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See, I'm not sure sure that the purple and orange are being phased out. They seem to be using the blue and red version for political special reports. Messy, I know, but Biden's speech last week wasn't the first time they were used. Maybe not the exact layout and use, but these could be easily adapted into new lower thirds for WNT.

While that seems like a shameless plug, he is actually a loyal customer of that restaurant, and the "Giangreco table" is a real thing, so it's all very on-brand.

My apologies, but I accidentally deleted your quoted text while fixing a formatting error.

Yup. Heck, Jerry Taft was only referred to as Chief Meteorologist in opens from 2013 to his retirement, and on-air in a similar time frame. Putting aside the flack he's getting over the Giangreco firing, I feel like GM John Idler made a point of heavily promoting the top anchor team when he came in in 2012, more than his predecessor did, especially since many were nearing retirement. Emily Barr, the last boss, would elevate the profiles of the broader news team, since much of her time at the station was spent balancing an incredibly stable roster of veteran weekday talent. Idler has moved to that mentality in recent years, now that he's fielding a much younger roster of talent. Because of that, weekend teams got promos for the first time in my memory, longer 10pm spots feature not just the anchors, but also the regular reporters at that time, and Larry and Cheryl appear in promos together, with no one inheriting Jerry's title. Long story short, ABC 7 has always done a good job of promoting not just the principle anchor team, so it's no surprise that they rarely threw around titles for weather and sports.

Never on-air, but all media and stuff would refer to him as Sports Director, if that's what you mean.

I believe Dionne's latest contract is for 4 years, signed after and obviously lasting longer than the guys' 3 years each. Jim could certainly seek another contract, but 2 years is a long time, and he may not like the next dollar amount. In the meantime, they can certainly get by with 2 anchors, especially since they use the services of ESPN 1000's beat reporters, Jeff Dickerson (Bears) and Jesse Rogers (MLB). That said, they'd be wise to consider bringing on a young-ish reporter to fill in the gaps, but again, no rush. I was thinking about it, and I can't think of the last time someone left the weeknight team without a replacement being named. Anytime anyone has retired or been fired in the last 30 years, a succession plan has been almost immediately announced or established by the time the position is opened.

Possibly, but Mark's past suspensions over other things and alleged tensions with Cheryl made this a perfect storm.

With the varying amount of posted material, whether local or network news, commercials, or even sports highlights, it's anybody's guess what ultimately got it removed.

Speaking as a moderator... The most recent racially inflammatory stations have been hidden, and will not be tolerated. It is no secret that diversity and representation has been a delicate subject in news broadcasting for decades, but it's entirely out of line to diminish someone's ethnic background because they don't look [blank] enough. Throwing out accusations of racism based mostly on speculation is also highly inappropriate for this forum. End of discussion, and consider this a public warning.

Nobody's complaining about the formatting.

If social media reaction is ANY indicator, this might blow up in Cheryl's face more than Mark's. Some of Mark's previous female co-anchors are also seemingly standing by him. Meanwhile, I record the 10 o'clock news on most nights, and actually have the clip. While the mention of Cheryl is shoehorned in to an unrelated bit, and proper joke structure would've included a line about himself or Alan, he does not directly call her a ditz. Maybe that's merely a technicality, but she's entirely wrong if she thinks he's only ever picked on her. Ron, Carol, Joan, Jerry, Kathy, and I'm sure John Coleman back in the day were all targets of his ribbing. DITZY DESIGNER small.mp4

(The post above this one came in as I was writing this.) I DEFINITELY don't want to speculate too much, but thinking about some things he talks about on ESPN1000 and then these few tweets, I'm left to wonder if he's dealing with some "self improvement," if you will. He's been vocal about how hard some deaths of friends hit him this last year (including Jerry), he's been very self-conscious about his weight and eating habits, and not being able to see his family hasn't helped. Whatever he's up to or dealing with, I hope he gets right, and I'd love to see him back, when he can.

