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I was thinking, at one point last fall, when the hiring of Scott was first rumored, many speculated that the ABC 7 job is not much more than a resume booster, something to keep her busy until either coast comes calling. If that is the case at some point, could this whole ordeal ultimately work in Tracy and/or Phil's favor? Wrap your head around that one.

I have to admit that I agree. There are still several nuances in her presentation that I don't like, but she seems to have upped her game in her first month on the air. Maybe she's fully realizing the stakes of this opportunity and is trying to live up to expectations. After everything that's happened in the last 19 hours, I still wish her the best in this endeavor. Oh, and Judy's in for Linda, so we'll see who's on at 7 tonight.

Pretty much any theme that was used by ABC 7, combined with some rejected themes, alternative cuts, promo cues, and stuff used by the other O&Os. If something couldn't be cut down into the 15-18 second cut for an open, I wouldn't include it, but I made a few exceptions.

I completely agree with that plan, actually, but I also agree that Judy will likely get the 4, but it wouldn't surprise me at all if Phil somehow moves to weekdays. As for the sports anchor role, Mark seemed a little annoyed on the radio last week about doing 25 sportscasts plus other segments this week, so I'd imagine that 4 o'clock sports would get dumped at some point. At this point, though, even if people aren't thrilled with Cheryl as heir apparent, at least she'll be surrounded by a solid team. On the other side of the desk, I think the next big challenge is sports, because while Rafer was clearly being groomed to succeed Giangreco, I just cannot see Dionne taking on the sports director role in the future as capably as Weigel would have...and it has nothing to do with gender. I'm just glad that the 10pm show seems to be solid for now, because I (for some silly reason) put together a 26 minute resync of themes to that talent open. I also have a hodgepodge of opens to post, but I'll hold off on that until things settle down. SEE Y'ALL IN 2018!!!

CONFIRMED: Cheryl will succeed Mike at 4. She will also assume the 5 o'clock duties, leaving Jerry with the 6 and 10 shows (and the chief meteorologist moniker), a move that I can't imagine he would really object to at this point in his career. http://www.robertfeder.com/2015/01/23/cheryl-scott-takes-over-afternoon-weather-on-abc-7/

I do agree that many of those rosters are bloated, however, most of the 6 stations that were listed there are very talent-centric, with most anchors having been around for decades. From my experience, people seem to watch ABC 7 out of habit, and because of the personalities. Look at social media, the comment sections, etc, and it's noticeable that, when compared to WMAQ and especially WBBM, viewers feel a greater connection to the WLS people, likely due to longer tenures and familiarity. Chopping that down to fit a silly quota set forth by some guys on the internet is irresponsible, and could lead to a legitimate loss of viewers. Let's say WLS dumped Taft, Rose, Burton and Sanders today. That would leave 6 anchors, 2 meteorologists, and a sports guy. Perfect! They're running a tighter ship, and everybody's happy! Wrong. Aren't the viewers going to feel a little betrayed, and what about morale in the newsroom? We all know what happened at WCBS in '96, and many say they still haven't recovered. The point is that many of the large ABC stations are in transition, especially WLS and likely WPVI (at some point), and having and 'out with the old' mentality rarely works, so instead of filling the airwaves with untested talent, the bosses are creating a mix of old and new that keeps a station's heritage intact, while preparing for the future. And, in the case of WLS, keep in mind that just 15 years ago, WLS was operating with 22 full-time news, weather, traffic and sports anchors across weekdays and weekends. Twelve of those remain at the desk, plus 1 shifting to reporting, and another being let go just yesterday, totaling a current full-time roster of 20. That equates to a net loss of two anchors, and a restructured weather schedule. No matter how you slice it, they're one of the few stations to have cut back since the turn of the century when compared to its sisters and closest competitors, despite expanding their schedule over time. Do they still have some trimming to do? Probably, but it has to happen over time. This roster will look a lot more different within 3 years, guaranteed.

I'm not sure how much of the Feder article you all can see, but be prepared to hold onto your hula hoops... "Jennifer Graves, vice president and news director of ABC 7, is expected to announce new assignments Friday for the weather staff that includes Scott, chief meteorologist Jerry Taft, Tracy Butler and Phil Schwarz. Taft recently extended his contract through July 2016."

