MorningNews

20 minutes ago, TVNewsLover said:

@MorningNews

Long tenured anchor  

Leaving for competing station  

Beloved by viewers  

 

Not sure how it was different, and it obviously made sense to pull her from anchoring, but station management should’ve let her give a goodbye.

WABC and KTLA are not the same stations and don’t have similar identities or management. That management at WABC was willing to let Lori come back and say goodbye is not the standard, it’s the exception. What’s confusing?

Glad to hear this. Take a break and come back to reality at some point Mr. Mester. A totally unprofessional moment for him yesterday and shows just how out of his depth he truly is.

19 hours ago, TVNewsLover said:

WABC took Lori Stokes off the air but let her say goodbye in the last 10 minutes of the morning newscast.

Very different situation but even still, that’s an exception to the industry standard. Lori’s departure was equally as abrupt and she wasn’t able to actually anchor shows after her decision.

A tad overlydramatic and tense. I personally don’t think that was a very good look for Mark Mester - he used the time to blast management with cryptic references to behind the scenes drama. Why not use the opportunity to look back on Lynette’s time and say thank you for her 24 years? Following his remarks, he’s not even letting his on-air colleagues speak without interrupting their thoughts. Ugh that was woeful. I understand the frustration but this is not a new phenomenon by any means. I love Lynette but in what industry would you be able to walk over to a direct competitor (KTLA Morning News vs Today in LA) and not be immediately shown the door? Hell most companies unceremoniously escort you out the door the instant you disclose that you’re leaving for a direct competitor.

1 hour ago, SoCalLocal said:

Wow desperate her bio getting scrubbed on the website and anchors can talk about it further,  I know it was her choice to leave the station. But don’t know why management didn’t let her to announce that week to say goodbye. Very bad move by management.

This is pretty standard in businesses all over the world. If you leave for a direct competitor, you’re typically terminated immediately.

7 hours ago, CaptainNews said:

Lynette will be going to KNBC, unknown when the start date is though.

Source?

Confirmed on the KTLAWeekendAM Instagram that Lynette won’t be back on air.

Sounds like she won’t be back on air at KTLA to say goodbye based on her Instagram story? That’s unfortunate. 
 

She does mention that there’s still more to come so hopefully we see her pop back up somewhere.

Congratulations on a job and career well done for Lori.

This has to sting for someone like Dari Alexander I imagine…

Makes sense to me. There’s really no point in her being there until the day of the funeral.

But perfectly fitting and in line wirh everything about WABC’s presentation.

KTTV is where careers go to die and I really like Christina so hopefully she can buck the trend.

DWTS has never had real celebrities but how desperate were they??

Robin back this morning.

I’m sure the anchors would find a way to get back in time for a majority of the coverage but there are much more robust contingency plans for network news these days than the 60s. For instance, George or Whit Johnson are more than capable of holding things together in David’s absence. Savannah or Tom Llamas could hold things down at NBC while Lester was en route. I have no idea who works at CBS.

Wouldn’t say that ND has always had the red carpet. I believe they lobbied to join the B1G throughout the 70s/80s which was blocked several times by Michigan.

11 minutes ago, newsteam13 said:

 

You're referring to the 1991-2006 version composed by Patterson, Walz and Fox. That was a DAMN GOOD version. I hope they bring back that version with a twist.

It’s such a great theme and they’ve now brought the great 1988 theme back twice that the news buff in me wishes they’d resurrect the 91-06 theme at some point. It’s one of the best news pieces ever. Side point but man has Rather managed to rehabilitate his image from the time at the end of his CBS run.

KTTV should get back to what made them a powerhouse in the mornings for so long that at one point their format even went national. 2 sets of anchors for the the two blocks of 4-10am. It’s the same format that is working perfectly at FOX and CW affiliates nation wide. What they’ve been trying to do the last decade or so is terribly disjointed.

7 hours ago, IceManNYR said:

Mike Marza was in for Bill tonight. Has he anchored the weekday 6pm newscast before?

Can’t remember seeing him anchor 6pm but he’s done the 11pm a number of times. 
 

Has Sade ever anchored 11pm solo? The reason is likely going way over my head but it seems they always use the most odd fill-in dynamics for Bill at 11pm though when Sade is off, Bill or his fill-in are usually solo. Also have never seen Sade fill in at 6pm though she often fills in on First@Four.

Going by Mike’s tie and Michelle’s and Brittany’s dresses, those studio shots are from the weekend AM promos that have been airing since earlier this year. 

SIAP: Dayna Devon’s last day on the KTLA Weekend Morning News was apparently today. She’ll move to the LA Unscripted show full time 5 days a week.

12 hours ago, Colortini said:

I would think Jeff would get the promotion, should he want it to do Noon/4pm, since he’s been there a while now. I guess we’ll see what pans out. 

He very well could and absolutely deserves it if he wants. I think WABC prioritizes their weekend PM crew as somewhat of an institution that is equally as important as the Bill and Sade. Joe and Sandra have been anchoring weekend evenings for 20 years. 

17 hours ago, wabceyewitness said:

Meteorologist Dani Beckstrom will make her on-air debut at WABC on Thursday’s noon newscast. 

Watching her debut right now and she’s incredibly solid. Some technical difficulties with her mic falling off during the forecast but she handled it flawlessly. Fits right in. 
 

SIAP but is she just going to be a fill in? I’d like to see WABC follow the model that other O&Os take with 3 mets splitting morning, afternoon, evening forecasts. Brittany could easily move to 12/4pm while Lee handles 5/6/11pm. Sam keeps the morning and network stuff, Jeff and Dani handle Sat/Sun. 

On 7/22/2022 at 3:35 PM, DMA said:

There’s a bit of personality at WCBS to be fair - Marcia Kramer certainly adds a local flavor but overall I tend to agree with you.
 

- WABC’s vibe is an unusual combo of familial and tabloid. As much as I dislike the increased opinion segments, visual mess, and Disney corporate synergy, it still feels like the default for me.  Coverage all across the Tri-State - they go all out, highest use of copters too.  

 

-WNBC is straight to the point but has the appeal of local-born talent and 30 Rock gravitas. Coverage is a little more focused on the boroughs, with a strong Jersey presence. Collaboration with WNJU reporters has been great, providing coverage into communities overlooked by everyone else. 
 

-WPIX targets straphangers and the NY1 demo. Used to have the Daily News connection which though diminished still feels present. 
 

-WNYW is a bit dull but I think has been targeting a tone similar to WABC’s tabloid/human interest take. At least they’re coming up with interesting branding like “The Noon”

 

-WCBS is just…there. It’s visually polished but the tone is wooden and really feels cookie-cutter. Editorially there’s an overemphasis on Westchester and Long Island. I feel like they were stronger when they could lean on the Always-On WCBS 880 / 1010 WINS synergy, but that’s faded. The reporters and anchors are all…fine? But the overall vibe is just generic and not targeted to the market. 

Spot on especially the points on WABC and WCBS. WABC is so tabloid, it’s bad in so many ways but they manage to still have the most authentic and solid product. There’s not a single weak personality on WABC, every single one of them is solid. Even Michelle Charlesworth whose presenting style is odd but still uniquely strong.

WCBS to me feels like something you could pick up and drop in any market around the country without even noticing a difference. Their newscasts are the definition of “corporate.”

I wonder if the B1G and NBC are trying to sweeten the pot to entice ND to join. This deal to me firmly places the B1G as the premier CFB conference. That exposure is NFL like.

Happy to hear that Ana is also joining, she’s got really great chemistry with the table whenever I’m watching.