The absolute bottom of the barrel for news here in Washington is WUSA. This is a station that used to be on top – literally, WTOP — and was bought by Gannett. Soon after, the USA Today-ification of the news began.
Many years later, WUSA’s ratings were near the bottom and they began decimating their news team, people who had been reporters at the station for decades. Now they’re all over at WJLA, which wisely picked up that talent. This strategy has put WJLA back in the ratings fight again and they’re inching toward the top. Meanwhile, WUSA is in a deep pit.
But WUSA, not content to reach the smallest news audience in Washington with their third-string reporters and blow-dried anchors, has decided to go for an even smaller audience: those of us with high definition tuners.
W*USA 9 announced today that this spring it will become the first television station in Washington, DC to present its local live newscasts in High Definition Television [HDTV]. From buying new studio cameras to stringing miles of cable throughout, the station is literally being rebuilt from the ground up.
“This advancement will be historic for W*USA 9. The station is not only launching its newscasts in HDTV, but also launching a new era in Washington TV. We’re excited to be the leaders in this new technology. HD will provide our viewers with a dramatic, vibrant and sharp viewing experience. It will be like giving them a front row seat in our studio,” said Darryll J. Green, President and General Manager of W*USA 9.
W*USA 9 will also be unveiling a new set and new graphics built with HDTV in mind, giving 9 News a completely new look. Viewers will be able to experience the difference of this technological advancement in all of W*USA 9’s more than 35 hours of local news each week.
Okay. Well. I applaud this change and think that it’s about time that someone did it, considering the evolution of television technology. I just wonder if they’re doing this because they have nothing left to lose; or if they think that their newscast will improve just because it looks better. The graphics, the set, and the picture don’t make the newscast any more informative, the stories more insightful, and the coverage any more comprehensive.
I also wonder if only the in-studio segments will be in HD, or if they are actually spending enough cash to outfit the news photographers in the field with HD cams?
Update: the field news crews will still be using SD, only the studio segments will be in HD. Seems like a huge waste of time and money, doesn’t it?
[Tipped off by DCRTV]