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And this morning‘s talent open with the NBA champions graphics. ScreenRecording_06-14-2026 11-46-47_1.mov

Monday will be the first 6:00pm newscast on WABC-TV without a Bill sitting at the anchor desk permanently in nearly 56 years.

understandable. I meant in the days after perhaps after the parade, not the day of. History repeats itself. Ritter succeeded Beutel in stages under (eventual) similar circumstances, just months after the Knicks and the Spurs were in the NBA finals.

I wish Bill could've stayed through the Knicks win, one last happy NY story before the tragic circumstances forcing his retirement.

I know that Bill Ritter stepping down is the main issue of concern right now, but the Knicks just won the NBA Finals with a 94-90 win and Channel 7 is all hands on deck tonight with Sade Baderinwa and Mike Marza leading the coverage. I’m sure that this Knicks win will be putting a smile on Ritter’s face this weekend, especially with everything he is dealing with right now.

Bill Ritter was and still is the face of Eyewitness News in the 21st century and there is no questioning that. Downstate New York, northern New Jersey, and southwest Connecticut residents opened the century in 2000 with him, closed the first quarter with him, and have already started the second quarter with him. Two of my aunties have been living there in the New York area (Borough Park, Brooklyn and Copiague, Suffolk County) since the early 1990s, and they have watched Ritter on both the network and local levels through the good and bad times. A lot of people get triggered when he inserts his opinions into the newscast, and their feelings are valid, but a lot of long tenured anchors tend to go off script a bit anyway, so I don’t really make it bother me. I hope his situation improves soon because Alzheimer’s disease is very destructive to one’s health.

I just have to say its a bit heartbreaking and bittersweet to witness this moment. That moment when Bill Ritter decidedly left his post which such honor and dignity. Its a testament to who he is. He seems to be quite a remarkable human outside of the broadcasting space. He is well respected as we saw other outlets like WCBS, and others taking the time to mention this just is a testament to the amazing human he is. Bill has had some tough shoes to fill when his namesake, Bill Beutel left the job to him 27 years ago. He did just that to the best of his ability. He did what he set out to do 27 years ago and now it is time for him to pass this baton along to the new generation as we were eluding to. He gave it his all. Bill is a very special person for New Yorkers. His voice and his personality really was compelling. His reassurance with his warmth and personality, humility and dignity is not something we come across often in this industry and he had no shame in displaying that over the years. It made us feel like everything was going to be okay in the end with his delivery of the story. He is really pure and as wholesome as one can be and had such gravitas which I don't think anyone else has quite just yet its something that takes time to build and he certainly did that during his tenure at WABC. He truly upheld the high standard that his predecessor Bill Beutel (may he continue to rest in peace) passed on to Bill Ritter who he too now is passing on to the next. He's shown his vulnerability to us and is now seated with the other legends that we all knew and love. But for Bill its a little heartbreaking for me to see this because it kinda feels like he departed a little too soon. He certainly had a lot more to give and thats where it feels a bit sad for me. Over the years as a child and to this day as a near middle aged adult. Channel 7 was always on in the background, my parents would turn the channel it was a definitive part of my early life, and to this day I've always been a loyal viewer, the voices of these legends are etched in my memory and will always be forever. I've always knew that I was lucky to witness the professionalism this station continues to uphold the diversity and the professionalism of the individuals that work there it is a snapshot of what New York is at its best the diversity and the melting pot of different backgrounds coming together to deliver a product so profound which is why they continue to be the most watched station in the nation. WABC created a standard that help shaped the rest of this country and possibly the world. It brought me to these forums to have these compelling discussions about how these stations work behind the scenes and I really truly mean that. Bill got us through some of our darkest times the unforgettable 9/11 attacks that changed our world today, the Blackout of 2003, Hurricane Sandy, COVID, these are the stories that shaped our city he delivered them with such grace. It is truly an end of an era as we know it with his departure, sure we will see other anchors and other personalities mold in the coming years but we will never quite see anyone like him again, he will be extraordinarily missed. Im glad he's going to remain with us while he shares his journey with us and hopefully he gets some more years to spend with his family and his beloved people in his life. Thank You Bill!

Today was it. Kellie Burns' last day at WBBH Gulf Coast NBC. Here was her last moments on air after a spectacular 33-year run. I think she's only had with Craig Wolf and Peter Busch as co-anchors that entire time. EDIT: I forgot about the hour-long special being aired tonight at 8pm ET. If it shows up on YT, I'll post the link.

Its a remarkably repeated history, full circle 1999 analog moment in both respects.