mountainave

Funny, I actually just came here to make the same observation that the the AM and PM versions seem to have almost entirely dropped the stand-ups that were meant to define the show in favor of anchors stationed at a desk. Bit of a shame, in my opinion. I think Licht was onto something -- the stand-ups did give the show more of an active feel that differentiated it from the rest of the day's desk-based programming.

GMA3 straddles the line between a news broadcast and a talk show. Most of the other late morning / early afternoon talk shows also go on holiday hiatus, so it's not really much different. It gives the production staff time off.

Take it for what you will, but this is what Dani Beckstrom had to say:

As I said, she's freelancing. Again, freelance doesn't necessarily mean temporary. Just means she's not currently under a long-term contract. Therefore, she's likely either helping with coverage during the holidays a la Andy Field or is being eased onto the team with someone else's planned departure.

Yes, she was hired by WABC as a freelancer. Freelance doesn't necessarily = temporary, though. It's increasingly common for talent to join stations as freelancers and then receive a proper contract thereafter. That said, I maintain, as I originally said, that she's either helping with holiday coverage or ultimately replacing someone else. I'm certain WABC isn't planning to employ 6 meteorologists.

Doubtful 6 is the goal. She's freelancing, so either she's just helping with holiday vacation fill-ins as Andy Field and Sonia Rincon used to do, or someone else is leaving.

It's not new. WNT has had correspondents doing live shots on West 67th St or Columbus Ave outside of ABC for years.

Amy Robach and TJ Holmes have inked a podcast and content deal with iHeartMedia. It's unclear if Robach is still in discussions to join NewsNation. https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/amy-robach-t-j-holmes-iheartmedia-podcast-1235775921/

CNN delayed its launch in favor of consistent prime-time coverage of the Israel-Hamas war.

Stacey Sager has been off the air while receiving treatment for breast cancer. Boy, she's been through a lot over the years. She'll start returning intermittently when she feels up to it, she recently posted.

Simple: it gets clicks.

Ah, I didn't actually realize Chris Wallace's Saturday AM slot was for an entirely new show. I had thought it would just be an airing (or rebroadcast) of Who's Talking.

The writing has been on the wall for years. GMA has (unfortunately, in my opinion) been using less and less of its Times Square backyard. It was once upon a time a focal point of the show with the windows open behind the anchor desk, frequent camera shots of TS, and regular segments outside. Given that this has all been mostly eliminated, there's frankly no reason to continue renting what is highly-valuable real estate. They could build a studio in the middle of nowhere and produce the show in its current format.

That was actually my first thought before even knowing about a picture of them together! We'll see...

Saw he posted new headshots with little teases that he'd have more to share soon. Wasn't clear to me he'd be returning to TV, though. If not, wouldn't be surprised to see him on radio, where he started his career.

And, fun fact, she's the daughter of CNN's Gary Tuchman.

They have, at times. After Lisa Colagrossi died on the job (and her family later claimed WABC overworked her), Lori Stokes and Ken Rosato demanded to stop working the noon show and they were indeed replaced. That's when Novarro started anchoring at noon in addition to at 4:00 pm. When Shirleen arrived, she started on the noon show and because she had no seniority (i.e., leverage), she kept the noon show when she was given Lori's morning chair.

Derick Waller is leaving WABC. He attributes it to the difficulties of working the early shift.

I meant to convey that they didn't hire an entire cohort of new employees just for this show. They gave some promotions and are paying others to work longer to cover the show. You're right that 1 hour of TV =/= 1 hour of work, though in this case several of the stories that air are recycled. My overall point is that it is not a gargantuan undertaking in either time or money for WABC to produce this show.

I would agree if there were resources being poured into the show, but... they bought an extra table. They're paying producers and anchors more for working an extra hour, but they'd have to do that regardless of format. I agree that it's a nice, fresh attempt. So far, at least. I'll be interested in how the production evolves over the next few months, if at all.

What makes you say that? It's been on the air for one day.

Here's the open: https://www.facebook.com/ABC7NY/posts/pfbid0J8V6wWZ3ntt6WUQPnEqgqhudncciAqZfzZv9zWKvT2pyRNMY1HRs39kW655tiHVMl? Interview with Eric Adams: https://abc7ny.com/eric-adams-new-york-city-mayor-eyewitness-news-mornings-at-10-migrants/13772316/?

New promo for tomorrow's launch: https://fb.watch/m-kJBFTEhZ/?mibextid=qC1gEa

People often ask and speculate about on-air talent compensation. NYC passed a law that took effect a year or two ago requiring employers to publicize a role's salary range in job descriptions. WABC is currently hiring on-air roles, providing some relevant data. The current hiring range for a General Assignment Reporter is 150-200k, and the current hiring range for an Anchor/Reporter (replacing Mike Marza on the weekends) is 250k-400k. Other elements of compensation factor in, of course, as does negotiation.

I know the press release says that and I know it's being pointed out by observers, but I don't think it's any different than how things have worked for the last several years. Zucker was deeply involved in all CNN content. Licht was, too, though he may have meddled less in individual stories. For all intents and purposes, it's not a change.