Nick

I don't even live in the New York market and I wish WCBS could have kept that. I guess I'm a traditionalist-type. At least KPIX got to keep its Westinghouse-style "5" that dates back to the late sixties.

No, you're right, sorry for the typo. Indeed you're right on all points. I'd read the story about Peter Dunn's winning WLNY as a prize, like the trophy on the 18th hole. And that it was nothing like the heritage market station KHJ / KCAL is. And it is very true that since Disney (when it owned Channel 9) created the three-hour prime-time news block in 1990 the newscast has always created very solid ratings as counter-programming. And it retained loyal viewership long after Dunphy's passing too, even hitting #1 at ten p.m. a few times in the early 2010s. I guess I was thinking it was odd that the KCAL brand has been elevated above KCBS' in a meaningful time slot, but then again I didn't realize just how bad 2's numbers were. I didn't know there was such a thing as 0.0. At that point, sure you make a move. And zero means no lead-in for the network show. And it's true, KCAL's news rep is a good one -- and more often than not industry stories about KCBS refer to it as either "beleaguered" or "underperfoming."

Even though KCBS has never been a factor in early-morning newscast ratings -- Kent Shocknek in a dozen years couldn't move the needle an inch-- still I think this is an unusual move. It almost seems to render Channel 2 a weaker sister to independent KCAL. I had thought that maybe if anything Channel 9 in the era of budget slashings might go the way of WNYW, little but sitcom reruns and courtroom shows with maybe one repurposed CBS 2 newscast at 9 p.m. Shows how little I know about the business. They're going to have to do some serious hiring; they haven't enough people for that long block and for 5-6:30, 8-10:45, and 11-11:35 too.

I was also hoping that the stations would keep the channel numbers. And as for the WCBS chopper paint job, I do think that is the look you'll see in the fall. Notice the colors are reversed; the eyemark is gold and the "2" white. That's new.

Disclaimer: I'm only a viewer since Jerry Dunphy days (the 1960s) and , while I have a couple of friends who have worked at the duopoly, have no horse in the race. Suzanne Marques did a better anchoring job over the last four years than I thought she would, especially during trying times like the Thousand Oaks shooting, wildfires, and other calamities, which I guess are the litmus test of an L.A. anchor. I like Chris Holmstrom and figured he'd probably get a weekday job eventually, especially considering 2/9 has such a small staff. Marci Gonzalez has a pretty solid resume. Not to be harsh, but this is a newscast where talented people just make no impact, not that many people watch, they come and go, like Sibila Vargas. DeMarco Morgan is the latest. If Kent Shocknek couldn't budge the ratings in a dozen years, who might?... Pat Harvey is (deservedly in my opinion) the face of the station, but I wonder if she will ever have a real co-anchor again? is there a bigger role for Ross Palombo? (that's a lot of questions in a row I realize)

I guess Micah Ohlman can only work so many shifts. He's been a main anchor at KTLA for a dozen years. In a while he'll almost be in position to approach Hal Fishman status.

FiveNews, agreed. That's a crowded field. Also you have a good point -- dollars matter more than ratings. But my penny and a half is that KTLA, which even under new ownership never seems to need big budget cuts, has some kind of brand presence, and even with five stations going at 5 p.m. I bet it does as well as FOX 11, which has never made much impact at that hour (remember "Studio 11LA?") But evidently they are tabbing a new anchor from outside, and that won't help.

This package and the opens made their debut in April 2016. The O&O look would usually get redone every three years, though since 2010 it's been more evolution than revolution. Nothing in quite a while. The weather graphics got a refresh about a year and a half ago; they reflect the CBSN local streams. They might not change a thing, not worth the trouble and the expense, but on the other hand since the stations group and CBS News have merged, they might go in an entirely different branding direction.

If the franchise's past history is any predictor of the future, in 18-21 months there will be a new CBS News boss, and she or he will blow up "CBS Mornings" and try a new format with new personalities. I'm just a viewer with no horse in the race. I wonder if CBS' morning offering hasn't slid downhill since Bill Kurtis anchored it.