LVForward

If I heard him correctly...Brian Williams just said he will take his leave one week from tonight.

Coincidentally, Canadian sportscaster Brian Williams announced his retirement today after a distinguished five-decade career.  Canada's Brian Williams "covered just about every sport imaginable over his remarkable sportscasting career. The Olympics and the CFL were two of his mainstays as a principal studio anchor and longtime host with CBC and later CTV and TSN," according to The Canadian Press. 

During "The View" - 6abc just ran a teaser for Action News at noon with Brian Taff that was from last Monday 11/08.

4 minutes ago, MorningNews said:

Not trying to be provocative but I’m kind of surprised at the love he’s getting here and on social media with some pleading for him to return to a nightly newscast. While a strong force at NBC he is, he’s tarnished his image as a trusted anchor in my opinion. Dude just made up lies and embellishments for two major stories during his time as the face of network news. The competition would be interesting but I hope people’s memories aren’t so short to forget that the man at worst lacks completely integrity and at best has incredibly poor judgment, two things that are critical to leading news and information.

Let me begin with your very own preface - Not trying to be provocative but...

1. I am surprised and pleased by the outpouring for Brian - I am a fan, and agree he made a significant mistake - and paid a significant professional punishment.  As is the case in our criminal justice system you do the crime - you do the time.  But, after that one hopes to return to their previous life.  Not saying what he did was criminal.  But, WOW what a show of support in the last 24 hours.  AMAZING!!  He should be proud - and let us not forget Brian  did it without a college degree.

2, Now for my controversial moment -  in response to your comment -  These values of integrity and judgement you speak of are not only critical  for newscasters but for people in general - including presidents, senators, congressmen, governors, mayors, doctors, lawyers, etc.  Hello, January 6th calling.  If we can look the other way on a twice impeached, one term former president, or a wacky-at best former NYC mayor, or a FL/TX/NY governor or so many others, including their fierce supporters and enablers - then why not forgive the embellishments of a demoted, rehabilitated former network news anchor, who worked hard to keep us informed.

One thing for sure - I can't wait for the book tour.

Brian Taff gets my vote.

12 hours ago, jrogo said:

I would just like to express how sad I am about Brian leaving and yes I do mean sad. Brian was my hero as a kid and the reason I got into to journalism, I never missed Nightly and never miss The 11th Hour.
 

Sad to see him leaving after 28 years, he certainly had a great career and made a huge impact on people and journalism as a whole. 

I’m hoping it’s Chris Jansing, she deserves it and has been filling in recently. Brian made it sound like The 11th Hour will be sticking around but with a new host staring in the new year. I’d say Chris Jansing, Jacob Soboroff and Alicia Menendez are probably front runners for his replacement. 
 

As for top story with Tom, that would be a better placed at 10pm when Lawrence retires IMO. 
Lots of change still to come at MSNBC.

With all due respect to Chris Jansing - and I do agree she has substantial reporting and anchoring skills - I am not sure if she has the gravitas to fill Brian's shoes.  With all the changes going on throughout "the networks of NBC News" they will need a commanding presence to lead their flagship news program.  And before anyone says it - it is NOT because she is a woman.  Chris could easily replace Andrea at noon, when she decides to retire - or fill any number of substantial roles across the many platforms, just not as the face of the network.  From a talent perspective - as well as a budgetary one - maybe it is time to pull the plug on CNBC's The News (not exactly a ratings juggernaut) and bring Shep over to MSNBC, if his contract permits. Shep having been "the" news anchor with the Fox NEWS Channel and step down with his credentials, morals and standards still mostly intact was impressive.   Additionally, Shep's narrative delivery - although clearly different from Brian's would not alter the 11th Hour vibe greatly.  Unlike at some of the other news/talk organizations -  the depth of talented journalists, not just talking heads, is great at NBCUniversal and promoting from within would make perfect sense and add the air of continuity - after all, as they say "This is who we are."

And on the other side of this story - who takes over "The 11th Hour" or do the scrap it and start anew?  Or does "Top Story with Tom Llamas" switch to MSNBC?  As another long-running NBC program would say - Like sands through the hourglass...  Got a little ahead of myself (or rather ahead of BW himself) Well said closing thoughts, Brian.  Best Wishes!!!

AP reporter Jonathan Lemire took over MSNBC "Way Too Early" previously anchored by Kasie Hunt.  Additionally, he has joined Politico.

https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/msnbc-jonathan-lemire-way-too-early-1235096703/

1 hour ago, PhillyWatch said:

Incoming Anchor Alert- per the Chicago board, Siafa Lewis is coming in from the NBC affiliate in Chi-town. While at WMAQ he was their main sports anchor and weekend AM anchor, this article explicitly states he's coming in as a weekday anchor. 

 

So...where does he fit in? My guess is 4pm and/or 5pm. It was unfortunate that they had to blow up the original 3@4 format because of the pandemic. Perhaps he'll be slotted there with Natasha Brown as they revert that to something more unique in the 4-6:30 block. 

Could he be replacing Jim Donovan?

WOW!  Jamie Stover did stay longer than I expected.  Unlike WFMZ anchors and meteorologists/weather people who make a career here - reporters seem to come and go quickly, at least the good ones that is.  Jamie was clearly one of the best.  Best of Luck to her! 

On a side note -  this week marked the retirement of former WFMZ anchor David Murphy at WPVI.  Best Wishes to him, as well. 

