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Yeah, when ABC 7 is better at executing a countdown, you know you're screwed. I mean, seriously, Mark licked Janet's cheek at midnight for their infamous annual smooch, and it was STILL the better program.

As bad as ABC 7's special can be (and usually is), there are no surprises. It's nothing if it isn't consistent. NBC gave viewers no good reason to come back next year, plain and simple.

Tracy's doing the night side. You have entered...The Twilight Zone.

Phil was on the first part of the week and has the next few days off, Tracy and Jerry have been off, and Cheryl's been doing all the evening shows. With Cheryl doing the New Year special, it's anyone's guess who shows up for the 7 and 10 tonight. I only say those two, as Cheryl could do the early shows. Heck, Janet Davies and Ravi Baichwal were the team of choice for several years on NYE, and he'd be solo late, while she did a quick hit with Giangreco ahead of the show.

Hell hath frozen over. Troy filled in for Tracy this morning.

According to Feder, WLS only had a 0.3 lead at 10, and lost by a full point in the demo. That's quite a wild swing from November, and I'd betcha a bunch of money that lead-in played a big factor, with ABC heavily relying on seasonal programming.

You're late. No big whoop.

Yeah, I thought that appearance on CBS was a part of some loophole where Weather Channel personalities periodically pop up on the tiffany network.

I think Spencer Christian is a strong favorite to return, as he's been back before and is in the ABC family. I hadn't thought of Diane, but I have my doubts. This stunt would seem to favor a return (even if only a one-off) of Josh, considering he just left the peacock. As resident odds-maker, Sam is a bad bet, as he is still with NBC.

In the video they blew up the image box on the lower third by like 50% and had a video in it. The text bar beside it was condensed and compressed even more, making it crowded and hard to read. I don't know if they're using it on-air, though, as this was just a demo clip with no sound and an outdated story.

I guess anytime. He doesn't really say.

Apparently the graphics department at ABC is looking at a new way to make GMA's graphics look even shittier... [MEDIA=vimeo]149977449[/MEDIA]

Mike Caplan will start at Fox32 tomorrow, and while he's not expected to be on-air, with all the nasty sleet/freezing rain coming in, an appearance can't be ruled out.

It was hinted at well over a year ago, but I think that priority left with the last regime. I think the plan was going to be something at 11am, and that would be smart considering noon is already a little crowded.

I'd imagine something like this only flies because of the recent weather. The simplistic style could work once things liven up, but obviously the cutesy imagery and music would be replaced with the usual doom and gloom. Having thought about it for a few hours, the piece strikes me (visually) as something you'd see on WABC or KABC. A lot of their weather and news promos have been done in this style (and no, I don't have any handy for reference).

I don't know what to make of this promo. On one hand, I love it. On the other hand, it's so unlike their normal work, that I don't know if it fits. That said, the casual nature of it makes it rather refreshing, while not feeling cheesy, like some of the morning show promos have been over the years. If this is a direction they're going with imaging, I'm not against it.

Ironically, some of the station's best ratings came when Rob was solo anchor from 2009-10. Frankly, I don't get the hate for Johnson, either. Of course, he's not the greatest to do the job, but not hardly bad. In fact, I think the time to fire him in a rebuild has passed, as he's now really the only "legacy" anchor with any name recognition.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I can't say I blame the bosses for this one. While Harry's career is historic, and deserving of respect, it sounds to me like management had been hinting at a forced retirement for awhile, giving him several opportunities to bow out. How many times do you drop a hint before you just have to pull the proverbial trigger? Harry has every right to be disappointed, but he should consider how lucky he was to last this long in both the business and in his quality of life. Dare I say, perhaps his age was becoming a liability, the station counted their blessings that he lasted 6 years, and dismissed him before they were -ahem- forced to make an anchor change. To be frank, Bill and Walter had it a lot worse when they got dumped, having to go through that cheesy send-off (one that Harry avoided by not showing up). Even if forced, I hope Harry enjoys the years he has left, and doesn't dwell on the few negatives of his career.

Let's see... A slightly weaker Illinois Democratic party A batshit crazy presidential cycle The aftermath of the CPD/Emanuel scandal. Yep, we're screwed in the ad department.

Since WBBM/WFLD comparisons have become the norm in recent years, I've come to a certain conclusion... Fox32 has a content problem, and CBS2 has a talent problem. Yes, WFLD's anchor team is just okay and their reporting bench is small/bad, but look at what they cover/talk about. That's where the stench is coming from. They don't cover Empire to the crazy level that WNYW does, and things have toned down since American Idol's on its deathbed. Mention it? Sure. Devote up to 10 minutes of a broadcast to it? Right now, the 9pm, while different, is no worse than it was when Sirott and Robinson (an underappreciated team) were anchoring. The only difference now is that Herndon and Hasbrouck are too easily cast off as the punching bags. Hell no. On the morning show, I understand that they've always been the anti-WGN, but it seems (seems because it's true) that they get all the cast-off material that WGN wouldn't touch. WBBM, on the other hand, has a very good reporting core, and they're content, while bland, isn't drastically different from what's just up the dial. The desk talent, though...my God. I still like Rob Johnson, but what in God's name is the appeal of Sargent, Kennedy, and Moise? It also boggles my mind that 3 of the station's best anchors are on weekend duty. How many female anchors get dumped before Mai Martinez gets a shot on weeknight? Hell, why is Marissa Bailey wasting away at 5am on a Saturday? Steve Baskerville's schtick got old years ago, and Kleist, Curran, or even Glaros would be an improvement. Ryan Baker was mediocre at NBC, and even worse at CBS, actually making me long for the days of Mark Malone. Hell, they haven't had a good sports director since Tim Weigel, and that poor guy was dying.

I still think they could have a shot at 6pm (third, at best), but having TMZ and Dish Nation as a lead-in would suck. Now, if they found a way to move Family Feud to 5pm on Fox from sister WPWR at 6, they'd be on a good track.

As the newspaper staff's been cut and printing is done elsewhere, the company uses a lot less space in the building than they used to, plus the first floor retail potential could be huge. It's being marketed for mixed use retail/corporate/condo. As for Bradley Place is more economical to sell and rent, and not be responsible for building maintenance and stuff. Also, I saw somewhere that there's a tax write-off that they could take advantage of if they sold.

The tower's still on the market.

If it means Strehl stays around, I'm all for it.

...Much less ones that were hired in their 80's.