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I knew that they had gotten a new chopper. I think they ran a few promos, though it wasn't as repetitive as some promos and plugs they've aired. I did not realize, also, that the other one was still around. You'd think having two would be something to brag about.

Yeah, I never understood the new paint job. It doesn't match the new graphics, and uses a logo that was retired before this chopper debuted.

That awkward moment when the old ride and the new ride cross paths. No, I don't know if the old one is still in use, though I am curious as to the purpose of the old one retaining branding. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Anyway, for storm coverage, Terrell was at the storm site this morning, Judy and Linda anchored at 11, and both Cheryls are out there this afternoon. Alan is holding fort downtown for Ron at 5. Of course, that doesn't include the likely half dozen reporters that will spend time out there today.

It sounds like tomorrow's repeat of WCL will be dumped in favor of news, just as was done after the tornado outbreak in November 2013.

Whaaaaaaaaaaat?

NBC 5's coverage is getting painful. Rob and Marion have dialed it back a little, but between reporting and phone-ins, they're still in END OF THE WORLD mode. They keep throwing to Brant in desperation to prop them up, only for him to start preaching teamwork and harmony. They have not yet lit the bonfire to sing Kumbaya. And, to add the frosting to the cake, Marion won't shut up about how they were first on the air, because that's what matters most, am I right? Classy. They finally closed at midnight, and despite having some of the best weather coverage all evening, they really left me with a bad taste in my mouth with how they handled themselves in the last several minutes. Poor Brant has to be back on the radio at 5:30AM, too.

Okay, shows how well I've been paying attention...Demetrius has been out in the field all evening?

Shoulda, woulda, coulda. Ultimately, they managed and got the important information out, even if it was very awkward, at times. I'd deem tonight to be rare miss on the tech side for them. Oh, since we're going deep on the personnel side, I'll mention that Magers was on at 5, but he sounded like crap, so I'm not surprised he wasn't back at any point this evening.

NateinFLA said in the shoutbox said that Stafford and Brooks were pretty bad tonight, and now that I've been watching for several minutes, good Lord he was right. She must have gone to the Cheryl Burton Institute of Broadcasting (CBIB- pronounced C-Bib, for short).

It reminded me of when my dad would help me with homework, reaching over in front of me and doing it himself without really helping me. In terms of things being thrown together and unprepared, everybody in town was caught a little off-guard. Everyone was prepared to handle the storms and even tornado warnings, but the system just blew up when the sun came out and warmed things up this afternoon, leading to the bigger spread of damage and a heavier workload for the weather teams. There may be only 1 life lost (1 is 1 too many), but the conditions were about as bad as they could be, based on what was anticipated. One last thing on tandem; Jerry started the main forecast spot, Cheryl finished it, and both seemed to be back on their game. He wasn't bumbling and slow, and she was very straight-forward and to-the-point. Kudos to them both for picking things back up.

The opens do suck so bad.

Yeah, WMAQ debuted them in December. It's so much better than the bastardized F V.1 they had before.

As always, I think Fox is a victim of limited resources and lack of viewership cutting their coverage capabilities.

I'm going to play devil's advocate for a moment. I agree with all of your points on the Taft/Scott tandem tonight, but I think we might be being a little harsh. Breaking coverage is not Cheryl's forte, but we need to keep in mind that this is like the first time the two of them have been at the helm of rolling coverage (the February blizzard, maybe, but I don't think Jerry came in that weekend for any extended period of time). None of us can say she isn't trying, and Jerry is definitely not 100%, but I think they have a significant chemistry problem, more than anything else. Krash, Kathy and Jerry have worked side-by-side for 25 years, and have a certain rhythm during such events, and throwing a new voice into the mix can cause a lot of awkwardness. I also don't think he's giving her much of a chance to fully contribute, leaving her to nod in agreement. By holding her back a little, he's picking up the slack and pushing himself a little too hard. It is certainly a disadvantage to have a far more inexperienced member of the team, but with time she should improve due to her surroundings. I already find her more palatable than when she first joined the station, and she should be much improved when Jerry does retire next year. Yes, she's not Mike, but I'm not expecting her to be, and I do think that's added pressure thrown in that certainly wouldn't help her. I still don't like the arrangement, but it is what it is, and I'm trying my best to give a chance. We also need to remember that even after Jerry leaves, she'll have Phil and Tracy to hopefully have her back when she needs it. She's gotten a bit of bum deal over the last few months being branded as both a professional and personal homewrecker, and for grinning and bearing it, I'm rooting for her to rise to the challenge and succeed. Through it all, I think their real star tonight has been Troy. He hasn't been on much (more than Phil), but he's been very solid, despite few opportunities to appear on the big stage. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ...And the green screen clicker just fried again.

They've been having problems with the green screen, for sure, which isn't helping. Having Alan and Kathy has helped them immensely, though. I've sampled a little bit of everybody's coverage this evening, and while things were a little rocky at the start, I can't find anything significant about which to complain.

Has Konrad even come back this week? He had some throat procedure done and I didn't think he'd be back til next week.

Two points to Cheryl for telling viewers to not go outside and take pictures. In this day and age, some idiots on and off the air are trained like monkeys to participate on social media.

Yeah, they went back to network programming, and quickly reversed that decision. Good call.

ABC 7 and Wciu are simucasting w/ Cheryl, Jerry, Hosea and Linda. The U has been going weather-heavy, with some news and breaks. NBC and FOX are rolling. Very disappointed in WGN and Skilling.

Now that I'm in front of the tube, I get it. I did not realize the stations were in rolling coverage. Taft, Glaros (maybe Baskerville) and Skilling are breaking in periodically.

Those Facebook posts must be done by the station, because all 5 meteorologists are posting them at virtually the same time, with the same wording and info. It's even more obnoxious on Twitter, but considering the warnings and stuff, it's not totally unwarranted. As for needing Phil and Troy, I don't see the point. Jerry is on tonight. Nothing is so severe over such a wide area for them to be tag-teaming.

Troy Christensen is reporting in the field this afternoon during severe weather coverage, much like Phil Schwarz, though Phil has implied over the years that the latter half of the work week is his "weekend"...hence Troy's appearance. Phil's out in the field, too. He's really come a long way in his delivery and presence since joining the station, and I'd hope the station picks him up full-time when Jerry retires.

As I've said before, if they try to cut Windy City Live in half, they might as well cancel it. Rachael Ray is the likely victim. Also, management has said (take their word for it or not) that WCL, Inside Edition and Jeopardy! are safe in their time slots.

I think they were supposed to switch to Stimulus entirely, but like WLS with those cuts in '07, WABC backed out and stuck with the standard.

Remember when there were rumors back in 2010/2011 that the newscasts would start using the 2007 Stimulus cuts that WLS had previously rejected? Heck, I think some of these station IDs are in the rotation. I know I saw one on their revamped stream last week. [yt]szncRPhMXI8[/yt]