Is Demetrius willing to wait, though? Frankly, I know it could be career suicide for the bosses, but I can't help but feel like something personnel-wise is going to go down soon on WGN Morning News, but that's for another thread.

WBBM also has Ed Curran to fill the seasoned veteran quota, and two others that (I guess) could ably move into the lead role. WFLD is a last resort, but Strehl and Souza are just as deserving of a lead role should it open. WMAQ pretty much declared their intentions with Byron Miranda. Skilling. For some reason, I always thought Mike could be a good radio host, but, like television, openings are hard to come by. He does have his photography business to fall back on, and he is pretty good, but the question is would he be willing to step away from the weather full-time. Looking back, I don't recall the leadership at the station in the mid-90's, but I wonder if it was unwise for them to hire 3 youngsters, not realizing the potential struggle years later, and not anticipating Jerry working another 20 years. Perhaps hiring a veteran for weekends way back when could have led to a vacancy a decade or so ago, instead of leaving 3 seasoned pros with very few options in this market, due to their price and age? If the station will keep them, I'd imagine Tracy and Phil would love to maintain their positions.

Either way, I've always thought the weather center was the weakest part of the set.

[yt]Qy9_lfjQopU[/yt] Sorry. I couldn't help it. Just lightening the mood.

...For a second time.

Babs is not coming back full-time. She wants to be done. She'd like some (semi-)retirement before she dies.

Installing Phil wouldn't make much sense right now, as he might catch some of the blame for Mike's dismissal. I could theoretically see a world where Phil moves to weeknights, but not until after Jerry retires. Cheryl does seem like the likely candidate, for sure, but I have to admit, your Jerry idea is rather brilliant.

I think the 4 is in good shape so long as Linda is there. It survived Joel's retirement, it survived Jerry's exit, it'll survive Mike. On a personal note, I had the pleasure of meeting Mike when I went to the station in July, and he was great. Unfortunately, since a move like this was kind of expected, I'm not feeling hit as hard by this exit. And remember, the weekday personnel line-up at this station went UNTOUCHED (outside of Sylvia's exit coinciding with a cancellation) for almost 11 years. It wasn't going to last forever. I do think some chemistry will be lost in the on-air product, but the station has a fantastic track record in building chemistry. Of course, there are going to be people that stop watching because Mike's gone, but for every person that leaves, someone else might not have been a Caplan fan, and might come back. Besides, those that stop watching seem to forget that old habits die hard. I'll be interested to see what Feder has in the morning.

Damn, they work fast. His bio's already off the website.

It's on his personal page. I will say, and many of you will disagree, but I find no point in blaming Cheryl for this. Stupid management, maybe an overagressive agent for Ms. Scott, but you can't fault her in this decision. I also wouldn't be shocked if this move is SOMEWHAT mutual. Perhaps he saw the writing on the wall, and maybe he's getting a buyout. I could guarantee you that he'd rather stay, but things don't always work out that way. Hopefully both sides handled this with more class than in the Sylvia Perez dismissal, but it's unfortunately as much of a surprise as that case, too. I'm sure we'll find out more in the next week or two. Either way, though, it's a big loss that will only hit harder once Jerry steps down.

I have a feeling that they're not going to put too much into this, since they already have the midday webcast. It's probably just easier to use the main graphics and have Krash record the bit alongside the webcast.

WLS is now on board, but they're opting for their regular, more-flashy-than-flat graphics for the 'SocialCast'. https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10153101891666162&permPage=1

Even I think it could be a little excessive to take note of whoever is doing weather each night, but with Jerry out again, Mike will appear at 10 tonight. So, it seems like Mike will do the 4 and 6, Cheryl will appear at 5 and 7, and they'll alternate at 10 each night. Seems fair enough, especially as a primary back-up plan.

I will say, while not ideal, the cut-off from serious cue to open is still far smoother than the transition from anchor intro to headlines from the last few weeks.

And Mike at 6. No 10pm preview during Wheel tonight, so suspense builds. Meanwhile, Giangreco was dreading/b#tching on the radio last week about having to do 25 sportscasts this week. You'd think Dionne would fill a shift or two.

I was being sarcastic.

Nesita Kwan is leaving NBC 5 after two decades as an anchor and reporter. http://www.robertfeder.com/2015/01/19/nesita-kwan-leaves-well-travelled-path-at-nbc-5/