Another new local news show hits the airwaves this month, marking the sixth new newscast in the Baton Rouge area since January. Unlike the others, however, this one is a morning show.
On Aug. 20, WGMB will debut its Fox News Louisiana, a fast-paced, two-hour program that will air from 7 to 9 a.m. and go head-to-head with NBC’s The Today Show and ABC’s Good Morning America. It’s a gamble, especially given that the local Fox affiliate just entered the local news game in April with a 30-minute show at 9 p.m.
But given the increasing popularity of morning news in recent years and the strong Fox brand name, station manager Phil Waterman believes there’s a considerable market for the product here.
Like its 9 p.m. newscast, Fox News Louisiana will be simulcast to the stations in Lafayette, Shreveport and Alexandria that are owned by WGMB’s corporate parents. Fox’s local anchors will pre-record like-live lead-ins for those stations, which will air their own local news stories during the various news blocks in the show. All of the news in the Baton Rouge market will be aired live.
It’s a strategy WGMB pioneered locally with its 9 p.m. show, and it’s catching on in other markets around the country. It also helps explain why the bankrupt company that owns WGMB and its local sister station, WVLA, decided to shell out the hefty capital needed to produce local news programming at a time when it is in Chapter 11. By producing shows that can be shown—and sold—across the state, the companies can generate considerable revenue. At least, that is the thinking behind the move.
When the new show debuts this month, at least one familiar face will be behind the desk. WGMB/WVLA reporter Lauren Unger will host the show with a female co-anchor, still undisclosed of yet. Station meteorologist Jesse Gunkel will do the frequent weather segments eight times an hour.
WBRZ spruces up its look
Top brass at WAFB and WBRZ say they welcome the decision by WGMB to introduce more news into the competitive local market. But they’re not taking anything for granted.
WBRZ has updated the look of its newscasts with new graphics—the captions, titles and words that appear on the screen during the newscast. The market’s No. 2 station has also produced new opens and closes to its newscasts, and is sporting a spiffy new interview set for its popular morning show 2une In from 6 to 7 a.m.
While the changes were not made directly in response to WGMB or the new local news it’s putting on the air, they were done to keep the station up to date and looking fresh, according to station manager Rocky Daboval.
“Technology changes so there are things you can do to enhance the quality of your product,” he says.
In the world of advertising
There’s more than a kernel of truth to the rumor buzzing about the local advertising and PR community that powerhouse New Orleans agency Peter Mayer Advertising is eying Baton Rouge—but it’s not definite yet. The president of the firm’s PR division, Mark Romig, confirms the family-owned agency is considering a major expansion here and will decide by the end of the year.
“We feel like we have something to offer,” he says.
The 125-person firm is the state’s largest, with billings upwards of $75 million annually. It already has a two-person satellite office here, which services the firm’s biggest local account, the state Department of Culture Recreation and Tourism.
More new magazines
If you’re keeping a tally of the never-ending list of lifestyle and specialty publications that continue to test the local waters, add two more. The first is Southern Families, a full-color monthly with a circulation of 20,000 in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama that bills itself as a “family resource magazine … committed to providing informative and useful resources to southern families.”
The other is Health Care Journal of Baton Rouge, a glossy, bi-monthly targeting local health care providers and professionals. In its first run, 10,000 copies were printed and mailed directly to providers. But the publication will be subscription-based and hopes to go to a monthly distribution next year.
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