Old WBBM question

[cbs2worksforyou 35]

Hi all, I came across an old clip on YouTube and was curious if anyone knew what music package WBBM used for their music during this time. See

(starts at 3:22). I was also wondering if anyone knew what the station did with this old set when they moved to their new location in 2008. I remember when they switched to this set with the mahogany wood-looking desk and backdrop...I think someone once told me that the backdrop really wasn't even real wood, it was orangish lighting made to look like wood.

[Weeters 1811]

That was the era of the "WBBM News" package from Non Stop Music.

 

And judging from what lazynetjunkie has said, the old set is dismantled and in storage at their new facility.

[24994J 5276]

According to NMSA, it's "WBBM 1997 News Theme" (composer unknown). As for the set, I don't know...but the building as-a-whole was torn down after they moved out in 2008.

 

(Already Responded To - Took Awhile to Post)

[lazynetjunkie 34]

According to NMSA, it's "WBBM 1997 News Theme" (composer unknown). As for the set, I don't know...but the building as-a-whole was torn down after they moved out in 2008.

 

(Already Responded To - Took Awhile to Post)

 

 

That had to be one of the most oddball WBBM themes they ever commissioned. That theme only lasted a few months between the first round of Enforcer and switching to the Non-Stop package. When I asked a couple years back, their creative doesn't even have the CD of that short lived theme anymore and nobody there has idea who composed it. The only WBBM signature music they know of still having are some tape reels of their 1975 theme, 1985/86 theme(s), all their Non-Stop CD's (both WBBM and WCBS), and the complete Enforcer collection. However, I think I know who may have done that short-lived 1997 theme. I think it may be Cliff Schwarz. He did indeed do one of WBBM's former music pacakges and that theme does share some elements that his Move Closer To Your World theme has..

 

 

Various things happened to WBBM's 1997-2002 set. The anchor desk itself was sold to another station somewhere back in 2002 or 2003. The anchor desk was just that cheap pressboard (like used in cheap build it yourself Walmart/Ikea furniture) with a wood laminate on it. It looked pretty decent though on camera. It was just small. The "backbar" behind the anchor desk was actually the anchor desk from the 1993-97 set. They just changed the large desktop to a smaller/thinner top. I think the station that got the desk also got the backbar.

 

The backdrop from that set was actually a white drop with gray specks/texture and black lines printed on it. They just shined whatever color light they wanted the backdrop to have. It was orange at first then they went to blue. I believe they used blue for the evening newscasts and orange for the morning newscasts for a while too. I think they rolled up that backdrop and kept it but the black/charcoal wood framing around it was all trashed. Those chunky monitors on that set (actually reused from the 1993-97 set) where also trashed since they weren't working properly anymore towards the end. I used to have some photos around somewhere of that set being dismantled a couple months after they moved to the "Works For You" set in the other studio..

 

What they still have from that set at their new building are the stools/chairs from its interview set. They actually reused those stools almost a couple years back when they started using the small stand-up rolling table as the 5PM anchor desk on their current set before they ordered a couple more comfortable taller chairs.

[Samantha 2878]

The NMSA has the following:

 

WBBM '97 Theme (this one): 1997

WBBM News (Non-Stop): 1997-2000

WCBS News: 1999-2000

 

I wonder if what we call WBBM News is actually the WCBS News theme and the WBBM 1997 News Theme Non-Stop's "WBBM News". It's not beyond the NMSA to have theme trouble of this type (read: WCCO, where the WCCO '85 Theme and the WNYT '85 Theme are the same and where one audio sample is listed under the wrong theme).

 

For the record, here's how that SHOULD go:

 

"WCCO 1983 News Theme" replaces the two themes. Stations: WCCO (first two samples only), WBTV, WNYT, WFRV.

