24994J

I just found what appears to be two of WABC's new opens. Let's just say, they are quite a bit different than the current package. Same color scheme and same cut of 'Eyewitness News', but the whole look is flatter and kind of blocky. The colors and hard edges remind of KTRK and the transitions of horizontal moving boxes are reminiscent of WLS. That said, it appears to be an all-new package and full-screen, abandoning the safe zone. Very clean and beautiful. I'd post them here, but then they'll probably be privatized and others might not be posted. Message me if you want to see them, or try and find them yourself. They're on Vimeo.

It's not a crazy thought. While Ron and Carol's resignations were two of the catalysts that led to management's firing, I do believe the bosses would've been canned in due time. If the two anchors last long enough, they would have likely faced off against a more beatable post-Drury team of Krashesky and Burns on 7. That said, if Carol never leaves 5, and their ratings fall to the bottom, Lester Holt and Linda Maclennan on 2 likely benefit and don't get demoted in favor of Carol's solo newscast in 2000. A lot of variables, but I think it's clear that WLS was (and still is, to a point) so dominant because of key mistakes from WMAQ and WBBM through the late 90's. People don't realize how close both stations were to unseating the leader about 20 years ago. A few of CBS 2's formats actually had temporarily competitive periods, and Ron and Carol came within a point of the top several times, frequently winning in the demo. Sound familiar?

They just restocked their Sunday/Monday panel, so I don't see that happening anytime soon, if at all. Still, an interesting development.

Holy hell.

A thousand dollars says he doesn't. Please take the bet, I could use the money.

Sure, it's easy to cobble one of these together from random head shots, but I can't remember ever seeing a station actively promote an incomplete news team. From NBCChicago.com

Is that really a fair comparison? No one is.

Terrell and Judy have basically alternated days since the 7pm launched.

Yeah, many have given NBC 5's bosses a lot of credit for building up talent like Holt, Faris and Zee, but that can be seen as a double-edged sword. If Chicago is such a destination that can retain the likes of Skilling, Magers, Suppelsa and million others over the years, then some could question WMAQ's long-term desirability. Either way, that's a discussion for another day.

He hasn't filled in at 4 in a long while, and has never shown up at 5, 6 or 10. (Sidebar: he and Kathy are a very odd pairing, but she is a lot brighter and lively sharing the desk with him...you know, like the 2 times it's happened.) They're evolving him into a special projects/community affairs guy, essentially filling the void left by retired veterans over the last half decade. It's a very good fit for his talents and personality.

With the sad state of broadcasting, where tenure and civility means nothing, this might be the best headline of the day... [MEDIA=twitter]720714698358804480[/MEDIA]

I hadn't heard that. It's a shame it didn't work out. He'd a be good fit at any of the major networks, and a heck of a lot better than some of the even younger pretty people currently moving up the broadcast ranks.

If he had stayed, Jim Rosenfield would probably still be on weekends.

In theory. Personally, Ravi would be my pick, and I'd install Rob on weekends, as I've enjoy him alongside Karen. Ultimately, we have to think about what his motivation was to leave NBC. While he was underutilized there, he was still the #2 male anchor at the #2 station. Is being just a reporter and fill-in anchor at the #1 station enough to balance things out, or was there a promise of a more cemented #2 status at ABC? Frankly, I wasn't a big fan of Rob's at NBC, but his field reporting is pretty good and it seems to have helped his delivery at the desk. I also think Judy will move to the 4 once Linda retires, leaving the seat open for Tanja in the morning. What becomes of Ravi, Karen, and Stacey if these moves are made is anybody's guess. CRAZY THOUGHT! (I have too many of these.) What if Rob gets the 4, and replaces Cheryl Burton as contributor at 10? She's now anchoring 2 broadcasts (and a part of 3) so dropping one wouldn't be a huge demotion. Plus, it would be odd to have 3 anchors exclusive to a single broadcast while 2 are billed on three shows. With Cheryl Scott soon adding the 10, someone like Rob could fill the role, bringing youth and diversity, while not disrupting the male/female balance.

Since when are they using the bumper from the old O&O package?

I think it's Rob's to lose (if not, Ravi), though I am surprised he didn't get the 5, instead. He has pretty solid chemistry with Cheryl, and I think there's a big risk of totally turning over the 4 within like a year (Alan now, Linda later), especially with new competition. Alan would've maintained stability in that slot, but I do understand keeping his daily airtime to only 90 minutes. Fun fact: In his career with ABC 7, Alan has helmed 6 different "broadcasts". He was entrusted to launch two of them, the morning news and the midday webcast. And now, he has the right to say that he has succeeded John Drury, Floyd Klaber, Joel Daly, and Ron Magers, considered 4 of the very best to ever grace Chicago television screens. No pressure. Well deserved.

OFFICIAL: Ron Magers hangs it up on May 25th. Announced by the anchor himself on Facebook Live. As reported by Feder, Alan Krashesky will succeed Ron at 5 and 10, with a replacement at 4pm to be named later. This will be a return to the 5 that Alan anchored from 1994-98, then with Diann Burns.

At least somebody in town makes an effort to maintain their bio page.

I'm all for it.

Cheryl's on at 7, so it must've been a one-off in a pinch, like Ron being on at 4 (but rarer). I'd imagine, though, that Linda is now #2 behind Kathy at 6.

Legit question to my fellow Chicagoans. Outside of doing every show on a holiday, can anyone ever recall Linda filling in on the 5 o'clock news? If not, today might be a first.

Even if no one watches, it really is about time.

Not surprised. They're in too good of a position right now to be like the only NBC-owned station NOT expanding to 4. At least they should have a co-anchor by then.

Promo time! Taping this year's severe weather special, slated to air within a couple weeks.

He'll stick to just the weekend evening newscasts.