Oregon Media Insiders

How did KGW become the official station of Portland's living room?

Years and years of negotiations... 3 general managers had their hands in it. The first talks date back to 1999, if you can believe it.

It helps that no one else in town has the cash to do something like that.

Tony, the Square is not private property. It's a park operated by a non-profit under an agreement with the City. It's governed by the City Charter, City Code, and Parks & Recreation Policies & Rules

Wait, I take that back.

Hope Salesky moons somebody.

thats why they are moving...

i hate the today show. mostly because they block the damn trafic. GMA has people on the sidewalks where they belong and even in the studio because they trust the people. NBC doesnt

Gotta bring this up here, because of the above comment and because Channel 8 used to be one of the big offenders. The living room is Pioneer COURTHOUSE Square...named after the building, not some early resident of the area. Pioneer Square is in Seattle, another reason to get it right in Portland.

The short answer is blinds or semi-translucent glass. They'll be able to hide the crowd when they want.

How about the sound?

I heard a rumor that the station is considering 24 hour security. I think that's a good idea. It would be horrible to have the anchors show up at 4am and find the front glass all smashed in.
I wonder, would security have the authority to curb offensive behavior and remove people from camera view considering this is a public park?

An occasional real-life view of Mt. Hood.

But I promise a free OMI coffee mug to the first five people who can get themselves on camera there in OMI gear. :) Screenshot must be supplied as I am not a morning person.

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Lynn Siprelle * Fairy Blogmother

KOIN had a weather studio upstairs in OMSI for a few years in the mid 90's, complete with big glass window. The afternoon shows usually served up the obligatory wide shot of a few people sitting on benches outside the window, but the late newscasts had nothing to see when the museum was closed for the night. I think the public just didn't find the 'forecaster in a box' as fascinating as KOIN management hoped.

How long until an anchor meltdown that everyone sees? Bring your camcorders and see Brenda and Russ scream at a producer a mile away. I can't wait until the YouTube video. That's Must See TV.

Russ and Brenda don't scream at the producer. They're pros.

Agreed.

Brenda and Russ are as classy as they come.
They're not screamers.

In fact, none of KGW's anchors has a big ego. They're pros who treat everyone well.

I worked with Brenda for a year and never heard her raise her voice once. Russ I don't know but I'd be surprised. Dave yelled good morning to me on his way through KINK's offices for three years, but that's all the yelling I ever heard on morningside...

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Lynn Siprelle * Fairy Blogmother

But my prediction is that a downtown studio will be very cool, if used the right way. No other station can match it.. and you're right, it will certainly show-up in promos. Why not? Any other station would do the same thing. Oh wait, they're not willing to invest that kind of money.

Of course it's superficial. That's all Gramer focuses on these days.

I for one cannot wait. It's high time someone in this town gave skateboarders and homeless teens regular air time. They'll be the only ones hanging out there between 5 and 7am.

PDX sure ain't New York.
Who the hell do they think will be there at that hour?

This is an excellent business move (figuratively and literally) by KGW. They are taking a business strategy that has proven to work by the Today Show over and over and now are bringing it to a smaller market.

All concerns from previous posters are valid. However, I'm sure they are fully aware of the pitfalls that broadcasting from an urban area can bring, and will address them. Even if they continue to pop up after broadcasting begins.

KGW is also instituting an old and worthy business theory that hardly ever fails and I've used it countless times in my own business...selling the sizzle...not the steak. The steak is the news content, it will most likely stay the same. The sizzle is the new "station" in the heart of downtown PDX.

Brilliant.

http://themcguffin.spaces.live.com

Happy to see someone "gets it"

It is brilliant.

Visibly Agitated

"selling the sizzle...not the steak. The steak is the news content.

I hardly consider the puffery KGW regurgitates as being steak. More like cream puffs. Of course, the hovering helicopter shots are sexy.

This guy crashed his van into a Chicago street-level studio. I'm sure whoever's designing the studio is fully aware of security.

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Lynn Siprelle * Fairy Blogmother

Why is Jen Iveson out? I enjoy her reporting.

KGW is getting their butt kicked by KPTV? Really? Care to share some of what you're smokin'?

Read it.

First -- KGW will share the square space with a security company -- security problem solved.

Second -- Who do you think had the bigger overhead?
KGW.. in a 50 year old building that it shares with KINK and was probably paid off decades ago OR KPTV.. in a brand new place off the Sunset Highway? Want to take a guess which station has the bigger nut each month?

