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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.

You left out the real kicker... https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1326096727530308

Coming up on 5 months off the air for prostate cancer treatment. Based on Facebook posts, he seems to be much better, putting some weight back on, but no word on when he'll return. He turned 60 last week.

Not sure, but Lourdes also anchored with Steve at midday, so I'd be surprised if she'd do the whole evening slate.

Phil does Monday-Wednesday, and Larry is there Wednesday-Friday. Yes, they sometimes even split Cheryl's shift on hump day with Jerry there.

Meh, seen it.

I've seen those clips a million times, and I NEVER noticed that it was the old set. I have a feeling that if it was a chroma key (versus literally keying the feed over the studio feed), it was a drop-down screen, as the skyline is visible in this image (from 1990)... Now here's where things get confusing, and why I think the December set is temporary. 05/90: 10/92: 12/92: 05/93: Compared to May of 1990 and even October of '92, the backdrop space between the gray dividers behind the anchors is much wider in December. So, ultimately, it sounds like they swiched to the light blue dura on the '87 set sometime in 1992. They moved to a temporary set by the fourth quarter of the year, and debuted a new set by the end of '92 or early in '93. Let's see...an old set, updated with a new background, only to have it reconstructed elsewhere, while a brand new set is constructed. Where have I heard that before?

Question for anyone that's old enough to remember; how long was this set arrangement a thing on WLS? It's the late '80s set with a backdrop that looked like what they used in the '90s. I know these pics (and the clip I got them from) came from a clip from the fall of 1992, which would've been just a couple months before the nearly complete makeover of both set and theme (the red line, serif-font lower thirds had already debuted), but I never knew that the old set received a grandfathered, transitional update. Being so close to the new set, is this possibly a temp set?