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...of 2017? A month seems optimistic, or it might suck, or both.

I forgot, they did use the doohickey on the weather special in April. It was a visual diagram of a storm, and more polished than the forecast stuff. Again, trial and error, I guess. Wouldn't be surprised to see it on election night, too.

Like the advent of color TV, they do it because they can....whether or not they should, of course.

Not the first, not the last. It's perfectly harmless. I was pleasantly surprised at how subdued the roll-out of the new radar was, so I'm inclined to believe they're not going to go overboard with this, like Mowry hinted.

Looks like the augmented reality weathercasts are close to debuting. Right now they're testing it on social media before hitting the mothership. Larry made sure to point out in some comments that they're still tweaking the look, and they won't use the technology all the time.

Can you believe they actually posted it online like it's a big deal?!

I was surprised by that, too. Apparently he was there for like 3 years in the late 70s.

Okay, let's all play a fun game! It's called "Let's Stop Talking About Dana"! She's coming back. EVERYBODY just drop it. See, wasn't that game fun?

Thank you. I'm sorry things went so poorly at the end of the relationship, but this much time off to cope is ridiculous. If you need three months to get over a break-up, I'd hope she got some professional help. I'd also hope her employer would recognize that B.S. shtick.

Of course.

An anniversary tonight... [MEDIA=twitter]729870160778104833[/MEDIA]

Oh, and another report I saw says Rob will report at 10, though there's no indication that Cheryl's role will change, as she only rarely does field work on the late show.

I'm gonna play devil's advocate for a moment. As much as WMAQ's surged at 10, things are pretty much the same in all other time slots. Also, I'd say this is still technically a step up for Rob. If Stafford had left, Elgas might have been skipped in favor Stefan. As things stood, Dick Johnson got more airtime at 5, 6 and 10 than Rob, so even if he's not the lead anchor, he's a more solid, official #2 than he was at NBC. As for Ravi, that could go any way. And the notion that Karen could be "passed over" for Judy is kind of silly since Hsu's been at the station two more years than Jordan.

Solid pick. I maintain that his time in the field over the last year has improved his delivery at the desk. It seemed like a given from when Rob he was hired, but I am sorry that Ravi's not getting it, too. We'll see how that goes. From the station: http://abc7chicago.com/careers/rob-elgas-promoted-to-anchor-abc-7-chicago-eyewitness-news-at-4-pm/1330510/

That's been in use on their Facebook page for months, until a few days ago when the image below became their primary profile pic. That said, no matter how flat any of the ABC stations have gone is news graphics or promos, none have abandoned the 2013 ABC disc and a more detailed numeral. I think the blue, white and black '6abc' is their version of the single-color silhouette 'abc7's that have made their way to social media and the apps. Though THIS has popped up in a few places, as well.

If I'm gauging this correctly, WABC is going through a similar, top-down transition not unlike what WLS experienced over the last few years. First, the youth-pandering content selection. Second, the visual makeover. The notable talent changes should be up next (and no, I'm not counting whatever went down with Sarah Wallace). The situation in Chicago called for some changes. A graphics package going on 9 years, a set closing in on a decade, a presentation style largely unchanged from the '80s, and a talent pool of 9 well-paid weeknight veterans ranging from 50 to 70 were all showing wear. Despite these decades of stability and reliability, ratings were slipping. Changes were many and divisive. New graphics, music, branding, and set all debuted in a 2-year span. One newscast was cancelled and another launched. Three of the aging desk-minders are starting to cut back and retire, including the lead anchor's departure at the end of this month. Both a midday anchor and the #2 meteorologist were let go, and a new, inexperienced meteorologist was hired, soon to be chief. About a half dozen reporters have come aboard, one of which was promoted to morning anchor, and another is destined for a similar fate. The ratings hemorrhage has mostly stopped, but ratings for the late newscast are down 20% since 2013, and a new competitor and rejuvenated rival have only eaten away at that lead. That said, every other newscast has retained or even extended their leads, and experimentation seems to have passed. WLS still isn't as strong as it was in its prime, but the product has returned to being more predictable and stable. WABC really hasn't had the issues to necessitate major change, so there's really no excuse for these self-induced blunders.

Is this animation on the Big Board new? It looks a little like something that would come out of the current graphics, but I don't ever recall seeing that flatter circle theme with little boxes.

One final (rare) AM appearance before hittin' late nights? Haha

WLS is marking this Throwback Thursday with a few bloopers and gags from Ron Magers' days in Minneapolis. As funny as these are, color me stunned that they actually had the guts to post this. The extended reel, though, has a whole lot more that I guarantee won't be rolled out for the publicized retirement remembrances. "You make this crap worth my time."

WMAQ's onboard, too.

Are they still doing that thing where a separate anchor team does the Friday 10pm show and nothing else?

Sarcasm.

Me reading some of these posts...

Nice and small. Glad to see the revamp will be tasteful and concise.

Frankly, I don't think it's a part of the new package...at least in its current form. Any other new elements we've seen are using a different font, so I'll reserve judgement, for now.