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Correct me if I'm wrong, but the only parade WGN has is Thanksgiving, while WLS has everything else? In other weird anchor combo news... [MEDIA=instagram]BX82kJbFB5QqzP2Q1QLOMv6pdXvttfZLNtO5Sk0[/MEDIA]

There was a point after her return that they had anchored more together filling in on weeknights than their normal shift (still might be that way). True story, I swear. I won't disclose how I've kept track, because all y'all would think I was nuts. Oddly enough, I don't recall Karen ever getting a co-anchor during this pregnancy, though I know Ben sat alongside her during her first. Since the new set debuted, Hosea once co-anchored with her, and Judy and Tanja each filled in alongside Ravi, but those were rare one-offs.

First time in a long time, anyway. They opted to spread out like a dozen reports across the newscasts all week, plus doing the Friday morning show from the beach. I miss the nostalgia of the special, but I think they assembled more viewer-friendly content than the (dare I say) repetitive plane descriptions every year. Tracy and Jerry contributed to these reports, and watching all the segments back to back on the designated webpage is likely more than they'd fit into the 30 minute special.

If your scorecard predicted Liz Nagy solo anchoring this evening, you win!

He's 55, so no.

Holy shit. The exodus begins? [MEDIA=twitter]898292453895270402[/MEDIA]

Micah Materre on a Sunday night. That's a first.

That's a shame. All the best to him and his family's situation. I think they could make a decent transition to Schneider, McPherrin, or even Weigel, because there doesn't appear to be such a high pressure around the place like with previous regimes. They've shown reasonable stability, improved their product, and the new set has shown that corporate is willing to invest. They may not build viewership, but I don't see them losing a ton like during previous transitions.

Dina also did the 6, and I'd assume the 5.

This might be my new favorite thing ever. What can you get done during Tom Skilling's full forecast?

Anyone says they had this anchor team as their pick in the pool, you're lying. [MEDIA=twitter]894505814567866369[/MEDIA]

The best part of Jerry doing the Saturday late show is that his first segment followed a Hungry Hound burger feature. "[My cardiologist] probably turned off the TV when Steve came on."

That seems like an awful long time, especially with the new TV season premiering 2 months before that. I'd guess that they want Rob to come back and settle in, so they don't give the impression of a power struggle between Dick and Patrick.

Hoses Sanders is returning to ABC 7 today, and should be on the WCIU-cast tonight! http://www.robertfeder.com/2017/08/02/robservations-hosea-sanders-excited-return-abc-7/#more-15063

I could see that, and I'm cool with it. Dick deserves any promotion after filling in like he has. That said, I think he's around 67 or 68, so I don't know if they're looking for a long-term option at 4, or if he even plans on staying around long enough. By the way, is it just Alicia and Kalee in rotation at 11, or does Andy or Pete pop up randomly (and I'm not talking about in vacation scenarios)? If it's just the two, good for them, considering how messed up and random WFLD's noon news is.

The line of random fill- in shifts might be over. According to Feder, Patrick Fazio starts today. He'll initially anchor for Dick alongside Michelle Relerford on the weekend, but all bets are off on an official assignment once Rob returns.

Julie Unruh, too. I get they're trying to push the 4 o'clock team, but it's kinda odd that they didn't put anyone else on to fill at least a couple hours.

Apparently.

He was on at 6, too. Not sure if he did the 10, but you may want to check the 1am rebroadcast, if so.

WBBM has added their '2' to the network news logo (unsure if it's present during non-news programming). Not featured is the signature box, though that might not mean a broader change is coming. Without it, the logo sure falls in line with the coastal flagships, but with the station's digit that doesn't match the others'.

When did News 4 get a new (network-inspired) logo for TINY, or are they debuting this with the 4am expansion?

Skippy's hittin' the big 8-0. http://www.robertfeder.com/2017/07/26/walter-jacobson-80-feel-great/

Yeah, I'm not aware of the other 2, but they'll do this for 4 games this season. Each between-inning commercial break consists of an ABC 7 promo and a 30-90 second Cubs feature (trivia, charity work, normal ad, etc), and breaks for pitching changes show a generic camera angle of the park.

Dangerous how? They still use the weather center which is at that close end of the studio.

Well, that makes no sense. Maybe he was busy later this morning, but you'd think Tracy would've done the early half after Larry worked the 10 last night.