Editing WSVN (section)

=== Influence on the industry ===
WSVN's tabloid format proved heavily influential to the industry and was widely imitated throughout the country.{{efn|The following local and national media outlets have attributed WSVN with this distinction:{{r|SouthF19940704p46|SFLBiz20010827|Rohter1993r267|Walker1994u302|StarTr19940623p 55|Steinle1992|TAR19930426|CPD20040321pA1}}{{r|MiamiH19930816p109|SouthF19930302p11|StLoui19930205p 82|NYDailyNews2000m714|CleSceneAppleg2001|Variety 1993 h682}}}} The station and its unlikely success was the subject of a [[Harvard Business School]] case study.<ref name="MiamiH19970129p1">{{Cite news |last=Fields |first=Gregg |date=January 29, 1997 |title=Channel 7 news guru switches to Chicago station |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-miami-herald-channel-7-news-guru-swi/142778851/ |access-date=March 6, 2024 |newspaper=The Miami Herald |pages=1A, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-miami-herald-channel-7-news-guru-swi/142778892/ 6A] |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> In one week in 1993, Cheatwood received requests for news tape in cities ranging from Los Angeles to [[Louisville, Kentucky]].{{r|MiamiH19930816p109}} [[Frank Magid]] consultant Eric Braun likened WSVN to an updated form of the ''[[Eyewitness News]]'' and ''[[Action News]]'' formats 20 years earlier<ref name="MiamiH19930816p109">{{Cite news |last=Boedeker |first=Hal |date=August 16, 1993 |title=Ch. 7's Cheatwood prepares for bigger role in TV news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/94630268/ch-7s-cheatwood-prepares-for-bigger/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230410191547/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/94630268/ch-7s-cheatwood-prepares-for-bigger/ |archive-date=April 10, 2023 |access-date=April 10, 2023 |newspaper=The Miami Herald |pages=1C, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/94630299/ch-7s-cheatwood-prepares-for-bigger/ 6C] |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> and compared it to radio commentator [[Walter Winchell]].{{r|Rohter1993r267}} Braun consulted other news departments nationwide on incorporating elements of the WSVN format but advised against the format being copied outright,{{r|Rohter1993r267}} telling the ''Herald'', "It's something you could only do in Miami. No other city in North America has the rhythm of Miami."{{r|MiamiH19930816p109}} One of Braun's clients was WTVJ,{{r|Steinle1992|p=49}} which began emphasizing crime coverage, larger graphics, and a pressroom feel in its newscasts amid frequent on-air turnover and criticisms of a lost identity.<ref name="MiamiH19930331p192">{{Cite news |last=Boedeker |first=Hal |date=March 31, 1993 |title=Anchors Away: What's behind the changing faces at Channel 4? |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122585325/anchors-away-whats-behind-the/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230410191536/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122585325/anchors-away-whats-behind-the/ |archive-date=April 10, 2023 |access-date=April 10, 2023 |newspaper=The Miami Herald |pages=12B–[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122585391/anchors-away-whats-behind-the/ 11B] |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Another client was WKYC-TV, a former NBC-owned station that experienced significant off- and on-air turnover under [[Multimedia, Inc.]], and adopted WSVN's emphasis on a higher volume of shorter stories, minimal crosstalk, and bold headlines like "TOP STORY" or "SPECIAL REPORT".<ref name="CPD19940417p8S">{{Cite news |last=Phillips |first=Stephen |date=April 17, 1994 |title=Rebuilding TV-3 News: Local ratings loser hopes latest retooling attracts viewers |url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid%2Finfoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=NewsBank&req_dat=1082885C71926A79&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0F807CC35A9B28F1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230410191549/https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=NewsBank&docref=news/0F807CC35A9B28F1&f=basic |archive-date=April 10, 2023 |access-date=April 10, 2023 |work=The Plain Dealer Sunday |location=Cleveland, Ohio |page=8 |via=NewsBank}}</ref> While WKYC's ratings did not immediately improve, the station was regarded as having finally found a direction not seen under NBC ownership.<ref name="CPD19931218p1E">{{Cite news |last=Feran |first=Tom |date=December 18, 1993 |title=Tighter TV-3 News is good news |url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid%2Finfoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=NewsBank&req_dat=1082885C71926A79&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0F80799E22C67DE1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230410191541/https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=NewsBank&docref=news/0F80799E22C67DE1&f=basic |archive-date=April 10, 2023 |access-date=April 10, 2023 |work=The Plain Dealer |location=Cleveland, Ohio |page=1E |via=NewsBank}}</ref>

