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This is honestly devastating news to hear. I know linear television is in decline, but this is how you start turning off those viewers who you do have left. I’ve recently been thinking about how the NYC TV news market has evolved over the last three decades. What I thought was interesting is that WCBS went from being the most unstable operation to the most stable (at least in terms of the anchor desk). Not a single weekday change occurred from when Chris replaced Rob in mornings in 2013 until 2019 when Alex Denis left and John Elliott was moved to weekends. Even then, until John came back to weekdays, the stability was incredible— with the only anchor change being to add Dick at 6 and bring Cindy back to weekdays. (Speaking exclusively about WCBS weekdays— weekends and WLNY went through a lot of evolutions during this period.) The problem with the WCBS operation is not the anchors— the anchors are familiar faces now. It is the massive churn of reporters. Part of the reason why WABC thrives is because their reporters don’t spend a few years at the station on the way to something else. Dana is the soul of WCBS. The station neglected and diminished her for the last decade, but she has been the constant. Maurice and Kristine are great anchors, I cannot take that away from them. They do not come off as people who really like each other much (Kristine would much rather be back next to Wragge), but they are good anchors. But we don’t need more of them. Dick has been a solid contributor since he joined WCBS. He also deserves a prominent role at the station. For a while now I’ve wondered why WCBS is wasting talent that they have. I think Cindy is probably the single best anchor they have— she has a way of striking the right tone that Chris and Mary just don’t. Why does she only do 30 minutes on linear daily? Why does she not coanchor the noon newscast — a newscast that was hers for 15 years— with her friend Dana? I also think Natalie Duddridge is under-utilized (she has grown significantly the last few years and is a very good fill in anchor). At the same time, I think Doug Williams is overrated (he lacks the charisma of his father and is awkward with reporters and coanchors). Regardless, he won’t be at WCBS for long, just like his father wasn’t. I also, contrary to many in this forum, find Alice to be bland and boring and I also think Jessica is fine on weekends but could never be a weekday talent. Let’s also acknowledge the industry might be moving in the direction of less anchors doing more newscasts, but this city isn’t. WCBS is returning to a period of four weekday anchors (plus Cindy at 9, but since she is underutilized, it is essentially four)— reminiscent of 2003 when Cindy/Michael did AM/noon and Dana/Ernie did 4:30-6:30 and 11. Back then, the station produced 5 hours of daily news; currently the station produces 8 + the half hour Atlanta newscast. Meanwhile, PIX just expanded to a fourth evening anchor, WNYW just moved a morning anchor to have a third in the evening, and depending on how you count, WABC has more than seven anchors for 7.5 hours of daily newscasts. Dana has been on the weekday anchor desk since 1992? 1993? More than 30 years. She has been on from 6-6:30 at WCBS for more than 25 continuous years— since I believe 1999 (for a few years post-massacre she was moved to 5pm). And this is a horrible and cruel way to work her out the door. “Fill in anchor.” Yeah, we will see her do that a half dozen times before her contract isn’t renewed and she is pushed out of the station. Just want to put a few stats out there before I close: Dana is the longest ever anchor at WCBS (nearly 34 years total, 30+ years weekday — Jim Jensen spent 31 years at the station and was a weekday anchor for 29) Kristine is the longest serving 11pm anchor at WCBS (Kristine is currently at 16+ years; Michele had about 14.) Kristine and Maurice are the longest ever anchor pair at WCBS (13 years; previously Jensen and Rolland Smith spent 12 years together) But you know, this was always the most likely outcome at this station. Look at the way they treated other station icons like Jim Jensen and Michele Marsh. I genuinely thought Johnny/Sarah were an improvement over Peter/David. Doesn’t look that way now. It is a cruel business, but it doesn’t have to be like this.

So sorry to hear the news about Dana Tyler and Dick Brennan, especially Dana, given her tenure at the anchor desk. She survived a lot of format and management changes over the years and has been an evening anchor for over 30 years! Also, how boring to have Maurice and Kristine at 6. It was weird to have Dana and Dick there only for a half hour at 6, but better than the same anchors from 5-6:30. Bad decision in my opinion.

My thoughts exactly. Instead of having Mary & Chris who start work pre 4:30am doing the noon, they could have used Cindy Hsu or Dick & Dana, all of whom get only 30 minutes of airtime.

