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Linda's back on 'WCL' as of today.

They seem to do it with every flavor of the month song. They have taken this one a little further than normal. I'd expect something new in May (for sweeps) or even June (for summer).

Not this morning, they didn't. They do, however, have a new-ish opening bed for serious news that's based on the main theme.

Sundays are higher-rated than Saturdays. If it was permanent, you'd think they'd make some mention of it. Otherwise, it does seem quite random and almost unnecessary. The economy's coming back, stations have more money to spend on 2 anchors for each show. I've noticed this on my ABC station lately. This might be part of the reason of adding Sarah on Sundays, as they may have wanted to wait until Rob to retire to make such a move. Still trying to figure that one out. No. Not yet. Someday, but not now. [N/A] I think that ship has sailed.

It's mentioned a few times on this page and the top of the next one... http://forums.tvnewstalk.net/index.php?/topic/11715-wabc-7-eyewitness-news/?p=106272 And here's an example of the framing...

Wait, how are you watching? (Just to be clear)... Antenna SD cable I have U-Verse, and nothing is different. I wonder if ABC is working towards this on a network level, at least at the owned stations. Remember the whole discussion about WABC's framing lately?

That's pretty much what I was thinking, as well. My original point wasn't properly worded, I should have specified and said primary fill-in.

I'm really interested to see who fills in for George next time he's off. No offense, I don't see Gio being there quite yet.

Yes, I 'm pretty sure. Keep in mind, too, that the KTLA image is from the refreshed version of that package. WNEP's look was based on the original.

Actually, I don't know that anyone's ever technically been fired from the show. I'm not sure what the circumstances were that led to Leah Hope leaving the desk in 2001, and I'm pretty sure Lauren Cohn left on her own in 1997. Other than that, there's been very little turnover. Krashesky, Brock and Taft all were promoted, and Mike and Tracy merely switched roles after only a year in their original roles, so I can't see where there'd be any bad blood in the past. Time will tell, I guess.

If the team gets deconstructed/canned.

Related, here's a gem, as posted on Roz's Facebook page...

Today is the 25th anniversary of Eyewitness/ABC 7/ABC 7 Eyewitness News This Morning. Next year's anniversary could be a little more awkward. http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local/chicago_news&id=9490210&vid=9490212

Been there, done that. Mostly WLS, but I know a lot about the others if you have any questions.

No, he joined from WMAQ early in '98. Floyd Kalber retired from the 6pm, Alan moved there from the 5pm, and Ron filled that spot. He then added the 10pm in 2002. Diann Burns left/was canned in '03, at which point Cheryl moved from weekends, and Kathy added the 10pm in addition to the 6pm where she'd been since '93. The current 10pm team has been in place for 11 years, longer than any other in the station's history, and possibly in town. The only lead team that might beat it would be Kurtis, Jacobson, Coughlin and Morris on WBBM in the 70s/80s. FYI, if anyone ever has any tenure questions, I know the numbers way too well...one of those useless info things that I've got stored in the brain.

No kidding, Jerry just admitted to recently quitting smoking the other night. Mark then quipped that he's instead now huffing paint. Ron quickly tried to move on before anyone got in trouble. Cheryl then said something silly/awkward and everyone rolled their eyes. The 5 o'clock news in a nutshell. For perspective, John Drury was 75 and Joel Daly was 71 when they hung it up. Both did have underlying health issues, but nothing serious at the time. Drury, however, was diagnosed with ALS within the year. If Ron stays healthy (he openly admits to abusing drugs and alcohol, but has been clean for 30 years), he COULD last 10 years, but I don't see it happening.

Alan succeeds Ron. Rafer succeeds Mark. Period. Those are about the only things close to guarantees, though I do like the odds of Karen following Kathy, but that seems to me to be several years off. As for weather, I don't have a clue. Unfortunately, I don't think that will end well. As for who gets shoved out, I really don't see it happening to any of the three elders in question. Jerry just got slapped with the "chief meteorologist" tag after 20 years in the role. He's the face of the operation, and I think he'll cut back before he gives it up cold turkey...but I have noticed he seems to be increasingly bored. Linda's bounced back nicely since the injury, and has seemingly returned to performing at the top of her game, so I don't think health is much of an issue. As for Ron, he's in a similar position as Jerry. I just saw a promo last week where Ron, one of the least tech-prominent personalities promotes the stations apps. That's the first time in a long time that the lead anchor has promoted the station solo, showing to me that the station must have enough confidence in his presence. I have noticed, like Jerry, that his delivery has started to slow a bit, but unlike Jerry, it's totally obvious that he still loves every aspect of his job.

A very nice write-up by Rob Feder, but the most amusing part of the article is that Joel Daly is on Facebook. http://www.robertfeder.com/2014/04/02/still-a-wonderful-time-for-linda-yu/

Yup. Marissa Bailey anchors 3 days in addition to her weekend shift and Roseanne handles the other 2.

They duke it out for 1st with WGN in total viewers, but are frequently in 3rd behind WMAQ in the demo. They did rebound some in February, but it's far and away the weak spot of the news division. Whether or not it's the fault of the anchors (it only kind of is), it's the television business, and I'm not entirely surprised. The whole show just seems tired, and the generational divide is clear when compared to WGN or NBC5. However, ABC7 is in absolutely NO DANGER of dropping to 4th, CBS2 has a choke-hold on that spot.

According to Rob Feder and popular opinion, Brown will be joining Tanja Babich on the morning show soon, though both current anchors are still in place. I, on the other hand, am not yet convinced of this. There are several variables in play that could determine where the two newbies line up. The obvious choice would be for both to join the morning news. I disagree. Tanja filled in for Karen Jordan the other weekend, and showed off her decent chemistry with Ravi Baichwal. I wouldn't be surprised in the least if they became the new weekend team, or slid into the morning slot. If they were to be on weekends, I could see Karen being promoted to the AM news, possibly with Brown, maybe not. Karen could also find her way onto the weekday evenings, as it seems like Cheryl Burton's fill-in and 10pm contributing duties have been diminished, perhaps she's on the way out. Linda Yu's going to retire eventually. Someone could be getting in that line, though I feel that would still be a few more years off. As for Brown, I think putting him on the morning show is less likely than Babich. I sooner see him going to weekend mornings/nights, with Ravi and/or Ben Bradley moving up one step each. As for my opinion on the Brown hire, I like it. I've seen him on CBS, and he actually reminds me of a younger Hosea Sanders. It does seem, though, that whatever happens, Sandersa and Hsu are on their way out of the AM grind. I will miss them, but I'm not against a revamp of the early shift. Yes, stability is good, but something isn't working. I still think the format is a greater problem than the personnel, but that could come after a new team is installed. And, I know some people will see this as another reckless decision by the flying Disney elephant in-charge, but I look at it this way...sending the morning duo to NYC for a GMA bit and making new promos sounds to me like they're trying to make it work. Trying to push off a final decision as long as possible, giving them a fair chance. If this was a reckless move, they'd have been gone a long time ago.

That's a whole boatload of winning.

Yes, the new backdrop is animated. I can't quite tell if it goes the full length, but I'd guess that it only fills the duratran area. Keep in mind, the ACTION NEWS scroll on the display is indeed moving.

I don't remember what he said it was, but I thought Josh said he was sick. I've seen Ryan Smith fill in a few times, and I've actually been pleasantly surprised by him. Personally, he'd be my first choice from the male stable.

No matter what happens, they're not going to touch the 5. Period.