LarryFlick

28 minutes ago, Spintech33 said:

Let me throw my 2 cents in here right quick:  It takes a dedicated news anchor team to work weekday mornings and weekend mornings.  For some of you guys that are bickering about Michelle working mornings and Shirleen working PM's right now is not going to happen. Are they both great journalists (YES), and they both have a cult following. So I say this, sometimes things work out the way they are and what is not broken doesn't need to be fixed.  Let's just enjoy the moments for now until both anchors return to their regularly scheduled slots.

I love these words! Totally agree!!!

9 minutes ago, nynewsguy said:

Trust me - if you knew what everyone was going through in the days of Bartelstein - you would be thankful he was gone. Yes he had charisma and talent and great chemistry with Lori - but he also had demons that were much stronger. The man was offered help countless times and turned it down. The final straw broke when he was caught stalking an intern. It was sad to watch - but everyone saw it coming. Drugs can do horrible things to great people - and Steve’s story is just one example. 

it was, indeed, a bad era. There was a live on air fight between Steve and Bill Evans. There was the day he was passed out at his desk and missed a live broadcast. He was notorious in Chelsea, the NY gayborhood where he lived. I think there was a combination of shell shocked faces and celebrations when he was finally fired. A real shame. 

16 hours ago, nynewsguy said:

If Chad were smart, he would make Michelle permanent weekday AMs - leave Shirleen at Noon.
She should have had the position from the get-go, as there is real chemistry between Michelle and Ken, and the morning show numbers have been up since she went on leave.
Shirleen is a great newsreader - but her interactions with others just seem forced. 

Fascinating to learn that the numbers are up during this period. I agree about the chemistry between Ken and Michelle... and that she should have gotten the job in the first place. I wonder if the powers that be will acknowledge Michelle’s contribution to the ratings spike, or if they will attribute the numbers to Sam. I do enjoy Shirleen, but I will miss Michelle when this period is over. 

Michelle is subbing for Shirleen until later this month. Rob posted on social media that is taking time off as his partner is giving birth. I hear they’re all back sometime next month.

1 hour ago, Spintech33 said:

We all gotta face it. Bill is not coming back. I also like you admire Bill. A true staple of New York TV. 25 years and most of it doing AM weather and PLJ. So him going back to his radio roots I understand. However, that drive out east to Midtown Manhattan is HELL, and we don't know what happen close-doors with management for him to up and leave. At the end of everything this is the best 4:30AM-7AM crew at the #1 station.  Something I would like to see in the near future maybe one of the early AM reporters in the anchors chair while Ken or Shirleen are out and not getting Michelle out of bed early AM!

That last part is a fun idea... except I've seen Candace McCowan sub on the weekend anchor desk a couple times. Sadly, it wasn't great. And if you can't pop on screen with Rob Nelson (who can spark chemistry with an inanimate object), it's not going to happen with anyone. She is a terrific reporter, though. I would love to see Derek Waller on the desk, though...

11 hours ago, ns8401 said:

Or to the majority of viewers too old to notice or care... well... they don’t notice or care as long as they know the weather... where he is on his days off is extremely inside baseball don’t you think?

Forgive my snicker at this comment... after all, isn't this entire site "inside baseball"? I mean, I've seen pages of debate on fonts used on-screen! LOL!

As for the rest, you certainly make a fair point. But I respectfully disagree. As a broadcaster, myself, I can tell you first hand that older viewers/listeners are laser focused on their favorite programs, especially those they trust to provide information. They tend to be far more critical and cognizant of absences than younger audiences. They are most sensitive to imbalance and will complain the loudest... these are actual relationships for some people. They are also now more adept and plugged into social media than you might realize. 
 

2 hours ago, Spintech33 said:

At the end of the day. Sam is at the #1 station. Who knows how long he's gonna be there. All the viewers want is a good accurate weather forecast and good chemistry. So far this morning team has that.

