It's been a little more than a year since Sinclair Broadcasting News Centralized WPGH's 10 p.m. news. Yes, consider "News Centralized" a new verb. Think of it like the Borg on "Star Trek": "Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated."

What was once a solid local newscast changed overnight into an unusual hybrid, part local newscast, part carrier of national and international news and weather piped in from Sinclair's headquarters in suburban Baltimore. It was an awkward mix from the start. The local news remained objective and fair, while national news reports came with a decidedly conservative bent.

The mix also appeared to limit what the newscast could lead with: Local news makes up the first block, requiring national stories to wait until News Central kicks in later in the first half-hour.

A year later, ratings are down -- they began dropping the month News Central began -- and news manager Sharon Ritchey is out, fired after the February ratings period. A permanent replacement has not been named.

WPGH's 10 p.m. news ratings dropped from a 4.9 rating (percentage of TV households) and 7 share (percentage of sets in use) in its first half-hour in February 2003 to a 3.0/4 this year. For the full hour, WPGH's ratings fell from 4.6/7 to 2.7/4. WPGH's primary competition, KDKA's 10 p.m. news on WNPA, grew year to year, up from a 1.4/2 to a 2.3/3.

Ritchey, who no longer works in the TV news business, said the switch to News Central, accompanied by local job cuts, hurt morale at Channel 53.

"Quite honestly, when you eliminate 11 people, morale's going to suffer for a little bit," she said. "You're kind of numbed by that, and people were."

There was also a fear of the unknown and change accompanied by a learning curve for new digital equipment. Once those hurdles were crossed, the staff had to face the sagging ratings.

"There was frustration because nothing changed locally. It was the same people," Ritchey said. "[WPGH] has very solid reporters who know the area and can go toe-to-toe with any reporter in this city. They were putting up the same quality work, had the same top-notch anchor in Sheila [Hyland] and we still had Alby [Oxenreiter covering sports]. It was very frustrating to see the ratings going down because it took seven years to get the ratings up and the only change was News Central."

Calls to several News Central managers seeking comment were not returned.

Ritchey said that despite sagging ratings, News Central executives have vowed to stay the course. She said some improvements were made to the national news, making it more centered on the nuts and bolts hard news of the day.

There is some small indication that the worst is past, at least with regard to ratings. Last month, WPGH's household and demographic ratings were down from May 2003, but not by as great a margin as they were in February year to year. Perhaps more importantly, WNPA's competing newscast grew only slightly in household ratings and was flat in demos.

Ritchey thinks it's too early to deem News Central a failure.

"It's only been a year and people are really reluctant to [accept] change," Ritchey said. "Look how long it took us when we launched. I think after two years, if the numbers are still soft, then maybe you can say Pittsburghers don't want this."

'Tell 'em you're from Detroit!'

Remember that new WPXI promo I was raving about last week? Turns out it's not so new. Oh, it's new to Pittsburgh, but it's been done before elsewhere.

The same campaign was used by WXYZ in Detroit in the mid-1980s and that campaign was based on a jingle used in a KYC Cleveland promo that preceded it, according to a 1980s theme song Web site. No wonder Channel 11's spot feels so retro.

Both earlier spots can be heard and/or seen online at www.80stvthemes.com under "promos." In the WXYZ spot, the Sappy Singers croon some lyrics identical to those in the Channel 11 spot, including the refrain, "It's time to shout it, no doubt about! Stand up and tell 'em you're from Detroit!"

WPXI general manager Ray Carter said it's not unusual for promo vendors to pitch a TV station promotional campaigns that have been used before. That's why viewers will see stations in other cities using "Coverage You Can Count On" and other slogans familiar to Pittsburgh viewers.

"I actually think it's kind of refreshing," Carter said, "that we'd use something that is so retro that still has significance and should have a voice in television today."

I still like the promo for its upbeat nature, but knowing it's recycled cheese and not original cheese does color my view of it somewhat.

Things that make you go hmm

I got one of those freebie magazines filled with coupons in the mail at home last week and on the cover were the smiling faces of Channel 11's 5 p.m. news team with the headline, "Pittsburgh's Number One 5:00 PM Newscast."

That struck me as odd because WPXI wasn't No. 1 in May, the most recent ratings period, in either household ratings or key demographics; WTAE was. I'm sure it was just an oversight, right?

Norton on Comedy Central

British talk show host Graham Norton, who won some American fans with his bawdy British show that airs stateside on BBC America, now gets into the game with an American network.

Comedy Central premieres "The Graham Norton Effect" tonight at 10 and it's pretty much indistinguishable from his original chat show, filled with sex talk, sex toys and sexy celebrities talking about, uh, sex. Clearly it's not a show for everyone, but Norton's longtime fans won't be disappointed.