Nynewsguy7

More than likely it was a specific Saturday or Sunday night at 11pm when WABC was late because of sports. It’s a very “creative” way to be number 1, when the competition doesn’t exist. as for WSB in Atlanta. Their claim actually isn’t wrong. By percentage, they do have more watchers. It’s again, a technicality. obviously the NY DMA is larger and therefore WABC has more total viewers, but in Atlanta DMA, the percentage of total available viewers is higher for WSB.

These decisions have been made. Mike replaces Bill. Pedro replaces Mike. Josh prefers the field. He does not want to be stuck behind the desk. Same with Jim Dolan. Best of the best - but prefers the field. Even Tim Fleisher - who anchored weekends and mornings on and off countless times preferred reporting - which is why he never stayed behind the desk for long. Chanteé had her chance at the weekend spot - but her delivery is more for storytelling than anchoring - so she was passed for Tanya Rivero - an outsider. I get it - armchair news directing is a thing - but as I’ve said - these moves have been in the works for quite a while - and everyone is going to have to get used to Mike at 11 and Pedro with Shirleen.

No moves are made at WABC without long, hard, thought-out consideration. Talent and rapport are very important at chance 7. Sade will get top billing on the 11pm. Mike might get it at 5pm. When I say “lead anchors” this is still something that exists at channel 7. Bill, who lives on the UWS during the week is always on call- no matter the time of day, should a big story break. On the day of the attempted Trump assassination, both Ritter and Marza came in on a day off to anchor. Sade and Mike were sent to Philly to cover the debate on ABC. This is all being done to get viewers used to seeing Mike, and there isn’t the belief that Bill is being forced out, which has been the case with other senior anchors in NYC. This has been in the making for many years. Mike was hired for weekend mornings knowing he would eventually get the 11pm show. He just happened to take on a larger role earlier on when the Ken Rosato firing happened. Bill turns 75 next year. Mike is much younger, which is why he was chosen - he can stay in the role and maintain stability for years to come. Much like Bill Ritter did when replacing Bill Beutel. Lee Goldberg is only 52, and will maintain his presence in evenings for years to come as well. Don’t expect Shirleen to move from mornings. She is where she belongs. Much like Joe Torres and Michelle Charlesworth being weekend fixtures, she excels at morning and moving her to another time slot could be disastrous.

Changes are on the horizon: Fridays: Mike Marza now is 11pm anchor and Pedro Rivera is 4:30am anchor. Neither will be “in for” Ritter or Marza respectively as this change is rolling into a transition coming in the new year. Ritter will step down from 5 and 11pm - keeping only the 6pm with Liz. He will maintain helm of “up close” for the time being. Mike Marza moves to 5 & 11pm, Rivera moves to mornings and 10am with Shirleen. Mike and Sade effectively become the “lead anchors” with Bill slowly transitioning to retirement in a few years. A formal announcement from Ritter will come after the election, closer to the year’s end.

Yes sorry, I forgot the studios were changed to letters. A is for Eyewitness News B is for Live with Kelly and Mark

Studio 1 is for Eyewitness News. Studio 2 is for “Live” (audience). Studio 2 is done and looks largely the same as TV13 does. Both studios are exclusive to WABC. The space mentioned is the EWN newsroom. Flashcam space still yet to be built. Studio 1 will be more expansive than studio 77 is. It’s significantly larger.