It’s no coincidence the most watched newscasts in Milwaukee have the strongest brand identity.
While the stories all four local newscasts cover nightly are broadly similar, WITI-TV (Channel 6) serves them with gemutlichkeit informality while WISN-TV (Channel 12) takes a no-nonsense approach.
Both additionally have deep benches filled with veteran personnel.
And while the recent May ratings sweeps found the stations virtually tied at the top, WITI claimed victory because it, um, won … by the ratings equivalent of one vote in an election.
A recount will be held during the November sweeps.
If that fight is Mayweather-Pacquiao, the more interesting undercard is the battle for third place between WTMJ-TV (Channel 4) and WDJT-TV (Channel 58), and how they are preparing for it. Neither has a well-defined identity and both are seen to be in rebuilding mode.
—WTMJ news was once the market’s voice of God. It did not win a single time period in February and fell to fourth at 10 p.m, before bouncing back to third in May.
In the past few months WTMJ’s 10 p.m. anchor Mike Jacobs retired and the station became the intellectual property E.W. Scripps Co. which has yet to make any perceptible changes on air, beyond adding the little blue lighthouse that ends its newscasts.
(Should we take any clues from KNTV-TV, the Phoenix station Scripps bought in 1985, which is currently undergoing a “minor restructuring” that reportedly includes layoffs?)
—WDJT faces questions of image and turnover. The frequently fourth-ranked Weigel Broadcasting station was back in fourth place at 10 p.m. in May, but its ratings have remained steady. The low public perception of the station’s newscasts causes staffers to bristle since it ignores their hustling to contribute to an expanding roster of shows, including a 4 p.m. newscast and weekend magazine.
Several of WDJT’s reporters are MMJs, or usually young multi-media journalists who report, shoot, write and edit their own stories, as opposed to reporters traveling with a photographer. WITI too uses a couple MMJs, also known as one man bands, but WTMJ and WISN reportedly have none.
WDJT is currently on its third news director since 2012 when Grant Uitti, begat recently departed Genie Garner who begat well-regarded former assistant news director Tracy Davis, who currently holds the job. And last year Weigel added Mark Strachota as general manager to stabilize the ship.
But what is it they say about new brooms?
The station is expected to lose at least three on-air personnel over the next few weeks. They include:
—Former 10 p.m. anchor Paul Piakoski, who was demoted to weekends earlier this year;
—MMJ John Cuoco, a native of Boston reportedly returning there, who joined WDJT in 2011;
—And MMJ Lane Kimble, a Tosa native who joined WDJT in 2013 and is said to be returning from whence he came – Rhinelander.
And other shoes may yet drop.
The move of meteorologist from mornings to noon and 4 p.m. happened on Twitter:
Gonna’ miss my friend @RebeccaSchuld on the mornings! She brought me a gift before she moves dayside. #ItsInTheBag
Spoiler alert: It was beer.
But the only change the station would admit to on the record was that new chief meteorologist Drew Burgoyne started Monday.
The Green Bay native came from stations in Fayetteville/Fort Smith, Ark, where he was known as Drew Michaels. He replaces Mark McGinnis who is starting a consulting company.
If Burgoyne’s is any indication he was well liked in Arkansas. You can where in the 24 hours between noon on Sunday and Monday he had tweeted a dozen times.
The station has been promoting the lantern-jawed Burgoyne with a campaign that shows him posed with hands on his sides, the other meteorologists behind him arms crossed – the Weather Avengers.
Burgoyne may be new to you but he spent 13 years in Arkansas. Piaskoski was a 19 year veteran of WDJT. Jacobs served WTMJ for almost four decades. Such voices of experience are the load bearing walls in any successful station or organization over the long run. No matter who’s in charge.
Tags: Drew Burgoyne, Genie Garner, John Cuoco, Lane Kimble, Mike Jacobs, Paul Piaskoski, Rebecca Schuld, Tracy Davis, WDJT, WISN, WITI, WTMJ Posted by