The National Desk

Last updated

The National Desk
TND logo.svg
Also known asTND
Genre
Presented by
  • Jan Jeffcoat
  • Ameera David
  • Dee Dee Gatton
  • Meagan O’Halloran
  • Eugene Ramirez
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Production locations WJLA-TV studios, Rosslyn, Arlington, Virginia
Camera setup Multi-camera
Running time
  • 180 minutes (morning)
  • 120 minutes (evening)
  • 60 minutes (weekend)
Production company Sinclair Broadcast Group
Original release
Network Sinclair Broadcast Group stations
ReleaseJanuary 18, 2021 (2021-01-18) –
present
Related
News Central
Circa News (social media accounts)

The National Desk (TND) is a daily American television news program produced by the Sinclair Broadcast Group. The program premiered nationally on January 18, 2021, and utilizes the journalistic resources of Sinclair's news operations throughout the United States, as well as original content. It originates from the studios of flagship station WJLA-TV in the Washington, D.C. market.

Contents

History

In June 2020, Sinclair announced it would launch "a headline news service" that would air weekday mornings (6:00–9:00 local time) and rely on news-gathering services of Sinclair's stations as well as original content, similar in format to NewsNation Prime produced by Nexstar Media Group for NewsNation. [1]

The program would be titled The National Desk, and Sinclair tapped veteran news anchor Jan Jeffcoat to host the program. It launched on January 18, 2021, and airs on Sinclair's CW and MyNetworkTV-affiliated stations along with its independent and Fox-affiliated stations without any local newscasts or news share agreements. [2]

The National Desk largely replaced paid programming, televangelism, and syndicated programming on those stations, reportedly saving Sinclair money in the long-run. The morning block also served as the replacement for Sinclair's attempt at non-educational children's programming, KidsClick, which had ended two years before. [3]

On May 4, 2021, Sinclair announced an evening expansion of The National Desk on September 27. The two-hour evening block airs after network primetime in the Eastern and Central time zones, while leading into it in the Mountain and Pacific time zones. [4]

On November 15, 2021, ABC affiliate WATM-TV in Altoona, Pennsylvania begin airing The National Desk in place of where local newscasts would normally air, making it among Sinclair's first "Big Three" affiliated stations to air The National Desk. Prior to this, it was airing a newscast produced from LMA partner WJAC-TV in nearby Johnstown, Pennsylvania. [5] Another LMA sister station, Fox affiliate WWCP-TV in Johnstown, will air The National Desk during WATM-TV's network commitments with ABC.

A weekend edition of the program was launched on Saturday, March 5, 2022, anchored by Eugene Ramirez, who also anchors the live desk during the weekday evening edition. [6]

Recently, several "Big Four" stations owned or operated by Sinclair have replaced their local newscasts with The National Desk. On April 3, The National Desk began airing on WPMI in Mobile, Alabama, WEYI in Flint, Michigan, WACH in Columbia, South Carolina and WGXA in Macon, Georgia (some local newscasts were retained on all of the above stations). Then on May 15, The National Desk was added on WNWO in Toledo, Ohio, KTVL in Medford, Oregon, KPTH in Sioux City, Iowa, WGFL/WNBW-DT in Gainesville, Florida and KPTM in Omaha, Nebraska, as those news operations were shuttered. [7]

Format

The National Desk is described by Sinclair as a "comprehensive, commentary-free" news program, despite Sinclair reportedly requiring its local stations to broadcast conservative opinion must-run segments. [8] However, the program has been accused by Media Matters for America of airing COVID-19 misinformation, [9] inviting commentators from "anti-immigrant" organization FAIR, [10] repeatedly airing a National Taxpayers Union falsehood regarding the cost of the INVEST in America Act, [11] promoting efforts to counter inclusion of critical race theory in public schools, [12] conducting interviews challenging the results of the 2020 U.S. presidential election, [13] and concealing interviewees' support of Republican efforts to "restrict voting" while discussing election security. [14] [15] [16]

Common segments on The National Desk include Fact Check Team, which fact checks issues currently in political discourse (originally called the "truth squad team"); [17] [8] Spotlight on America, with reporting from Sinclair's investigative team on important issues impacting Americans; [18] Pulse of America, featuring local reports from Sinclair stations across the country; [8] Live Desk, an anchor who presents breaking news and developing stories; [19] and a weather segment at the end of each half hour for the morning program, and at the end of each hour on the evening edition, featuring reports from Sinclair meteorologists reporting on their local region, in a cycle around the United States. The weather section can be replaced with local weather, news, or other programming for a specific market. [20] The weekend edition is a summary of notable stories from the weekday editions, and is presented by the weeknight anchor. [21]

