Geoffrey

My prediction is that the sun/cloud icons will eventually be made bigger and placed in a more traditional location, while also maintaining the photography in each day's background. Otherwise I think it takes a little more time for viewers to decipher the seven-day.

I noticed a newer (new? I will admit I don't watch as closely as I used to) morning promo -- the one with the Chris, Mary and Elise talking to the camera in the studio -- just aired a few minutes ago, using a "CBS 2 News Mornings" logo at the end. But less than a half hour earlier, the version of the promo that has been airing for months had the "CBS 2 News This Morning" end page. Both times the announcer said "CBS 2 News This Morning," which is the current title of the newscast (and has been since around 2001). The station has used a "CBS 2 Mornings" (different font, no "News") graphic on the monitor array for months to more closely align with the network's "CBS Mornings" branding, but the newscast title has never been officially renamed. Rant time: I wish the station could change the branding all at once and not do this very slow rollout, if that's indeed what this is. And I also don't like the "CBS Mornings" title -- it sounds more like the way someone would refer to a daypart (CBS Daytime, CBS Primetime, CBS Mornings) and not a newscast title.

Reporter Dan Rice offered a small peek of Chopper 2's new paint job: https://www.instagram.com/p/CfuXtkDO6S7/ The other side of Chopper 2 got the Sky Fox branding as CBS 2 and Fox 5 share the helicopter. (Discussion as to whether this previews the upcoming CBS O&O graphics should be kept on this thread.)

There has been chatter about CBS O&Os possibly dropping channel numbers in favor of branding such as "CBS News New York". But a new paint job for WCBS's Chopper 2 shows a "CBS 2 News New York" branding: https://www.instagram.com/p/CfuXtkDO6S7/ Chopper 2, which the station shares with WNYW, has not had branding on it for many years. If the new graphics are indeed launching this fall, it would make sense that they paint the chopper in advance in order to get shots for opens and promos. (I doubt the mouthful "CBS 2 News New York This Morning" will be the actual newscast title format.) I'm not a fan of dropping channel numbers so I'm happy that this seems to not be happening. I hope the upcoming look is much more well thought out than the current group package, which felt sloppy and dated the day it launched.

Is this paint job for Sky Fox new? Assuming Fox 5 still shares a chopper with CBS 2, I wonder if we'll see Chopper 2 branding on the other side. https://www.instagram.com/p/CfFMiSyOT02/

Does the QR code app ad really need to be a permanent fixture of the bug? cod

Glad to see that CNN will be reducing the use of the "Breaking News" banner. Next I'd like to see them stop leaving the "Live" bug up permanently during live broadcasts. I believe this started in early 2013 shortly after Jeff Zucker took over. Before this, it used to come down when showing taped video, even if the anchor was speaking over it live. MSNBC and Fox News soon followed suit.

Eileen Lehpamer, formerly of News 12 Long Island, is joining PIX 11. She will continue reporting for 1010 WINS as well. https://www.instagram.com/p/CeUcTXovTOu/

If CBS really considered putting Tony Dokoupil as the Evening News anchor, they're signaling that they never really do learn from their past mistakes.

ABC 7 now has its Long Island bureau at Hofstra University. Years ago, CBS 2 has its Long Island bureau here. It was originally a private office in the communications building, but the bureau chief was later moved into the school's radio station office/newsroom. No flash cam position or anything like that. As a student and member of WRHU, I would often see the bureau chief working and making phone calls while the students were having fun being kids. Years after CBS 2 moved out, Hofstra kept the CBS 2 Long Island Bureau signage up to impress tour groups going through. https://abc7ny.com/wabc-long-island-bureau-hofstra-hempstead/11817787/

Otis announced last week that he tested positive after having avoiding Covid for over two years: https://www.facebook.com/otis.livingston/posts/1626493131058374?__cft__[0]=AZWUeZ8EBuG_GuE_JVF-7rUlh8L35Bt4GmvK05BK0rfYcKZwzyPdqqprLvKPEstorZPGU-vj4egOcHVND1btvGObf9Y01e9ABCZcY4dIi_6NTy7hMxcEFhVWgsKmDe59gOY&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R

Does a shooting where no one even suffered life-threatening injuries really warrant national anchors on the scene? Sometimes events in New York get treated with exaggerated importance simply because it seems so much bigger to the entire staff. I was working at at station one night when there was a minor car accident outside the front of the building during our newscast. People in the newsroom got excited and sent a photographer down there because they wanted video on the air as soon as possible. In the minutes that followed, cooler heads prevailed and it was determined that it shouldn't even register as a story. Clearly a subway shooting is a much larger story but I think network producers based in New York need to take a breath.

