CBS5 (KPIX) 5PM newscast: standing room only

CBS5 (KPIX) has quietly begun a new format for their 5PM newscast. Well, sort of.

The CBS local has devised a 30-minute news show, (with anchors Allen Martin and the venerable Wendy Tokuda) with every person on the set standing. That's including the talent, the newsroom staff, and yes, even the news director, (Dan Rosenheim.)

I watched the entire newscast on Wednesday night. It's definitely unique. Although it amounts to an essentially conventional news broadcast, albeit with a visual twist, I'll give KPIX credit for at least trying to diversify its product.

From a viewer standpoint, the standing approach can at first be somewhat irritating, but for a more detailed story, (like the sea lion mystery, which, by the way, is out of control) the new format actually works and enhances the particular premise.

This type of TV news format requires a bit of talent workmanship and both Tokuda and Martin seem comfortable with their new gig. It's a "welcome to our newsroom" tour-de-force and Martin and Tokuda, with assistance from reporters and the staff, seem like they're focused on the show.

Of course, this isn't thoroughly radical, as KRON and other stations outside the market have tried this approach, but CBS5 has taken the stand-alone format into ALL of its environment. At times, it appears as if you're peeking into a writer's computer, but I'm assuming the station has notified everyone to "be aware."

The 5PM 'cast still has traditional weather and sports segments, along with reporter/video stories, although the weather is done with a bank of Doppler monitors, with Roberta Gonzales station-side. It works.

Mostly, the new 5PM newscast works well as a half-hour tease for the more conventional 6PM signature show with Ken Bastida and Dana King. Again, the look is indeed different, although I think it needs a BIG story, (and presumably, if PIX sticks with this format, it will have the 'big story eventually) for this to really take off.

A big story like a (god forbid,) major fire, disaster, earthquake, terrorist attack, etc would lend itself to this look because those type of news "events" evolve a lot from the newsroom anyway. Producers, writers, news staff are running around gathering information, so the antiseptic studio set has always looked out of character when a major story breakes.

CBS5 at 5PM isn't all good. There's a few awkward moments every now and then, (expected) and I'm certain Rosenheim and company don't want newsroom personnel to act as if they're staging; (they're not.) Again, its a unique approach and rather bold, whatever the outcome, nevertheless I give the station credit for giving Bay Area viewers an alternative visual approach to local news.

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