WABC - 7 Eyewitness News

[FiveNews 372]

12 minutes ago, MorningNews said:

It wasn’t necessarily meant as a critique of the show by any means, just that these “looser” newscast experiments tend to revert back to more traditional formats after some time. 

I think KTLA Morning News and WGN Morning News may take umbrage witht his comment.

[MorningNews 1448]

2 hours ago, FiveNews said:

I think KTLA Morning News and WGN Morning News may take umbrage witht his comment.

It would be unwarranted because there’s nothing to take offense to in anything I said. Those two shows are not what WABC is looking to do at 10am.

[wabceyewitness 818]

I understand what @MorningNews is saying.  In the NYC market, these types of newscasts really do not successfully exist outside of GDNY and, like what they said, WABC could put a repeat of the 6am show on at 10am and the ratings would be fine. So, you have to wonder, if that’s the case, how long will station management continue pouring resources into a show that would do well and be profitable regardless of the format?  
 

That said, I think the consensus here is that this is a nice and fresh attempt at something different for WABC. Based off the first show, it’s being executed well. Hopefully it’s so successful that the format sticks and becomes an outlier compared to the traditional newscasts. 

Edited September 13, 2023 by wabceyewitness

[MediaZone4K 2172]

11 hours ago, NYNewsCoverage said:

I think Mike and Shirleen make a good pairing overall, and I think adding Sam as a 'third anchor' of sorts was a very smart move due to his credentials/name recognition. In terms of light newscasts, there seem to be quite a variety now:

-CBS 2 News at 9 with Cindy Hsu (more of a 'positive' newscast; not a huge fan of the forced back and forth with weather, like when the anchor would ask a question to segue weather reports instead of just a normal weather broadcast)

-New York Living (although that entire show completely changed vibes to be way lighter fare when they replaced Chris with Alex, but I will acknowledge Marysol and Alex gel very well)

-GDNY 9am hour (although this is an extension of GDNY it can be viewed as a new show somewhat)

 

But back to EWN I'm starting to think Dani is there to fill the void whenever Sam can't be, since I think* he takes off every Friday? So in that case, it makes sense to market the newscast as 4 people as opposed to 3 when 1 is consistently off on a certain day. 

It seems like they are slowly preparing for the new look but it will debut sometime this Fall, (sigh) hopefully. 

And let's add the (not quite newscast, but locally produced) New York Live at 11:30am on WNBC. It's not half bad and I would take that as a full hour at 2pm instead of Dateline.

 

I'm glad to have Sam in a hosting role. SPECULATION AHEAD: I'm sure Sam would love to be back on GMA, but since they have someone, this is a great slot for his personality. Morning meteorologist and Co host on the #1 station.

 

I definitely would have updated the set and graphics to debut a new show, but as others have said, they plan on moving HQ so at least update the graphics. 

 

Hopefully 7 doesn't revert to a traditional newscast. In this saturated market, format diversity is needed. Ironically, light news is itself becoming saturated as every station in NYC does it now, lol. 

Edited September 13, 2023 by MediaZone4K

[mountainave 606]

8 hours ago, wabceyewitness said:

I understand what @MorningNews is saying.  In the NYC market, these types of newscasts really do not successfully exist outside of GDNY and, like what they said, WABC could put a repeat of the 6am show on at 10am and the ratings would be fine. So, you have to wonder, if that’s the case, how long will station management continue pouring resources into a show that would do well and be profitable regardless of the format?  
 

That said, I think the consensus here is that this is a nice and fresh attempt at something different for WABC. Based off the first show, it’s being executed well. Hopefully it’s so successful that the format sticks and becomes an outlier compared to the traditional newscasts. 

I would agree if there were resources being poured into the show, but... they bought an extra table.  They're paying producers and anchors more for working an extra hour, but they'd have to do that regardless of format. 

 

I agree that it's a nice, fresh attempt.  So far, at least.  I'll be interested in how the production evolves over the next few months, if at all.

[Geoffrey 860]

1 hour ago, mountainave said:

I would agree if there were resources being poured into the show, but... they bought an extra table.  They're paying producers and anchors more for working an extra hour, but they'd have to do that regardless of format. 

 

I agree with your overall point, but just wanted to clarify that an hour of television is not just one hour of work for producers, writers and anyone else involved in it.

[mountainave 606]

4 minutes ago, Geoffrey said:

 

I agree with your overall point, but just wanted to clarify that an hour of television is not just one hour of work for producers, writers and anyone else involved in it.

I meant to convey that they didn't hire an entire cohort of new employees just for this show.  They gave some promotions and are paying others to work longer to cover the show.  You're right that 1 hour of TV =/= 1 hour of work, though in this case several of the stories that air are recycled.  My overall point is that it is not a gargantuan undertaking in either time or money for WABC to produce this show.

[nynewsguy 66]

13 hours ago, MediaZone4K said:

definitely would have updated the set and graphics to debut a new show, but as others have said, they plan on moving HQ so at least update the graphics. 

