It Screams Desperation

Yesterday, FTVLive told you about one TV station and one cable news network who are rebranding and changing their name. While using a new name as a hopeful, yet often futile, solution to deeper problems. It’s a move that looks less like a bold strategy for the future and more like an act of desperation.

In Tampa, Scripps-owned WFTS (Tampa) has changed their news branding from “Action News” to “Tampa Bay 28”. Maybe Scripps has sacked so many people, there just is not enough left for any “Action”.

A new name does not drive ratings. People watch for the on-air talent, story selection, and community connection. Despite what the consultants might tell you, they don’t care about a new graphics package.

On the national stage, the stakes are higher. MSNBC is going with a complete name change to distance itself from its corporate sibling, NBC. For years, the network has cultivated a progressive audience, but in the hyper-partisan cable news race, this has also alienated a large swath of potential viewers. A new name is a gamble to reset the narrative and appeal to a broader audience.

However, history shows this is a perilous path. Viewers are savvy; they know a name change doesn't erase the network's history or instantly change its roster of on-air personalities and producers. The Sci-Fi Channel’s infamous rebrand to "SyFy" was widely mocked and seen as a move that diluted its core identity in a failed attempt to seem more mainstream. Networks that have undergone multiple identity changes, like the channel that began as The Nashville Network and is now the Paramount Network, often reveal a chronic struggle to define their purpose.

Ultimately, rebranding is an expensive coat of paint on a building that may have foundational cracks. "A new logo is the easiest thing to change, and the least effective," says one veteran media consultant. "Audiences aren't fooled. They know the real brand is the content, the talent, and the perspective. If that doesn't change, the new name is just an empty promise."

For both the local station adding new words to its title and the cable giant contemplating a new identity, the challenge is the same. Lasting success is not found in a marketing meeting, but in the newsroom. Until the core product is improved, a new name is just a superficial fix that rarely delivers the positive results executives are hoping for.

Just saying…