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I didn't see any mention, either. She debuted on Friday's Evening News. I had to do a double take when I heard her thick Irish accent. Canadians and Latino reporters not included, I can't think of anyone in Chicago news that's had a foreign accent.

Elizabeth Matthews has been filling in for Natalie a lot, during her leave.

ABC7 & WGN have appointment TV-level viewer loyalty, and 7 & NBC5 also following first tier syndicated programming. Fox32 has neither, so good friggin' luck, is all I have to say. If they wanted to make inroads at 4, they'd wisely poach the first-run slate of Family Feud from sister My50 to lead into the 5 o'clock newscast.

And where is the money coming from to staff and produce a soap, without it being a joke? These employees are already ABC News employees, with experience in this type of production. It's not happening.

I totally agree with these sentiments. This informational format (health, finance, people-doing-good fare. etc.) is so much more substantive than SS&K, and would serve as a more worthwhile 3rd hour to the mothership. Keep Strahan on the early hours, bring Sara back to The View, and let Keke go back to things...that aren't a talk show? Pair Amy and T.J., better-bridge the look with GMA, and boom, an instantly more respectable product that doesn't feel like a mind-numbing knock-off of every daytime ensemble talker to ever exist.

And interesting, those changes in the 10pm hour come as that latest newscast had what's likely its most competitive month ever, forging a tie for 2nd in the demo. Meanwhile, freelancers Eric Runge and Shannon Halligan have been brought on full-time. He'll report for Morning and Midday, while she formally replaces Amy Rutledge, doing Evening traffic. https://www.robertfeder.com/2020/06/29/joe-donlon-bows-hunt-new-top-anchor-wgn/

I can't say I've seen it on social media, and if they didn't mention it on-air, then where's the proof? It's not that I doubt it, but how do we know?

If you had any money on Ben getting the lead anchor spot, you'd be a little poorer. A job posting for an anchor position specifically refers to the "Evening and Late News." I guess that could also point to a weekend evening position, and Tahman has been pulling a lot of 5-7pm shifts, lately, but I doubt that's the case. https://nexstar.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/nexstar/job/IL-Chicago2501-W-Bradley-Place-WGN-TV/News-Anchor_REQ-4528

I thought that was the case, but couldn't recall for sure. My O&O's set has 4 chairs all around, so that's my most familiar version. That said, my thought about the video walls stands. The weather stand-up area isn't as versatile as the monitor array.

Seating them this way allows them to distance while maintaining a video wall behind each anchor. Pretty simple. Under the desk, like a foot pedal? The desktop one is probably easier to operate, and frankly, the handheld ones you suggest are more hideous, if you will. When anchors hold those, it's so obvious, and it looks like they're doing the weather or playing a video game. The model WCBS is using looked like a mousepad to me, at first glance.

CBS This Morning returned to the Broadcast Center this morning, too, so they must've gotten some kind of okay over the weekend.

Yes, we already established this yesterday. If a tree falls in the forest...

Of ALLLLLLLL the talk shows on TV, SS&K desperately needs an audience to be remotely palatable, so it's no surprise that the noon hour got a name change, for the long haul. Honestly, I wouldn't object to this change becoming permanent.

Hoda might live in an cramped apartment, but have 2 very young kids might be the issue. She might not have a space at home that's shielded from the sound of crying babies.

While this sounds like a pessimistic theory (that I agree with), I must admit that the tweaks in fonts, text size, and animation all seem improved. Of course kinks are expected (ABC 7 had the same issues when they changed systems a little while back, and had to rebuild some graphics), but I like what I've seen, so far. Could all this be some new Nexstar infrastructure? So, three years with these graphics, and now we know what the left end of the lower thirds look like. Even the temp and time text saw some tweaks.

I'd had given anything for even just an hour for WLS's 50th (as Eyewitness News, or as WLS), but we only got a 2-minute web-only hodgepodge of YouTube clips, in "celebration" of their 70th anniversary on the air. Such a disappointment, compared to the other O&O's.

The WLS chopper video from the sane chase was so much better. Easier to see, didn't keep breaking up, and they have the same mapping software as the other O&O's. Perhaps WGN would be wise to consider as least a little bit of an upgrade of their SkyCAM.

How DARE YOU??? What nerve you must have to suggest [looks at notes]...that the network gets its shit together and does its job.

(WLS, 5/28/75) The 2nd half of the ABC Evening News w/Smith & Reasoner, followed by the 6pm tease for Eyewitness News w/Flynn & Daly.

I mean, this is another repositioning of a half hour they've been filling for over 4 months, so it would take at least another 20 years of expansion before they hit 4am. The morning news would surely meet it in the middle at 1:30 before then. But really, the Dina Bair corona series was also on the program guides (at least mine, anyway), so I'm not sure this means much. Honestly, filling the 10:30-45 portion with news is likely less about adding news than it is about GN Sports not being able to fill 30 minutes, at this time.

As of tonight, WGN's 15-minute late night COVID-19 report has been rebranded as WGN News at 10:30, with a time-specific open and all. Joe and Micah are anchoring, of course, and GN Sports is still at 10:45. I wouldn't be surprised if this becomes the long-term arrangement from 10 to 11, perhaps even after sports fully resume.

In an effort to not get too cute with fill-in assignments, and to keep anchors only (and Giangreco) in the studio, Karen Jordan got called in early to fill in for Stacey, which I believe to be a first in her 17 years working weekend evenings.

The posts were moved to the broader thread regarding the CBS layoffs.

Eh, might as well have the affiliates take over the weeknight show, too. No one would notice, right?

WLS's 10pm news from 30 years ago tonight. Among the top stories are the deaths of Sammy Davis Jr. and Jim Henson.