holding it up...

Anonymous said...

Ron Paul sucks. He's strictly pro-life. That is enough reason not to vote for him. Barack Obama is going to be our next president.

I can't wait to move away from this crappy, conservative, redneck, boring area of the United States.

Anonymous said...

I agree about the background looking like a cheap scene from hell. Bill Haug in the financial section looks like a minion of Satan against that background.

Anonymous said...

Do you really know what "redneck" is? When you move down to Texas, give me an update.

Anonymous said...

"I can't wait to move away from this crappy, conservative, redneck, boring area of the United States."

Soooo....where exactly do you plan to go? I can assure you, there will be people with rock-solid values wherever you end up at.

Anonymous said...

No offense, but why are people blogging politics where GFG asked about the new set at WDAZ? Take that to the open blog. I don't understand people's obsession with the TV in the background or to the side. Has anybody every watched another news station or CNBC? Many times they go to someone else which is a tv next to them? What the big deal? I have to say that for the money they probably spent, it's a poor use of color. Who is their interior designer? Nothing wrong with the set, just the wrong colors.

Anonymous said...

I don't have a tv. I DL everything. Does this WDAZ offer downloads of their shows?

PS. political commentary spammed in inappropriate topics sucks. Please stop.

Anonymous said...

Although arguably a more modern look, the new set is really a garish eye-sore. I found myself wincing a couple times tonight, even though I hoped I might be starting to adjust to it already. Nice job to the previous poster for identifying the kitchen-island likeness of the blue formica countertop.

All I can figure is that the same person in charge of the changing but consistently awful hair-dos of some of the anchors and reporters (female and male) must have been put in charge of color coordination and material selection for the new set. It all reeks of small-town wannabes thinking they've really got style now that they've gone on a shopping spree.

Anonymous said...

You people bitch entirely too much.

Is it possible you really feel that lousy about every single thing that comes to topic here?

I give up on this blog.

rrskylar said...

Great, WDAZ updated their 1980's set to a 1990's set! Wish my Winnipeg cable provider would give us a Mpls/StP ABC affiliate like we get for CBS and NBC. Nothing like having to wait for a half hour infomercial to end before I can watch Jimmy Kimmel!

Anonymous said...

12:16...I think that way a lot of the time. Maybe the whiny posts help them be nicer to their families, coworkers and in traffic. I read the blog a lot less lately to avoid a bad aftertaste.

fargodev said...

I haven't seen the new set yet, so I can't really comment. I'm hoping WDAY gets a new set at some point.

I also wish they would get a live band to play the intro and outro music, and maybe a little to introduce the weather segment.

More specifically, "Yakety Sax" will be played to introduce the weather segment.

Anonymous said...

Hmm. A live band on the nightly local news.

Morry Finney could do a bang-up job of "Yakety Sax," too. And once things really take off, perhaps DAZ could have Lena Horne come in and do "Stormy Weather."

Geez.

Anonymous said...

whatever happened to Rose Brunsvold?

Anonymous said...

Rose is alive and well and can still be seen occasionally on Channel 11.

Anonymous said...

I miss Jane Joyce. She was a snappy dresser and all around news babe. Although it's probably pretty inconsequential in the grand scheme of things, I really do think the news folks COULD do a better job with hair and makeup.

Anonymous said...

Well, they do do their OWN hair and makeup. So maybe they could just hire someone to come in for each broadcast and do it. (For WDAZ at least)

Anonymous said...

I miss the old sports guys, Steve "Sweaty" Long, and Dan Clites.

Anonymous said...

Bill Haug is the Satan of th financial world. And John of 5:52 there are several million abortions a year, thanks Dems and Obama. greenglass4.

Anonymous said...

Look at the bright side, cut the bight rate and we'll cut our fossil fuel consumption!

Anonymous said...

great game today

sure was fun watching it in standard definition instead of HD :(

Anonymous said...

leave it to GF Guy to discuss mundane and irrelevant topics that no one cares about. I have to say your blog has steadily gone downhill for the past year.

Unknown said...

Jane Joyce was on WDAZ from 1988-2000!