Honestly, I can't make heads or tails of this one. Mark's actually been more active on social media than normal, conversing with both civilians and colleagues about anything and everything. One tweet stood out. Granted, it's really only referring to the radio side, but it's like the only time he's addressed his absence. If he were taking time off, both sides would say so. If he was being fired, you'd think they wouldn't still be running the normal 5 & 10 promos with him in it. Also, why would such a process take so long? There are 2 other options that crossed my mind. Somebody could explain this, or even dismiss it, but could he be being furloughed, in some way? Forced time off to save some money right now. Or, and I definitely wouldn't want this to be the case, but could he be sick? It took Krashesky personally addressing his month-long absence after surgery last year for it to go public, with the station relaying the message only after that. Whether COVID or something else, it can't be ruled out. That would certainly explain why he's still in the promotional fold, despite being in some kind of limbo, with no one really talking about it.

Good Lord, what? Can we remain on the topic of WNT, or at least not on half a dozen topics?

Not surprising that the tensions have lingered, but I'll be damned if they keep finding ways to make it all work. And no one needs to reiterate their confusion over the "Chief Anchor" role, like the dead horse that is. It's really not complicated, and spelled out in this story.

17 years before a guy infamously tried to turn their studio into a drive-thru, another intruder, this one armed, successfully made his way into the State & Lake Building, home of WLS and ABC's Chicago bureau.

Hours later... Anyway, I guess I'm not entirely surprised, as Janet's role had been dialed back in the last couple years. 190 North hasn't been produced in a year and a half, hasn't gotten many interviews, unlike her counterparts in NY and LA, and recent features that would be covered by someone in her position never quite well to her style. New Years Eve was basically her highest-profile work of the year, and when budgets need to be balanced, her contributions probably weren't warranting the salary. It's a cruel irony, though, that after all the farewells she presented in recent years, she won't get one. Meanwhile, Giangreco has been off the air since the end of January, with basically no explanation. I recall him mentioning during his last ESPN 1000 appearance that he was going to be off for a period, but it didn't sound like anything out of the ordinary. Neither he nor the station are saying anything, but it was enough for Feder to mention it the other day, especially since we're entering the final week of sweeps. This, paired with the other two exits this week (though I maintain that Steve's leaving is convenient for both parties, and totally amicable) has the armchair media analysts speculating. Also, Friday was Dolinsky's final midday piece, and he got a very nice send-off by the 11am crew, with cameos from some of the biggest names on the Chicago restaurant scene, and the former anchor of the daytime newscast. His last report is tonight. https://www.facebook.com/tanjababich/posts/3832588693495933

Well, shit.

If I'm understanding that tweet, I see it as they notched a 2nd place finish that day. It says they beat Today. It doesn't say that they came in first. Right?

There hasn't technically been any confirmation of this, outside of some suspect corporate speak in the press release. I'll link to @Weeters' assessment of this from that discussion. The announcement is at the top of that thread.

WLS 10pm open from 8/13/1984 that followed an ABC Olympics highlight show. Anchoring is Mary Ann Childers... ...with new weekend anchor Mike Jackson, fresh from WMAQ. Mary Ann gets top billing, as John Drury has not yet arrived from WGN, hence the pregnant pause between names, and not an "and." Oh, and AM Chicago Oprah.

No, it's Michael.

The logo is white and the whole desk is blue, and thankfully, they removed the D-shape wings. It's perfectly acceptable.

And if any confirmation was needed, KABC posted an open weathercaster position on their jobs page. https://jobs.disneycareers.com/job/glendale/weathercaster-general-assignment-reporter-kabc-tv/391/18712598

You answered your own question. Most CBS O&O's do this for the Super Bowl, Grammys, and anything else, because their stations are generally lower-rated and understaffed on the weekend desk, so it's a great opportunity to feature the main anchor team following a large lead-in.