In July 2005, the station moved its facilities from the World Trade Center New Orleans to a facility at the New Orleans Centre. WGNO, Metairie. The news with a twist format seems to have been shelved in favor of harder news in light of the pandemic. Upload or insert images from URL. I think I’ve lived in every nook and cranny there is. Fittingly, two anchors with unconventional backgrounds will launch WGNO's unconventional "News with a Twist. I love this place. You can post now and register later. “You can’t sit there and say, ‘Good evening,’ ‘Good evening’ (and do) … the same traditional start with the City Council meeting because that’s important, then go to crime because it’s everywhere. In February 2007, Tribune announced that rather than move WGNO to WNOL's facility on Canal Street, it would be moving to the Galleria building in nearby Metairie. GNO really needs a strong main anchor team to give it harder edge. In 1996, Tartikoff would take the popular game show national as "Know It Alls".[1]. Revamped logos and on-air graphics were introduced at this time. From 1982 to 1987, WGNO aired 1000 PSAs (public service announcements) called "Tom Foote"; Tom was a local entertainer in area schools and in the Quarter. On August 29, 2007, the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, WGNO began broadcasting from new high definition-ready studios in the Galleria Center in nearby Metairie; included in WGNO's new facility are a brand-new news set and weather center. It was her live reporting from a Chicago tax-day rally in April 2009 that caused a furor, and her contract was not renewed. 208K likes. The station was on the air about twelve hours a day by 1972. “I’m a guy who’s not a heavy news guy, but on the other hand, New Orleans is my home. For a time after Hurricane Katrina hit, nightly newscasts were broadcast from various locations throughout the New Orleans area because the main studio was inaccessible. The online footage is still hard to watch, especially for followers of Roesgen's work in New Orleans for multiple outlets, including CNN. Shortly after taking the ABC affiliation, WGNO launched a full-scale news department, and began airing half-hour newscasts at 5 and 6 p.m. on weeknights and nightly at 10 p.m. in March 1996. I couldn’t do anything but focus on a fun job.”. It truly is a market that you'd think WDSU would be the strongest station, since they have the benefit of stability (they're the only station in the market that hasn't changed owners recently). Your previous content has been restored. WGNO then acquired WVUE's former ABC affiliation, and became the market's new affiliate of the network. Initially, the station was on the air 8 hours a day from late afternoon to midnight. The real question is: does Nexstar even have the stomach to do another WPTY-to-WATN style makeover, AGAIN? “It is very difficult, sometimes, to get angry people to give a rational explanation for their anger. Tag photos and videos with #WGNO for permission to share on air and online. This is fun. It’s not something I’m eager to do again.”, It’s not likely to happen on “News with a Twist.”. [3] WGNO received help covering Gustav from the Tribune Company/Local TV partnership, which combines the control and Internet operations for both entities -- stations that sent crews to New Orleans included Fox affiliate WBRC (channel 6) in Birmingham, Alabama (now owned by Raycom Media), NBC affiliate WHO-TV (channel 13) in Des Moines, Iowa and CBS affiliate WHNT-TV (channel 19) in Huntsville, Alabama. In January 1995, after 28 years on the air, WGNO ceased to be an independent station when it affiliated with the new WB Television Network. Temporary facilities (including a makeshift studio and control room) were eventually established in two trailers outside of the Louisiana Superdome, and most of the station's broadcast equipment was purchased from eBay resellers. WDSU was never the same after the sale to Cosmos (the South Carolina company that owned WAVE and other stations) in 1972. The station began signing on at 10 a.m. in 1974, and expanded to about nineteen hours a day by 1975. It was owned by David Wagenvoord until its sale to Communications Corp. of the South in 1971, and its call letters were changed to the current WGNO. “I said, ‘I don’t know. I could see them doing a "team-up" with the Baton Rouge stations, but they're not exactly bursting with staff AND are also in the same position ratings-wise in the market... No matter what, it's likely to be on the cheap side, which will be tough to compete against WVUE, WDSU and the shell of WWL. “When you’re working at CNN, it was 24-7. Are there plans to rebrand? Roesgen became controversial, at least in some politically conservative circles, because of her work with CNN. [2] The move to the Galleria was complete and broadcasting began at their new home on August 29, 2007, the second-year anniversary of Katrina. I used to wake up at 4 in the morning and ask, ‘What city am I in?’ and ‘What’s the story?’ I’d get home and not know how to use my own shower. As Hurricane Katrina approached in August 2005, WGNO's operations were moved to fellow ABC affiliate WBRZ-TV in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. That same year, Burnham Broadcasting sold longtime ABC affiliate WVUE (channel 8) in a group deal, to Savoy Communications, a company with interest in Fox (WVUE is currently owned by Louisiana Media Company). WGNO hires anchors with unconventional backgrounds to staff unconventional new show, Dave Walker, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. WWL, with its local ownership and strong news department, took the lead and never looked back. The two strikes against WGNO are that it was a latecomer in the market compared to the others (because of the WNOL-WGNO-WVUE switch), and UHF, and has been treated as such with an endless barrage of talent, formats, and branding. “I certainly welcome the opportunity to work in a different vehicle, and especially anything that’s really concentrating on the city. You have permission to edit this article. The WGNO Live "News With a Twist" crew made its fourth annual trek to the historic L&N Depot in Bay St. Louis on Wednesday to promote the Bay and the rest of Hancock County to its New Orleans-area viewers. WGNO was purchased by Glendive Media in 1978, who would later sell the station to Tribune Broadcasting in 1983. We expect to do whatever people are talking about.”, Joseph said he spent about a year in discussions with WGNO about anchoring “News with a Twist.”. It continued to program a general entertainment format with vintage sitcoms, older movies, and religious shows. Tegna probably got a group discount, along with WZDX, WPMT, WTCI, and a few others all for the venerable WNEP. This. In 1993, legendary programmer Brandon Tartikoff, who had a successful run as the president of NBC during the 1980s, created a game show for WGNO called "NO It Alls" with host Ed Daniels and hostess Isis Casanova. She’s back in town attending Loyola University, where she’s enrolled in a dual graduate program to study traditional and pastoral counseling. “Who knows how God works through us? The ratings I found online which are from March 2020, WWL was doing well in the ratings race, they were #1 in the mornings and #1 at Noon. Her separation from CNN gave Roesgen an opportunity to “stop, take a deep breath, re-assess and explore something I’ve been thinking about since Katrina,” she said. On April 20, 2009 WGNO moved its 6 p.m. newscast ahead a half-hour to 6:30 p.m., the move was intended to reach a believed large segment of New Orleans who commute to work and do not arrive home in time to watch a 6 p.m. newscast; billed as "Your Only Newscast at 6:30", the newscast is anchored by Jessica Holly (who also solo anchors the weeknight 5 and 10 p.m. newscasts), however recent ratings indicate that the time slot did not attract significant viewers as ratings fell in 2010, with WGNO placing last with a 1.7 Nielsen at 6:30.