Other stations across the country attempted to import WSVN's format outright. Bill Applegate, who oversaw WABC-TV's late 1980s tabloid format,{{r|NYmag891009}} joined WBBM-TV, the CBS-owned outlet in Chicago; WBBM incorporated much of WSVN's visual presentation and hired away some of the station's air talent,<ref name="CleSceneAppleg2001">{{Cite web |last=Francis |first=Thomas |date=March 1, 2001 |title=Satan or Savior? |url=https://www.clevescene.com/news/satan-or-savior-1476345 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221025163335/https://www.clevescene.com/news/satan-or-savior-1476345 |archive-date=October 25, 2022 |access-date=October 25, 2022 |website=Cleveland Scene |language=en |location=Cleveland, Ohio}}</ref> including Penny Daniels, Joan Lovett, Jim Berry,<ref name="SunSentinel1993i547">{{cite web |date=November 23, 1993 |title=Fitz quits Ch. 7 to be closer to husband |first=Tom|last=Jicha|url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/1993/11/23/fitz-quits-ch-7-to-be-closer-to-husband/ |access-date=February 28, 2024 |newspaper=South Florida Sun-Sentinel}}</ref> and [[Rick Leventhal]], along with hiring WSVN producer Mark Toney to be its news director.<ref name="SouthF19930302p11">{{Cite news |date=March 2, 1993 |title=WSVN anchor leaving: Daniels to move to Chicago station |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/south-florida-sun-sentinel-wsvn-anchor-l/142645740/ |access-date=March 4, 2024 |newspaper=South Florida Sun-Sentinel |page=4B|first=Tom|last=Jicha |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> WBBM's changes eschewed their long-standing reputation of investigative, serious journalism and ultimately produced mixed results in the ratings.{{r|CleSceneAppleg2001}} Scott Jones, a former WSVN producer, was hired as news director for [[KMAX-TV|KRBK-TV]] in [[Sacramento, California]], and quickly promoted to co-owned [[KPLR-TV]] in [[St. Louis]], but his tenure lasted less than nine months as ownership disagreed with his implementation of the WSVN format.<ref name="StLoui19930205p 82">{{Cite news |last=Mink |first=Eric |date=February 5, 1993 |title=Channel 11 Goes Too Far For Owner |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115475930/channel-11-goes-too-far-for-owner/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230410191543/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115475930/channel-11-goes-too-far-for-owner/ |archive-date=April 10, 2023 |access-date=April 10, 2023 |newspaper=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |location=St. Louis, Missouri |page=11G |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> By 2002, Applegate, now heading [[WOIO]]/[[WUAB]] in Cleveland,{{r|CleSceneAppleg2001}} relaunched the station's low-rated news operation with a fast-paced tabloid style that drew comparisons to WSVN.{{r|CPD20040321pA1}}

The most notable imitation of WSVN came from within. In April 1993, Sunbeam purchased [[WHDH-TV]], then Boston's CBS affiliate, from [[David Mugar]] for $215 million.{{r|Walker1994u302}} Former Massachusetts governor [[Michael Dukakis]], a part-time Florida resident, publicly protested the sale,{{r|Cohn1994k262}}{{r|Walker1994u302}} referring to WSVN's newscasts as "a collection of the bizarre, tragic and bloody".{{r|MiamiH19930816p109}} Ed Ansin's brother Ron, who previously served in Dukakis's cabinet, arranged a dinner between the two as a mediator.{{r|Boston19930822p362}} After the deal closed, Cheatwood was appointed as vice president of news for both stations; Cheatwood stressed WHDH would not become a direct copy of WSVN but hold a style unique to the market, saying a philosophy for newscasts is "not a franchise you can lift and open like a [[Kentucky Fried Chicken]] down the street."{{r|MiamiH19930816p109}} Long the third-rated news service in Boston,{{r|Boston19930822p362}} WHDH became the market leader by the end of the decade, prompting the more traditional [[WBZ-TV]] and [[WCVB-TV]] to incorporate tabloid elements into their newscasts.{{r|BostonMagBreaking2}}

