Vlad

Looks like they started today! Nice to see this type of synergy and to see both stations WNBC/WNJU operate from one building. Kudos to them!

Wow! Liz Cho on a Sunday Morning! That is wild haha. Didn't they hire someone from KABC to be on the anchor desk?

The staggered departure of Bill, probably is rooted on production side. What the general audience does not know is that these newscasts, while they may look and feel the same on air, they are all very different productions with different staff, producers, etc, news teams, etc working solely for the 5pm show, the 6pm show likely has different people behind it's production as well.

Yeah, it’s the end of an era indeed. This is exactly how it played out for Bill Beutel in the late 90s until he left the station in 2003. And most of the veteran anchors stayed on the 6 p.m. show till their final days. Bill Ritter, now his replacement from 2003, is now 75, so it’s understandable that he's slowly beginning his departure from the career. Hopefully, he stays till 2030! What a solid anchor and face he has been for WABC.

Haha, as a nod to KABC, maybe we can take a piece of their identity by signing off as ABC 7 Eyewitness News, considering they took a piece of ours by pretty much using our music theme now. , the last time this was done was back in 2004. These days the ABC O&Os and affiliates often share resources when WABC uses KABC's reporters, especially for bigger stories that take place on the west and east coast's largest cities (wildfires, natural disasters, etc) and vice versa, they usually sign off as "ABC 7" Eyewitness News.

Maybe for now this is what the producers feel is right for the show. Also each broadcast is operated by different producers and etc, so what may work for the 11pm broadcast probably doesn't work for the 4, 5 and 6 broadcasts, which I also believe are different, etc..

Wow she was a great talent! Thats a bummer! –Im kinda not surprised though, her personality was just too big for the role she had. So I'm sure she'll land somewhere pretty quick.

The last time they did a talent open was for the Giant Octopus designed graphics package (2012-2016) those were another set of amazing graphics for WABC at the time. When they switched to their preceding graphics package, they stopped doing the talent intros for the weekday 11 pm broadcasts, I guess they need more airtime to deliver more stories in the 35 min window. But I believe on the weekends they do the talent opens as those broadcasts are longer. Those graphics were quite stunning at the time. And honestly they could still work today. Obviously what they have now is better but at the time those were pretty nice!

Oh wow so that is the shakeup we were all eluding to for a while! We did all say that this day could come last year! Its an end of an era, and it a sign of the times. Bill Ritter was and continues to be a staple of Eyewitness News but he will be tremendously missed at the 11pm, I remember when he and Diana were anchoring back in the early 2000s in the years post 9/11 they were setting the stage for greatness it seemed like they wouldve been there forever till Diana stepped down to do exactly what Bill is doing today, to be more present and with family before ultimately leaving the show. I can see him leaving and retiring in 5 more years! As for Eyewitness News this Morning well we'll have to see what happens but its a big shakeup. But its a fitting role for Pedro considering his experience in morning TV during his days in LA and Mike is now setting the stage to become WABCs lead anchor as we all expected. Mike's stepping into some huge shoes!

Oh wow that's exciting! Something to look forward to as the weather inevitably gets warmer! Wild to see the difference between the outgoing and new studios, glad to know that it's the same designer, at least it retains some familiarity in that way. When you see the rendering of the outgoing set, you do see the age, especially with the tiled background, which was popular in the 2010s. The new set is more refined, cleaner, and just refreshing. I also like the new Wordmark or typeface they used for "EYEWITNESS NEWS" in the new set's rendering. If they actually had switched to that, it would make WABC and KABC uniform but clearly they decided to keep their identities. Thanks for sharing those renders!

It might help to note that WPVI's Action News is actually a format of its own. Which fewer stations use compared to WABC's approach. So WPVI's presentation is aligned with their format. The "Action News" format differs slightly from the "Eyewitness News" format. In the Action News, certain dynamics such as time requirements, storytelling, etc, have to be followed, reporters don't dwell too much on the stories, to keep the news going and be able to cover more stories, so you'll probably here less fill in talk and more direct storytelling, whereas with the Eyewitness News format, there is more of a deeper dive which allows for more captivating presentations, fill in words, empathy, "happy talk" etc to be embedded within the show. Whereas with the Action News it's more straight to the point and quick which could be better for some audiences. Action News https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_News Eyewitness News https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eyewitness_News

Yeah I dunno, I get that the ad-lib and personal biases can impact the integrity of the broadcast, but at the same time, it is sorta the thing that makes them human really, and can occasionally make the story captivating and compelling at a time where the attention span of people is pretty short.

They did it a couple of days ago when they debuted the studio for the 4 pm show. Well, they did it during a going-on-break bumper shot when I had rewatched it. It was a nice aesthetic. I'd imagine they probably won't do these shots forever, so we should enjoy them while it lasts as the novelty of the new space wears off and they return to the regular live shots, etc.. It reminded me of the classic way of doing the news where they would show the anchors talking before the break, that was a nice touch. :). Regarding Bill Ritter’s ad-libs during the broadcasts, it is important to note that he is a seasoned veteran and a legendary figure in the New York market. His industry reputation allows him to incorporate these ad-libs into the show without disrupting its flow. By doing so, I think he enhances the overall value of the production. A lot of veteran anchors similarly did this, similar to Bill Beutel when he was there before he passed he had his signature closing remark at the end of the 6 pm shows in the '90s. Chuck Scarborough did the same before he departed from WNBC, and the same with retired anchor, Jim Gardner on WPVI before his departure. Bill's a sentimental and empathetic guy, you see it in his presentation and reporting, especially after 9/11 which gripped him and many of the reporters and journalists here in New York. It's not an easy market, this city requires a lot of hard work and diligence to survive here. So naturally the reporters and anchors are just raw and heavy-hearted from all the years of tough storytelling. Personally, I like the adlib it really provides a sense of authenticity to the broadcast and adds an extra level of depth and value to the show.

Yeah it's an evolution indeed from their previous set, arguably one of the nicest in the market, just well executed and placed properly. The lighting is great, the set is large and no longer cramped, overall a major much needed improvement that we've all waited years for. Cant wait to see the other one elements and how the dynamics are put it to use during their other shows. Overall it's an incredibly wonderful improvement! Gonna really miss the streetside studio, at this point only Chicago's Eyewitness News (WLS-TV) has the State Street Studio if I remember correctly. Only gripe I have is the ticker with the Eyewitness News and ABC7NY etc, I don't think having that moving behind them is necessary, its a bit too busy, but other than that, its an amazingly beautiful set! WABC now the cream of the crop with their on air presentation and product.

Thats wild! Glad they had a safe landing! Im sure they'll be covering that tonight in their newscast. BTW, Does anyone know when the final broadcast from the UWS studio is gonna be? I want to make sure I'm there for it!