Constantly changing the anchors isn't ideal, but I can also understand the mindset of "We can pay someone much less to keep us in third place."

I'm sure THIS is finally the time a WBBM anchor change will make them #1.

Good question. While being out in the field and telling stories might be more fulfilling, it can also be exhausting having to constantly be on the move in whatever weather, looking for people to talk to, and writing a story in time to be edited for air in a few hours. Traffic reporting is essentially an anchor-type job in a comfortable studio, laughing around with the other anchors, being part of the "team," and getting lots of face time. Everyone has different preferences but I would imagine most on-air talent aspire to end up in the studio.

Lower thirds look a lot nicer... much cleaner. But the open (the animation after the long tease) is incredibly dull.

They started using those graphics once they began sitting at opposite ends of the desk with omicron. I'm not sure I read too much into it except that they like using the eye and have occasionally trying to match the network look. It does seem inconsistent that it says "CBS 2 Mornings" but consistency has never been their strong point.

I accidentally came across this in my guide: CBS will be airing golf (Farmers Insurance Open. Golf. Round 3) this Friday at 5, so CBS 2 News at 5 and 6 will be airing on WLNY. I can't immediately recall CBS 2 moving their regularly newscasts to WLNY due to a network preemption.

I like the new CBS News look overall (even though I don't care for the name) but the CBS NEWS bug is too wide. They seem intent on keeping the small eye the same size and position across all broadcasts (news, primetime, etc.) but I wish they could have come up with a better solution.

I am not hopeful. The previous CBS O&O look was uninspired and felt dated from the very beginning. Then the sloppy combination with the CBSN Local look. I do like the CBS network look that's being replicated across CBS Sports, CBS Mornings, etc. But I'm not hopeful that this will be done well. We shall see.

I have been saying this for years. Unless there's a major incident, most traffic news you get from TV will be outdated by the time it's relevant to you. I'm fine not having dedicated traffic reports on TV.

I think they both look nice, but I've decided that backgrounds that are just big skyline photos are boring. Putting a photo in a monitor does not take much effort. I prefer seeing some graphical design and physical set pieces.

I'm going to miss Hazel on CBS 2 but she's a great anchor and it seems like she already has chemistry with Dan Mannarino. I bet they'll be a very exciting team to watch.

Hazel Sanchez left CBS 2 last month after 21 years: https://www.facebook.com/hazelsanchez/posts/10227892059945996?__cft__[0]=AZV1Zbk6QSz0uiBuLapFI7_6T6huWemOqm0OvU3XaMwGQHK5S8_guZlQrg1etCkoOYD91xcgdc6dWhGHfHGSAg7YsyTGvzdVSbh2TRcFcZ06nTMlFFSGQLgVeJjF0d5ssdI&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R She joined in 2000 as a reporter but often filled in as an anchor in the morning those days. In recent months, she began to have more fill-in opportunities again, so I was surprised to see her suddenly disappear. "I’m especially thankful the next chapter of my life will keep me close by. All I can say for now, is it’s a wonderful opportunity for me and my family. So it’s not goodbye. It’s see you around. And I’ll see you on tv again very soon." My first guess was maybe WPIX. The new news director there was at CBS 2 when Hazel joined so they have a long history. Hazel posted yesterday that an announcement is coming today, and she used hashtags #newsanchor and #ilovenewyork. The Facebook version of her post shows her sharing a meal with a guy whose face is covered up and the caption includes: "We’ve shared the stage and now we’ll share a desk." I guess we'll find out soon!

Not a bad refresh. I'm not a fan of the "live" and time not being on the screen all the time as they rotate with the show's name ("REPORTS" during the day). I also don't like how the lower-third shrinks when displaying someone's name (they've done this for a while). I do like the different colors for different shows and topics and how the bug's colors change to match.