Oregon Media Insiders

but first thing I noticed were the fake radar sweeps during the weathercast. The same thing people on this blog were harassing KPTV and KATU about a few weeks back.

Is there online video available of the full 5pm or 6pm KGW HD newscast? I saw a short clip on KGW.com, but would like to see more. Unfortunately I do not live in the PDX area anymore, but I keep up on the media goings on from a safe distance. (Spokane, WA DMA#77) Is there anywhere I can see more video?

Hopefully one day SOON one of Spokane's local news outlets will go full HD. KXLY (ABC) does a weekly segment in HD, but thats it. No other stations HD, yet. KREM (CBS) is a BELO station, maybe KREM is next. KING is now HD and now KGW is HD, it should be our turn?

Thanks fellow news lovers.

I work for another station in town...but i'll be honest: it looks good! The new desk, stand up moniter set, and new plasmas are impressive. With the graphics, HD, updated music, KGW finally looks like a top 25 station. I've also noticed that KGW is changing it's news branding from "KGW Northwest Newschannel 8" to just "KGW Newschannel 8" interesting, eh?

Maybe it looks worse on CW because it's fed up to the Seattle 'regional op center' before boomeranging back to PDX homes.

I've heard through the grapevine that KATU has now significantly sped up their HD plans... from a year or so out, to months away.
Anyone else hear this?

Here's a clip of the open. The moving logo on the desk is distracting, but otherwise I do like the look. The snow scenes were a cool way to start the HD broadcast, too.

Lynn, ever seen ESPN? Those desks are covered with graphics.

FWIW, the CW newscast is supposed to be HD as well... but as usual, CW had "issues" with their master control in Seattle.

has anybody noticed the new guy on the 10 pm edition Fox-12? Doesn't he look like a French mime?

The desk graphics look like something thought of by KPTV. I think they just look too "busy" The rest of the desk looks nice.

I also found it interesting that much of the backdrop is actually carryover from the old set.

And I also DON'T like the new weather graphics, especially where they put the forecast in a box up next to the map showing the temps. The forecast box is crooked and distorted looking on a non-HD set, but could work if it was adjusted a bit.

Also on a non-HD set, the KRCW newscast looks really bad.

Overall, there are good points, but I think KGW overdid it on the graphics.

I wonder if KGW gives tours? I would love to see the HD in person and how all that works. I know their sister affiliate in Seattle (KING 5) does, as I was really bored while visiting Seattle one day, and called to see if they did and yes they did. I enjoyed it. Hopefully, KGW will do the same some day.

The new set, graphics and music look HOT. Now if only there was a KGW repeater over here in Bend. I guess I'll just have to watch that link over and over again...

KGW had major problems in the 5:00 newscast. Didn't you see those? The funniest thing is that Tracy said, "Do you notice the difference?"

Whoever wrote that should be demoted for supidity. Only 20% of viewers have HD sets and many people still watch the early news on their little TVs in the kitchen. So, 8 out of 10 viewers didn't notice a darn thing.

At the same time, most of the content in the show is not in HD. None of their field cameras are HD and all feed video ain't either. The whole 'HD' campaign is mostly a lie. Aren't journalists supposed to honest? I guess not.

The biggest accomplishment is showing their aging anchors in HD. You've got to go some distance to convince anyone that Tracy and Laural in HD is a good idea.

I didn't care for the new set at all. It was way too busy. The two things I noticed: I felt like I should tilt my head to read the graphics and the weather 7 day forecast was cut off. I could only see the middle days.

I'd agree with TV Viewer.

The monitors in front of the desk are really distracting and the whole thing looks a bit overdone. The HD cameras need major tweaking as the black levels are too low (contrasty) and the talent doesn't look crisp. The anchors all look the same as there are no distinctions in flesh tones anymore.

Even on NTSC SD TV's, other programming such as OPB's HD, looks much better than the current HD efforts on KGW. IMHO, they need to do a lot more adjustments to make HD worth watching in the context for news.

Used to work there for 22+ years (engineering) so I have an idea about how things work,..:)

... and about 1/2 the 11 pm broadcast. Even on our old LD tv, the HD difference was apparent.

I still like the new logo treatment, even though I'm not bowled over by it.

Thanks, BTW, to Myhousemf for posting videos on their YouTube channel. That's skookum and no doubt.

The HD image offered by KGW makes all the other guys look ... well, kind of flat. There's a rumor a few replies above that says KATU is moving up their HD timetable. They better. HD is one of the few TV innovations that look like it's indeed all that.

Samuel John Klein, a/k/a ZehnKatzen
samuel.klein@gmail.com or zehnkatzen@gmail.com
graphically involved at http://zehnkatzen.blogspot.com

OK, the quality o the picture looks nice, even on the CW after they got it figured out... my beef with KGW is the spin. People of Portland with 42" Plasma screens... you are being LIED TO! Just like Bush and his cronies, the folks over on SW Jefferson are attempted to pull the HD wool over your eyes. In their own "news story" about the HD launch they talk about how great HD is with it's improved picture and clarity. Yes, that part is true. However, the pictures they are showing to go along with the script are shot with a Beta SX camera set to 16x9 and shooting in SD... Just like the other stations in town in which they essentially insult by claiming THEY are the lying liars pretending to be HD! Get it? The GM was even quoted as saying that the investment made by KGW was one of several millions to bring you the viewer this new technology, and the other stations in town just threw a switch... no investment at all. Huh? You mean the 1.5 (est) million KATU spent 2 years ago on ALL-Digital cameras, editing, and playback equipment was "just throwing a switch"? Lies people, LIES! Hopefully, KGW dials back the rhetoric and the other stations get on the ball and we can get back to debating who has the best hair in Portland TV.

Just a viewer here. I mostly like what I'm seeing. The picture is crisp on my HD set. A nice improvement. I especially love how the HD enhances the Google Earth regional weather maps. Conversely, I'm not a fan of the radiating beams of blue light that appear behind just about everything that pops up on the screen. Distracting and kind of cheesy.

>>Hopefully, KGW dials back the rhetoric and the other stations get on the ball and we can get back to debating who has the best hair in Portland TV.

Steph Stricklen.

The HD looks terrific on my set, though the contrast between the razor-sharp anchors and the fuzzy-def field pieces is distracting. Can't wait to see the helicopter in high def, and I heard that various stationary cams are going that way too. So that'll make for some pretty city shots at night, and breaking news will look cool. Spiky hair gel looks bad in HD. And they can lose the Who-wants-to-be-a-millionaire moving lights any time.

...they can't do anything on that station without running promos that make it sound like they're the greatest station the world has ever known.

Most watched, most honored, the biggest this or that...holy christ, KGW does need to "dial it down" quite a bit.

Yes, they're a really good station...but is it completely necessary to endlessly pat yourself on the back with self-serving promos?

Come on Belo...frickin' relax, will 'ya?

P.S. Have you ever noticed that Tracy Berry looks remarkably like the Princess Fiona character from the animated movie "Shrek"?

Is it my aging eyes - or does it seem that the "green screen" effect on the weather folks needs adjusting?

Looks like a thin black outline follows the weather person around on my screen - looks less realistic, not more...

Could be part of the shakedown cruise, one supposes.

Holey Moley !!!

The HD looks great on my 1080p.... But for the love of all things holey... the anchors need better make-up techniques !!! KGW's anchors look like they are EMBALMED now !!! It's creepy !!!!

Tracy Barry does look different in HD.