WGN America NewsNation – Strong Launch for New Primetime Entry

From the moment WGN America decided to turn its primetime lineup of original weekly dramas with a crime bent movies and offnet reruns into NewsNation nine months ago executives at the Nexstarowned basic cable network offered their intent to fashion a clear evening alternative to coverage available on broadcast and allnews cable networks After checking out portions of NewsNation39s first weekamp8212including the debut presentation in full September 1amp8212as well as social media reaction I39m clear the program is well down the road to accomplishing that aimOriginating live from 8 to 11 pm Eastern time from a new studio in Chicago the program covers developments from around the US using resources from Nexstar39s 197 TV stations employing and deploying more than 5500 journalists Those resources are supplemented by a 150person editorial and production team operating from its home base and in key cities nationwide A trio of anchorpeople one accountable for breaking news present each threehour edition which immediately gets a replay from 11 pm to 2 am with live updates when necessaryHere39s a roundup of NewsNation elements working so farOpening each hour with a 20minute segment That allows time to cover one or more key stories indepth On opening night President Trump39s visit to Kenosha Wisconsin was the lead story complete with both positive and negative reaction and a followup story on the state of protesting there From there a summary on coronavirus pandemic developments of the day a live report from Miami on a spree of cyberattacks impacting local schools and a weather segment rounded out the segmentExtended soundbites and in some cases going the extra mile to empower viewers A pair of stories opening night from Lake Charles Louisiana site of major damage from Hurricane Laura showcased individual restoration efforts ending with information on a Red Cross appeal for funds The next night right after another Hurricane Laura aftermath report on five members of the same family succumbing from carbon monoxide poisoning in their home because of a faulty generator an anchorperson delivered the latest stats on annual carbon monoxide fatalities and tips to prevent such fatalities when natural disasters occurCenter Of Attention a recurring showcase for unique stories deserving national attention First up a rare form of amnesia impacting a teenager in Greensboro North Carolina reported with sensitivity by Bob Buckley Compelling without getting maudlin or hyper Appreciate having one of the anchorpeople debrief Buckley live for additional detail and where the situation goes from hereThe newscast39s aspirational and inclusive tone You noticed this in a number of ways from the delivery of the anchorpeople Joe Donlon Marni Hughes and Rob Nelson and diversity of the reporters on camera readable graphics always identifying the location of a story the bright set multifunctional videowall and theme music and live skyline scenes from various cities leading into commercial breaksVarious Procter ampamp Gamble products Chrysler39s Ram truck division TMobile Allstate Salonpas and Cracker Barrel were among the major firstweek advertisers In an earlier MediaVillage column WGN America executives detailed their segment sponsorship efforts which are expected to come through in the coming weeksHeading into week two NewsNation39s Facebook page is attracting more than 18000 followers A few early reactionsquotLove it This is my new prime timequotYour broadcast is informative entertaining consistent up to dateamp8230So needed and so refreshingquotquotAdults treating their viewers like adults who can think for themselvesquotquotStay with it Give time for ratings to improve And if they don39t stay with it anyhowquotAnd here39s a few ideas on my end to improve this enterpriseIncrease the participation of Nexstar station correspondents over time whether for breaking news enterpriseinvestigative reports and the nightlyweekend feature segmentsUse one of the opening 20minute segments each night leading off the second or third hour to either explore a major issue indepth again using station correspondents where possible or feature an exclusive storyWhen offering coronavirus pandemic stats include the number of people who recover from the pandemic alongside the number of infections and deathsNOTE Tomorrow Will Be Televised my Internetdistributed radio program interviewed NewsNation anchorpeople Joe Donlon and Marni Hughes prelaunch The episode is available at wwwblogtalkradiocomtelevised and IHeart Radio39s podcast networkClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet

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WGN America NewsNation – Strong Launch for New Primetime Entry

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Simon Applebaum

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WGN America NewsNation – Strong Launch for New Primetime Entry

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