Why is NBC-17 News now called WNCN (home, budget)

[North_Raleigh_Guy]

I rarely watch the local news, but noticed that the 11 o'clock news on NBC is now called WNCN. Is it some sort of rebranding? I wonder why they dropped the NBC from their name.

[Sherifftruman]

I'm sure you know those were always their call letters. I wonder if some consultant said emphasize your local connection, a few years from now they'll probably reccomend to emphasize the network agai.

[rfburns]

I thought the same thing a few days ago when I saw one of their vehicles painted up with logos that emphasize "WNCN", but the NBC peacock was just a faint background. I thought about it again this morning when I heard their meteorologist on a radio station just refer to "WNCN". I wondered if they're preparing for the possibility of no longer being an NBC affiliate.

[wizard-xyzzy]

NBC actually owned WNCN from 1996 to 2006. It was during this period that "NBC-17" became the standard branding. When NBC Universal sold the station, I figured the NBC-17 branding would go away. I'm surprised that it has lasted this long. But I doubt that we're about to see another round of affiliation changes in this market.

[CHTransplant]

Originally Posted by wizard-xyzzy

NBC actually owned WNCN from 1996 to 2006. It was during this period that "NBC-17" became the standard branding. When NBC Universal sold the station, I figured the NBC-17 branding would go away. I'm surprised that it has lasted this long. But I doubt that we're about to see another round of affiliation changes in this market.

I had assumed that was the reason as well. No longer owned by the parent, the station needed to establish it's own local identity independent of the network.

[gobirdz27]

Good explanation here:

http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/6...n-new-branding

[underPSI]

I forgot that news channel even existed. I remember how horrible it was and haven't turned to it as a news source in years. The fact that it's a NBC affiliate didn't help, either.

[CHTransplant]

I'm not usually home in time for the evening news, so I appreciated that WNCN had a 7:00 local news show. I don't watch it regularly, but do catch at least part of it once or twice a week. Yeah, they certainly are the low-budget alternative to WRAL. But the no frills/no flash approach to the news wasn't all bad. I hope they don't get too sucked in with the flashy new graphics.

[DPK]

Originally Posted by underPSI

I forgot that news channel even existed. I remember how horrible it was and haven't turned to it as a news source in years. The fact that it's a NBC affiliate didn't help, either.

It's actually gotten a lot better. I too used to pass over that channel, but recently I've grown weary of how ABC-11 seems to regurgitate the same stories all day long. WNCN goes out of their way to find random news to differentiate themselves. They're trying to get more viewership and their hard work shows.

TLDR ~ I like their relaxed "chill on the couch" and talk about the news style now.

[crewstopia]

I used to work for their parent company in another city. The station there seems to have changed its branding as well, so I'm guessing it's company-wide.