• Variety, Thursday, December 4, 2008 9:30 AM

NBC's flagship station WNBC is undergoing a stem-to-stern transformation that aims to turn it from a local affiliate into a "content center" reaching web sites, taxis, grocery stores and hospitals. The $15 million project includes a physical renovation, a tech upgrade and a massive exodus of veteran staffers by the end of the year.

Perhaps the most controversial change in the plan is the retraining of the remaining staff. Seasoned cameramen and writers are now out in the field reporting. Instead of a crew of people chasing breaking news in a satellite truck, a single "content producer" grabs a high-end camcorder and a notepad and heads to a news scene. Another related change is a pool arrangement with Fox that calls for one station to handle routine news events and share content with the other.

Critics call the new approach a dehumanizing assault on journalistic tradition. But NBC parent GE and other station owners are watching closely to see if the Gotham experiment provides a survival guide for local news.

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