The program airs on Sinclair's ad-supported streaming service Stirr, along with the live video section of nearly every Sinclair station site and app, allowing it national availability. The program does not air on Sinclair stations in every market due to network commitments or lack of a sister station entirely. [8]

The National Weather Desk

The National Weather Desk launched on September 26, 2022 as a half hour spinoff of The National Desk. [22] The program features an extended look at top weather stories, a national forecast, local weather-related stories from Sinclair stations, explainers about weather events, and weather-related photos and videos from viewers. The last portion of each program is a cut-in to allow stations to present local forecasts or other content. [23]

Reception

The program gained notice at launch for having five times as many Twitter followers as NewsNation after its first week (compared to NewsNation, which had been on the air for five months). However, the social media accounts under "@Circa" had existed since 2012 for Sinclair's defunct Circa News service. That service was discontinued on March 26, 2019, with Sinclair keeping its existing social media accounts alive and repurposing them under the new "@TND" handle quietly two months later and building The National Desk concept around the dormant accounts, along with retaining most of the Circa-era follower base who had not stopped following the accounts. NewsNation in contrast had started fresh social media accounts, rather than transitioning its followers from those following it under the channel's former branding of WGN America. [24] [25]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WWHO</span> CW affiliate in Chillicothe, Ohio

WWHO is a television station licensed to Chillicothe, Ohio, United States, serving the Columbus area as an affiliate of The CW. It is owned by Manhan Media, Inc., which maintains a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Sinclair Broadcast Group, owner of ABC/MyNetworkTV/Fox affiliate WSYX, for the provision of certain services. Sinclair also operates TBD station WTTE under a separate LMA with Cunningham Broadcasting; however, Sinclair effectively owns WTTE as the majority of Cunningham's stock is owned by the family of deceased group founder Julian Smith. The three stations share studios on Dublin Road in Grandview Heights ; WWHO's transmitter is located in the Franklinton section of Columbus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sinclair Broadcast Group</span> American media company, founded 1971

Sinclair, Inc., doing business as Sinclair Broadcast Group, is a publicly traded American telecommunications conglomerate that is controlled by the descendants of company founder Julian Sinclair Smith. Headquartered in the Baltimore suburb of Cockeysville, Maryland, the company is the second-largest television station operator in the United States by number of stations, owning or operating a total of 193 stations across the country in over 100 markets, and is the largest owner of stations affiliated with Fox, NBC, CBS, ABC, MyNetworkTV, and The CW. Sinclair also owns four digital multicast networks, and sports-oriented cable networks. On June 2, 2021, it was announced that Sinclair had become a Fortune 500 company, having reached 2020 annual revenues of US$5.9 billion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTTA</span> The CW-owned station in St. Petersburg, Florida

WTTA is a television station licensed to St. Petersburg, Florida, United States, serving as the Tampa Bay area's local outlet for The CW. It is owned and operated by The CW's majority owner, Nexstar Media Group, alongside Tampa-licensed NBC affiliate WFLA-TV and Sarasota-based low-power MyNetworkTV affiliate WSNN-LD. WTTA and WFLA-TV share studios on South Parker Street in downtown Tampa; through a channel sharing agreement, the two stations transmit using WFLA-TV's spectrum from a transmitter in Riverview, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBFF</span> Fox/MyNetworkTV affiliate in Baltimore

WBFF is a television station in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, affiliated with Fox and MyNetworkTV. It is one of two flagship stations of Sinclair Broadcast Group, alongside ABC affiliate WJLA-TV in Washington, D.C. Sinclair maintains a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Cunningham Broadcasting, owner of CW affiliate WNUV, and a shared services agreement (SSA) with Deerfield Media, owner of TBD affiliate WUTB.

WGME-TV is a television station in Portland, Maine, United States, affiliated with CBS. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, which provides certain services to Waterville-licensed Fox affiliate WPFO under a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Cunningham Broadcasting. However, Sinclair effectively owns WPFO as the majority of Cunningham's stock is owned by the family of deceased group founder Julian Smith. The two stations share studios on Northport Drive in the North Deering section of Portland; WGME-TV's transmitter is located on Brown Hill west of Raymond. The station also maintains regional studios in the Lewiston–Auburn area, and the state capital in Augusta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WUTV</span> Fox affiliate in Buffalo, New York

WUTV is a television station in Buffalo, New York, United States, affiliated with the Fox network. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group alongside MyNetworkTV affiliate WNYO-TV. The two stations share studios on Hertel Avenue near Military Road in Buffalo; WUTV's transmitter is located on Whitehaven Road in Grand Island, New York, behind its former main studio building.