 

I've seen other flagrant errors, including one where KSNW used Hello News (and the only sample, paired with TVbD's Balls and Walls predecessor on video (NA3 pt. 9 1:16), was listed as being from the early 80s, not 1993); quite a few VO ID errors, including confusion of RON and JOHN Moore (still there); and an order error involving KOTV which could be sorted out simply by the title of the newscast ("KSD 1981 News Theme" should be listed after "Spirit of Oklahoma"). I've sent them these issues, but only the KSNW one has been fixed.

[lazynetjunkie 34]

The NMSA has the following:

 

WBBM '97 Theme (this one): 1997

WBBM News (Non-Stop): 1997-2000

WCBS News: 1999-2000

 

I wonder if what we call WBBM News is actually the WCBS News theme and the WBBM 1997 News Theme Non-Stop's "WBBM News".

 

 

The site has the music listed correctly..

 

 

I can tell you that "WBBM News" and "WCBS News" are actually 2 different commissioned themes from the 2 different stations and those are the actual given names of the package(s). "WBBM News" was originally commissioned by WBBM in 1997. It's an orchestral package which really is quite nice and some cuts from it would work quite well mixed in with Enforcer NG2. There are a few NG2 Enforcer cuts which I know were based off cuts in the Non-Stop WBBM package.

 

"WCBS News" is actually just Power News with the WBBM signature. WBBM used the "WCBS News" disc for 10PM newscasts from 1999-2000.

 

 

If a station wanted to use the music now, I'm sure they would be put together into one package.

[cbs2worksforyou 35]

Thanks all for replying! The orchestral cuts of the WBBM News package was great from what I remember. It had a lot of great cuts for various teasers, bumpers, opens, and closes, and fit very well with the graphics and had a great sounding "I Love Chicago, Chicago My Home" signature. Lazynet, would love to see the pics of the set being dismantled if you still have them.

 

On a side note, does anyone know if WBBM is ever going to remove the "fake meeting room" backdrop used by the short-lived Monsters and Money in the Morning program? They still attempt to hide it with a plasma monitor but you can still see the green and yellow edges behind it. I wish they would go back to using the large 4-person news desk in that area--even if it meant going back to the old monitor wall backdrop. I hate that its a street-level studio that you are supposed to be able to look into, but can't because it's blocked off on the side that has the most foot traffic (Daley Plaza) and is covered up by the additions to the set.

[lazynetjunkie 34]

Thanks all for replying! The orchestral cuts of the WBBM News package was great from what I remember. It had a lot of great cuts for various teasers, bumpers, opens, and closes, and fit very well with the graphics and had a great sounding "I Love Chicago, Chicago My Home" signature. Lazynet, would love to see the pics of the set being dismantled if you still have them.

 

On a side note, does anyone know if WBBM is ever going to remove the "fake meeting room" backdrop used by the short-lived Monsters and Money in the Morning program? They still attempt to hide it with a plasma monitor but you can still see the green and yellow edges behind it. I wish they would go back to using the large 4-person news desk in that area--even if it meant going back to the old monitor wall backdrop. I hate that its a street-level studio that you are supposed to be able to look into, but can't because it's blocked off on the side that has the most foot traffic (Daley Plaza) and is covered up by the additions to the set.

 

 

If I ever find the pics in my mess/boxes of stuff, I'll get them scanned and uploaded.

 

Unfortunately, last I heard, there are no current plans of doing anything else to that set or removing the "fake meeting room" Monsters backdrop. The last thing removed was those large header panel above the old backdrop with the 2 "cbs2chicago.com"s and CBS 2 logo on it and I think that just went straight into the trash. I don't think they plan on restoring that set at all anymore. Last thing anyone heard of being thrown around is if the station ever has the budget for it again, a completely new set that "better fits their needs". Management doesn't care for the streetside studio so I wouldn't be surprised if that ever came to be, it would be in the other studio. I have to agree the current setup isn't very functional as it is. They apparently don't care to replace/fix the non-functioning lighting on the set either anymore either.