24994J

And it begins. The Nexstar influence is starting to seep in... 20191020_223138(1).mp4

Sinclair has come to terms with AT&T/DirecTV to carry the newly-acquired FSN properties and the upcoming 'Marquee' Cubs network. https://www.bleachernation.com/cubs/2019/10/17/big-cubs-tv-news-marquee-has-at-least-one-major-carriage-deal-locked-down/

That's weird. NBCS Chicago has used theirs occasionally for breaking news and programming announcements, even after dumping it for scores and headlines. No reason why it should be completely scrubbed from the system, with THAT being the alternative.

He guest-hosted 'Windy City Live' last month, will still host (with Cheryl Burton) the African-American cultural affairs show 'Heart & Soul'. That airs like 3 or 4 times a year. He's all over the Chicago Proud and Building a Better Chicago series stories. He hasn't filled in on the anchor desk, but he hadn't done this for several months, even as the WCIU newscast was still on the air. Meanwhile, the new consumer reporter hasn't debuted on-air (that'll be Monday), but in a little intro video, Samantha Chatman is being listed as a member of the I-Team, with the hashtag #SamOnYourSide.

Pete will probably turn up about as often as he did when Byron Miranda was doing middays, which would be more than we expect, and more than WLS will use Mark McGinnis, now that they're back up to 5 full-timers. It's odd, but NBC has been here before.

I stumbled upon a video a few years ago, where Alan spoke in-depth about how his faith has evolved over the years, based on his upbringing and field of work. Being so faith-focused, he didn't go into the "newsworthy" details of his father's murder, instead more with how it shaped him. A terrible story, but so great that he's turned it into a very accomplished, fulfilling life.

From their creative services department (and the obvious font choice), WLS produced this graphic.

I'm not holding my breath, but I do find it interesting that he's even addressing it.

We crap on GMA a lot, but it's cool to look back on 20 years in Times Square, through the eyes of the show's heart and soul. And from that very first morning...

Now that you mention it, I've noticed the same in Chicago in recent days. They've been opting to show only relevant out-of-town scores on a little black bar attached to the bottom of the score bug.

Of course it's a one-off...at least for now. Outside of the summer game show slate this Sunday night and the aforementioned Bachelor show, the only notable programming on ABC in the next week is the premiere of Dancing with the Stars this Monday. Most of the the rest of the fall shows debut the following week. I'm pretty sure that it won't last more than a week, but with the blackout expected to start this Friday night/Saturday morning, that Tuesday would only be day 4 of such an interruption. We'll see what happens for any remaining games after this, if this continues.

Okay, follow me here, for a sec. By obtaining the CW, there was no more room for WLS newscasts on WCIU. The relationship between WGN and the CW soured because of sports pre-emptions. Consider all those things together, then throw out all logic, because ABC 7 is moving next Tuesday night's Cubs game (one of their last) to WCIU, knocking out whatever they're running that night. ABC 7 claims it's so they can air the Bachelor in Paradise finale, but I call bullshit. This surely has everything to do with their looming blackout on AT&T/DirecTV. This will be WCIU's first baseball broadcast in about 5 years, when WGN moved their overflow broadcasts from The U to My50. https://abc7chicago.com/sports/program-note-cubs-game-on-sept-17-to-air-on-cw26-bachelor-in-paradise-to-air-on-abc7/5534784/

In addition to those moves, Dana Koslov and Megan Hickey get promotions. https://www.bizjournals.com/chicago/news/2019/09/11/cbs-owned-channel-2-moves-ryan-baker-from-sports.html

No reason why Megan wouldn't be. Matt Zahn has an online bio, so he's apparently in good position to succeed her. I'd imagine they'll look outside for a new 3rd, not a new lead.

I'm not necessarily against this. Baker appeared to be a competent newsreader when he filled in over the summer, and exudes infinitely more personality than Mike Puccinelli. Mike's a pro's pro reporter, but bland as hell on the desk. If I were to guess, Audrina's new role will likely set her up as a CBSN Chicago anchor, post-morning show. As for the new traffic anchor, she came from California, and it looks like she's already enjoying her time here.

My God, this needs to come together for the primetime special next week.

Who's your provider? My screen was shrunk down for the better part of an hour, as if the ticker was ready to appear, but it never did on my AT&T feed.

Seeing the Instagram stories from both Joe and Audrey, it appears to be a newscast. They may do some segments here and there that don't pass the smell test, I don't know, but that doesn't seem to be the main purpose. The open bills it as a newscast/news production. https://instagram.com/stories/joetoohey/2129286281652379769?igshid=14vjv7qkn5zaz

Hell hath frozen over. The weekend teams have promos! The evening crew shot theirs today, while the weekend anchors have had one airing for more than week, though that might be redone once Greg Dutra starts at the end of the month.

I'd be surprised if the CBSN look rolled out to the OTA newscasts with no modifcations or differences. Whether it's more thorough opens, a different bug with the station logo, or different lower thirds, what's used for the cable-like CBSN might not work as well for the traditional local format. The best comparison I can think of is how WGN and CLTV have differentiated their looks over the last decade, while sharing fonts, color schemes, and basic design elements.

Okay, so the station's CS department was on a posting spree today. In addition to this September programming promo (and other videos on the account), we have this promo for the 10pm news. It looks nothing like anything else they run, which I like, but I wonder if there's any deeper motive to the random addition of Julie Unruh in the final seconds, sandwiched right between Roan and Skilling. Is her long-term fill-in status at 4 launching her to a more permanent position?

The last few minutes of a WFLD Chicago Newsbreak, 1970. How low budget was their operation then? The logo is hanging on a wire in front of the backdrop current, dangling and bobbing with every draft and breeze.

"...To Another Channel!"

Being updated through the show 'Chicago Today' just launched, and it's very...simple. They're hosting the show from a video wall nook that I swear looks familiar, but is definiteky not the news set. No desk, no stools, no audience, no on-screen logos, and very minimal use of lower thirds. The first block was a recorded segment, but after the first break, a presumably live interview was done on a separate interview set. It looks nice. The third segment is another prerecorded piece from a sunflower farm in the far western suburbs. I like it, because the vibe I was initially getting is that these hosts have never been west of the Tri-State (or out of downtown), but their whole selling point was that you'll be popular on Instagram, taking pics at the farm. If you played the "Instagram" drinking game, I'm sorry, but you're now dead. Segment 4 us a follow-up with Miss Illinois, after the interview with her earlier. Some B.S. in the outdoor plaza about kids being creative through art or something. I'm not sure the male host has ever been around children, likes children, or even was one.