I agree, but also disagree. Overall, this is a top team that doesn't need Sam (and trust me, I'm a BIG fan of his). But you might want to read the ongoing battlecry of viewers who are still asking for Bill Evans to return. Human attachment is what keeps these shows alive. It's all they have against the faster-feeding of digital content. If all they cared about was info, Bill Evans would have been forgotten in a few days. It's been six months and a LOT of viewers have not let go of his disappearance. And as terrific as Sam is (again, I'm a fan and prefer him to Bill), many would be happier to have Bill back. 

So, Sam Champion has confirmed that he is only working a 4-day week. Good for him, though am I the only one noticing a palpable shift in energy during the show on Fridays? Also... I know that I am just being Mr. Jealous Boots, but can someone tell ol' Sam to at least wait until after morning broadcast hours before he starts posting Friday pics of himself lounging in a Miami pool on Instagram? It feels a little "eat it, you working suckers," to me. Again, I realize that envy is at play here for me. I mean, who wouldn't love a 4-day work week? But from a programming point of view, it also seems like a sharp left from the "yay team" vibe they're trying to promote on air. Never underestimate the power of social media perceptions.

12 hours ago, brianpr3 said:

 

You cannot deny the chemistry is spot-on with this team.... and Heather has become my edgy MVP!

43 minutes ago, JoseRM303 said:

Mike Marusarz who was most recently at NBC affiliate KSHB in Kansas City is joining WABC as anchor/reporter. He will go by Mike Marza a name he went by when he was at WSVN in Miami. 

 

https://www.ftvlive.com/sqsp-test/2019/5/17/bounced-kc-anchor-lands-in-the-big-apple

Intriguing... whom do we think is moving/leaving???

Expand the anchor bench a little bit

I'd like to see Michelle Charlesworth finally get a weekday spot. I think she'd excel at 12noon with David Navarro and at 5 with Diana Williams.

There is definitely a need to pull the trigger and make some hard decisions. Several of the spots seem to have been a bit unstable for a long, long time.

Did anyone else see Michelle Charlesworth's Instagram live broadcast yesterday? Amid the usual quips about the story she was covering and random small talk was a pretty strong declaration about the "really big ratings" her broadcast on the weekend gets. She went on to talk about how the weekend team (her, Rob Nelson, Amy Freeze, and their one writer and producers) is small, tight, focused, and super happy, seemingly implying that they function in a way that is unique from the other broadcasts.

Yes, this micro analysis, and maybe even over-reading into comments that are innocuous. But this seems oddly timed and hard to ignore, given all that appears to be going on over at the station.

Thoughts?

Well well well. (Not surprised one bit though) What are the chances an anchor who deserved it most but didn't get the weekday morning show is next?

http://www.ftvlive.com/sqsp-test/2017/11/24/another-discrimination-suit-filed-against-ny-news-director

AND THIS (read if you have any downtime.. it says alot. Especially the section about Lori Stokes)

http://www.ftvlive.com/sqsp-test/2017/11/24/and-here-is-the-lawsuit-against-wabc-and-their-news-director

If I'm being honest, I have never been the biggest fan of Laura Benkhe. I'm sure she's a lovely person, but her style just doesn't work for me. All of that said, it's seems likely that she has been treated unfairly. It also seems like the powers that be tried to throw her a bone by giving her more air time during the week with remote reports... but that's all it is... a bone. A small one, at that.

Catching up on the board after a couple weeks away, I'm heartened to read that I'm the only one doesn't think that Michelle Charlesworth was robbed of that weekday morning job. I'm curious to know, however, what the reviews are for Shirleen in the spot? I'm a fan of her work, overall, but I kind of found her a bit cold at first in this spot. She seems to be working HARD to lighten up and fit in. For me, it's working about half the time. I do think that Shirleen has far better chemistry with David Navarro than Ken Rosato, who also seems to be working hard to build chemistry.