WPNT is a television station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, affiliated with The CW and MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group alongside Fox affiliate WPGH-TV. The two stations share studios on Ivory Avenue in the city's Summer Hill section, where WPNT's transmitter is also located.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WPMI-TV</span> NBC affiliate in Mobile, Alabama

WPMI-TV is a television station licensed to Mobile, Alabama, United States, serving as the NBC affiliate for southwest Alabama and northwest Florida. It is owned by Deerfield Media alongside Pensacola, Florida–licensed independent station WJTC ; Deerfield maintains a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Sinclair Broadcast Group, owner of Pensacola-licensed ABC affiliate WEAR-TV and Fort Walton Beach–licensed MyNetworkTV affiliate WFGX, for the provision of certain services.

CityNews is the title of news and current affairs programming on Rogers Sports & Media's Citytv network in Canada. The newscast division was founded on September 28, 1975 as CityPulse as a standalone local newscast on the network's Toronto station owned by CHUM Limited. Through the acquisitions of the Edmonton, Winnipeg and Calgary A-Channel stations in 2004, it was relaunched under the CityNews brand on August 2, 2005 and later expanded to Montreal in 2012. The remaining Citytv stations airs the news headlines segments during each station's Breakfast Television morning show.

KCRA-TV is a television station in Sacramento, California, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is owned by Hearst Television alongside Stockton-licensed dual CW/MyNetworkTV affiliate KQCA. The two stations share studios on Television Circle off D Street in downtown Sacramento; KCRA-TV's transmitter is located in Walnut Grove, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WPFO</span> Fox affiliate in Waterville, Maine

WPFO is a television station licensed to Waterville, Maine, United States, serving the Portland area as an affiliate of the Fox network. It is owned by Cunningham Broadcasting, which maintains a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Sinclair Broadcast Group, owner of CBS affiliate WGME-TV, for the provision of certain services. However, Sinclair effectively owns WPFO as the majority of Cunningham's stock is owned by the family of deceased group founder Julian Smith. The two stations share studios on Northport Drive in the North Deering section of Portland; WPFO's transmitter is located on Brown Hill west of Raymond.

<i>News Central</i> (American TV program) Television news format created by Sinclair Broadcast Group

News Central is an American series of primetime newscast television programs on television stations owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group. The programs mixed locally produced news with nationally produced news and an opinion segment from Sinclair's Hunt Valley, Maryland studios, along with weather segments customized for each market also originating from Hunt Valley. News Central was broadcast between October 2002 and March 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KVAL-TV</span> CBS affiliate in Eugene, Oregon

KVAL-TV is a television station in Eugene, Oregon, United States, affiliated with CBS. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, which provides certain services to dual NBC/CW+ affiliate KMTR under a shared services agreement (SSA) with Roberts Media, LLC. The two stations share studios on Blanton Road in Eugene, where KVAL's transmitter is also located. KMTR maintained separate facilities on International Court in Springfield, Oregon, until 2020 when the station relocated to KVAL's building; master control and some internal operations for KMTR were based at the KVAL studios.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KOKH-TV</span> Fox affiliate in Oklahoma City

KOKH-TV is a television station in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, affiliated with the Fox network. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group alongside independent station KOCB. The stations' studios and transmitter facilities are co-located on East Wilshire Boulevard and 78th Street on the city's northeast side.

The WGN Morning News is an American morning television news program airing on WGN-TV, an independent television station and national superstation in Chicago, Illinois owned by Nexstar Media Group. The program broadcasts every day from 4 a.m. to 10 a.m. Central Time.

WJAC-TV is a television station licensed to Johnstown, Pennsylvania, United States, serving the Johnstown–Altoona–State College market as an affiliate of NBC and The CW Plus. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, which provides certain services to Johnstown-licensed Fox affiliate WWCP-TV, channel 8 and Altoona-licensed ABC affiliate WATM-TV, channel 23 under a time brokerage agreement (TBA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WWCP-TV</span> Fox affiliate in Johnstown, Pennsylvania

WWCP-TV is a television station licensed to Johnstown, Pennsylvania, United States, serving as the Fox affiliate for the Johnstown–Altoona–State College market. It is owned by Cunningham Broadcasting, which provides certain services to Altoona-licensed ABC affiliate WATM-TV under a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Palm Television, L.P. Both stations, in turn, are operated under a time brokerage agreement (TBA) by Sinclair Broadcast Group, owner of Johnstown-licensed dual NBC/CW+ affiliate WJAC-TV.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WATM-TV</span> ABC affiliate in Altoona, Pennsylvania

WATM-TV is a television station licensed to Altoona, Pennsylvania, United States, serving as the ABC affiliate for the Johnstown–Altoona–State College market. It is owned by Palm Television, L.P., which maintains a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Cunningham Broadcasting, owner of Johnstown-licensed Fox affiliate WWCP-TV, for the provision of certain services. Both stations, in turn, are operated under a time brokerage agreement (TBA) by Sinclair Broadcast Group, owner of Johnstown-licensed dual NBC/CW+ affiliate WJAC-TV.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KTVL</span> CBS/CW affiliate in Medford, Oregon

