CYBERSPACE: Local news in 3D is just a matter of time, and today is the perfect day to suggest it. NewscastStudio.com reported that “a small television station in Missouri has announced it will debut the world’s first 3-D newscasts today, though it’s not clear how many viewers will be able to enjoy them.”
One WMO-TV is said to have changed its call sign to W3D as of 6 a.m., calling itself “NewsChannel 3D.” The story then quotes the newly named W3D general manager, “April. F. Uhl.”
“Now that the craze to switch to HD news has died down, we felt it was the perfect time to launch the next big thing,” the so-called Ms. Uhl is to have said.
The transition to 3D news was a “closely guarded secret” in the works for months disguised as an HD upgrade.
“Some staffers found out the truth a day ago, but were forced to stay in a hotel and not allowed access to their friends, family, phones or Internet, according to an insider who asked not to be named,” the story goes.
It further notes that no one in the viewing area is thought to possess a 3DTV, so the station would embark on giving them away in an “insanely easy” contest.
“In addition, anchors will sport old-style 3D glasses during certain segments to help promote the new offering,” the story says.
The pretty good skewer of the HD craze and the cookie-cutter nature of local news, including the promise of a 3D water-skiing squirrel, is at NewscastStudio.com.
