24994J

Yes, and yes.

That one on the glass panel is there, as far as I know. They haven't done the dramatic zoom-in to show it, lately, I guess. It bugs the crap out of me, though, that the a, b, and c aren't filled in in white on that panel.

I'll bet you'll see that return to regularity with sweeps looming. That said, even with fewer anchors, I swear channel 5's evening anchors take more time off than channel 7's, and someone's always off there. By the way, I noticed in the last several weeks that there are no longer 2 anchor positions on their job site, which tells me that the alternating Dick/Rob tandem will remain at 4, or they're satisfied with Susan and Michelle on weekend mornings, the latter I'd imagine being the more likely arrangement.

Something that was jokingly mentioned last year might actually be coming to fruition. According the irreverent boys over at the 'Waddle and Silvy' show on ESPN 1000, ABC 7 will actually air their 10pm Super Bowl sportscast from Tom Waddle's watch party at his north suburban home. He appeared live from his home office last year to do his customary Sunday night 'Waddle's World' segment (which is usually pre-recorded at ESPN in Bristol), with a cameo by fake-drunk Giangreco. This year Dionne Miller will be there, too, and it appears that the bosses are on-board. When it was just a playful idea last February, they said the whole newscast should be done from there, but that was obviously never in play.

Not in blue. The ABC was gray, and the 7 was white, leaning toward a slightly purple hue. That said, it was always quite subtle, if it was even lit at all.

It seems to be a little more upbeat, not that the last theme/cut was depressing. It reminds me a little of the 2012 theme, which makes it an improvement, to me.

They really need to re-angle and adjust those graphics to fit the room, too. The proportions are sooooo off.

Public Service Announcement: Don't mess with concussions (a long read, but you might learn something)... https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1835203376755393

No, really, could you please stop? We know where you stand. It's okay to disagree about facts, just ask the president.

Innuendo and crude humor is one thing. As a WGN Morning News viewer, I know that stuff well. Straight-up saying 'bullshit' on-air is a suspendable offense, no matter the context. As much as we may agree with Mike's assertion, the suspension is justified.

He nearly cracked his head open falling on some ice. He's been down with a concussion for a few weeks, but should be back pretty quick. http://www.adweek.com/tvspy/wabc-anchor-coming-back-from-concussion/184763

And you're not the real Dirty Harry. I kid, though. You make a good point. Stuff like that isn't going to help the industry's image crisis.

Can't think of one right now, but knowing them, they probably have.

Nice to have confirmation. The instrumentation was a dead giveaway when it debuted.

Very solid. I've met her a few times, and she's very knowledgeable. She's grown on me over the years.

Feder maintains that he will. http://www.robertfeder.com/2017/01/04/ben-bradley-joins-wgn-investigative-reporter/

When did that happen?

The biggest problem with ABC's production is that Seacrest isn't the show's biggest problem. At best, he's consistent and inoffensive, at worst, he's bland and boring. Whether or not I watch that particular program really doesn't depend on him, as much is it's what they surround him with for co-hosts and entertainment. That's where the show consistently disappoints, especially this year.

Your edit is the correct answer, just for a second opinion.

No, at one point after midnight she donned a beekeeper-like suit to ward off his advances, and then they settled for a friendly kiss and a selfie. As for the ratings, ABC 7 and NBC 5's combined ratings were down from last year, but initial curiosity last year wasn't enough for "Chi-Town Rising" to stay on top, with "Countdown Chicago" returning to first place. WLS scored a 12.7 (31 share) at the stroke of midnight to WMAQ's 9.7 (25 share). ABC 7 was also on top for the total broadcast, doubling NBC 5's 6.0 with a 12.1, and also claiming victory in the demos. Feder: http://www.robertfeder.com/2017/01/01/abc-7-rings-new-year-back-top/

Bingo. Merge the two, and boom- you're back to having two investigative reporters, without having to hire anybody.

Heck, I had always thought the "rings" debuted in '98. Looking back, it's kind of hilarious how often they changed graphics in the 90's, knowing later on they'd let a package go mostly untouched for more than 8 years.

I dunno. As much crap as they've put out, this seems fairly harmless, especially since it's a weekend morning and a holiday. I'm more surprised that they gave him so much time.

Two-thirds of WLS 6pm newscast, January 1999. With how rare late-90's stuff is from the station, it's a shame the open is incomplete:

Coleman left WLS around 1979/80 on bad terms, having been phased off of each newscast over the previous years. He was succeeded by Steve Deshler, who then left for a year to go to CBS. Some schlub moved to #1, and then I think pretty much left when Steve came back. Taft came aboard as #2 in '84 when the 1-hour 4:30 news was expanded and broken into the separate 4 and 5. As for Coleman, while he did start at WMAQ in 1984, he had been off doing the Weather Channel (and I think another stop or two, I think), so it wasn't really a trade or direct switch. At that point, Coleman had been out of town for almost half a decade.