KTVL is a television station in Medford, Oregon, United States, affiliated with CBS and The CW Plus. Owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, the station has studios on North Fir Street in downtown Medford, and its transmitter is located atop Mount Ashland, 15 miles (24 km) south of the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WNBW-DT</span> NBC affiliate in Gainesville, Florida

WNBW-DT is a television station in Gainesville, Florida, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is owned by MPS Media, which maintains a local marketing agreement (LMA) with New Age Media, owner of High Springs–licensed dual CBS/MyNetworkTV affiliate WGFL and low-power, Class A Antenna TV affiliate WYME-CD, for the provision of certain services. All three stations, in turn, are operated under a master service agreement by the Sinclair Broadcast Group. The stations share studios on Northwest 80th Boulevard in Gainesville; WNBW's transmitter is located on Southwest 30th Avenue near Newberry.

References

  1. ↑ "Sinclair Broadcast Group to Launch Headline News Service, Announces 25 New Positions to be Filled," press release from Sinclair Broadcast Group, June 17, 2020
  2. ↑ "Sinclair Broadcast Group's The National Desk To Premiere Monday, January 18," press release from Sinclair Broadcast Group via PRNewswire, January 15, 2021
  3. ↑ Jones, Scott. "Sinclair To Launch Headline News Service". FTVLive.
  4. ↑ Steinberg, Brian (May 4, 2021). "Sinclair Expands 'The National Desk' to Evenings". Variety. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Is This the Beginning?".
  6. ↑ Lafayette, Jon (March 3, 2022). "Sinclair's 'National Desk' Adding Weekend Edition March 5". Broadcasting+Cable. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  7. ↑ Lafayette, Jon (May 2, 2023). "Sinclair Replaces Local Newscasts With 'The National Desk' in 5 Markets". Broadcasting & Cable . Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Barron, Alicia (September 2, 2021). "All news may be local — but more and more of it is going national". Cronkite News Lab. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  9. ↑ Pleat, Zachary (January 21, 2021). "Sinclair's new "commentary-free" national news program broadcasts dangerous COVID-19 misinformation during its premiere episode". Media Matters for America. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  10. ↑ Pleat, Zachary (February 12, 2021). "Sinclair has repeatedly turned to a former Trump immigration official who defended family separation for commentary". Media Matters for America. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  11. ↑ Pleat, Zachary (August 13, 2021). "Sinclair Broadcast Group repeatedly spread brazen lie that bipartisan infrastructure bill would add $400 trillion to national debt". Media Matters for America. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  12. ↑ Pleat, Zachary (June 11, 2021). "How Sinclair Broadcast Group's morning news show is misleading local TV audiences about critical race theory". Media Matters for America. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  13. ↑ Salamy, Elissa (January 5, 2022). "Georgia opens investigation into ballot harvesting claims". The National Desk. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  14. ↑ Pleat, Zachary (June 7, 2021). "Sinclair's National Desk allowed a guest to lie about a federal voting rights bill". Media Matters for America. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  15. ↑ Pleat, Zachary (June 22, 2021). "Sinclair anchor allows Republican senator to push litany of lies about For the People Act". Media Matters for America. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  16. ↑ Pleat, Zachary (January 19, 2022). "A year of misinformation on Sinclair's morning show The National Desk". Media Matters for America. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  17. ↑ updated, Jon Lafayettelast (December 6, 2021). "Sinclair Launches Website For 'The National Desk' News Program". Broadcasting Cable. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  18. ↑ Daniels, Angie Moreschi, Alex Brauer, Andrea Nejman, Duane Pohlman, Chris (May 19, 2023). "Special coverage: EV Safety; Recalled Products; Catching Contraband; Urban Rebound". The National Desk. Retrieved May 29, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  19. ↑ Villafañe, Veronica (September 30, 2021). "Eugene Ramirez returns to news as an anchor for Sinclair's "National Desk"". Media Moves. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  20. ↑ "Scott D. Pierce: Sinclair is dropping local news at some stations. Is KUTV one of them?". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  21. ↑ Lafayette, Jon (March 3, 2022). "Sinclair's 'National Desk' Adding Weekend Edition March 5". Broadcasting & Cable . Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  22. ↑ "The National Weather Desk Debut | The National Weather Desk brings you all the most significant and interesting weather stories from coast to coast. MORE HERE:... | By The National Desk - TND | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  23. ↑ Desk, The National (September 26, 2022). "Coverage of Tropical Storm Ian on The National Weather Desk". WLOS. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  24. ↑ "Follow up".
  25. ↑ "Sinclair Quietly Rebrands Circa".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.