Derick Waller has joined CBS 2 as a reporter. He left WABC a few months ago, citing the difficult morning hours. Since leaving WABC, he freelanced at WTTG in Washington, DC. https://www.instagram.com/reel/C386yHVOj1i/?igsh=MTVhcnNlODJlZGI4cA==

Its a few things. The ABC's have always been better run operations. WCBS has been a shuffle of management in addition to talent. And yes, pay. WCBS starts GA reporters at around 150-170K. WABC 180K-200K.

Agreed. In hearing from reporters, constant turnover usually equals unimpressive pay, a toxic work environment, or burnout from being overworked. WABC appears to have the most reporters with a 20+ year tenure. They must have great pay and a decent working culture.

I was just wondering if this was a part of paramount global cuts? I know their cutting and firing people all across the organization. They should have let Dana bow out gracefully than throwing a bone and give her. Any changes that needed to be made would be the morning team. Chris and Mary are bland. Yes they are good anchors but bland for a morning news team.

I was thinking the same. Pair Dana and Cindy at noon! Cindy anchored the noon newscast for a long time in the late ‘90s-mid ‘00s. Dana anchored at noon in the mid-‘90s. How nice would it be to pair them up? Also, Chris and Mary do not even co-anchor at noon anymore. Instead, they rotate each day. Not having a fixed anchor makes the newscast feel like an afterthought. Chris and Mary are also co-anchoring the 7am streaming newscast, and Chris anchors a streaming hour at 8am. It feels like a lot. Why not break it up with a few other anchors?

I feel like a part of my soul just left knowing this news.

Terrible move, yet again by CBS 2. Ugh.

So this must be part of the 'big changes' Andrea teased the bosses were making. Such a shame to move Dana (and Dick too) off that desk, these bosses ought to be ashamed of themeselves. This seems reminiscent of when Bill Carey re-assigned Kaity and Jim, or when Sue Simmons was forced out at WNBC. Terrible moves this week overall. I think these changes will alienate lots of WCBS viewers. But I would think if they are making these changes, ratings must not be good.

If D was doing everything from 4pm on, I think they would possibly opt for a platoon option at midday, but leaving the 5 vacant suggests that SOMEBODY will get a full-time weekday assignment. I'm assuming that it'll be Janssen, Joyce & Donovan until they make an announcement, but I don't think there's any rush. Semi-related, I never knew they made a sports anchorless 5pm talent rejoin after Dan retired. It's obviously now out of date, but it was just Micah, Ray, Tom & Shannon. I don't like not declaring a sports anchor at the evening hours, but whatever. I hate that they can't officially name JP to the 9. Having a declared sports anchor at 4, but carrying a rotation on all the other shows is so weird.

In Boston, Baltimore, and Pittsburgh, a CBS O&O competes with a Hearst owned station. Boston and Pittsburgh are unique in the fact that both markets have CBS O&O's, Hearst owned ABC stations, and a Big 4 station owned by Cox Media Group. WBZ has actually fared well in Boston TV news ratings. I haven't seen any official press releases for Boston station ratings in recent years, but they've consistently been #2 behind WCVB, sometimes winning a timeslot here and there. The fact that WBZ has been around since 1948 also helps it be a strong station in the market.

It's an end of an era in Michiana. Longtime WNDU anchor Terry McFadden is retiring from the station. His final broadcast will be tonight (3/1). He will be teamed up with his former co-anchor, his sister Maureen (which she retired back in 2019) to anchor this broadcast.

I think we can all agree that Mary, Chris, and now Kristine and Maurice are too overworked. Most decisions happening at WCBS are not making sense these days... have they undergone a recent management change? I'm also thinking of how they have Tony as field meteorologist in the morning (even on sunny days); it seems quite unnecessary- they should give him the noon or rotate with John for in-studio weather or something..

IMHO, the 11 pm news broadcast may have been from the third week of N4NY's debut. I possess a few WNBC reports dated 09/14, 09/15, and 09/16/1980 regarding the protests against the closure of Sydenham Hospital. I have attached a screenshot from the weekend broadcast dated 09/14/1980, which shows the temporary 4. Additionally, the temporary 4 lasted for just one month.

