CBS Atlanta Vice President Shawn Hoder said his team is focused on hyperlocal community stories and honest reporting, which the Sept. 9 crowd in downtown Norcross seemed to appreciate.
Last August, CBS took over its Atlanta-affiliated station, moving it to WUPA (Channel 69) from Gray Media’s Atlanta News First (Channel 46). After launching CBS Atlanta last fall, and hiring more than 100 people, Hoder said the team is still “not full bore yet.”
“I can tell we’re scratching Atlanta where they itch … we’re number one on our noon show,” Hoder said. “We’re pushing 2 and 3 on our 5 and 6 p.m. [shows].”
Crowded TV market
There is a five-way battle for the Atlanta broadcast news market. Right now, CBS Atlanta broadcasts on weekdays at 6 a.m., 12 p.m., 5 p.m., 6 p.m., and 11 p.m. Hoder said the team will be ready for weekends soon.
Hoder reported that CBS Atlanta continues to climb in regional ratings, coming in second in some categories to market leader WSB-TV (Channel 2 – ABC), owned by Cox Media Group. Other competitors include FOX 5 (WAGA) and 11Alive (WXIA, NBC).
“I’ve been able to sit down and do interviews, 10 to 15 per job, to make sure that we’re hiring the right people,” Hoder said. “The people that know the Atlanta area, they are about the people … that are genuinely passionate.”
While most newsrooms are shrinking, CBS is growing its presence in the country’s soon-to-be sixth-largest market. Owned by Paramount Skydance, the CBS network of stations can reach 7 million to 8 million Americans daily.
Hoder said the newsroom and behind-the-scenes team are prepared to hire another 40 employees once construction of CBS Atlanta’s new Chamblee showroom is complete, sometime in November. The completion of the 11,000-square-foot studio, with augmented and virtual reality, will expand the cramped studio into a two-building campus.
“It isn’t about the looks; it’s about creating a content connection that’s going to separate what we try to do versus what the news may has become,” Hoder said. “A lot of people say I stopped watching local news … ‘if it bleeds, it leads’ … We, in our business, have been disingenuous for years.”
Philosophy on journalism
Norcross PDC organizer Chuck Paul, a Pittsburgh native like Hoder, set up the Sept. 9 meeting to introduce community members to the new operator of metro Atlanta’s local CBS station.
“When Chuck asked me to come here to talk about the landscape of the media, I wanted to tell you that it’s not all doom and gloom,” Hoder said. “I’m focused on consistency every day, making sure that people know that we’re here to help, and we’re here to make a difference.”
Hoder, who took the VP news director position last August, has served as a high-level TV producer for about three decades in several cities across the United States. He most recently served as news director of KDKA in Pittsburgh, the nation’s oldest commercially licensed radio station.
While major American media institutions have moved away from objective news coverage in the last decade, Hoder said CBS News Atlanta is focused on community-driven stories from passionate reporters.
“The number one thing our business gets wrong is that we check boxes,” he said. “Where’s the benefit in that? So, I believe in storytelling.”
Hoder said the newsroom wants viewers, listeners, and readers to contact them if they have an issue.
“What we’re trying to do is literally be transparent,” Hoder said. “I don’t want to be in a relationship… if I have to trick you to like me. You get to have your own opinions. You get to check it out, but I should not try to pull the rug out from under you to get you to pay attention.”