New graphics and music package are coming soon - no new set though. That will be when the move to Hudson Square is complete. 

[MediaZone4K 2172]

9 minutes ago, nynewsguy said:

New graphics and music package are coming soon - no new set though. That will be when the move to Hudson Square is complete. 

Cool Hand Luke please!!! Otherwise keep the current theme.

[DMA 135]

After three days of watching the show (WFH life...), I have to say I think Mornings at 10 is a really solid hour. I really like the vibe of "it's 10am and the city is humming along, let's check in with our teams across the city" for more informal live reports (e.g. helicopter report of a protest in the Financial District,  or a reporter standing by at City Hall), followed by some live topical discussion over b-roll,  lighter banter, and weather and interview segments. A lot of the other personality-driven lighter local programs in the market (NY Living on WPIX, NY Live on WNBC) rely more on in-studio interviews/segments, recorded reports, with lives relegated to Ben Aaron-style goofy site visits, so the energy of Mornings at 10 definitely stands out. 

 

Personality wise, I really think Sam has the best presence, I think Shirleen and Mike seem a little more wooden with the banter but maybe they'll warm up with time. I would have picked Sandra or Michelle over Shirleen for this role personally, but overall the team is fine. My one complaint is that the interview segments for the first two days were softball discussions with Eric Adams and the Chancellor, which I think could have had a bit more WNYC-style rigor, but that's just me. It didn't feel like the type of interview that would be on Up Close, so it did feel pretty inconsistent with the EWN brand. 

 

 

[nynewsguy 66]

36 minutes ago, DMA said:

Personality wise, I really think Sam has the best presence, I think Shirleen and Mike seem a little more wooden with the banter but maybe they'll warm up with time. I would have picked Sandra or Michelle

Should have definitely been Michelle for this show. Would have truly set it apart. Shirleen is stiff and has always come across as fake.  Put Michelle in that chair, you have a show that would actually be a true NY version of “Live”. 

Sam brings years of hosting experience and is solid in his role. Don’t forget that before he moved to GMA, he would often fill-in for Regis on LIVE. 

[Vlad 325]

On 9/13/2023 at 9:36 PM, nynewsguy said:

New graphics and music package are coming soon - no new set though. That will be when the move to Hudson Square is complete. 

 

@nynewsguy - The music, that we heard for the opens for "Mornings at 10" is that part of the new music package? It didn't have the distinct Eyewitness News signature so was just curious.

[Muppetman03 31]

It seems Sam hosts Monday - Friday for Mornings @ 10

[24994J 5575]

20 minutes ago, Muppetman03 said:

It seems Sam hosts Monday - Friday for Mornings @ 10

 

Not necessarily. The show didn't launch til Tuesday, and I don't think he was on on Monday, at all, this week.

[Muppetman03 31]

Yeah i'm now realizing that

[nynewsguy 66]

On 9/15/2023 at 9:50 AM, Vlad said:

 

@nynewsguy - The music, that we heard for the opens for "Mornings at 10" is that part of the new music package? It didn't have the distinct Eyewitness News signature so was just curious.

Nope. The current mornings at 10 music isn’t part of the larger redesign. 

[Vlad 325]

I just gotta re-emphasize, wow. The Mornings at 10 show is really nice. Such a great show! It's been on for about 7 days now, what's nice about the show is that it really shows the personality of the presenters and in some ways, we get access to see really what the on-air staff thinks. It's just a more relaxed show. And I absolutely love the chatter between the presenters during and in between stories too. Really is a nicer vibe. We get to see them weigh their opinions on the topics a bit more. And in some cases, there are sides to the reporters and presenters that I've never seen before up till this show started so really nice work WABC for really not just delivering more in-depth stories that are compelling but allowing the presenters to put a bit more of their own spin on it. I hope they also allow others to sub in as well.

 

So refreshing for WABC! Today we saw Nina Pineda's side and view of the story they are very real. It's like "Happy Talk" that we all know and love but on a whole other level.

 

As alluded to in an earlier, post, while it's not a show that is intended to be groundbreaking or high in the ratings, it's still a great show for the office too, or if you are at home working, you have it playing in the background and streaming. It's reminiscent of the "View" format where the hosts themselves share their ideas and thoughts on the story and even during the live reports you can see more time spent and you just hear more of the input of the reporter which I think is great but still holdings on to the Eyewitness News live reports. 

 

Maybe they can evolve it more in the future, maybe do an "on-location" broadcast or have it outside or in different parts of the city. I really hope they play around and try different things with this show, either way, it looks great! Kudos to WABC for putting this great show together! Mike, Shirleen and Sam are a solid group.

Edited September 21, 2023 by Vlad

[wabceyewitness 818]

Have to agree.  Kudos to the producers and station management for going out on a limb and trying something truly new and refreshing for EWN. It feels like a local version of GMA combined with “Live”. 
 

Honestly didn’t expect much when they initially announced it. Thought it would be just another standard newscast with some extra fluff like “First @ 4” but the same old EWN format, music, graphics and staging. 