It was more an ESPN move than ABC's decision really because 720p was better for sports at the time, along with being more conservative about data and transmission (1080i and confetti is a nightmare and awful for fast motion). It's more likely they'd upgrade to mostly a 4K flow with an actual 1080p broadcast once ATSC 3.0 rolls out beyond the early adopters (who are a bit alarmist about DRM and such; unless you're trying to start Locast 2.0 or an archivist, the regular viewer isn't going to care, and the standard is still rolling out now so you know what you're getting into) and they move to the Yards. And let's not forget for years they had to share with Live!, so finally having their full and dedicated spaces for each other (when I watch that show I just feel ill from how cramped that audience is) is going to make so much more of a difference. Honestly, I'm happy about this for WABC, though the current form it has does have its charms. Whatever the national news side/GMA is annoyed about, it's going to be a lot better in the end for 7 and the syndicated shows to have standardized studios with actual spaces and no longer having to work around the limitations of Lincoln Square.

It seems it's somewhat done https://pagesix.com/2024/02/16/entertainment/abc-news-staffers-on-edge-as-network-prepares-to-move-to-nyc-no-mans-land-hudson-square/

Does anyone know the construction status of the new Disney/ABC complex and when it is expected to be completed? I doubt the bean counters at Disney want to invest much in the current Lincoln Square facilities knowing they are abandoning them at some point.

It's the 11pm newscast based on the tease from earlier in the video. Also, this is likely the second night of "News 4 New York." Research from old newspaper clippings and ads placed the first "News 4 New York" on Monday, September 29. Sue would be moved off of 6pm a few weeks later to "Live at Five."

*Byron Allen has entered the chat*

Ah yes, your daily dose of condescension and talking to people any way you want in these threds. . "We?" Speak for yourself. IMO This picture is a perfect illustration of poor grainy lighting compared to the more brightly lit, slicker looking appearence of Mornings on 10. Poor lighting compared to the sets of the competition even.

No idea about ratings, but Lyons is a stabilizer. WBBM is competently-staffed, and puts out a quality, if little-watched product. As a viewer and news junkie, that's as important as building the ratings. As for WGN, they didn't miss a beat. They're in the WLS club of Don't Actively F#ck It Up & You'll Do Great.

I have been a fan of Skilling since I was young. He is a true legend in Chicago. I will miss his weather reports. Good news is he doesn't plan to go away completely and is not leaving Chicago. Here is Skilling's sign off. Here is Micah's interview with Skilling. Beautifully done.

Earlier today on Steve Udelson's last day at WSOC-TV, Meteorologist John Ahrens is named the next Chief Meteorologist of Channel 9. https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/john-ahrens-named-channel-9s-chief-meteorologist/CT7XJPZW7RF45JFMSUBDE5PJGY

This. Houston is a great example where the CBS affiliate historically struggled behind ABC and NBC stations until Oprah bolstered them into a competitive and then (although brief) a market leader. WFAA's lead in Dallas started to slip when Oprah ended her show. Outside of that, it was always puzzling to me why CBS News and CBS stations generally performed so badly despite having the dominating entertainment division.

It has a lot to do with lead-ins. WCBS had Judge Judy at 4 and the 5:00 was doing well. Then they lost Judge Judy and immediately fell. They picked up the show again and shot back up to #2. WABC had Oprah at 4 and those viewers made them #1 at 5. The winning allowed the station to remain stable in terms of talent and presentation. When Oprah ended her show and WABC replaced it with a newscast, viewers were already so accustomed to Eyewitness News that they largely stayed with them. Syndicated and network lead-ins are huge, along with stability (which is often a chicken-or-the-egg-type thing with winning).

Such a shame for CBS bosses to force Andrea out of the chair, a chair that has been hers since as others mentioned, 2013. Her and Doug (and Craig) were all great together (speaking of which I would hope Craig would stay too). I was thinking recently how nice it would be for Alice Gainer to be a permanent anchor again in some capacity since she lost the news at 9 gig, and she is great whenever she fills in (especially with Dick Brennan). Either way I'm also surprised CBS is allowing both Andrea and Doug to speak the truth about the change, since that will obviously fuel anger and hate towards WCBS (and heck, if enough speak out maybe even reverse that decision)! At least I haven't seen talent shifts at other stations recently where the anchors were allowed to speak so candidly about decisions by the bosses. Either way Andrea has talent and deserves that chair; if not at WCBS she will certainly earn it somewhere else.

