Nine months after Les Vann took over the top job at WJCL-WTGS Savannah, the ABC-Fox duopoly has unveiled a “Working For You” news brand, along with a new set design, lighting and graphics. Vann, former GM at WKRC Cincinnati, calls the branding a “daily promise” to viewers.
“Our focus in developing the new brand was to leverage our multiple platform approach to content delivery with a design that would make our viewers feel connected to our newscasts,” he said in a statement. “We identified the Savannah brick pretty early on as the soul of our historic city, and it was our commitment to the rich past that informed how we wanted to operate in the future.”
Vann departed WKRC just before Sinclair took it over in its acquisition of several Newport TV stations in December, and landed in Savannah in January. He’s got a bit of a turnaround project at hand: Raycom’s WTOC is a monster in DMA No. 92, and Media General’s WSAV is a strong performer too.
LIN’s image/design VP Kathy Mosher-Boule headed up the overhaul. Julie Eisenman, news director, says the new branding reflects an advocacy position for the stations. “Savannah needs an advocate and we will be good neighbors,” she said. “We are not just reporting on stories that are happening around us–we are invested.”