 

Love the content, staging, music, graphics etc. It’s great local, live, morning television. 

 

 

[MorningNews 1448]

SIAP but I like them using a different talent open that features just Shirleen, Mike and Dani today since Sam is not on Fridays. 
 

It’s small and insignificant but it always annoyed me that EWN This Morning used the talent opens with Sam on Fridays.

Edited September 22, 2023 by MorningNews

[mountainave 606]

Derick Waller is leaving WABC.  He attributes it to the difficulties of working the early shift.

 

 

[Vlad 325]

 

So sad to see Derrick Go! Definitely a class act and he was just extraordinary at delivering the news. He's gonna be missed, hope he gets to anchor chair in New York some day.

 

 

Something I noticed today during the 10AM show commercial break:

 

 

 

 

Noticed this new wordmark for an Eyewitness News promotion for Climate Change during the 10AM show. Could this be a glimpse of their upcoming new look? At first I thought it was KABC because they have the same wordmark, but then I noticed the ABC 7 logo is WABC's. But in the promotion it looks like the locations in the video are in California, so it to me looks like it could either be something that KABC is producing for WABC but slapping WABC's ABC 7 logo, or is it an element from the upcoming new graphics? 

 

 

Edited September 27, 2023 by Vlad

[MediaZone4K 2172]

Circling back to an earlier discussion of Bill Ritter's editorializing, and someone's characterization of Eyewitness News NY as tabloid, I'm realizing the station has a long *history of editorialized or colorful language in reports. 

 

Look at John Johnson's report on NYC's urban *decay from 1978 from (9:46-11:13). "We spend 20 million where SHOULD be spending $500 Million." "Pieces of rot..", "It hurts to tell you we have only allocated less than half a billion this year". "The Woolworth building is just a symbol that makes us more noble than Peoria, and the city of New York goes begging." Fantastic descriptive language that doesn't dull the report, bull still a testy step into opinion. 

There was this report on John Gotti's conviction. Jim Dolan's classification of the jury as "12 courageous New Yorkers..." or Bill Beutel saying he can "only look at the moon through jailhouse bars". Again colorful language that makes the report interesting. Some could argue tabloid. Some could argue a testy step into editorializing. 

 

Edited November 18, 2023 by MediaZone4K

[nycnewsjunkie 1439]

6 hours ago, MediaZone4K said:

Circling back to an earlier discussion of Bill Ritter's editorializing, and someone's characterization of Eyewitness News NY as tabloid, I'm realizing the station has a long his of editorialized or colorful langue in reports. 

 

Look at John Johnson's report on NYC's urban dey from 1978 from 9:46-11:13. "We spend 20 million when where SHOULD be spending $500 Million." "Pieces of rot..", "It hurts to tell you we have only allocated less than half a billion this year". "The Woolworth building is just a symbol that makes us more noble than Peoria, and the city of New York goes begging." Fantastic descriptive language that don't dull the report, bull still a testy step into opinion. 

There was this report on John Gotti's conviction. Jim Dolan's classification of the jury as "12 courageous New Yorkers..." or Bill Beutel saying he can "only look at the moon through jailhouse bars". Again colorful language that makes the report interesting. Some could argue tabloid. Some could argue a testy rip and to editorializing. 

 

Interesting. I guess I never realized how much of a common practice editorializing always was at WABC. That clip of John Johnson is a very good example of that. YMMV on how much of a good thing that is, but I agree that it certainly adds a spice (for lack of a better word) to their newscasts that the competing stations don’t have.

 

No wonder a character like Bill Bonds did so well at WXYZ with the same format; his newscasts were basically “Eyewitness News” on steroids (newscast titles notwithstanding).

Edited September 27, 2023 by nycnewsjunkie

[wabceyewitness 818]

9 hours ago, mountainave said:

Derick Waller is leaving WABC.  He attributes it to the difficulties of working the early shift.

 

 

 

too bad that he is leaving… I am assuming he approached station management and asked for different hours but they did not offer it or could not reach an agreement. 

[sfomspphl 490]

8 hours ago, Vlad said:

 

So sad to see Derrick Go! Definitely a class act and he was just extraordinary at delivering the news. He's gonna be missed, hope he gets to anchor chair in New York some day.

 

 

Something I noticed today during the 10AM show commercial break:

 

 

 

 

Noticed this new wordmark for an Eyewitness News promotion for Climate Change during the 10AM show. Could this be a glimpse of their upcoming new look? At first I thought it was KABC because they have the same wordmark, but then I noticed the ABC 7 logo is WABC's. But in the promotion it looks like the locations in the video are in California, so it to me looks like it could either be something that KABC is producing for WABC but slapping WABC's ABC 7 logo, or is it an element from the upcoming new graphics? 

 

 

 

They've had the current masthead for so long...over 35 years, it's like if the New York Times or WSJ decided to change its masthead. 

 

There's something unmistakably New York and urgent about the legacy masthead. Their call, not mine. 

Edited September 27, 2023 by sfomspphl