That’s a shame. I thought Andrea was a good anchor, and she and Doug had great chemistry. I’m glad they were allowed to be frank and honest about the whole situation on air, though. That said, they’re fixing something that isn’t broken IMO.

I really used to like Scripps... Now I think they are complete trash... They're still above Sinclair, but barely...

Yes, from what I've noticed the schedule is: 4,5pm: Kendis, Arrianee and Chris Cimino 6/6:30/10: Kori, Shirley, Mr. G Previously, Chris did the 4/6 and G the 5/10. Happy that PIX has finally diversified their evening teams, from what I saw of Kendis he seems like a great fit and adaptable to the lighter fare of the 4pm, and the harder approach to the 5pm.

Look, before this topic gets put to rest (and let it do so soon), I love both packages and contrary to how we blow over about these things on this forum but your average viewer who knows nothing about station groups and graphics packages could care less on localization of graphics packages, music, the actual graphics, and even the reporting. Sure, something slow and European wouldn't work in Chicago or Philly, and viewers would be more comfortable with the style they know but in the end of the day, it's still going to ring in money and viewership!

If this is a benefit of a group product, and that is a big IF, then it is an inadvertent benefit. To say a New Yorker who goes to LA will be drawn to KABC because they share a lower third with WABC is probably overstating the impact of graphics. The real driver for a group package is cost savings. Plain and simple. In ABC's case, it is one package for eight stations. Fox and NBC have been doing it for years. Not only do you save on development but there are downstream savings because topical graphics can be shared. KABC, KGO, and KFSN are probably all sharing flooding graphics for intros, display monitors, etc. Exactly! The network news division (save Sunday Morning and 60 Minutes) is in last place. Many of their local stations (save KDKA and WCCO) were laggards in their markets. So why not reimagine the branding to try to help both? But again, this is an excellent cost savings for the CBS group. And as NYCNewsJunkie rightfully points out, it gave them a comprehensive streaming approach for the first time.

Oh, absolutely, nobody notices. As long as the headlines are legible, and the graphics don’t distract from delivering info, nobody gives a crap. I have to agree with this though. WABC didn’t originate the Eyewitness News format (even their logo isn’t original), and yet it has always taken on the identity of the city/region it serves. Most of it is due to the long-tenured anchors/reporters and the longevity/viability of the format, but I do think building around a local identity plays a role too. Much of that would be lost if we woke up tomorrow and found ourselves watching “ABC News New York.” To be fair though, the CBS O&Os were in a different situation than the ABC O&Os. When a lot of those stations are either dead last and/or lacked a local identity to begin with, their approach makes some sense. And full credit to them for beating the other network O&Os when it comes to streaming, and for finally patching up the embarrassment that was their Detroit outlet.

True. I see both sides. I agree with the idea of identifying a similar product via aesthetics through several markets. Not to drift off topic but, comparing the more successful ABC O&Os vs CBS O&OS...I don't mind duplicating a look just with added personal touches like KWY doing green instead of the standard CBS blue and white. I know the argument is a similar look for content sharing but the audience does not care if WCBS takes a KYW green graphic. The issue becomes when stations sound like a bland corporate carbon copy and not locally authentic. Look at WCBS with its pharmacy jingle ringtone open and clean corporate feel which doesn't match the vibe of a gritty intense city like New York. In contrast, even though WABC is one of ABC's many Eyewitness News copies, it still feels locally authentic to NYC with its diverse set of long-tenured reporters and its "flashier" (as some have said) format.

The thing is: who actually notices? For all the complaints about common elements, how many viewers are actually going to be in two markets with common designs, and happen to watch the stations in question, and happen to pay that kind of attention, and actually care? Effectively no one. Nobody cares if WABC and KABC, for instance, have common design elements. A few people like us on message boards aren’t representative of the public at large.

Say it louder for CBS to hear.

I just hope under this change, the O&O stations continue to keep their individuality and local news branding instead of making them all look alike. There is a charm to that indivualistic aspect of a news station versus them all looking alike and sounding the same.