WSVN's success also signaled an industry trend to increase local news production, particularly as a way to stand out against stiffer competition from cable.<ref name="Variety 1993 h682">{{cite web |date=August 17, 1993 |title=TV stations 'go local' for survival |url=https://variety.com/1993/tv/news/tv-stations-go-local-for-survival-109680/ |access-date=February 28, 2024 |website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref> This included coverage of national and international stories, formerly material seen as network-exclusive, with WSVN dispatching crews to report on the [[Waco siege]], a train wreck in Alabama, and the [[assault of Nancy Kerrigan]].{{r|Walker1994u302}} In the wake of ''Today in Florida''{{'}}s success, Fox-owned stations began launching their own local morning shows including ''[[Good Day New York]]'' and ''[[Good Day L.A.]]'', while [[KCAL-TV]] in Los Angeles debuted a three-hour prime time newscast.{{r|Variety 1993 h682}} Fox president [[Lucie Salhany]] described WSVN as "the station of the future" and said it can be a model for newscasts on other Fox affiliates.<ref name="SouthF19940704p46">{{Cite news |last=McCash |first=Vicki |date=July 4, 1994 |title=WSVN: You can't argue with success |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/south-florida-sun-sentinel-wsvn-you-can/71172837/ |access-date=March 6, 2024 |newspaper=[[South Florida Sun Sentinel]] |page=4:Weekly Business |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Fox's [[1994–1996 United States broadcast television realignment|1994 groupwide affiliation agreement]] with [[New World Communications]] saw multiple long-tenured, large-market "Big Three" affiliates switching to Fox<ref name="nytbusinessdigest22">{{cite news |last=Carter |first=Bill |date=May 24, 1994 |title=FOX WILL SIGN UP 12 NEW STATIONS; TAKES 8 FROM CBS |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/24/us/fox-will-sign-up-12-new-stations-takes-8-from-cbs.html?pagewanted=4 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170625021414/http://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/24/us/fox-will-sign-up-12-new-stations-takes-8-from-cbs.html?pagewanted=4 |archive-date=June 25, 2017 |access-date=October 22, 2012 |newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref> between 1994 and 1996, furthering the news production boom; [[Ball State University]] professor Bob Papper estimated between 1,500 to 2,000 jobs were created nationwide, with the possibility of thousands more jobs among older Fox affiliates yet to create or expand their news services.<ref name="NiemanSp1996p13">{{Cite journal |last=Papper |first=Bob |date=Spring 1996 |title=Hiring explosion at television stations. |journal=Nieman Reports |volume=50 |issue=1 |pages=13+ |id={{gale|A18178483}}}}</ref> By 1994, WSVN was generating more revenue that it ever had with NBC thanks to increased control over programming and local advertising via Fox's limited prime time schedule, which was regarded as a factor in the Fox-New World pact.{{r|SouthF19940704p46}}<ref>{{Cite news |last=Feran |first=Tom |date=May 24, 1994 |title=Profits aren't only pluses |url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=NewsBank&req_dat=1082885C71926A79&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0F807CF6220AF1A3 |url-access=subscription |access-date=May 4, 2023 |work=The Plain Dealer |location=Cleveland, Ohio |page=9A |via=NewsBank}}</ref>

When Fox launched [[Fox News]] in 1996, WSVN reporter [[Shepard Smith]] was hired as its lead reporter; by 1999, Smith was anchoring ''[[Fox Report]]'', the channel's nightly flagship newscast, which focused on a high story count, tight writing, and a flashy presentation.<ref name="SunSentinel2004s856">{{cite news |first=Tom|last=Jicha |date=May 8, 2004 |title=WSVN's talent pool is deep |url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2004/05/08/wsvns-talent-pool-is-deep/ |access-date=February 29, 2024 |newspaper=South Florida Sun-Sentinel}}</ref><ref name="John2004k635">{{cite web |last=St. John |first=Warren |date=March 28, 2004 |title=News Reports For Ultra-Short Attentions |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/28/style/news-reports-for-ultra-short-attentions.html |access-date=February 29, 2024 |website=The New York Times}}</ref>