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They heard you...

Simply put, the A-team gets better ratings than the B-team. Of course, that was before they installed a solid, popular team at those hours. However, since they're "breaking up the band", there's no reason to change those hourly shifts.

With the new 6 o'clock hour, WGN will have more than doubled their weekday news output compared to this time a decade ago. (Note: WFLD canceled their 10pm news since, and WLS and WBBM each canceled and reintroduced a newscast in the decade span.)

Did they need more news? Heck no. Did we need 4 episodes of Two and a Half Men? HELL NO. Skilling > Sheen

By my math, and everything we've been told, yes, but 3.5 hours of broadcasts plus radio, newspaper, and online work might be all they want to load on him. Throw on that 4 o'clock show, and a man so dedicated to the quality of his work would eventually run out of hours in the day.

...And this sets up Ben to succeed Steve when he retires, right? That would be the only logical reason why he's only getting an hour while Suppelsa's still carrying 3.5.

I'm glad Lourdes will be back in the evenings, but I'm a bit surprised Dina Bair didn't get the nod, as she's the main back-up on the show. That's said, I'm very happy for what should be a very solid 4pm team, with the bonus of a designated sports segment each of the 3 hours. BUT COULD WE PLEASE SEPARATELY BRAND EACH HOUR?

The only hang-up with Christian is if he's getting any kind of extended paternity leave. It's an increasingly popular practice in any business, so him being gone for more than a few weeks is a possibility, too.

The hits and absences keep coming. Rob Stafford has been diagnosed with an incurable kidney disease and related rare blood disorder. He will undergo a bone marrow transplant and chemotherapy at the Mayo Clinic. Dick Johnson will be the primary substitute while Rob is out for SEVERAL months. http://www.robertfeder.com/2017/03/01/nbc-5s-rob-stafford-taking-leave-bone-marrow-transplant/ They really need to fill that 4pm anchor slot.

They're letterboxed on cable, so I wish they'd just shift the bug to the left edge and free up some space.

To balance the good news with some bad, unfortunately, Hosea Sanders has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. He will undergo surgery tomorrow. Best of luck to him for a quick, but thorough recovery. http://abc7chicago.com/news/abc7s-hosea-sanders-treated-for-prostate-cancer/1778265/

...It won't just be the morning anchors, and it appears there may be some promos shot at this loft-looking venue, too. To note, whether or not they make it to air (or for how long), 10pm opens will apparently be included, even though the rejoins haven't been used for like 2 years. From Cheryl Scott's Snapchat feed... ... Also, with Charles Thomas retiring at the end of this week, the station has made it clear that they are in no real hurry to directly fill the political role, temporarily folding it into the general story rotation. An interesting thing I picked up in Feder's post is that Derrick Blakley is referred to as CBS 2's political reporter. I hadn't heard that someone had assumed that position after Jay Levine's semi-retirement. http://www.robertfeder.com/2017/02/28/abc-7-retirement-nears-charles-thomas-working-hard-ever/ Fun fact: based on this location tag, they're shooting at the Museum of Broadcast Communications: [MEDIA=instagram]BRJeE7cBvgb[/MEDIA]

Wishes appear to be granted. Not sure what direction they go in (heck, they might just be the same basics opens with new talent shots), but it looks like everyone is getting re-shot. That said, we've only seen hints from the morning anchors... https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1455773427774246

Expected, but well-deserved. Siafa was a real trooper during Mike's time off. Make's you wonder what becomes of the weekend shift. Does Blanzy continue, or does Berman get the nod?

Tonight was Karen Jordan's last night before her son's scheduled delivery on Tuesday. She'll be back in 3 months. Best of luck to the growing family.

He makes thinly-veiled political jokes all the time, and they're generally tamer than what you'd see on late night TV. The statement that got him benched wasn't remotely funny, wasn't intended as a joke, and specifically targeted a sizeable portion of the community...and potential viewers.

[MEDIA=instagram]BQ_Ueq_lMaY[/MEDIA] Just beat me to it. Honestly, I was convinced that they weren't going to shoot new ones. Goodness, so many need replacing...Krashesky and Scott at 10, none of the 7pm shots look good or time-appropriate, Elgas and maybe Hsu at 4 (her morning shot could work), the already-mentioned Babich, Mowry on weekend mornings, and the yet to be named anchor of that broadcast.

Jim Rose was off today, and Dionne, while on the beat, just got back from Arizona, so it's likely by necessity.

The suspension was technically referenced on the late news tonight. (At the end of sports) Rob: "See you in awhile." Mark chuckles. (End scene)

Some other article/posting made a good point, though. His Twitter handle is @MarkGiangreco7, and the '7' is a connection to the station's brand. If all this was from a personal (be it private or public) account, then he'd likely get off unscathed, but this is the professional account. It's no secret that I'm a big fan of Mark's, but this type of punishment for this type of infraction is fairly standard across the industry, and is totally deserved.

The length is definitely surprising (especially with a thinned department at spring training time), but again, a suspension ultimately does make sense. I'm stunned at how many are taking his side in the Feder comments, though, as those "intellectuals" would usually scoff at Mark's typical "buffoonery".

Honestly, it's not any worse than what he gets away with on the radio, and he claims the bosses are usually listening, so they are likely prepared for these talks. He's made his political leanings no secret there, on the condition that he's sports, so there's a bit of a disconnect (which can certainly be debated). On a scale to 1 to 'Flaming Detroit', this is about a 6.

The weekend Pop News segment has been without a regular anchor since Sara Haines moved to The View full-time. WNN anchor Diane Macedo has seen the most airtime in the role, but they appear to still be auditioning someone for the role, based on this video. After losing the 6pm SportsCenter anchor chair, ESPN-er Lindsay Czarniak recorded a test run with Dan Harris, but I have a feeling she's not going to make the cut. I challenge any of you to make it even halfway through this (before it's taken down, of course)... [MEDIA=vimeo]204871940[/MEDIA]

In honor of Valentine's Day, here are WGN's favorite lovebirds. Demetrius and Erin? Nooooooooooo... But it's okay, they didn't forget about their wives...