WTVT-FOX13 Tampa is owned and operated by Newscorp. They’ve just introduced an 11pm newscast called “News Edge”, a first for a FOX O&O station. The newscast is very fast paced with flashy graphics and dramatic music that closely resembles Fox News.
I think it’s a preview of what’s to come to other owned and operated station by Newscorp. Especially considering that the same people who run Fox News are in charge here as well
Even WTVT’s slogan is “The Most Powerful Station in Local News”
Florida News Center has a few screen and video caps from the broadcast.
I saw the captions and they look pretty good. I don’t like the FOX 13 (WTVT) logo the newscast uses. Anyway I just read a story on Yahoo! via Reuters talking about how the FOX 20th Television Division is going to be recapping Spanish telenovelas in English and that the FOX O&O groups covers 45% of the country. To be honest 7 rocks!
Here in Los Angeles it has become rumor that if “NewsEdge” is successful then FOX 11 (KTTV) will launch a 11 p.m. newscast as well as possibly starting up a 11 a.m., noon, 5-7 p.m. or maybe 4-7 p.m. block(s) of news. Like FOX 13, FOX 11 shows too many reruns and they duplicate too many shows on FOX owned UPN 13 (KCOP).
I just think FOX is copying 7. FNC’s “News Alert” vs. 7’s “News Alert” Now FOX 13’s 11 p.m. newscast vs. 7’s 11 p.m. newscast.
I live in Tampa area and watched the EDGE last night.
It has a much faster pace than the “regular” news on TVT. The “regular” news on TVT is paced for a wheelchair with 3 flat tires. The new format is a much noticed improvment.
Edge, however, is not a copy of SVN. 7’s hype and smoke are taken to a much higher level than that of Edge.
There are many similarities though, the flipping graphics, the glow, lots of cg.
For the Tampa market, it is a bold move. The closest station with a similar format is the so branded ABC Action news. – It is neither. They associate themselves very little with ABC and the action is that they all look like they have a stick in their butts – except the cheif weather dudeman – he is a Lonnie Quinn wanna be.
Enought about Tampa. Edge is a good start for this local media to revamp ang at least get into the 90’s.
“News Edge” is admittedly fashioned after Fox News Channel, which is CLEARLY modelled after WSVN.