Meanwhile, I can't help but notice how really well Lori Stokes is doing in her new gig. If I'm being honest, THAT is the kind of job I would love to see Michelle in someday. She would truly excel in an interview show setting.

Danielle Leigh is the new investigative reporter for the "7 On Your Side" team that includes Jim Hoffer and Nina Pineda. She fills the investigative reporter spot left vacant long ago when Sarah Wallace was forced to leave and before "7 On Your Side" encompassed both consumer news and investigative reporting.

 

Here is a Facebook Live interview that Diana Williams did with Danielle to introduce her to viewers:

 

Ahhh, excellent. Thanks for the info... and the interview link!

He will co-anchor weekend mornings with Rosemary Connors and report throughout the week.

Thanks for the info! Glad for him!

Dray Clark is departing for NBC Philadelphia.

He's a talented guy. Sad to see him go, though that morning beat reporting had to be a real grind. It's a shame that he never got any anchor fill in opportunities. My sense is that he would have excelled in the role. Any info on what his new job will be?

I tuned into the 5pm broadcast this week and just missed an introduction to a woman who was apparently joining the team. She was at the desk with Diana and Sade. I'm guessing that she is a new reporter, but I haven't been able to find any info about it. Seemed unusual to have someone in studio at the desk for something like that. Any insight or details?

Did I miss something? What report was so controversial?

In a nutshell, he reported that people were allegedly looting shops in the wake of the storms, and it's been since reported that people were searching for survival supplies.

Llamas was mocked on Twitter this week.

I saw that. I dare say that I still think he has done an overall great job. As for the content of that one report, there is certainly more than one person vetting the content of a news story. If there's blame, it needs to be shared. And, from my point of view, it's certainly not as potentially heinous an ethical crime as keeping a mic and a camera on a distraught woman after she makes it vividly clear that she doesn't want to be filmed, as was the case on CNN this week.

Let's face it, when you're flying by the seat of your pants, as these folks are during times like these, fumbles happen. I'll actually argue that I haven't seen anyone really do bad work this week.

Tom Llamas has been exceptional. I guess you can add me to the chorus of folks thinking that David Muir might have wanted to come back to work given such a massively important story. Save for personal or family illness, I'm not seeing a good reason to sit this out. We all need our time off, but I'd find it impossible to not be in the mix during such a crucial time. In my field of radio, I also know that listener loyalty is built during times like these. They want that connection to the voice they hear every day during such deeply affecting times. And when something new and shiny comes along, it's the performance of a anchor/reporter during times like these that keep people focused on you and your work.

While I'm here, I have to say that Matt Gutman's reports have been particularly strong. This is a guy who is clearly not afraid to get his hands dirty on the field. Top marks for him, indeed.

Noticed that too. However, both Michelle and Sandra were off this weekend so it's likely vacation playing a factor. I really don't see Toni as a lead morning anchor though. We could also see someone completely unexpected to replace Lori. Remember when Steve was fired no one expected Ken to get the spot. Weren't the top contenders originally Phil Lipof, Jeff Rossen and Joe Torres?

You are right about the original contenders for Steve's spot. In fact, I remember reading comments from Jeff Rosen saying that not getting that gig contributed to his decision to leave the station.

It seems Joe anchored solo tonight at 11. Was he solo for the early evening newscast?

He did... and as good as Joe Torres is, 90 minutes solo (save for weather and sport) is a LONG time. It felt a bit weird.

Am I detecting on-air chemistry testing with Ken Rosato for several women? So far, we've seen him Lauren Glassberg, Sandra Bookman, and Toni Yates. And, of course, we all know that he's great with Michelle Charlesworth and Shirleen Allicot. I know it's vacation time, but it seems like someone is playing a little anchor chess.

It was also the last time. Did Sandra fill in for Ken?

Yep. She sure did. Oddly, they didn't have the best on air chemistry... even though I enjoy and respect them both.