Jase

I think it's a toss up between WGN and WFLD. Jim Ramsey probably should hang it up and if he does, I could see Mike fitting in very well there. The management/environment at WFLD is very unpredictable, so I dont think that's the ideal place to go, but you never know.

I too had a feeling this would happen. She had not been seen on-air since they moved the traffic desk out of the newsroom and into a corner in the weather center (where the interactive screen once lived) last year. They just slowly reduced her role/presence on GDC and she hadn't filled any reports for the Noon show in quite some time. It's true she wasn't in any promos, but neither was Corey for some time. Nevertheless, it's a shame they pushed her out. I'm guessing she didn't get to say goodbye or thank viewers on-air??

Speaking of Jim...I hope they didn't have him back out on the weather deck @ 5. He look like he was near death standing outside @ 4. We get that it's cold, so there was/is no reason to have that poor man (or anyone else) out there in this type of weather.

These type of technical issues (terrible video quality, etc...) are common place with them. Honestly, I don't think they know what letterboxing is much less how to fix basic technical issues, so best of luck in voicing a complaint. This is a station that had a station id/copyright graphic that only read 'All rights reserved' for what seemed like a year on every newscast before it was fixed.

It could be because the snowfall Monday night into Tuesday may not amount to much or it's unclear if we will get any at all. A lot can change within 48-72 hours and they may not want to make 'the call' until Sat. night or Sunday. I can't blame them for being a bit cautious.

People throw out random theories on various things daily on this site. They also agree and disagree too. No need to get bent out of shape over something so trivial.

Sheesh...I was being both a bit subjective and speculative (like others often do). I am fully aware of how schedules work, but thanks for the refresher!!

I disagree. There is no better time to get a sense of how things will be after Jerry retires than right now. There is a lot (from on-air presentation to team chemistry) that can be gleaned. Scott's hiring and unofficial title of 'heir apparent' is big news. There's a lot of pressure on her. If she succeeds Jerry, I believe she would be only the third woman to have had the title of chief met. (behind Shelly Monahan, WMAQ and Amy Freeze, WFLD) in this market. I can't remember if Monahan was officially given the title after replacing Andy Avalos tho. Nevertheless, viewers are likely going to be more critical of her than if she was replacing someone other than Jerry. I'm sure WLS is mindful of this and likely testing things scheduling-wise to see what works. Just imagine if she was replacing Tom Skilling.

I doubt they want to ruffle any more feathers with Cheryl sitting in for Jerry @ 10p when Mike is the primary sub. I get the sense that her hiring hasn't been completely welcomed by all, so as to not make matters worse, everyone gets to be appeased to some degree. This is likely why Jerry worked Thanksgiving and Christmas with Mike subbing for him at 10p recently. She will get her chance, it just likely won't be anytime soon.

Oh..I have to remember there are two people named Cheryl there now. Anyway, C. Scott was in studio with Jerry most of the evening. I guess she was getting some training in before her first full on-air experience.

She was there @ ten sitting at the weather center. Likely getting some one-on-one time with Jerry.

It's very, very small. So much so that the words are pretty much unreadable. They will likely make adjustments at some point.

I can't see Cheryl doing weekend mornings, even on a short term basis. It's a step back for her and one of the reasons why she left WMAQ. The flexible schedule she has @ WLS offers her the chance to move up faster either here in Chicago or elsewhere.

I agree. Maybe working behind the scenes with Jerry and the rest of the crew will enable her to learn more and get better.

I caught a bit of 'In the Loop' and Sylvia looked good (maybe lost a little weight) and I agree she should be on the air somewhere. There's a new 9P EP @ WFLD and I highly doubt he will be given the opportunity to make the wholesale changes that are needed. I would like to know why a deal with FOX fell threw. She was reportedly in talks to join the station soon after she left WLS.

I'm not sure what lease they have with the city. They don't own the building (they just lease space within it), so in theory, that shouldn't stop them from doing basic maintenance or upgrades. Given CIM is building the apartment tower on top of the mall, they are likely working with Prudential (owner of the CBS/Morningstar building) to make the entire complex more appealing. Doing so would benefit everyone. Who knows???

I haven't heard anything about improvements to the set. It's possible they could do something. I'm still surprised they decided to do exterior work after all these years. As I have said before, they don't have to overhaul the entire set, but do something simple to take advantage of both the space and view.

WBBM has added top-to-bottom glass panels on the outside of the studio on either side of the jumbotron that also wrap around to the Randolph side. Which mean...no more exposed steel beams!!! I dont know if these panels will light up (I assume they will), but this improvement is beyond overdue. I'll try to upload pics, but it's probably better to wait until the work is complete.

No. There is always something different to do/to learn. I got to play stage director, if you will, most of the time. One year, the Santa float blew by too fast with about 1 min. left to fill at the end and I had to chase it down before it got out of camera range. Good times...

Having worked the TV side of the parade for a # of years, the hosts have it pretty easy. The scripts are already done, so it's just a matter of doing a quick run through, dressing warmly, being able to read without sounding like you are and that's it. It's much easier now since they have all the performances first and then the parade instead of mixing them in. Heck...Mark and Micah, in theory, could be back home by Noon (if not sooner). Despite the weather, its a cool experience to have under your belt.

I agree it seems weird to change things after 7 years. It will be interesting to see if they stay on script or ad-lib here and there. Micah doesn't seem to have much of a friendly, upbeat 'it's a parade!!' demeanor.

It's sweeps, so it shouldn't come as a surprise she was there to intro her piece/discuss it with Mark & Micah. As far as turning around and working the AM shift, WFLD does this all the time (i.e. Corey or John sitting in at 9P and are back on GDC the next day). Granted they have little choice given their much smaller staff when compared to WGN or anyone else for that matter.

I believe viewers understand that their favorite anchor/reporter will, at some point, retire. WLS really needs to plan out who they want to replace these veterans with. Adding Scott seems like a step backwards imo. Offering her three years (sounds like something WFLD would do) is, on the surface, pointless, so they throw in the possibility to succeed Jerry to sweeten the deal and thus create an uncomfortable situation for the rest of the weather team. If they didn't want to promote someone from within, they could have easily found someone with a bit more experience than Scott without spending a ton of cash.They really can't afford to be careless because viewing habits can change if you add the wrong people (inexperienced and cheap) into the mix.

Before Jim Tilmon retired from WMAQ, he only did the 10PM newscasts with Andy handling the 4:30, 5 and 6 newscasts. That said, Jerry doing only 10 with Cheryl taking over 5 and 6 and Mike staying at 4 could, in theory, happen.

Unless Tracy Butler quits, she seems like the odd one out. They wouldn't have six weather people on staff unless it was a temporary arrangement with Jerry leaving at the end of November/this year. But it doesn't appear he's leaving anytime soon.