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Sorry I couldn’t give an exact date last week - but the day has come. We all saw Bill fading - and we knew about the struggle - and those of us around long enough saw the similarities to Bill Beutel. Just as his predecessor - he is a journalistic giant. Ritter may not be from the same era as the storied NY anchors - but he has earned the respect of his colleagues at WABC and the network. The truth is that he kept viewers watching when the opportunity was there for them to stray - and he has steered what is the channel 7 ship for 25 years.

This is awful. It had become abundantly clear that Bill’s performance was fading. He’s a legend, I remember enjoying his stint on GMA decades before I moved to NYC. His history of work speaks for itself and it’s admirable that he’s continuing his work at WABC to help the next generation. A lasting legacy in this great city. Thank you for everything Bill.

Here's https://www.ftvlive.com/sqsp-test/2026/6/11/resurfacing-in-indianapolis version of the story.

No doubt. I'm already talking to my AG.

A sad day today in the Today household... Gene Shalit has passed away. The longtime film critic was 100. He spent 40 years on the program, the first three part-time in 1970 before spending the next 37 years full time before retiring in 2010. https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/gene-shalit-today-show-movie-critic-dies-100-rcna103405

Hopefully she gets a better send off than the one she got at ABC7. Edit: Oops it looks like she did and its posted on YouTube.

I saw parts of the 6pm newscast and Liz was on the verge of tears at the beginning of the newscast and right before the last commercial break. This must of happened this week and Bill wanted to say goodbye to the viewers while he still could. It make sense now that Liz has joined him on Up-close and Sandra has filled in for Liz at 6pm for the last few months. I wish Bill the best from Chicago and as he said, hopeful for a cure for Alzheimer's/dementia.

Sad day for WABC as Bill Ritter is expected to announce today he'll step down from the anchor chair at Eyewitness News citing health. Filled the big shoes of the legendary Bill Beutel (RIP) well & pretty much the last of the well-known guard amongst NYC news anchors as pretty much elsewhere on the dial, hardly much notoriety or gravitas amongst what's out there. All the best, Bill!! https://nypost.com/2026/06/12/media/abc-new-york-anchor-bill-ritter-to-retire-due-to-health-issue-sources/

At that point, I don't think anyone is taking a CBS presidential debate tender seriously.

If Rogan joins CBS News, he needs to get a presidential debate and do it Fear Factor style.

Lol And what Knicks fan was actually watching CBS last night to even see this?

This is one of those times that explains why live television was invented for... WCBS ready to close out their 11pm news when the Knicks win at the last second in Game 4. KJ, Lonnie, and Allen Devlin react to it all before they go off air.

Passing by Times Square today and the whole studio was gutted and it looks like the ribbon will be gone soon. Nothing left at Lincoln Square also. Front of Fox is also getting a major rehab. Just strange but everything was getting tired and worn-out.

I got fake money it will Margaret Brennan. Then again I’m sure no will touch that chair with a 10 foot pole

For the NBA Finals, WABC milking it to the fullest they're showing the Knicks, having "Knicks Win" graphic in their news opens at 11 last night & this morning as well.

Exactly, when I think of generational anchors at WABC, it's Bill Beutel and Roger Grimsby. Part of it is the original Eyewitness News format took off when they were brought in and assumed anchor duties. They changed the game for the station.. They are the Channel 7 (and NY broadcasting) icons.

I feel like Bill never reached that icon status of other news men like Bill Butel, Roger Grimsby, Jim Jensen, and Chuck Scarborough. I think part of it was because by the time Bill took the helm at WABC their anchors were treated as an ensemble with no one team standing out above the rest. Another long time anchor I'd say that about is WNBC's David Ushery.

Former WTVA chief meteorologist Matt Laubhan lets loose on Byron Allen's latest comments to the Hollywood Reporter... https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/byron-allen-buzzfeed-starz-streaming-1236595447/?fbclid=IwdGRjcARzfBZjbGNrBHN8DmV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHgUymuuucb_wNCbAXuvMdnGR8AGLc07PHSZxmRvqfaRfPO0pV0JaZnO-ot0Z_aem_dgIArXgwjD_RZikpAdQwjg

The Justice Department has signed off on the $110 billion Paramount Skydance acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, concluding after an eight-month investigation that the deal is "not likely to result in harm to competition or American consumers." This is really difficult to take that at face value. This merges two of Hollywood's oldest studios, combining CBS, Paramount+, HBO Max, CNN, and a suite of cable channels under one roof controlled by David Ellison, son of Oracle's Larry Ellison and a Trump ally. Over 1,000 entertainment professionals sent an open letter calling this out as further concentrating an already concentrated market. The DOJ reviewed two million documents and heard from extensive third parties. That doesn't scream confidence in the outcome. It screams "we covered ourselves." We must also consider recent actions of Bari Weiss. Ellison installed her as CBS News editor-in-chief, and one of her first major moves was firing multiple "60 Minutes" correspondents at the end of the most recent season. Think about that timing: Weiss purges veteran CBS News talent while the acquisition is still pending DOJ clearance. Whether that was editorial housecleaning, ideological realignment, or a signal to Ellison's allies in Washington is a fair question nobody at DOJ apparently felt like asking. That's the part the "not harmful to competition" framing conveniently sidesteps. Competition in distribution is one thing. What happens to editorial independence when a Trump-aligned owner's hand-picked editor starts cutting staff at a 60-year-old news institution before the ink is even dry is another question entirely. State AGs in California and New York are still investigating. Senator Warren is calling it "terrible news for every American." The EU is reviewing the deal separately over its backing by three Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds: Saudi Arabia's PIF, Abu Dhabi's L'IMAD, and Qatar's QIA. This is not settled. Watch the AG actions. Source: NBC News

It’s unfortunate he’s not gonna get a few years with everything working the way it’s supposed to. 76 is a little old for him to have been still hanging around there if we’re all being honest. That seems to be happening in a lot of businesses these days. I say that as an outsider who watched similar things play out other places.

Exactly. I did start to switch between the game and the news on a different channel, and when they mentioned early on the Knicks closed the gap, changed the channel to WABC and left it there. I'm sure that station also had similar reactions with reporters in and out of the Garden and reporters at one viewing party in Central Park and another at a place in Brooklyn until switching to the Tonight Show (which Fallon left after taping to be at the Garden!).

The CBS Evening News with Joe Rogan.

Again it seems the "fix" was in on this approval. Word came down from the WH, and Carr was all too eager to comply.

Nexstar, FCC ask D.C. court to toss legal challenge over TEGNA acquisition Here's hoping the court disagrees.