FACT: 1501 SW Jefferson isn't a 50 year old building (it was built in the mid 1960's)

FACT: Belo bought KGW TV (and the other KING Broadcasting properties) for hundreds-of-millions in the 1990's...they're still making payments on that purchase.

FACT: KINK radio is owned by CBS radio and pays nominal rent to Belo. KINK FM has no ownership in the 1501 SW Jefferson building.

FACT: KGW has the highest overhead and payroll in the local market.

FACT: KGW's "power-ratio" (revenue divided by ratings) is smaller than KPTV's. (not a healthy sign)

FACT: Belo corporate is aware that KGW's revenue performance is less than impressive.

FACT: KGW's sales department is dealing with significant turnover.

Care to see any more facts?

In this day and age when corporate sponsorships are the norm, KGW won't pay a dime for security, bulletproof glass, auxiliary lighting for the square, free balloons for the kids and cases of Aqua Net for the anchors. Any business would gladly trade their goods or services for the kind of massive exposure KGW can deliver to their captive audience.

It would be cool to see KGW work with the smaller, local businesses around Pioneer Square. That would create a nice, friendly partnership with their neighbors and just might rejuvenate the entire area.

It's all about the synergy, baby.

http://themcguffin.spaces.live.com

any experience selling broadcast media?

Yeah, tell you what...go try to sell some of that "synergy" to the merchants around downtown. It sounds nice, but you're basically talking out of your hat...baby.

Who said anything about selling broadcast media?…sweetie.

I didn’t advocate any form of selling at all. Traditional selling would involve an exchange of legal tender and a paper trail…read my comments again and you just might comprehend the value and wisdom of the barter system.

http://themcguffin.spaces.live.com

Speaking as one who works with sales and broadcasting, there are rules from the FCC about the exchange of goods and services, even bartered goods. In fact most media outlets have FCC rules for employees about receiving gifts and the cost limits of those gifts (the old payola sheet). We all have to sign forms for the lawyers and the FCC. Trade-out is good but it can be a hassle and is not as easy as it seems. Some stations do 'in-kind' trades, but that also requires FCC notification and sometimes it even has to be mentioned on the air. Ask to see the public record at a TV/radio station next time there is a license renewal.

Met her a couple times and she's such a nice gal. Good luck with everything, Jen!

Are you sure that was Jens choice? Word on the street has it she was asked to leave ??
She has the worst shift of anyone at KGW. I am not sure why anyone would accept that shift with those hours unless you dont want a life. KGW will own you

"Word on the street" = "I'm trying to stir things up because I have no idea what's really going on"

If you know Jen then you know she has been talking about getting out of the business for quite a while.

You obviously don't know her -- so stop implying she was fired or forced to leave. Go stir your shit somewhere else.

Call City Hall or better yet the Pioneer Courthouse Square board. They all signed off on this. It's not KGW's fault that it got a sweet deal to move-in downtown.

Tell is how you really feel!

Go hug another tree.

Sounds like a case of the Mondays!

Golly, anon 3:21, do you find yourself relating to this?

"...I used to be over by the window, and I could see the squirrels, and they were married, but then, they switched from the Swingline to the Boston stapler, but I kept my Swingline stapler because it didn't bind up as much, and I kept the staples for the Swingline stapler and it's not okay because if they take my stapler then I'll set the building on fire..."

-- Milton Waddams

I also have memorial bricks in the square.
But I pitty the people who preceeded you and left behind such a twisted personality filled with hate and an inability to express yourself without using language has you apparently think is appropriate.

Fascism

The key attribute of fascism is intolerance of others:

Source: Webster Dictionary

Hey, look, the incoherent ranters from Indymedia have discovered OMI!

Welcome! Wander back when you learn how to put a complete sentence together.

I am so damn sick of people like you who can do nothing but bitch about the situation you're in. If you don't like working at KOIN, get the hell out. I hear Starbucks is hiring. Oh wait, nevermind, they require a positive attitude. I work at KOIN too, and I'm doing everything I can to make KOIN a better place to be and a better newscast to watch. Try it. Trust me, you feel better about yourself at the end of the day. If you worked half as hard at your job as you do tossing anonymous potshots at your bosses (and NO, I'm not one of the bosses), that success might be closer at hand. I'm glad I can't tell who you are or I'd find you and toss your lazy ass out onto Columbia Street. We don't need you.

LOL!! I noticed they changed their VO to "Local News for Portland....".

It works for Letterman...

BTW - I just hope they don't get a hankerin' to start bustin' up bricks to make this work, the late Will Martin deserves more respect than that.

Sky 8 is being HD-ified right now. Hoping it'll be back for air in about a month.