I've never been a big fan of the City TV "anchorless" newscast - especially when they started one of their 11 o'clock shows earlier this week with CP24's "Live At 5" playing in a background monitor, revealing that their top story throw of the night wasn't even live.

But with shrinking ratings overall, many stations are taking a second look at their expensive newscasts and making changes. But will that make any difference? One place that hopes it will is WTXF, Channel 29 in Philadelphia. It's come out with a brand new format that hits the airwaves this Monday, labelled as a "30-minute 'foot on the accelerator’ " program. But assuming you could get it, would these changes be enough to make you watch it?

According the Philadelphia Business Journal, here's how their new 6 o'clock news will look:

• The Lead: The day’s top story
• The Local: Four reporters providing condensed one-minute versions of the day’s big stories.
• Fast Forecast: A 30-second forecast reported from outside its studios
• Whaddya Think: Discussion of the biggest sports story of the day, led by the anchors and some guests, with a daily sports poll.
• Click This: Looks at some of the best digital content on the station’s website, with Fox 29 web producers making cameos.
• Viewer Sound Off: Feedback from viewers via submitted videos, phone calls, emails and social media posts.
• Stump the Anchor: The four main anchors come up with trivia to stump each other. 

I don't think that would make me tune in. But it might well make me tune out. A trivia contest at the end of the newscast? Really? Here's the first question: what changes to a newscast will likely turn out to be a ratings disaster? 

I guess there's a way to modernize newscasts (NBC Nightly News, beyond the irritating habit of calling everything in the first pack "Breaking News," now takes an early one minute break then comes back when the competition is off for several minutes of spots) but I can't see this working. I get re-inventing the wheel. But the car still has to move.