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She did the WHOLE DAY. As for why, it wasn't addressed. It is odd, though, seeing as both Jerry and Mike were on yesterday and today is her birthday. I would guess that what led to this was last-minute. I do know that Mike's dad passed away last week, leading to Phil filling in, while Jerry was planned to be off. I appreciate that they didn't make a big deal about Tracy being on, and I kinda hope they go to her once in awhile on a weeknight. What's interesting is the fantastic chemistry between Kathy and Tracy. We never really get to see any interaction between Kathy and another female outside of Cheryl (we know how that comes across sometimes), and it was refreshing to have less testosterone at the desk. I'm curious as to how the dynamic would be with a more regular line-up, as Alan, Cheryl and Mark were also off. Oh, and now that I think about it. She did tag-team with Mike earlier in the year on the 4 and 5 shows after doing the morning, but this is unprecedented. I would guess the last time she did a full weeknight was back in 1994 when she did weekends and Mike was in the morning.

1. Meredith's not going to do it. The last thing they want to do is remind viewers of supposed "happier" times. And Katie? Really? 2. We (myself included) went through this two years ago when Robin Roberts was going to be off that long period of time, and we were wrong. NBC's not going to get overly creative with this, no dream teams or blasts from the past. They're going to keep it simple. Plain and simple, Natalie and Tamron will take the big chair in Savannah's absence. The other will read the news. Willie or Carson might fill in for Natalie a couple times, and maybe the show will do a 2-man anchor team with Matt once or twice for fun, but I even doubt that.

To be honest, that theme always reminded me of the . Don't know why, it just did.

Well, things are back to normal in the ratings, in fact, GMA's numbers are higher than ever... http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/morning-show-ratings-week-of-march-3_b217097

Sorry, couldn't help myself. Carry on...

I miss Charlie and Diane. A lot.

Some dunkoff on their website had this to say... ...to which I responded... I didn't realize that CTM's is even closer than I originally thought.

No hard feelings? Right. It is ACTUALLY possible that this was in the works before the Orange Room debuted. These things don't just go from idea to launch in a few weeks, or even a couple of months. Besides, you're acting like NBC never copied a competitor and/or lied about it before.

Never mind.

So many goodies...late-90s WLS is always great, some Jim Rosenfield is a bonus. Great to see Ron Magers, it's rare to see his later work at NBC5 (he hasn't missed a best since). I always forget that Maurice DuBois was at WFLD, especially with the mustache.

So far, they've made only one reference (verbal with non-offensive segment graphic) during the newscast plus the updated tab on the Upper 3rd on the maps...but the main segment hasn't aired yet. Nothing mentioned in the opens, either, and the meteorologists' titles are no different. This COULD work, but we'll just have to see, and whatever promotion they do will never be as prominent as it is right now. EDIT: The only verbal reference made during the main segment was of the "First Alert 7-Day Forecast". I'm not losing any sleep over this one. ...And sports is still just "Sports".

It does seem like an odd choice, not because of the name, but the fact that the AccuWeather branding holds some weight as it is. It is gimmicky, for sure, but I like this 7-day graphic better than the old...as frivolous as that might be. The fact that it exists in other markets doesn't bother me, either. I will say, it does unify the brand better than 'ABC 7 Weather', which I felt was always a little generic. Personally, I would've liked it if they went with 'Eyewitness Weather' or whatever, but I guess this will have to do. I wonder if they made this move as a way to prevent NBC5 from picking up the branding, ala WNBC and WCAU. It's still better than 'MetroVision7'. Barely.

So, this is new...today... With a new 7-day graphic...

I don't think any fleet would be complete without a NEWS TANK. I'm talking to you, Central Europe and Middle East. #notkidding

ABC 7 is hosting a debate with the Republican candidates for governor on Thursday night. Moderated by lead anchor Ron Magers, it's going to be aired live on 7.2, in late night on Univision's WGBO, and on Friday night at 7 on the mothership. But none of that matters, for the most important part is the THE OLD ELECTION MUSIC IS BEING USED!!! Pardon me for a moment... F*ck. Yeah.

Jimmy Kimmel did 11 o'clock sports on KABC Monday night, because it was apparently 'National Rob Fukuzaki Day'... [yt]MUr4Skq0w_A[/yt]

Meanwhile, at NBC...

I vaguely remember the Fox partnership, but I couldn't vouch for the CBS union.

The paper's partnership with NBC 5 is ending, and ABC 7 is partnering with The Chicago Sun-Times for weather coverage. http://www.robertfeder.com/2014/02/10/suntimes-com-adds-abc-7-weather-updates/

It's a day ending in 'Y', there's a good chance Diane is off. At least it seems that way. However, as someone who thoroughly enjoys David and George, her absence is rarely a bad thing to me.

The 'Start Here' era promo graphics are FINALLY gone... [yt]Iqs5SkG3jHw[/yt]

A midnight update seems highly unlikely. Remember, in 2012, they still had Nightline in the post-news spot. Now that it's Kimmel, they're not going to break his show in two.

Going back to the issue of who will replace Diane, it seems like Mr. Stephanopoulos is a draw when on 'World News'. Perhaps it's a fluke, but there is now evidence (that could come into play at negotiation time) that the flagship program CAN and HAS seen a ratings increase with George at the desk, albeit for a single night. http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/george-stephanopoulos-wins-on-three-different-shows-in-the-same-week_b212656

Ryan Chiaverini will also have an interview with GMA's Ginger Zee from New York.

Here's a good one, a rare find on YouTube; the headline cue and open to 'World News Tonight' from late 2005 (August 17th, in this video). This was when the program was without a permanent anchor, after Peter Jennings' death and before the doomed Vargas/Woodruff pairing. Damn, even without Peter, I miss this era of 'World News Tonight' so much... [yt]RuBOFLnGQNc[/yt]