Old-timey TV sets with static-y screens in a darkened room with papers strewn across the floor? Artsy and cool, perhaps, but is it the best imagery for New York's WPIX Channel 11 to plaster across NYC subway ads to promote its news operation? It seems to imply traditional media can't pay the lighting bills in the Internet age. Or that they were forced to make a midnight move because the rent was overdue. The tagline, "We break news. Literally, we destroy it," also seems like an unwise choice. The male journos look glum and worn out. Weatherman Irv Gikofsky seems not to have forecast a sunny day in ages. The station's 10 p.m. newscast has made "miniscule" ratings gains of late...that must be what the blonde on the desk is fake-smiling about. One Web commenter sums up the overarching media situation on The New York Times' CityRoom blog by asking, "What's TV?" Another recalls the last time the station was truly ahead of the curve, invoking its fondly remembered interactive game from three decades ago, where callers would say "Pix! Pix! Pix!" over the phone to blow up computer-generated blobs and win prizes. The current news crew should play a few rounds and cheer up. More images after the jump.