FIRST ON THE BLOG: Well well well… If it isn’t WSFL. Look who’s bringing back a local newscast. And for the first time, South Floridans (like myself) are getting a new kind of newscast… Tribune’s “NewsFix.”
Since yesterday, Monday September 28th, 2015, WSFL 39 has aired a local weeknight half-hour 10:00 p.m. newscast called NewsFix, as NewsFix SFL at 10:00 for South Florida audiences. The new half-hour newscast is similar to Tribune’s other sister stations that have the same format, KDAF 33 (CW) in DFW and KIAH 39 (CW) in Houston, in which both air NewsFix formats during their evening newscasts. The format is anchor-less and has news delivered by a voice over announcer in a rapid fire format, which also includes the more traditional segments like weather and sports. This will compete against WSVN 7 (FOX)’s already-established, hour-long and #1-rated 10:00 p.m. newscast, 7 News at 10:00 (in which I watch daily).
This new particular newscast is the first one for WSFL 39 in 5 years, when they last aired The Morning Show in 2010, which was a failed morning newscast due to low ratings because it wasn’t able to compete against WSVN 7’s 7 News – Today in Florida.
WSFL 39’s first and longest newscast was from 1997-2008 with WB 39 News at 10:00 on then WDZL, then WBZL. Once it became WSFL in 2006, CW News at 10:00 came through but with the potential (and failed) sale of WTVJ 6 (NBC) to WPLG 10 (ABC)’s owners at Post-Newsweek Stations (now Graham Media Group) at that time, the news sharing agreement ended. So this will be WSFL 39’s second time at producing a local newscast after the morning newscast ended after just a year in 2010.
So, as they say… “If you fail… try and try again.” That’s what WSFL 39 is doing. Not sure if this one will work out though, to be honest.
changingnewscasts.wordpress.com 
Welcome back newscasts on WSFL-TV again!
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This doesn’t mean it will last forever. Or that I will be watching it. I’m more likely going to continue to watch WSVN at 10pm for the foreseeable future.
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They expanded NewsFix now to 3 stations (WSFL, KIAH, KDAF). What next, maybe Newsfix DC on WDCW?
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I’m not sure. Stay tuned…
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With Tribune expanding the NewsFix franchise to WSFL… I would look at it as Tribune testing the waters in South Florida, and whether or not it has an audience, even though WSVN is ratings juggernaut.
I could see WDCW going either way. NewsFix getting a trial run in DC against established WTTG… or WUSA produced newscast, and not sure of chances of TEGNA (formerly Gannett) acquiring the station from Tribune.
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WSVN is a ratings powerhouse king in South Florida. Its gonna be impossible for NewsFix to do well in the ratings or if it will even get an audience.
#ChangingNewscasts on Kik Group Chat right now for quick review of “NewsFix SFL.”
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I honestly don’t think the News Fix (s) are meant to be big competitors , I think they are trying to go for alternative (maybe young) audience. They aren’t beating KRIV (Houston ) at 9 or all the Houston stations at 5/10 and KDFW (Dallas) at 9 and all the other Dallas stations at 5 but might get an audience who might want something different .
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It could be, but IMO, I don’t think it will work out.
For younger people, yeah maybe.
For those serious in local news, nope. No way.
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The Daily Buzz program was a program like Newsfix where each local CW station that carried the DBZ had a news ticker that scrolled local headlines across it. The Daily Buzz was a morning newscast aimed at the younger audience or fast paced news crowd. The Daily Buzz was an alternative way of stations providing local news without the huge costs of a news department. The Daily Buzz started in 2002 and went off the air in 2015 that was a 13 year runs which was a pretty decent run. Back in 2002 when the Daily Buzz started I though it would only last for a few years but you have to give great credit for a run that last over 10 years.
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The Daily Buzz had a good run, and introduced us to names, like Andrea Jackson, Mitch English, Kia Malone, Ron Corning, and Clayton Morris, just to name a few. There’s no telling how long Tribune will remain committed to EyeOpener on most of its CW & MNT stations, or whether the EyeOpener franchise could expand to additional stations to fill the void left behind by DBZ.
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