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Not surprising, considering that Emily and Matt are married to each other.

Australia We already knew about this rebrand but not when. Now we know when... July 27th. The Sky News brand will finally go away after three decades since its no longer connected to the UK giant.

Paula Reid is a fantastic journalist. I’ve been a fan of hers since she stood up to Trump when she was at CBS.

I was wondering when she was going to move on over... It's a great move for her

Paula Reid is joining MS NOW after leaving CNN.

Emily Leonard, longtime WTVA anchor is leaving to join former co-worker Matt Laubhan's online venture, which is now adding news to their Mississippi Live Weather channel and will be known as Mississippi Live. Even though Gray now owns WTVA, the damage Allen Media has already done still lingers and this venture can be seen as a way broadcasters will have to compete with the internet when enterprises like these become powerful enough to hire broadcast journalists away from TV stations.

Gray is purchasing American Spirit Media for $50 million.

Gray is purchasing Fox affiliate WHPM-LD in Hattiesburg, MS from Coastal Television. https://rbr.com/a-pine-belt-pluck-for-gray-media/ It will certainly be an improvement to put a WDAM newscast on at 10pm instead of the hubbed one that Coastal uses from their Waypoint/INN hub they bought. And much of their operations were likely hubbed out of Meridian, where they own WMDN (CBS) and WGBC (FOX/NBC).

Well...I hope they have more worthy programming for both channels over here. The Cats will only cover the winter. They need a bit more than that to justify their existence here...

Canada Happy Canada Day!!! Right on time too... less than a week after CBC/Radio-Canada became a full member of the EBU, Canada is participating in the Eurovision Song Contest for the very first time. https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/canada-will-enter-2027-eurovision-song-contest-9.7254616

Honestly, either Bomke or Blanton should be the ones to succeed Dawn. Bomke has been there the longest of the two and has anchored nearly every newscast at the station over the past 12 years. Blanton is being wasted by only appearing on 'Chicago Live' and 'Chicago Report'. She led the coverage of the Obama Center grand opening and not Dawn; so maybe that is/was a sign.... I think the surprising firing of Scott may have prompted Dawn to re-evaluate things and I can't blame her for looking for a new opportunity. There's just too much upheaval (planned or unplanned) going on at WFLD.

Thanks to BNSTC on YouTube, here is Mike Wankum's final sign off from WCVB. Over 40 years in broadcast meteorology, 10 years at WLVI (before it went belly up), and the last 20 at the great WCVB. Now, officially retired.

WICS 20 News Nightside (May 31, 1993) WSB Channel 2 Action News Nightbeat (March 3, 1993)

This is the tough thing about a solo lead anchor, and why WGN is still better equipped, when Micah eventually hangs it up. 32's bench is already (always) fairly thin, especially when they've just did some shuffling at other dayparts. Unless they plan on making some unexpected splash, we're probably looking at Buganski and/or Moreno in the late slots. If that's the plan, then adding one of them as Dawn's co-anchor should've been done months ago, but only if they knew Dawn was planning to exit, of course. As for Dawn, there was definitely something in her phrasing that suggests she's not done with TV, but will her next job require a move out of Chicago? For the record, Joanie Lum anchored the late news, tonight, but with the World Cup displacing the 9pm here and there, I wouldn't read into any assignment, possibly until the fall, even.

Another big loss for Fox 32. Curious to see who will succeed Dawn (and if they also fill Scott's role too).

At least she got to be a lead anchor, and lead over the men. I wish her the best.

Especially if both stations were going to adopt the same name they might as well have simulcast. Through the industry, having spoken to a producer at that shop, their logic is that WBBH is their headlines newscast, and WZVN is their in depth "thinkers" newscast. IIRC, the producer said they maintain separate operations due to their distinctive audiences. Where are WZVN's morning anchors now?

A big loss at KXAS-TV coming up... After nearly 20 years at NBC, first with NBC Weather Plus for two years, and then the last 17 years at KXAS-TV, morning meteorologist and traffic reporter Samantha Davies has decided to hang it up for good at the end of the week. https://www.instagram.com/p/DaOEeMjmtgz/?img_index=17&igsh=NDEycXpxcXc0dGpo

Another figure of Fox 32 has departed Dawn Hasbrouck has signed off from FOX 32 after 16 years. Hasbrouck worked her way to the top starting as co-anchor of Good Day Chicago, Fox 32 News at Noon and later evening anchor since 2013 following the slow departure of founding anchor Robin Robinson. https://youtu.be/4UQ4k9ifI8w?is=JbrQZQLE_p9-n4B_

To be fair, though, KOSA has been known as First Alert 7 for a good chunk of the last year or two. It also went under CBS 7 First Alert News before that, so its not a total surprise here.

Ugh First Alert strikes again

This seems to be the first time in a long time that a broadcast network will be publicly owned independently of a subsidiary. I'll have to follow up with a friend of mine, high up in management at Versant if she thinks the cable networks and NBCUniversal will remain separate.

KOSA has debuted, after months of the honeycomb look with the new logo.

It was a matter of time before this happened and honestly surprised it took Hearst as long as it did to do this. Any competing against yourself at the same time newscast (with the possible exception of a duopoly producing separate english and spanish language newscasts) is living on borrowed time with current revenue and viewership across the industry. As for WBBH and WZVN, there is some history of simulcasting morning news: they briefly dropped the ABC morning news and simulcast NBC at the worst of the great recession in 2008-2009.

Yeah I would agree they are a HUGE hit on social media right now