Jase

Leaving his Mark: Giangreco's story plays out like no other...

Sylvia did the Noon show from Studio 32 (instead of the main studio) today. Likely some work is being done in the main studio (or something new they’re trying out).
 

Also, this OTS is pretty cool and I think the first time they have used it (first time I’ve seen it anyway). 

On 4/13/2021 at 12:04 PM, Kenneth Kissel said:

CBS News needs a change of thought and vision to compete with ABC, NBC, CNN, FOX, in addition to the many station groups starting National divisions (like News Nation and The National Desk). 

I agree. Hopefully, the new leader of both CBS News and the O&Os can help provide a much needed vision for the future.

Women are the face of nearly every news program currently on CBS, so I can’t see them pushing Norah aside for a guy or adding a male co-anchor on CBSEN.

3 minutes ago, Roadrunner said:

I agree that this is a slap in the face to Robb; it seems like they they felt they needed a Megan for mornings...but just not Megan herself. Way too much turnover still. Will they ever learn to just stop touching their lineup? They still have too many freelancers taking up various spots when actual teams would be much better for cohesion for the station but nothing tells me they're establishing anything solid. 

 

As an aside, a small part of me actually thought CBS might have tried to lure Bill Bellis, but I figure he probably would've been too expensive and then they'd only have one woman full-time in a team of 4.

They may make a play for Bill if Mary Kay decides to leave. Conventional wisdom would suggest she and/or her husband are not going to want to continue to split their time between Chicago and Florida.

Next year will mark 20 years at WBBM for Mary Kay, so it may be an ideal time to leave than get pushed out in the next 2-3 years.

28 minutes ago, TVNewsLover said:

I wonder if they would consider adding Ryan to split the evening newscasts with Jim Rose. With ABC stations making cuts, it would make sense to utilize him a bit more.

I think they would only use Ryan to cover if someone was off. These days, they can get away with 2 sports anchors for the time being.

34 minutes ago, ScottJ said:

According to this Variety article, at a staff meeting yesterday Sook said the plan is "to build out NewsNation as an all-news, talk and opinion outlet by 2023." Will it really take that long to complete the transition?

Two years is a relatively short time span to fully become a 24/7 news channel. 

5 hours ago, NBC 5 Chicago said:

Man the more days go on without WLS saying anything is just creating so much backlash on all social platforms. Mostly hate/insults for Cheryl. Granted we REALLY don't know what has happened and it isn't any of our business however all of this reporting sure is fueling this firestorm. You'd think the station at least would issue a statement since there has been so much backlash to try and set the record straight instead all of the silence is fueling more gossip/truth.

Any statement they released would only make matters worse because it would be very difficult (if not impossible) for the statement to not favor one person/position and/or hide whether or not management is/was culpable in any way if this matter is as serious as it appears. 

Some people (for unknown reasons) have it out for Cheryl, so no matter the outcome, in their eyes, she would be at fault. 
 

The easiest thing would be for Mark to retire (this was likely his last contract with WLS anyway) and salvage his otherwise solid reputation/career. 

32 minutes ago, TVNewsLover said:

He could’ve technically been referring to the other Cheryl. It does seem like a bit of an overreaction and not warranting a 5-week suspension. 

Technically, it’s irrelevant which Cheryl he was referring to. Having recently completed yearly harassment training at my job, a lot of things (however big/small, legal or illegal) can fall under the umbrella of workplace harassment.

While I’m not suggesting anything about anyone here, I’m not surprised by the suspension (or possible termination) in this case.

Looks like WFLD is getting some work done to their offices/studios as part of a larger project to remodel one of the outdoor plazas. The plaza, in question, sits on top of their lower level space (where the main studio, newsroom, etc..) is.

Not sure how expansive the work will be, but everything is expected to be completed sometime this Summer.

We don't know what type of working relationship (or lack thereof) Cheryl and Mark have, so while I agree the comment in question doesn't seem like a big deal, WE don't know the full story (and may never will).

18 hours ago, Spring Rubber said:

Right after Feder wrote that piece about Giangreco being AWOL for several weeks now with no explanation. Could these two things be related?

Doubtful. Dolinsky and Davies being cut are likely cost-savings moves. Whatever is going on with Giangreco seems to be much bigger. 

4 minutes ago, R.R. said:

Let's see what they do. (Hoping Caplan gets the spot)

Mike, without question, deserves the spot, but I don’t think they want to move him off GDC. He’s arguably Good Day’s biggest draw and they probably don’t want to mess with that. No offense, but nobody’s tuning in to see Jake Hamilton. 

1 hour ago, NBC 5 Chicago said:

I saw it this morning. Kind of surprised since he's been there for awhile. Wonder who is going to fill the top spot. They only have 3 of them left. I haven't watched a lot of fox but I have recently been watching during the day. Is Mark on during the weekends?

I’m surprised also particularly because I figured they wouldn’t cut anyone loose prior to the launch of the ‘Fox Weather’ streaming initiative. I’m willing to bet that (Fox Weather) likely played a part in their decision to cut Bill. I wouldn’t be surprised if Cody gets clipped too.

