Jase

Former WFLD Political Reporter, Jack Conaty has passed away. He was 77. "Jack Conaty brought a talent for concise and impactful writing, an acerbic wit and a willingness to help his colleagues to his work as political reporter at Fox-owned WFLD-Ch. 32 for more than two decades. Conaty, 77, died of complications from cancer on Aug. 28 at a hospital in Tucson, Arizona." -- Chicago Tribune

Carol appeared (with Mary Ann) during a special DNC segment (The Brief) that aired during the 6P newscast. By the time 6P rolled around, I had my fill of all things DNC and didn't see it. I tend to watch everyone's (WMAQ, WLS, WFLD) streaming channel and don't recall seeing any promos (given most promos, commercials, etc... only air on the linear side).

As I have said before, I think everyone did a good job overall. Glad to see everyone taking the opportunity to come up with DNC-related enterprising stories in addition to offering viewers streaming-only special newscasts. 'Tip of the Hat' to WFLD for bringing Flannery out of retirement to help with DNC coverage.

A lot of WFLD's 'struggles,' if you will, stem from the fact that they have gone through a lot of behind-the-scenes people (NDs, Executive Producers, etc...) which effects what we see in front of the camera. If they could hang onto those executives, producers, etc... for more than 2-3 years, then they could establish a consistent look/feel for their newscasts. As far as the overall team, Jackson is a weak link on GDC; but they made a smart choice in re-hiring Gabriella Premus as traffic/feature reporter instead of outsourcing traffic. They're solid at Noon, 4P, 5P and 9P, but they need to hire more reporters to improve overall news coverage.

Glad no one was injured. If I'm not mistaken, the same thing happened to WABC's streetside studio nearly 4 years ago during one of their newscasts. How crazy would it be if it was the same guy??? Nevertheless, I could see them rethinking the type of glass they use when the time comes to remodel the studio.

I wonder if NBC will hang onto the NBC Sports Chicago office(s)/studio? They greatly reduced their leased space at the NBC Tower by more than half, but it would be a shame if that awesome NBC Sports Chicago set ends up in the trash heap.

That’s her role currently (in addition to being a fill-in anchor). They would have been better off pairing Roseanne with Anita and Anthony with Natalie because the new guy (Brian Jackson) is pretty bad.

Ed is back (as of yesterday I believe??) and is working from home (like Mary Kay). That said, they still have a job (posted on 7/30) for a weather anchor/reporter; which could suggest Ed's return is temporary (i.e.. he will retire at some point, etc..) or this new meteorologist will work on the weekends.

Trust me... there isn't a lack of coverage of the DNC nor is it back of minds for us here in Chicago. There is good balance (amongst the local stations) of having people at the convention and people back at home base (in studio). I agree, it nice to see the anchors, who don't do much (or any) field reporting/anchoring working outside of the studio. But more importantly, you have to have someone in studio to handle any breaking news that may occur. When protestors starting to breach security zones (taking down fencing, etc..), WFLD (for example) had their anchors in studio handle that rather than the team inside the United Center.

It's not really necessary (sending all anchor teams to the convention). Personally, I like the balance of having a team in studio and in the field (at the convention). I think everyone locally, thus far, has done a good job.

For a number of possible reasons. You have to keep in mind that communicating via walkie talkie is likely better than trying to talk to someone by cell particularly under the circumstances. There are no doubt logistical issues (involving communication) that everyone has to work around.

Looks like WMAQ and WBBM have the best setup. WLS and WGN are pretty high up (near the rafters) and WFLD appears to be at a lower level than everyone else. With that said, unlike in 96’, the local stations are not near each other and are instead scattered around the United Center. WMAQ WBBM WLS WGN WFLD

WNYW is part of FOX Local (which is available on most streaming platforms).

The name change is likely due to the possibility this 3rd hour would not air during the morning hours everywhere. They would have to go with something generic like CBS (News) Today or CBS (News) Now and not CBS Mornings.

The 17 FOX O&O stations in question are those that make up FOX Local. Pluto joins the list of others (Roku, Samsung, etc...) that feature these channels.

Nexstar's DC bureau is located in the same building as NBC/FOX/C-SPAN. It possible they renovated/expanded that space for NewsNation DC ops because this view of the capital (which I assume is from real windows) is pretty much identical to Fox News DC. That said, my guess is that this is just another studio (in the same building).

Glad someone saw the light, if you will, and made the change. Cassimy fits in well with the rest of the morning team.

The space is definitely underutilized. Given one wall is covered in plastic (to protect several monitors); my guess is maybe they're painting, doing something to the floor, etc... Nevertheless, it's a space no one else has (street side studios aside), so hopefully it will be back up and running at some point.

FYI.... Something is going on in Studio 32. They have moved everything out (anchor desk, big video monitor, etc...) and one wall is covered in plastic. They have been using this secondary studio less and less as of late; but hopefully whatever is going on, they're not abandoning the space.

In what context are you referring? Are you talking about currently or years ago? If my math is correct, WFLD lost 3 people to retirement last year and hired/re-hired 4 people over the past several months. WBBM cut 2 people and hired 1. I wouldn't say currently that either station has issues retaining people. WBBM lost quite a few over the years due to mandated cuts (outside of their control) and WFLD has done the same (cutting people to save $$$), but some moved on to other opportunities or needed to be cut (fired).

Not to mention, they currently looking to cut $500 million in costs.

Not suggesting sexism is at play here, but rather the optics don't look good when you demote your lead female anchor for two male anchors without giving another female anchor an opportunity to tryout. It would be a different story if they went with a solo anchor. I, and I assume others, see value in having both a male/female perspective when it comes to certain duos. Just because Couric and O'Donnell didn't work shouldn't mean you give up.

No surprise about Dubios. Dickerson must have some dirt on people because this would be his 4th show (Face The Nation, CBS This Morning, the CBS News 24/7 show and now CBSEN), if I'm not mistaken. Not sure having two males (instead of a male/female duo) front CBSEN is the way to go. They have plenty of capable female anchors/correspondents to choose from. What message does this send to your female employees (and viewers) by not promoting a women? Best of luck to them because I can't see this working out well...

It's possible they call upon the same group of people they used between Glor and O'Donnell (with the possible exception of Begnaud, who is now a contributor to CBS News). Garrett currently serves as a fill-in anchor for CBSEN (among his other duties), so I can't see them excluding him. I wouldn't be upset if both Brennan and Dickerson were excluded this go-round and both Luciano and Dokoupil would be a big NO for me. This rotating anchors situation is very likely temporary (whether it's a couple of months or, at most, a year) as I don't see them making this permanent. Thinking outside the box isn't what CBS does.

Rotating anchors isn't a bad idea. There's no harm in trying something new given their current state (ratings-wise). Now, if someone were to gain consistent traction; it's highly probable that person would take over the job permanently. And if you think about it, that would be a win-win situation. They would have found someone internally that connects to viewers without taking a financial risk in bringing in an outsider (given that hasn't worked) nor would anyone feel 'passed over' because it would ultimately be the viewers who make the final decision.