Channel 12 Weekend Morning News

[Tom Snyder]

It's about time someone gave us a choice!

Like all of 12's News, the set just looks "dark,"  not as light and "cheery" at 6's.

But Fox 6's Bob Moore is just painful to watch.  He talks like he's talking to 1st graders...

[Todd Wiedemann]

It'll be interesting to see who lands there, anchorwise, when this summer rotation is over.

Of all the local stations, IMHO, 12's anchors are the best.

[Joel S]

I agree with you about Bob Moore.  He's Brutal.  He may be the nicest guy on TV but we need somebody who's more angry when they do local news and weather.  I think a good angry weatherman would be a great thing for this town instead of all these "happy go lucky" it's a great day in Milwaukee types.

I think one of the local stations should hire a guy like Joe Scarborough (MSNBC) to do the weather once that station finally folds.

I don't really get a chance to watch much morning news to have an honest opinion as to which is better.  Perhaps I'll try and check it more in the future.

[Kevin Arnold]

I'm looking at 12 as the better weekend news product. Fox6 seems to get "softer and softer" as the morning progresses on Saturday. I fully expect Chopper 6 to be televising pictures of lost kittens from afar before too long. Presentation of 6's news set is better than 12's.  I think 12 needs a makeover for the set.  I don't follow that closely but  it seems years since any real change.  Maybe a new show - Queer Eye for the News Guy could help out here.

[jfish]

I'm a big ch. 12 news fan.  I grew up watching them and really can't stand to watch the news product on the other channels.  

That said.....

12 still has a lot of work to do on their morning news product.

Here's the way I break things down at this point:

12 vs. 6 in the weekend morning slot:

Content:  Advantage 12 by default....more time allows for more news.  BUT...12 recycles stuff way too much.  I understand that not much will happen between Friday night's 10pm news and the Saturday morning show (likewise Saturday into Sunday)...but consider ways to repackage the material.  12's live presence is good...the roving reporter (Ryan S.).   He's got fresh content but he's not worked in enough.  

Style/Presentation:  12 has never been very smooth in a technical sense when it comes to news.  There always seem to be a wrong button pushed.  They've got to fix that.  Advantage: ch. 6.

Set:  It's been said here earlier...ch. 6's set is much more morning like..."light and airy."   Ch. 12 got a new set right around November 2001 or February 2002.  So there set is relatively new.  They used to have a different morning set...using the cream city brick background with the city scape with a video screen as back drop as well.  They dumped that by the summer of 2002 for what they  have now as an interview/multi-purpose area.    I don't see wholesale changes here.  Maybe some tweaks with the lighting.   Advantage:  ch. 6


Anchors:  Toss-up.   Patrick P. is little stiff for a morning anchor.  He needs to be more conversational.  Lance is fine for a weather anchor...Sally is much better for the morning (of course she's been doing it forever).  I'm not a Rebecca K. fan..Jessica Jallings did well last weekend.  Tammy Elliot isn't bad in that slot, either.  Mark Baden did well with the wx last Sunday.  On 6... I agree Bob Moore is annoying, BUT he's folksy and that's kinda what people come to expect from the Fox 6 wake up crew.  Dawn H. is a pretty good anchor...solid.  

Weather:  Advantage ch. 12.  Ch. 6 may have weather first, but ch. 12 pulled a fast one on them.  Hitting the audience with loads of weather and not franchising it (except the Weather Watch tag). Is it too much, perhaps.  

Sports.  Toss-up.  both do well when they have to.  It'll be interesting to see what happens on Sundays when the Packers season really heats up.  

Other:  12's quickcast needs work.  It's a cool concept, but the text size and the contrast of colors is a bit odd.  The news seems to be scattered...no organization.  I prefer 6's scroll or ch. 4's thing on their morning news.

I think with 12's early start (7 instead of will help them gain some audience.  I wonder how many tune out at 8, though and switch to 6.   I remember when 6's weekend show went from 8a to 10 (I think it was just on Saturdays...that was an awkward news time slot....7 to 9a is much more appropriate).

[John L]

Its great to see another station added to the morning weekend newscasts.  I'm sure it won't be too long that ch. 4 might start something, it depends on how the rating numbers go.  If news ratings out do the Saturday morning cartoons, and Sunday news out do the religious preachers, they will do it.

Thou, I am dissappointed to see D. J. Kennedy pulled off ch. 12 on Sunday mornings.  Now that they have Digital, ch. 12 could air News on 12-1, and D.J. Kennedy on 12-2.  I wish our locals would start making use of new technology!  They could air all those ABC cartoons they pre-empt on analog 12 between 7 and 9 am on their digital with News at 12-1, ABC Network on 12-2. Then this way I the cartoons and DJ Kennedy can still stay on, and I can watch alternate programming on 12-2 rather then the news on 12-1.

-John L.