Started watching 69 News at 4 late today. Did they explain what is going on in their studio?  Lighting issues, no green screen for weather, no cam in traffic center,  background noises, etc.

On 3/6/2021 at 5:46 PM, susquvalleywgal said:

 

That's a shame.  Drew Anderson is TOP NOTCH TALENT.  I loved when he was on WGAL and FOX43 ... he knows his stuff.  Hopefully he returns to the SusquValley soon.

 

-- Matt

Drew did a lengthy Facebook Live at 9pm tonight explaining the changes - Kellie McGlynn will be full-time.  He will be available for fill-in and may be working on other weather/science projects.  He goes on and on from there.  But he did share the return of Kathy Craine later this week to the News at Noon.  On-air schedule changes are being made to keep only one person in the weather center at a time for their safety.

What happens to Joshua Johnson if Mehdi is taking the 8pm slot?

Ironic, don't you think.  Since QVC recently let former NBC10 reporter/anchor Stacey Stauffer go as part of a significant COVID-related restructuring.

Is Kendis Gibson still on MSNBC??  I am not up early enough to watch him weekend mornings.  But his perspective and experience would be valuable during these times as well.  Plus considering the disaster that has occurred around ABC News and Barbara Fedida with Kendis, and many others, you would think MSNBC would have very publicly shown him support.  

9 hours ago, PhillyWatch said:

Big bummer. After Natasha Brown was moved to weekdays on KYW, I switched over to Denise on weekend evenings. At least (from the sound of things) it was a buyout situation and not a mass axe-swinging like there was at KYW. Who fills that chair next?

Maybe they will let Natasha back in the weekend anchor chair every now and then now that she is a reporter.

On 5/31/2020 at 11:53 PM, ref1997 said:

NBC News NOW has been simulcasting "MSNBC International" at 9PM tonight to cover the protests across the state, which is essentially MSNBC but the commercials are replaced with its own trailers. Which platform is this "international" variant available? Is it like made for viewers in Canada because I don't see other cable providers from other countries carrying MSNBC...

I have only seen MSNBC International on cruise ships personally.

I think it would be fun to see KYW's medical reporter Stephanie Stahl anchor.

Since KYW barely has enough on-air talent for their existing broadcast schedule - I would assume this is only the beginning of the new faces we will see in the coming months with the announced launch of CBSN Philadelphia in early 2020.

Why was Kasie DC's 2nd hour replaced with a Dateline rerun tonight??

35 minutes ago, newsanchor26 said:

Good move. I am concerned about what will happen to Richard Lui, Yasmin Vossoughian and Ayman Mohyeldin. It is my hope they will get hours later in the evening rather than getting moved. Especially Richard who previously held that 2-4pm slot. He's a longtime MSNBC anchor who has always worked the weekends, and has something of a following with loyal viewers. 

First - LOVE Kendis.  Hopefully they will utilize him more across the entire MSNBC/NBC News/Today spectrum.  As for Yasmin and Ayman - let's not forget their main gig is on Morning Joe: First Look daily. 

Ed Hanna has now been removed from the WFMZ website.  Still nothing official from the station. 

Maybe he is with Rick Edwards who also mysteriously disappeared from East Rock Road never to be heard from again. 

Traffic and Weather together.

See the "The News Tonight" era. That's basically what they were going for back then and it bombed miserably.

Oh!! I remember that era/error. The complete abandonment of the venerable "Eyewitness News" history and tradition was another mistake of that time period. Despite repeated missteps that have been made over the years - there is a proud tradition at this station. By adapting to today's rapid-fire style of "Breaking News" TV journalism with a groundbreaking / torch-bearing approach should be their way to restore their leadership, success, ratings and most importantly credibility. Forging the future while respecting the past will be a huge task for whomever takes over this news operation.

But sometimes you need to look back to find the way forward - and quite possibly with the support of an amazing "KYW-Proud" alumni they can find their way.

Diane Allen – Susan Barnett- Steve Baskerville – Steve Bell – Richard Bey - Al Primo (creator of the Eyewitness News format) − Pat Ciarrocchi – Mort Crim – Mike Douglas − Tamsen Fadal – Max Gomez – Trudy Haynes − Marc Howard – Walt Hunter – Jack Jones − Larry Kane – Ernie Kovacs − Maria LaRosa – Alycia Lane – Matt Lauer – Robin Mackintosh – Larry Mendte – Andrea Mitchell – Kathy Orr - Jerry Penacoli – Malcolm Poindexter − Maury Povich – Jessica Savitch - Maria Shriver – Tom Snyder - Dick Standish - Dawn Stensland − Beverly Williams – Joe Witte – and many more.

Enough preaching and pontificating...now let's get back to some REAL NEWS.

They’ve gotta have the right talent in place as well. This current setup clearly isn’t working. But something like that could get people watching if done right.

Original Reporting takes Original Reporters NOT news readers - which is the best I can say for the current crew.

That’s what 3 doesn’t understand about this market right now. There’s no room for nonsense fluff pieces. 10 got better of an investment in hard news, not crap.

I always thought that if KYW did a straight forward TV-version of KYW NewsRadio1060 it might just work in Philly. And with CBS News emphasizing "Original Reporting" now may be the time.

Freddy Awards without Ed Hanna is like Peanut Butter without Jelly. Still good, but not as GREAT. Kudos to Eve for a strong performance. But as they should have said - "The role of Ed Hanna will be played tonight by Eve Russo." We miss you Ed!!