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November 12, 2021 8:48 pm  #1


WWJ Detroit CBS 62 Local News Coming Early 2022?

On a radio/tv forum site in Detroit that I look at from time to time there is some excitement at the rumours of the local CBS owned station WWJ getting back in the news business after 19 years with no local news coverage.

Several personalities have left other Detroit local stations since the summer and it is believed that CBS 62 is putting together a news department or at the very least expanding the department that is already there for the local sister CW station that has newscasts.

CBS 62 does have a couple early morning half hour feature shows on Sunday in addition to 30 second weather updates on CBS Morning weekdays.  Since 1995 the station has had two failed attempts at local newscasts.  The last was actually a co production of sister station WKBD with the final newscast in December 2002.

WWJ's local news had dreadful ratings and was in reality pretty much a repeat of WKBD's news with the same set, reporters, anchors etc.  For CBS WWJ has been it's only owned and operated station not to have local news and the only major market network owned and operated station to have no regular local news.

The rumours say all of this will change early in 2022 with WWJ having either it's own news department and/or the possibility of Detroit having a CBSN station.  Quite a few on the board are skeptical since CBS has teased before with nothing happening over the years, but many feel that something could be happening for real this time.

Stay tuned!  

 

 

November 13, 2021 12:46 pm  #2


Re: WWJ Detroit CBS 62 Local News Coming Early 2022?

I’ll believe it when I see it.

I remember WWJ had the slogan “where no news is good news!” for a time in the 2000s. Literally proud of their lack of a news department.

 

November 13, 2021 3:33 pm  #3


Re: WWJ Detroit CBS 62 Local News Coming Early 2022?

I always found it ironic that those call letters are synonymous with news on radio in Detroit because of WWJ radio, but not on TV.

 

December 19, 2022 12:41 pm  #4


Re: WWJ Detroit CBS 62 Local News Coming Early 2022?

A preview of what to expect from WWJ-TV's long delayed newscast is out, and there's a hint of the old CityPulse influence in it, if you believe the early reports.

From Broadcast & Cable:

"CBS News Detroit will have a streaming-first mentality and linear newscasts at 4, 5, 6 and 11 p.m. weekdays, as well as morning news in the coming months. Paul Pytlowany is news director. Watson and Pytlowany speak of a “working newsroom,” with reporters and producers hustling in the background of newscasts. The tone will be conversational."

Some here will recall the old anchor-walks-to-reporter's-desk that City TV came up with and abandoned several years ago. It remains to be seen if WWJ will take that idea and run with it. 

But how long their other planned innovation lasts is another matter. Check this out:

"Pytlowany stressed that everyone will have a say in how the news comes together. “The word is out that I can come in as an entry-level news person, a producer or assignment editor, and have an equal voice with the anchor, the assistant news director or the executive producer, as to the kind of content that I want to bring,” he said. “We tell everybody, show up with your painting brush, because this thing is yet to be fully colored in.” 

An entry-level employee has an equal voice with the anchor or producer? I wonder how long that will last. We'll find out - the new newscasts are supposed to be on the air in January. 

CBS News Detroit Set To Launch

 

December 25, 2022 5:45 pm  #5


Re: WWJ Detroit CBS 62 Local News Coming Early 2022?

Tomas Barlow wrote:

I always found it ironic that those call letters are synonymous with news on radio in Detroit because of WWJ radio, but not on TV.

WWJ radio and the original WWJ-TV, channel 4 - now WDIV - were owned by The Detroit News. That gave it a leg up in the local news race, and it led until 1967, when the News decided to downplay the riot that tore the city apart... referring to it as a 'disturbance.' As this excellent documentary produced by channel 4 admits, they essentially torpedoed their credibility, and gave away their audience to WJBK and WXYZ. It took a lot of work, a lot of money and a lot of time to get their viewers back.

You'll notice there's a fleeting reference to 'channel 9' in the doc: Windsor's CBET (originally CKLW-TV), still located on Riverside Drive, with a tower in the back -- all the better to get the signal to the original target audience in the D.