I'm not saying I necessarily disagree with some of the points Rosanna made. But, she (as usual) drifts into editorialization. Sanctuary "Trap" for example is a loaded title. "This is coming to a city near you, unfortunately" which she said, is also another iffy statement. That's fine for Fox News Channel, but very slippery for her already compromised 'neutral image' role on GDNY.

New hire from WESH Orlando:

Wow, if only they posted all their newscasts online, after they air. Oh, wait... https://abc7ny.com/tag/wabc-newscasts/

Yeah I believe its some sort of red shelving for documents and papers, it is a bit tacky for sure, but, in a way, it does match with the red elements associated with their package haha. Also if you notice, it took me a while to realize this, but if you carefully pay attention, the "bars" that overlay the skyline that look off-centered and asymmetrical during the mornings at ten backdrops, are zoomed in cropped pieces of WABC's iteration of the Italicized "EYEWITNESS NEWS" wordmark. It's just "EYEWITN" or "WITN" haha. One thing I didn't care to pay attention to enough though is if the the elements move. I think it Is stationary. But all in all, it seems like they could put whatever they want behind that desk, kinda like what their sister station, KABC does in LA. The new bug is so much more refreshing, miles away than the box they had before. Still rather amazed at their new look. Hope they keep it for a while! Much cleaner and sleek.

You act like anyone, even Fox, gives a crap about MyNetworkTV.

Wow this is very bizarre. Makes me sick. And they claim to be unbiased but who really can trust that?

Dammit. The Bally Sports dumpster fire gets a new source of kindling.... https://awfulannouncing.com/sinclair/against-all-odds-diamond-sports-group-looks-set-to-rise-from-the-ashes.html

Ladies and gentlemen, all the stuff that was missed. This coming from Panama City, Florida: The second sub-channel of WJHG is now MeTV, switching the CW affiliation to the second sub-channel of WMBB, which has been really booming the past couple of months, with new graphics, new logos, and now, the new CW station. (switch made January 1) So I’m not actually sure if we covered this, but Montana’s got a brand new bag: The CW is gone in Great Falls, Helena, and Missoula, while Billings CW is now on the second sub-channel of KSVI, the local ABC station, the switch coming from KTVQ’s second sub-channel. Butte/Bozeman followed suit, putting the CW on a translator of KSVI sent to Butte/Bozeman, the CW previously on KXLF’s second sub-channel, and KBZK’s second sub-channel, the latter station being a semi-satellite of KXLF in Butte. (All switches made September 1) To Sioux Falls now: The CW is now on the fourth sub-channel of KELO, which has always been the dominant station in the market. The CW comes to KELO-DT4 from KSFY-DT2, which, is not that good in the market. The sub-channel is now an affiliate of Outlaw, a channel from Fast TV Networks. (Switch made January 1) Mighty Mississippi is our last stop: Shocking turn of events in the market of Tupelo-Columbus-West Point, as WCBI-DT3 is now MyNetworkTV, with its CW affiliation switching over to WLOV, the former FOX station in the market. The FOX affiliation has since moved to the second sub-channel of WCBI. (Switch made February 2)

Thank you for articulating that respectfully. Everyone is entitled to express their opinions, the key is doing so politely and not being a keyboard warrior, unlike 24994J who consistently disrespects users on these boards despite being a moderator.

B&C states that WCBS is making a big change to its 6pm broadcast. Dana Tyler & Dick Brennan will depart from their 6pm anchor roles at the end of March. Maurice DuBois and Kristine Johnson (who anchors the 5 & 11) will take over the 6pm duties.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C3xiZ0MuMuh/?igsh=Mm9ya24wbDNvaXZi Andrea Grymes made it very clear at the end of this morning’s newscast that this move is not her choice and that she is disappointed. As RealNews18 notes, and confirmed by this Instagram post, she hasn’t made a decision regarding staying at WCBS as a reporter. I was surprised to see Andrea and Doug Williams being so candid on air this was not Andrea’s choice. Andrea has been on weekend mornings since 2013 or so, with the exception of the COVID years where Cindy Hsu anchored solo from 2020 until Andrea returned in 2022.

From The ABC Owned Television Website: WLS TV (ABC 7 Chicago): ----------------- WABC TV (ABC 7 New York): These are the official logos from the ABC O&O website. WLS on top, WABC on bottom. There are some differences. But largely they are identical.