This Week has a new look, new format, and new website. What do you think?
Welcome back. If you are reading this you know that This Week in Northern California has scrubbed its cool blue look and is returning to the air with a brand-new set, and a brand new snazzy website created with bright, vibrant hues. I've never been one who paid a great deal of attention to the desk fronts and background screens on television programs, but I have to admit that considering the precarious social and financial situation of our world, this sunny new look does lift one's spirits. We are excited about the change but would like to know your thoughts.
As we enter our twentieth season please be assured that this is not a superficial overhaul of This Week. Our change is much deeper and more profound than new colors. For the past three months, a group of very dedicated people at KQED has spent many hours trying to tackle some of the same problems you might also be facing at home. Foremost among them: How can we do more with less?
I think of public television as the "soul food" of the broadcasting industry. It exists to serve our most basic needs, to inform, to educate, and to quiet our souls with the best of the arts and culture we share as humans. But no matter how noble the goals of public broadcasting, there is still the daunting task of generating the resources to create content.
The time away from our weekly program schedule accomplished two important things. It allowed the production team sufficient time to rethink the show's mission and objectives, and to bank some resources that can now be used to present a richer programming experience. We will welcome back our great local reporters but we will also incorporate material from our arts program Spark and fascinating science stories with the help of QUEST, we will travel to the source of interesting stories and invite expert guest to share our studio.
The world of social media has opened to us with the launch of our new website. It allows the program to be streamed online with options for you to share it with friends and comment. However the most important element for me is the opportunity to engage you in conversation about what we do or should do as we continue to build the new This Week.
Now it's your turn, tell us what you think about this week's program, our new on air look, and our greatly enhanced website.
Belva
Comments
16 Responses to “This Week has a new look, new format, and new website. What do you think?”
Looking forward to the new format, and loving the new, deeper website. When choosing guests, I hope you'll be sure you seek out a variety of opinions — force yourselves to look beyond the progressive orthodoxy of the region — and don't be afraid to challenge the status quo.
Just saw the show on air now.
I like the new format, where the show now has a more in-depth segment devoted to the three strikes law with no panel discussion. The past format of all discussion was very similar to Washington Week which comes on right after. The short segment on the NASA moon mission with only one panelist allows for shorter issues to be addressed with a smaller footprint. The variety will be interesting to see.
The "vibrant hues" hurt my eye when at the beginning of the show, but i think i adapted to it towards the end. Then again, colors are more a personal taste, i think viewers will get used to it soon enough.
Good job on the redesign.
10.09 As a long-time viewer I waited with much anticipation of the new look. Well, I'm sorry to say I'm disappointed, though the web-site looks great. I found the 'color scheme' rather jarring at first, but I was hoping to see a 'panorama' of photos illustrating the state with 'map' graphics.
I also thought the program would be an hour long and see more new faces. Of course, Mr Rogers and Ms Marinucci always get top billing, and they're among the best, yet I was not satisfied with just 3 journalists. The old format worked for me, but will give you some more time to work it out…thx always for the good info. Always a loyal viewer.
"Blitz Media Reviews"
I have someone in Soledad State prison that was sentenced under the three-strike law, I am very interested in talking with you. Please contact me.
Mary Jones
President(Community Organization"WE AS ONE" fOCUSING ON JUSTICE FOR ALL.
[edited posted phone number]
I was a great fan of This Week in Northern California. I have seen the new format and frankly I hate it! It used to be so relaxed and interesting. This is not. It is sleek and impersonal.
The new look is OK, but we definitely prefer the previous discussion format with panelists participating in the entire show.
I was not impressed with your new format. I was looking for an improvement, and did not find it. I was looking for expanded analysis and discussion of current topics which your show did not provide. I felt your new format was a half hour of editorial comment. If I wanted editorial commentary, I would have looked elsewhere. Looking forward to a better format, or if nothing else, the old format would do.
The new look is great even though I am new to the web-site.
I noticed the new format right away. Congratulations and welcome to the major leagues. Good looking new background, complements everyone nicely.
I enjoy everything about the new show except the look of the set. It makes everything appear claustrophobic when compared with the old set which to me looked very open and inviting.
I dislike the new format. Instead of discussing the news, too much of this week's show was editorializing on the Three Strikes issue, slanting the coverage against Three Strikes and against public safety. Not mentioned was the fact that there are career criminals who commit robberies and burglaries, and the public is much safer when they are locked up for life if they have been convicted three times. Burglary is a non-violent crime but it is not a victimless crime, and career criminals who repeatedly burglarize need to be kept off the streets. A robber could have robbed hundreds of people before he was convicted for the third time. He should not be released to continue to victimize the public.
I love the new colored background. It's a perfect backdrop for you and the panelists. And it's good to see you, Belva, get out more on your own to be a real journalist exploring main issues. The panelists are familiar faces and are a nice segue to the new formatting. I hope you'll have more of Rachel Gordon. Change is not something we folks adapt readily to, but I like what I see.
I very much enjoy the new format. I especially liked the extended review of the Three Strikes issue. I am against Three Strikes. I would have liked to see the Three Strikes segment a little more balanced and focused on numbers and analysis from both sides. Hearing from those convicted did add some personal information, however, the samples were a little biased towards rejecting Three Strikes – this is why i think it would have been better to spend more time with advocates on both sides of the issue.
The only thing that kept me watching was the Host's startling resemblance to Brian Fellows from SNL–what with all the blank stares, nodding and whatnot. If I weren't intrigued by that, I would have been asleep by minute three. Also, what was going on during that first discussion? Maybe I was too sleepy to think straight, but the issues weren't clearly outlined and the discussion meandered too much for me to follow. Where did they start? Where did they end? New subject? The three strikes piece was interesting, but it still lacked critical questions that reflected what were, in my opinion, the logical questions that people would ask. Also, the visuals seemed random and stylistically questionable. I don't hate the new show, but it doesn't seem to be different enough in tone and energy to justify a change in the first place. Not interested in watching the next one unless there is another change.
What is that big screen in the background there for? I love this program and like the idea that some new concepts are being incorporated, but the TV experience is not wildly better. It's the content, baby!
Paleeese!!!
I was hoping as was my wife that the "new format" would bring significant change. Alas the format is superfluous. Our hope was you would finally find a new host. I think Belva is been dead weight to this show for far too long.