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Fox's is brighter and cleaner, but I give 7 a handicap for doing all they did in that tight space. To me, the two stations are 1A and 1B. Very well done by WFLD.

I've got caps in a bit, but WOW. Possibly the best in the market.

Mark McGinnis is now freelancing at WTMJ, but says he's still doing work for WLS. Busy dude.

I don't know if it's mandated by the studio sponsor (I doubt it), but it looks like the radio station might getting a new logo...

In an interview, the station's ND discusses the steps being taken to return Fox 32 News to respectability, the new set (which could debut as soon as next week), and how the FNC crisis has impacted the newsroom. Also included is another peek at the new digs... http://www.bizjournals.com/chicago/news/2017/04/28/how-the-fox-wfld-channel-32-news-director-is.html

OFFICIAL: THE NEW LOGO HAS BEEN REVEALED! https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1678105648872609

Let's throw this rendering into the mix, though there is no '9' (see logo mock-up at the end)...

Hosea appears to be in good spirits and coming along in his recovery. It appears to me that he has dropped some weight, and he's definitely a little hairier than I remember. (Having shaved his head in the late 90's, I totally want to see what's under the hat.) He should be back pretty soon, and everyone's asking if he'll be able to keep the beard... https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10210453063417714

Last night, too. Apparently she wasn't supposed to be on, as the original fill-in this weekend became unavailable. Real specific, I know. Meanwhile, Mark's back for more weekend desk duty, with Dionne at the UC.

From what I noticed, they didn't start shooting them until after Karen went on maternity leave, and about the same time Hosea left to have his cancer surgery. She's due back "in May", whether at the beginning or end is unknown, and Cheryl said the other day that he'll be back "soon". They may not wait until a new weekend co-anchor is hired, but they definitely don't have all of them shot with the current roster. Some of the video is in use, though, with the weather team session being used for the AccuWeather promos and the 10 o'clock team shots have been added to the in-game promo... (Cheryl Burton's weird crossed arms are going to bug me every game this season.)

No picture? Is the WGN lettering the same?

I think it's too early to tell, at least for me. I actually kind of like the idea of having a new, young presence if a station's going to have a designated digital person. It's generally lower-risk, and if they pay their dues, they eventually get promoted to on-air, or go somewhere else with a solid entry on the resume. Also, I'm inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt, considering the hiring under Idler and company has been way more hit than miss. He comes from a good program, likely has a decent idea of the market because of it, and his initial reports have been serviceable. Besides, the last gentleman to be hired at such a young age now anchors at 5, 6, and 10, in case anyone needed a success story. By that logic, Jesse will be promoted to lead anchor in 2051, give or take a year.

Feder's off this week and none of the other regular blogs/publications have mentioned this, so YOU READ IT HERE FIRST, dammit. No bio online, and I don't know if or when he'll ever make it on-air, but it looks like ABC 7 has added a digital journalist in 2017 Northwestern grad Jesse Kirsch. His non-station Twitter bio references time spent with the network and WLNS in Lansing. He was also news director of the school's student news product. https://twitter.com/JesseKirschABC7 His first stories... http://abc7chicago.com/society/vietnam-vet-reunited-with-lost-purple-heart-medal-/1840414/ http://abc7chicago.com/sports/46-year-cubs-season-ticket-holder-wants-a-repeat-title/1857824/ The reporters are officially getting younger than me. It's hell to get old.

All kidding aside, quotations are your friend.

Well, it seems like most channel 5 people exploring other "opportunities" over the years go to ABC properties (Elgas, Scott, Perez, Faris, Zee...Magers, Yu, Taft, Giangreco, Weigel, Kalber...), and if she's staying local... I'm not predicting anything. More or less joking, but still.

An update... https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10210288289778476

Lauren Jiggetts is leaving NBC 5 for another opportunity, presumably in Chicago. The only major vacancy is WGN's 4am chair, but nothing is confirmed. Michelle Relerford will move to weekend evenings, and Christian Farr will temporarily fill in with Susan Carlson in the mornings. http://www.robertfeder.com/2017/04/07/weekend-anchor-lauren-jiggetts-leaves-nbc-5/

What did they cover? ABC 7 did 4 o'clock show shorter than that last summer after a Cubs game. I recorded it, because it was so hard to believe. 3:37 - 0:07 (open) - 0:05 (a laugh over Judy saying good morning) - 0:08 (announcing that the game was over) - 1:37 (postgame/highlights) - 1:09 (weather) - 0:31 (close and 5pm preview) = 0:00 (actual news) It was hilarious because Kathy and Judy (anchoring that day) knew how ridiculous it was.

I'm betting 1998, as this would have solidified Kathy and Alan at 6 and introduced Ron at 5 after Floyd Kalber's retirement. Also, their 50th anniversary (as WENR, WBKB and WLS) would've been that year. One other thing...what other station in the country can boast that 4 men that were each lead anchor at some point or another at the same station (over what is now a 50 year span) comprised the evening male anchor roster at once? Joel came aboard in '67 and quickly moved to lead status, joined by Fahey Flynn the following year. John came back in '84, Ron took the helm in 2002, and Alan got promoted last year. The only time one of those guys weren't fronting the 10 o'clock news was when Joel and Fahey got demoted 1981/2 for the failed Tim Weigel experiment (aka The Dark Ages).

I posted this in the classic video thread, but I'm dropping it here, as well, considering how rare stuff from this era is from ABC 7. It's a real treat for me, too, as these promos aired just before I really started paying attention to the product. It's also an awesome reminder of the stability of the station, considering that 3 anchors remain at the station, 1 in the field, 1 still does a parade, 2 retired only last year, 1 is with a competitor in-town, only 1 passed away...and whatever the hell Diann Burns is up to. Everybody talks about Linda Yu, but can we talk for a moment how Alan Krashesky hasn't aged in 20 years, either? Kinda scary.

For a large market, it's amazing how rare it is to find WLS clips from the late 90's. Here's a bunch of promos from 1998...

This happened once after September 1st last year, and WGN never traded for another game. While it's early in the season now, I'll guess they'll just figure out the money side.

While improved, no one (including myself) is ever going to call Cheryl Scott an eloquent speaker, and yes, she has a higher profile role that Ms. Cody ever will at 32. Maybe I've just gotten used to her, but there's a difference between being overly happy/friendly in delivery and speaking to us viewers like we're 5 years old. To her credit, Cheryl generally avoids the latter, but this girl apparently cannot. Simple terms and occasional verbal flubs (again, way fewer than there used to be) are things I can mostly live with, but newscasters treating me like a baby will ALWAYS drive me up a wall. Just my personal preference.