tylerSC

WBTV has a nice graphics package, which may be a modified Raycom style. And recently the Gray talk shows on WBTV and WHNS have identical new graphics.

Do they still bring back Sam Champion to fill in on GMA? I used to see him sometimes. Looks like they would find a spot for him, since he was once one of their major anchors. Or maybe he's semi retired.

I miss Jay Leno. Have never really adapted to Jimmy Fallon. I miss Jay's monologue, headlines, and Jaywalking. Now I tend to prefer Jimmy Kimmel.

Are any Atlanta stations still carried on cable or satellite in Macon? Seems like they used to be back in the day, as Macon is just beyond fringe coverage for antenna reception from Atlanta. I think I remember possibly WSB, WXIA, and WAGA on cable there.

Just bring back All My Children and be done with it. Susan Lucci hinted of a possible reboot recently as a proposed project by Kelly Rippa and husband Mark Consuelos. I miss the New York soaps. Don't know why we need Good Morning America in the afternoon.

I wondered what happened to her on WJZY. Sorry to see her go but a good move for her. But perhaps if WJZY had been smart enought to give her a permanent anchor spot there she would still be in Charlotte.

Also in Charlotte Maureen O'Boyle signed off the anchor desk last Friday night at WBTV. Pleasant, popular, and professional, it will leave a big void to fill. Sorry to see her go.

Nice to see Leigh Brock back on the air and filling in at WSOC. Wish it would be a permanent hire. Seems like a mistake for Gray to release her from WBTV. She was well liked and did a good job. In Greenville-Spartanburg WHNS-21 anchor Cody Alcorn has announced he is leaving FOX Carolina and moving to Atlanta for personal reasons. No apparent plans yet to transfer to Gray sister station WGCL-CBS46, or FOX5 Atlanta. He has been a mainstay at WHNS for 16 years. Future plans yet unclear.

Sorry Leigh Brock has departed WBTV. She was well liked and did a good job.And was a familiar face from the Eric Thomas era, so she would have helped ease the transition from his departure rather than the other 2 newer meteorologists they moved to the evenings. Seems like a big mistake by Gray if indeed her contract was not renewed. Too much legacy talent is departing WBTV, including now Maureen O'Boyle.

Sorry to see her go. She was a strong anchor and an appealing personality, well liked by the viewers. But much of the major talent has retired from WBTV in recent years, so it will be interesting to see how Gray maintains the longtime legacy status of WBTV in the coming years, or lose ground to WSOC.

Maureen O'Boyle returned to the anchor desk at WBTV tonight, after an extended absence of over 2 months. No explanation given but just a welcome back. I guess just a personal leave but all seems well and glad to see her back.

What has happened to Maureen O'Boyle at WBTV? She has been off the air for over 2 months and no apparent explanation. She is missed and hope all is ok. Must be some sort of extended leave.

Antop 800SBS, Antop 400BV, and Marathon Plus are similar variations of the same antenna. Good compact design with good reception reliability. With a UHF flat panel and VHF dipole and indoor stand. The 800SBS has an internal amplifier with adjustable gain, whereas the 400BV allows for an external amplifier. The Marathon has a built in amplifier but does not have adjustable gain. Larger antennas that perform well include Clearstream 4V/4MAX from Antennas Direct, and the classic 8bay antenna from Channel Master, model 4228HD Extremetenna.. The Channel Master is optimized for UHF but can also receive High VHF in strong signal areas. But in some cases you may need to add a separate VHF antenna for reliable performance along with the 4228 for UHF.

Also at WCNC in Charlotte anchor Bill McGinty signed off and announced his retirement after 32 years in the news business. Sounds like a sudden move not previously announced, but it seemed it may have been his choice and not a Tegna decision. He was at WCNC for 10 years as an afternoon and fill in anchor and consumer/ investigative reporter, known for his Get McGinty reports. Sad to see good, strong seasoned talent depart WCNC.

Yes Carolyn Bruck is back, after her 2nd extended leave of absence in several years. Not sure if it was for health or personal reasons, or contract negotiations. But nevertheless she had developed a popular following, and had a good relationship and chemistry with coanchor Ben Thompson on the early show. Not sure why she was moved to evenings, but I guess it would be considered a promotion of sorts. I hope Sarah French remains on the morning news as she is a talented journalist and anchor, and has also developed a good rapport with Ben Thompson. Sarah was originally the evening anchor before moving to mornings to fill in for Carolyn. Now the flip flop may be permanent, as Vanessa Ruffes seems to be the new nighttime anchor.

WBTV-3 already puts a very strong signal into much of Western NC and Upstate SC, well beyond the official Charlotte market. In fact their signal comes in strong just like a local channel in Spartanburg and extends into Greenville. But of course WHNS will bring more Upstate SC focused news as WBTV focuses more on the main Charlotte metro.

The Today Show had the best combination of personalities with Matt Lauer and Katie Couric and then Matt Lauer and Meredith Viera. But Ann Curry was an excellent reporter and news anchor. And I miss Kathie Lee Gifford on the 4th hour, and I appreciate the way they allowed the legend Regis Philbin to make guest appearances. But I agree the best morning show now is CBS This Morning.

Yes that was my point, not sure why they would want to shake up a seemingly successful program that was apparently gaining viewers. They had a good combination of personalities and nice balance of news, interviews and features. Now it is mostly news as they seemed to have phased out some of the interviews and cooking segments. And no more live reports from FOX News, although I knew that would change after FOX sold out to Nexstar.

Well if they let him go that seems like a big mistake by Nexstar. He was one of their more popular personalities and did a good job with an entertaining style weather segment that seemed well suited for the morning show. They previously had a good mix of hosts for the morning program, but now have lost Nick Kosir along with Chuck Roads, Paige Fehling and Brigida Mack. Not sure why they wanted to dismantle a good team that seemed to be working well. But holdover Jason Harper and Ann Wyatt Little seem to make a good team moving forward, so we shall see. But the show now seems to be more news oriented with less entertainment, interviews, and cooking segments. So I guess the typical "moving in a different direction" as these changes occur.

I like the current FOX graphics package, but I am unfamiliar with the Nexstar version. But the Nexstar graphics on WSPA are a bit large and overbearing. I get both WJZY and WSPA OTA in Spartanburg with a very strong signal, as WJZY recently boosted their power post repack. But my preference from Charlotte is WSOC then WBTV, and fortunately WSOC has a western translator. WBTV also has a strong signal here, just like a local, and I can also get WCNC. But WYFF is the much better NBC affiliate. But both WSOC and WYFF coud use a new set, IMO, as they both look a bit dated. The new set Hearst built for WXII is very nice.

A short tenure as apparently Morgan Norwood was released after accidentally using the F-word on the air. They had moved longtime morning host Page Fehling to the new noon and 4pm newscasts, and Norwood was the replacement on the morning show. She was a recent hire from ABC O&O WTVD in Raleigh/Durham. Not sure why Nexstar wanted to risk changing an established talent mix in the morning, where Page Fehling and Jason Harper had good chemistry, and they released former WBTV anchor Brigida Mack and veteran traffic reporter Chuck Roads as strong support personalities. Not sure the logic here, but Ann Wyatt Little is a nice addition going forward. And apparently Nexstar may be building a new set for WJZY, as they are currently broadcasting from the newsroom rather than the studio. Ann Wyatt Little had tweeted that they were under renovation. But the current set with the scenic skyline backdrop was relatively new, as built by former owner FOX just a few years ago.