Mark does Friday evenings, double duty on Saturdays and Sunday mornings. Not sure how things are going to change now that Bill is gone. 

8 hours ago, ScottJ said:

It's premature to say it's it's confirmed that he'll be gone at the end of the year. This is his exact quote: "So, as a result, I am going to stay and finish my current contract — which, as I said, will keep me here until the end of this year. At that point, I do expect to move on." Saying he expects to move on isn't the same as saying he will move on. Is it likely? Seems like it, but he does appear to be leaving some wiggle room to stay on longer if he decides to.

Given CNN is coming off its best January ever (in some metrics), I wouldn’t be surprised if he stays on another year or two if things continue in that direction.

1 hour ago, C Block said:

 

Maybe they want more newsroom or sales space for social distancing purposes whenever people start coming back into the building. I know that where I am, we've also considered mothballing one of our studios and turning it into a second newsroom.

Maybe. I’m just surprised CBS is making the effort/spending money to do this. It doesn’t seem like something they would do. Guess we’ll find out soon enough.

On 12/24/2020 at 8:50 PM, brb588 said:

So the space is CBS', but sits (or I guess "sat") completely unused for over a year? I'm still a little sore that it the first floor studio had a nice set that was totally misused and underutilized. 

I was walking by WBBM today and noticed that they’re building cubicles in the former street side studio. It’s unclear the reasoning behind this/what this space will be used for.

 
What is clear is that they have been using the space for stand ups for more than a month now.

Former WMAQ metorologist Jim Tilmon dead at 86

4 hours ago, Roadrunner said:

Some troubling news from a troubled station here:

As mentioned, admittedly not an avid viewer so I'm not sure if she was already being phased out by year's end of 2020. 

But regardless, these developments are very sad.

Michelle, like most traffic reporters, were sidelined because of the pandemic. Unlike her counterparts at WLS, WMAQ, etc... who hold duo roles as news/features reporters, etc..., she didn't have that opportunity at WFLD because she was not an employee and hadn't been seen on GDC (until a couple of days/weeks ago) since last March.   

Whatever is going on, I don't know. Maybe she is upset about not being able to come back sooner. That said, it's a tough call to make given there hasn't been enough going on 'traffic-wise' to justify having someone do traffic reports.

On 12/18/2020 at 9:41 PM, brb588 said:

I saw the beginning of the 5 PM news and Dave Savini was in front of a window backdrop. Is that a shot from their old studio?

Yes. This is a shot of Dave in the old streetside studio. As previously mentioned, nothing prevents them from using the space given they still lease/control it. The studio is completely gutted, so I wouldn’t read anything into this other than it provides them with a different place for a standup (and to be socially distant).

2 hours ago, MidwestTV said:

Efficiency. It's far easier to man severe weather coverage from the station. Plus, if the power goes down at meteorologist's home, well....

 

Locals will still know the region much better. I also feel they would better keep the audience attention too.

 

I agree. For this to work, Fox would have to do the following:

1. Major weather graphics upgrade. What exists now isn’t going to cut it and a singular Fox Weather app that can be localized.

2. Create ‘regional hubs’, not 1-2 big ones.

3. Don’t cut your older, experienced Mets to try to save $$$. 
 

4. Sell the service to others (Fox affiliates, independent stations, etc...).

If they do this, maybe they can monetize this and create an ongoing revenue stream and be successful.

On 12/3/2020 at 4:54 AM, Newsboy22234 said:

They probably won’t even fill the position while not as desperate as WBBM , I’m sure they will try and make cuts when and where they can.

I would argue they are managing their money well rather than them looking to ‘make cuts’. You don’t add a newscast, re-model a studio and hire 4 on-air full-time people (in a pandemic no less) if you’re hurting financially. 
 

They may feel the need for another co-anchor (counting Payton’s spot, GDC has 6 co-anchors) isn’t necessary anymore and choose to eliminate the position. 

4 hours ago, Roadrunner said:

Good Day Chicago's Brittney Payton is leaving; I feel bad for not recalling any memory of her (also admittedly not an avid viewer, so ). The turnover for just this one newscast is too much.

 

They are a pretty tight group at WFLD, so they will no doubt miss her. She had a pretty light workload compared to everyone else, so she wouldn't be hard to replace. Honestly, I could see them hiring a morning sports anchor (which they haven't had in years).

No better time than election night to use new video screen in Studio 32. 
 

On 10/26/2020 at 4:27 PM, newsman123 said:

They are slowly hiring back. The layoffs are an excuse to get rid of expensive talent. They are then replaced with cheaper folks.

 

for example.. pam zekman who was let go, was likely making 400-500K.

 

this new chick from dallas is probably coming in at 120k.

they still save money

 

all the O and O’s are slowly hiring back. 

Too bad they can't do the decent and respectable thing and remove Pam Zekman's bio from the web site instead of trying to exploit her name/work/image.

31 minutes ago, Drew said:

Just noticed on today.com on the Today All Day Page that they use a picture of Al, Hoda, Savannah, MATT & Carson at the top. He has been gone for almost 3 years now 

Not sure how you thought Craig was Matt, but I have a 2nd pair of glasses you can borrow if you need them!!