Jase

I agree the set feels massive. Not a fan of the gold/green however.

The trouble with some media columnists, analyst, etc... (as of late) is that they tend to be just as bias as those they accuse of showing biases. Personally, I didn't care much for Darcy (who at one point blamed Licht for CNN's ratings woes months AFTER he was gone). And I agree Shelter can be a lot. Hopefully he stays 'grounded' and sticks to the newsletter and limited on-air appearances.

It's not a question of the glass not doing it's job, but rather assessing what (if anything) more needs to be done when incidents like this occur. Just as when the van crashed into the studio, bollards where added to prevent said incident from happening again. And from personal experience, I have (and continue to this day) walked this stretch of State to/from work all times of the day/night and can attest, it's not as safe as it once was. But I digress.... With the studio's milestone anniversary coming up, it's not outside the realm of possibilities that WLS is looking toward either another set re-fresh or moving back to a traditional set setting. This rock/brick-throwing incident is probably a part of said discussion (though not likely a determining factor one way or another if the stay streetside or not). The shades are down a majority of the time (regardless if it's to block sunlight, etc...). So I say 99.9% of the time.

I happened by the Illinois Center today and noticed they were working inside of Studio 32. While i couldn't make out everything they were doing (because of the glare of the sun), let's just say the upgrades they're making to the studio are nothing short of significant. No doubt once work is done, they will be using the studio more than they ever did.

And let's not forget there's a glass door that leads out to the sidewalk too. Safe to say no one likely thought of the potential security risks during the design process in 2005/2006. Luckily, the breakage is isolated to one glass panel (and not across two or more). Hopefully they can get it fixed soon because leaving it exposed only invites others to do more damage.

ABC tends to be #1 among the broadcast (and some cable news) networks when it comes to political news coverage (State of the Union, etc...). It's safe to assume that they don't want to miss out on the ratings bonanza this debate could produce despite them producing/simulcasting it.

WLS' streetside studio is pretty unique in that there's no cement/heavy base with super thick glass. It's all glass (with a door). And as you say, the world is nuts and it may be time to re-think having a streetside studio (particularly in a high foot traffic (but questionable) area that State Street has become. Plus, the shades are drawn 99.9% of the time, the televisions that allow people to see/hear the newscasts haven't been on in years and there have also been times that the ticker isn't on. Yes, everything still works, etc... but it's a very dated set. The 20th anniversary of the debut of the streetside studio is in 2026 (I believe). It will be interesting to see if WLS stays there or returns to a traditional studio setting.

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.