Without CBS programming, WANF to start out with 91 hours of news a week

Credit: RODNEY HO

Credit: RODNEY HO

“People now go home and watch their shows when they want on whatever streamer to watch them,” said Erik Schrader, general manager for WANF. “We also know people do not time shift news. They don’t time shift sports. Those are things we need to be about.”

Since Atlanta-based Gray Media took over WANF when it was CBS46 (WGCL-TV), it has rebranded with the moniker Atlanta News First while greatly expanding its news operation. The station now employs 144 people, more than double its size under prior ownership with Meredith. It has the largest investigative team among local TV stations and has more meteorologists than WSB-TV, the long standing market leader in viewers.

WANF has added more staff to accommodate the additional news shows and still has several job openings.

“It’s fun to be hiring,” Schrader said.

Monica Pearson, the former WSB-TV anchor and former AJC contributor who now hosts a weekend interview show that will air on WANF, said she compares what WANF is doing to “CNN for local news.” It will effectively be a place for people to watch breaking local news without management having to preempt soap operas and other programming.

Credit: RODNE YHO

Credit: RODNE YHO

During a recent presentation for advertisers at Doraville’s Assembly Studios, which Gray Media also owns, executives also touted the station’s investment in sports.

WANF will air selected Atlanta Braves and Atlanta Hawks games as well as Atlanta Dream games that had previously aired on its sister station Peachtree TV. And though WANF is not home to any University of Georgia football games, it will run shows before and after the games hosted by former Bulldog quarterback Jake Fromm and WANF sports director Baillie Burmaster.

During the high school football season, WANF will also air a game of the week at 7 p.m. every Friday night.

On the weekend, WANF will introduce weekly Atlanta-focused investigative program “Uncovered” on Sundays at 7 p.m. anchored by award-winning reporters Ciara Cummings and Brendan Keefe. Politics show “On the Record” will be hosted at 11 a.m. Sundays by anchor Rick Folbaum and politics reporter Doug Reardon.

Local programs that previously aired on Peachtree TV are moving to WANF: “Atlanta Eats” at 8 p.m. on Saturdays and “Monica Pearson One on One” at 8 p.m. on Sundays.

The only weekday syndicated programming WANF will use during waking hours will be repeats of “The Big Bang Theory” from 7:30-9 p.m.

WANF is able to pocket all advertising dollars during its news programs and won’t have to pay for CBS programming. The station is hoping enough Atlantans will find its news shows even as CBS Atlanta at WUPA starts its own news operation to compete.

Credit: SCREENSHOT

Credit: SCREENSHOT

Michael Castengera, a former University of Georgia professor who spent decades advising local TV stations, said the challenges WANF faces are vast given the massive number of media options people now have.

“Gray is considered a good broadcaster,” he said, “but they are facing diminishing ad revenue and viewership.”

In May, Nielsen reported more people watched streaming services than broadcast and cable TV for the first time.

In the meantime, Nielsen ratings for WANF’s news programs, even as a CBS affiliate, regularly lag far behind those of ABC affiliate WSB and Fox affiliate WAGA-TV (Fox 5). In May, at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m., WSB more than tripled WANF’s viewership numbers among 25 to 54 year olds with an even wider gap at 6 a.m.

But WANF does have a lifeline in a sense: its headquarters are based in Atlanta, which means its bosses are invested in the community. Gray also has deep pockets. It’s the second largest TV station owner in the country and is buying more stations nationwide.

“I think it’s great they are expanding their news operation,” said Josh Azriel, a media professor at Kennesaw State University. “But I’m not sure they have the hometown Atlanta loyalty of viewers as WSB does.”

He noted that WJXT-TV in Jacksonville, Florida, went independent in 2002, dropping its CBS affiliation, and its news operation thrived. But that was a different era, and WJXT had already been No. 1 for years with veteran anchors at the helm.

WANF doesn’t have enough legacy personalities that will incentivize viewers to stick around, Azriel said.

“I don’t know how you build fidelity from the ground up,” said Mark Shavin, who worked as a producer at Fox 5, 11Alive (WXIA-TV) and WSB. “How can an indie station stick out amid all the noise out there?”

Schrader is hopeful that WANF will keep many of its current fans and find new ones.

“I’m a lot less worried than I would have been 10 years ago” about losing CBS shows, he said. “I think the live sports CBS had were very valuable to us. Past that, I don’t think we’ll miss the programming they were providing.”