24994J

That is seriously the most fun I've seen them have in YEARS. This is why I think Ben needs to be on the morning show. I like Hosea, but either promote him upon the retirement of someone else, or...

It turns out that Saturday morning meteorologist Mark Bishop is leaving the station after the June 15th broadcast after 8 years. He's accepted a teaching position at an institution in Nashville. No word yet on Channel 7's plans for the time slot.

My thoughts exactly.

I'll guess this is why 'Katie' ended at 3:53 today.

No. Only the text slides are in the boxes, but your not going to see much of it tonight. Jerry doesn't seem to be using it all as much as Tracy or Mike. If you really want to see it in action, check out Tracy's forecast at 11am yesterday... http://abclocal.go.com/wls/video?id=9113598 I need to make my way downtown sometime. If you notice, she's actually touching the screen. I have no idea how, though. In the past, whenever anyone touches the drop-down screen, it used to swing and sway. Now it's not. I'm wondering if they've blocked the window with a permanant set-up. That would explain why we haven't seen the desk-to-weather center camera angle, or the wide shot of the crowd outside. I was downtown in March, and nothing had changed then, but you have to wonder if anything has been done since.

There are some heavily updated weather graphics as of this morning's 11am show. They look pretty good. All of the area maps and stuff are still the same, and this is a very heavy refresh, but who knows? This could be a sign of thing to come. This is the first real overhaul to the 7-day in about 12 years (at least). This is the full album... http://s1260.photobucket.com/user/24994J/slideshow/ABC%207%20Chicago%20Weather%20Graphics%202013 And this is the 7-Day graphic... And the old in comparison...

Eww.

And the ABC's on the flag is reflective, so they have a shine that's not artificial like WABC's. And they are still using the 80/90's silver mics. Giggity.

WLS has updated the promo graphics. All newscasts use the same too-low-lower third in the teases, with the 5, 6 and 10pm shows using "Eyewitness News". They look really nice, and I'm kinda (begrudgingly) getting used to the music switch, though it is still relegated to promos only. The graphical elements looking really clean and sharp, with the animations being far more fluid than before (in my opinion), most notably the way the anchor's name flashes onto the screen... [yt]aCJUnk31d4k[/yt]

They're still running it, but a lot less often, and it's the 15 second version (without the song lyrics) most of the time.

Okay, that thread about the solo anchors...Magers could do that, and I'd watch every night.

They updated the newsroom reporting station. It doesn't look bad, it's just too tight and dark. By the way, the new live video stream (where the image on the right came from) on the ABC-owned sites is really nice. You can make out the liver spots on Ron's forehead.

Yes, yes, yes...that is fantastic! By the way, having some time to digest the promo and see the reaction, I'm thinking that they may not be renaming the morning news, merely urging you to watch ABC 7 in the morning (it's a possibility). However, by not renaming the program, the promo seems even worse than before...sending a very mixed message.

Real quick, the ratings from last week's flood are in, and to make a bad joke, WLS blew everyone else out of the water. Thursday night's 10pm news pulled in a whopping 10.2 rating, about 1-1.5 higher than usual. If my memory serves me right, the 10.2 equates to about 400,000 viewers/households (whichever it is). However, the late news on ABC 7 was still the #2 program for the day. Number one? That night's 'Wheel of Fortune', which gained 2 points on it's 6pm news lead-in. Somewhat surprising, in time periods where WLS and WGN compete, WGN was almost a non-factor. The ole' No. 9 was 2 whole ratings points behind 7 Thursday morning. http://chicagoradioandmedia.com/news/3252-wls-tv-brings-in-flood-of-viewers-to-its-newscasts Well see what the numbers look like after May, it should be interesting.

I was personally having problems viewing the video on Facebook, so here's the YouTube link, also... [yt]pRErMFBhH8Y[/yt] Call me straightforward, but I asked on the FB video if this is a sign of changes to come...with a on the end for good measure. I'll check back later to see if I get a nibble. Reaction so far is underwhelming, at best.

