Vlad

Who are they referring to? Ken Rosato? I would be truly sad if it were true.. True class act for the station and such a great talent for the station. https://abc7ny.com/about/newsteam/ken-rosato/ His news bio is still up on the site. Perhaps he's on vacation? Best, Vlad

Yay! - its so nice to see them back together again! I noticed at KABC they are still kinda apart, but I guess they have the real estate for that since everything is so spread out in the Southland.

Why did they do it at 10 this year? Was it because they wanted to show more of the countdowns?

I think KABC's package is cleaner and I have always preferred their package better. I wish WABC adopted it but it seems all the west coast flagships adopted it. (KFSN and KGO adopted variations on these graphics as well). Is it the same company that designed WABC's current look or is it different? The Giant Octopus package they had (2012 to late 2016) will always be their best look in my opinion. Best, Vlad

They look great! Hard to believe they've been doing this for I guess just over 10 years now? Great Duo!

She could just be visiting too..

This is Lori's last and final week on air. Still quite stunning that she is effectively done with Broadcast Journalism. It will be nice to see what kind of tribute will be given to her. I personally will miss her dearly, she really is a class act, honestly I always felt that WABC was the place for Lori she just was a better fit for that station but nonetheless at least she spread her wings a bit and tried something new at WNYW with Good Day New York and Rosanna and of course her ultimate wish, anchoring the primetime 6pm newscast which she achieved. I'm truly happy for Lori she deserves a beautiful retirement especially after all of the hardwork and dedication she has put for all the years she's been on TV. What a career! Good for her she will be missed dearly!

Wow thats wild, has he ever done that before? Don't think i've ever seen him work weekends even as a reporter haha. Good for him!

Looks more like a podcast to me rather than a sports show. It would've been nice though to see a sport spinoff of the newscast from WABC. Like their sister KABC in LA produces after their weekend broadcasts. Rob Fukuzaki and some of the other sportscasters over there produce the show.. But I guess to WABC's credit they produce Live which is a bigger production..

Hmm.. Could they be trying something? Haha. Perhaps maybe lightening Bill's workload so he's only on the 6 and 11 and Mike Marza taking over the 5?...

I feel like Talent opens are a thing of the past though now. If i'm not mistaking, I think only WABC does talent opens the rest of the stations don't have them.

Plus, given that Lee Goldberg has been with the station for over 20 years he may want to lighten his workload. Looking forward to seeing her forecast.

Any plans on the station returning to the older format with the anchors sitting closer together or is this a COVID's legacy? Bill looked great!

Nice! So cool to see a radio personality on TV. Sonia Rincon is amazing, always love hearing her voice when she would anchor and or report on the 1010 WINS broadcasts. Nice to see a face to that. I wish her the best at WABC.

This board has been around for a while so Im sure a lot of talent reads them. Best, Vlad

Yeah it just alludes to the direction Local TV News and WABC is going, from the complaints about Sam Champion not wearing a suit, to Bill's emotional rants, to not breaking in when warranted, it just goes to show that the standard that WABC has set is starting to decline or perhaps in alignment with the today's generation of viewers. They indeed seemed to be more relaxed as attitudes and expectations shift with new generation of viewers. It is 2022. I'm sure Sam's on air look is intentional. Maybe him not wearing a suit and tie is appealing to a certain audience. The requirement of needing to be polished, have a suit and tie seems to not be prioritized as much anymore. Lets not forget, that nowadays people dont even have TVs anymore they go online or stream online, so maybe they felt like the efficiency of being in air broadcasting a news story that was developing wasn't warranted at the time especially when most people have internet access and can go on the web and get more information much faster than the news can deliver it on TV.

I agree! KABC has always been superior and just cleaner with their on-air look and presentation, graphics, music and etc. (All the California O&Os KGO ABC 7 in SF and KFSN ABC 30 in Fresno have a variation of the KABC graphics package.) KABC out of all the O&Os has arguably the best set, backdrop, on-air look (simple and clean but still elegant) and consistency in their music package which is also great. Honestly to me, KABC's package still works though they've adopted it in 2015. WABC is really just boring, overall with their overall on-air look. They adopted these subpar flat basic graphics which look like they were designed in house or something or by a cheaper company which in my opinion is worthy of a medium to small market. Complete step behind their previous package from the Giant Octopus update they had from 2011-2015. Their current street side set is nice, but their backdrop is just pretty awful. Its 2022 and yet they still are using a static backdrop and the music while iconic, should be replaced at this point. Over 20+ years with the same music package and theme, maybe they are holding off on updates till they move into the new studio and building in the West Village, and by then we'll see a complete overhaul. Maybe in May we'll see something new from that department? Since the sweeps are coming up? Fingers Crossed, I feel like its due time for them to change or update their appearance. Or perhaps we'll have to wait till they move to their new studio in the West Village later in the decade. https://abc7ny.com/wabc-west-village-disney-upper-side/3733784/

He's earned it. The man has worked very hard throughout his life. Starting at WABC and probably retiring at WABC. He's come full circle.

Oh wow thats Major. He was such a great reporter! Class act. They have some tough shoes to fill!

How do you know that this is the standardized graphics? This could have easily been something just created for KABC.

Yeah honestly, I think its a bit basic, but it has grown on me. I hope the Circle 7s still get to keep their identities. We’ll have to see what happens, maybe in November, when the sweeps occurs, we will see an update in the graphics rollout for the stations? All of the O&O stations have been with their current graphics for over 5 years now. I hope WABC really changes their graphics, its always been subpar in my opinion from when they had rolled it out in 2016.

Yeah terrible, im sorry. I prefer the shiny more forward look that they had in the mid 2010s. This flat look is too bland and is a step backwards for me.

He's probably on vacation.

Honestly I think WABC like his personality and it adds an extra element to the broadcasts. Maybe the producers like that. He's always been this way since he started working there so its probably working quite well. It's also way to connect with the audience instead of being monotone all the time. It adds a heartwarming human and personal touch to the story as well so they don't sound as cold. A lot of the news today is very robotic, monotone and often heartless. So I appreciate his comments. I know it may not be as professional, but I think there is something to be added of value when the anchor adds their personality to the broadcast. He's kinda like the new Bill Beutel, or the venerable Roger Grimsby. The station is most remembered by him so I think thats how we have to see it as. It's WABC's way of putting someone as the face of the Eyewitness News Brand and Bill Ritter is definitely that now for all the right reasons. Mark Marza on the other hand needs more help with that front, he always adds his two cents a lot of the times too especially on the weekend morning broadcasts haha. But idk, they are still feel like they are very forced.

Yeah its understandable that they continue to remain socially distanced. BTW isn't WABC supposed to move into a new building in the village? What is the update on that? Also, any idea on if they are upgrading their on-air look? They've had their current "meh and blah" graphics package since 2016 now haha. I think we are going on 5 years now right with the package. Well, nothing a little Google search can't help with these days haha. Looks like the new building is well underway! https://newyorkyimby.com/2021/03/foundation-work-underway-for-disneys-headquarters-at-four-hudson-square-in-hudson-square-manhattan.html