Monday, January 17, 2011

NECN Gets Major Makeover

Launching morning lifestyle show with new talent

New England Cable News is undergoing a mega overhaul as the regional cable TV news outlet debuts fresh faces, shakes up its on-air lineup and rolls out a new “Today”-style morning show with a flashier, hip look.

According to Jessica Heslam at Boston herald.com,  NECN plans to launch “The Morning Show on NECN” at 7 a.m. Monday. The two-hour lifestyle and news weekday program has been in the works for six months.

The station has tapped former “Good Morning America” correspondent Taryn Winter Brill and ex-Rhode Island news anchor Steve Aveson - who has been working as a freelancer for NECN - as the show’s hosts. NECN meteorologist Danielle Niles is also part of the crew.

“Our traditional morning news show has been an anchor at the news desk going over the morning news,” said Bill Bridgen, general manager of the Comcast-owned NECN. “This is much more conversational, much more informal, but it’s still going to include the news and the issues of the day.”

The morning show boasts new graphics, music and a contemporary “living room” set that includes a white leather sectional and throw pillows. NECN has also updated its anchor desk and revamped its studio, outfitting it with a new lighting system and cameras, and viewers will see the on-air changes throughout the day.

Another newcomer, Bridget Blythe, will co-anchor the morning news from 4:30 to 7 a.m. and 9 to 10 a.m. Blythe last worked at Buffalo’s WKBW-TV.

The changes come as several on-air veterans exit and get bumped to lower-profile gigs. One newsroom source said NECN has “essentially lost” all of its institutional knowledge and most of the New England background. “NECN as we knew it is gone,” the source said.

Read more here.

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