There has been much discussion over the years on this forum about the traditions and potential changes at WLS-TV. In recent weeks and months, there have been signs of looming changes. Whether it's minor graphic updates, new music cues, different camera angles, updated mic flags or programming changes, it's is clear that the ABC 7 that has been visually stagnant for nearly a decade is prepping for a major makeover. As I said, changes to this point have been minor and scattered, but in the words of A.J. Clemente, the "f*cking sh*t" is about to hit the fan. As this all develops, I'm taking the initiative (and I hope no one minds) and devoting an entire thread to the changes to come. Perhaps the BIGGEST change yet has shown its head for the first time. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you... "7 in the Morning" Yes, the morning news that has existed under the "Eyewitness/ABC 7 News This Morning" branding for 24 years is about to get a major overhaul. In a flashy commercial with its own campy theme song, the current morning team reintroduces themselves to viewers (on a first-name basis, no less). Some things to note about this: The word "news" is only referenced once or twice in the whole promo, most notably absent in the title of the program. The current "ABC 7" super-glossy logo is used, not the flater look being adopted by fellow ABC stations...though the new mics with the new ABC logo do appear. I hope and pray this to be the case, but there is no reference to "Weather and Traffic on the 7's". That gimmick has worn itself out and has severely limited the potential of the show. By the time they have a chance to enjoy themselves, WHADDYA KNOW! It's the 7th minute. This has hurt them as WGN and WMAQ have taken the morning crown in recent years. The airing of the program remains 4:30-7:00. Is this a potential successor to "Windy City Live", should the 9am show meets its demise? The graphical elements in the commercial appear to be done in-house, matching alot of the floating elements of WCL. I'm going to reserve judgement on all of these developments until they come to fruition, but I will admit that this is a little unsettling. However, if they wanted to make a splash with this ad, they've succeeded so far. The promo was attention-grabbing and unlike anything I would've ever expected out of the news division at WLS. It doesn't hurt that they aired one of the "ABC 7 News This Morning" promos immediately following this new piece of work. I have the tease on the DVR, and I'll try to get it up as soon as possible. *SEE BELOW* Brace yourselves, this is not a drill. This shall be a Sweeps to remember in Chicago.

Oh...never mind, then.

It's back?

WLS from late August, 1990. Both videos are from the weekend that an armed criminal made his way into the station at 190 North State. The 10PM newscast was broadcast from the Sears Tower control room, seeing as the studio was on lockdown. Many well-known Chicago fixtures are featured...Sylvia Perez, Dick Johnson, Chuck Goudie, GM Joe Ahern, Paul Meincke, and a young Jim Rosenfield (prior to his move out East). Also featured is a short report from Roseanne Tellez and Robert Jordan on WGN. Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXQc2DWeN9k Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3RLQhYQfi4

But they need to change the angle, it should be aimed more upward...looking out at the plaza, not straight down at the rink.

Okay, Jodi's not bad too look at here...but good Lord is that terrible (and utterly pointless)!

Chris Cato, evening anchor at WSPA (CBS) in Greenville, SC has been hired by WCAU as weekend evening co-anchor. He'll join Denise Nakano on the 6 and 11pm broadcasts. WMAQ chief meteorologist Brant Miller is returning to his roots...again. He's been hired by 94.7 WLS-FM is Chicago as morning drive host from 5-10am. He will maintain his NBC5 duties at 4:30, 5, 6 and 10pm. He tried this double-duty a few years ago with the same station in the same slot, but only lasted a little over a year. He was a DJ for WLS-AM back in the 70's and 80's. On a fun note, WGN sports director Dan Roan is featured in a new Adidas ad promoting the return of Derrick Rose to the Chicago Bulls. He's at the :03 and :38 second marks... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtj-D8HT9BY

Well, WMAQ's been using the "Storm Team" for awhile, now...but no "5" is tacked on the end. I think adding the channel number to it would really cheapen the brand.

Geez, I don't know what they had before, but Billy Bush doesn't look happy about the new bug! :lol: