WABC - 7 Eyewitness News

[Nynewsguy7 12]

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. 

 

[TheRolyPoly 2412]

At least the longest-running anchoring duo in WABC-TV history will be around for a little while longer.

[TVNewsLover 779]

6 hours ago, Nynewsguy7 said:

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. 

 

Will they look to outside to fill Pedro’s spot on weekend mornings, or will Toni or Lauren be promoted?

[GraphicsMan 114]

10 hours ago, Nynewsguy7 said:

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. 

 

Wonder how the talent order will go will it be Sade Baderwina and Mike Marza or Mike Marza and Sade Baderwina at 5pm and 11pm coming next year. Maybe they'll be no talent open since they both will spilt the “lead anchors” role.

[MediaZone4K 2172]

10 hours ago, Nynewsguy7 said:

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. 

 

I didn't realize how old Bill was until he started graying a few years ago. It will be weird watching the six and not having Bill there. To think Chuck Scarborough will (hopefully) still outlast him.

37 minutes ago, GraphicsMan said:

Wonder how the talent order will go will it be Sade Baderwina and Mike Marza or Mike Marza and Sade Baderwina at 5pm and 11pm coming next year. Maybe they'll be no talent open since they both will spilt the “lead anchors” role.

As much as we hate anchor predictions, simplest solution:

 

David/Sandra Noon

David/Liz 4 & 6

Mike/Sade 5 & 11pm

[GraphicsMan 114]

1 hour ago, MediaZone4K said:

I didn't realize how old Bill was until he started graying a few years ago. It will be weird watching the six and not having Bill there. To think Chuck Scarborough will (hopefully) still outlast him.

As much as we hate anchor predictions, simplest solution:

 

David/Sandra Noon

David/Liz 4 & 6

Mike/Sade 5 & 11pm

I still don't like how there “lead anchor” in local news what’s the point of that? Do they have a say in the newscast I can never get an explanation from anyone in the business. That is why I ask about talent order because my questions aren't being answered.

[24994J 5575]

2 hours ago, MediaZone4K said:

It will be weird watching the six and not having Bill there.

 

It says he'll remain at 6 for awhile. A few years is a long time for a soon-to-be 81-year-old like Chuck, so lasting longer than Bill is no guarantee.

[MorningNews 1448]

This was the plan a few years ago right until Bill pushed back to stay after the election? 
 

Good moves for both Mike and Pedro. 

[MediaZone4K 2172]

3 hours ago, GraphicsMan said:

I still don't like how there “lead anchor” in local news what’s the point of that? Do they have a say in the newscast I can never get an explanation from anyone in the business. That is why I ask about talent order because my questions aren't being answered.

I see your point. Lead/primary anchor is more defined on national news. That person hosts and managing edits the evening news, is called into anchor special reports, and leads election night coverage.

 

In local news, whatever anchors are in the building typically take up special reports, with less emphasis on specific anchors leading coverage. Whoever the pm team is typically does election night. Bill has a co-anchor on all of his broadcasts so his "lead" status is not as obvious. Not sure, but I'm guessing a producer managing edits 6&11, not Ritter.

 

Lead implies power or prominence over other anchors. IMO, Bill Ritter was always one of an ensemble rather than a lead.

Edited October 5, 2024 by MediaZone4K

[TVNewsLover 779]

5 hours ago, MediaZone4K said:

I didn't realize how old Bill was until he started graying a few years ago. It will be weird watching the six and not having Bill there. To think Chuck Scarborough will (hopefully) still outlast him.

As much as we hate anchor predictions, simplest solution:

 

David/Sandra Noon

David/Liz 4 & 6

Mike/Sade 5 & 11pm

I could see Sandra retiring in a few years. She’s got to be in her mid 60s. At that point, it makes the most sense to have David/Liz do Noon/5pm, with Mike/Sade doing 4pm/6pm/11pm, giving each pair 2 hours of airtime. An alternative would be swapping the 4pm and 5pm between the pairs. 
 

As far as who gets top billing, it most definitely will be Sade, because she’s been with the station longer and on those respective shows longer.

[MediaZone4K 2172]

5 hours ago, TVNewsLover said:

I could see Sandra retiring in a few years. She’s got to be in her mid 60s. At that point, it makes the most sense to have David/Liz do Noon/5pm, with Mike/Sade doing 4pm/6pm/11pm, giving each pair 2 hours of airtime. An alternative would be swapping the 4pm and 5pm between the pairs. 

David Navarro, 65 is older than Sandra, 64. Both could leave in a few years.

 

Going well past 65 is not uncommon for  handsomely paid news anchors, but agreed that retirements are probably on the horizon.

 

WABC has the strongest anchor lineup in the market, not one weak pairing! The sad part is, many of those anchors are approaching retirement age (Ritter, Bookman, Novarro, Torres, Champion) not to mention a host of veteran reporters aswell.

Edited October 5, 2024 by MediaZone4K

[TheNewsTV 253]

I would like to see a Sade and Liz duo, like it was at 5pm years ago with Sade and Tappy.

Since we are projecting years ahead, I think Pedro Riveira and Shirleen should replace Sandra and David in the near future.

[Nynewsguy7 12]

8 hours ago, MediaZone4K said:

I see your point. Lead/primary anchor is more defined on national news. That person hosts and managing edits the evening news, is called into anchor special reports, and leads election night coverage.

 

In local news, whatever anchors are in the building typically take up special reports, with less emphasis on specific anchors leading coverage. Whoever the pm team is typically does election night. Bill has a co-anchor on all of his broadcasts so his "lead" status is not as obvious. Not sure, but I'm guessing a producer managing edits 6&11, not Ritter.

 

Lead implies power or prominence over other anchors. IMO, Bill Ritter was always one of an ensemble rather than a lead.

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. 
 

 

[Big Rollo Smokes 260]

3 hours ago, TheNewsTV said:

I would like to see a Sade and Liz duo, like it was at 5pm years ago with Sade and Tappy.

 

You meant Sade and Diana Williams. Tappy Phillips never anchored at channel 7.

[ns8401 941]

On 10/5/2024 at 4:23 AM, MediaZone4K said:

David Navarro, 65 is older than Sandra, 64. Both could leave in a few years.

 

Going well past 65 is not uncommon for  handsomely paid news anchors, but agreed that retirements are probably on the horizon.

 

WABC has the strongest anchor lineup in the market, not one weak pairing! The sad part is, many of those anchors are approaching retirement age (Ritter, Bookman, Novarro, Torres, Champion) not to mention a host of veteran reporters aswell.

Going past 65 isn’t uncommon. Neither is staying past your expiration date. 

[MediaZone4K 2172]

3 hours ago, ns8401 said:

Going past 65 isn’t uncommon. Neither is staying past your expiration date. 

I can agree as long as you are not associating being a certain age with needing to quit. 

 

If ratings are low and an older anchor with a maxed out salary is not moving the needle, that's a legitimate reason to go. If there are mental or physical ailments preventing the anchor from doing their job effectively, that's a reason for them to go. 

 

But simply being over 65 is not ---not saying you're saying this, but this is a common attitude.

 

Sidebar, if age is a factor, I'm surprised they took Sandra off weekends for a weekday slot. Then again, noon is the least consequential broadcast.

Edited October 7, 2024 by MediaZone4K

[ns8401 941]

On 10/7/2024 at 6:32 PM, MediaZone4K said:

I can agree as long as you are not associating being a certain age with needing to quit. 

 

If ratings are low and an older anchor with a maxed out salary is not moving the needle, that's a legitimate reason to go. If there are mental or physical ailments preventing the anchor from doing their job effectively, that's a reason for them to go. 

 

But simply being over 65 is not ---not saying you're saying this, but this is a common attitude.

 

Sidebar, if age is a factor, I'm surprised they took Sandra off weekends for a weekday slot. Then again, noon is the least consequential broadcast.

It’s not so much being a certain age… but there comes a time when you just look at them and listen to the delivery and you can tell it’s probably time to hang it up. We had several legacy O&O people at WXYZ in Detroit get forcibly retired that way as a cost cutting thing. But several of them just weren’t themselves anymore and couldn’t read the room apparently. Most were pushing 60-70 at the time. The downside to that is if you don’t plan well and end up with no real established second line of people. The ratings never recovered and that was 15 years ago now. ABC’s stations seem to avoid that particular pitfall fairly well. 

Edited October 9, 2024 by ns8401

[MediaZone4K 2172]

9 hours ago, ns8401 said:

It’s not so much being a certain age… but there comes a time when you just look at them and listen to the delivery and you can tell it’s probably time to hang it up. We had several legacy O&O people at WXYZ in Detroit get forcibly retired that way as a cost cutting thing. But several of them just weren’t themselves anymore and couldn’t read the room apparently. Most were pushing 60-70 at the time. The downside to that is if you don’t plan well and end up with no real established second line of people. The ratings never recovered and that was 15 years ago now. ABC’s stations seem to avoid that particular pitfall fairly well. 

I can agree with that. If their delivery is declining and their appearance becomes disheveled, that's a good reason to hang it up. I'm just very careful of telling older people we don't want to see them anymore.

 

Conversely, I've seen stations tell talent that they look too young to be taken seriously. It might be off-putting to see someone who looks 17 talking about retirement savings, but again, work should come down to ability and job performance over years lived.

Edited October 9, 2024 by MediaZone4K

[ns8401 941]

1 hour ago, MediaZone4K said:

I can agree with that. If their delivery is declining and their appearance becomes disheveled, that's a good reason to hang it up. I'm just very careful of telling older people we don't want to see them anymore.

 

Conversely, I've seen stations tell talent that they look too young to be taken seriously. It might be off-putting to see someone who looks 17 talking about retirement savings, but again, work should come down to ability and job performance over years lived.

It should and on say news radio it absolutely does. But being a visual medium the elephant in the room is looks and presentation whether that’s good or bad. 

[IceManNYR 240]

For those wondering why Sam was off,

Eyewitness News' Sam Champion shares his skin cancer treatment journey - ABC7 New York (abc7ny.com)

[mountainave 606]

ABC O&O websites received a small facelift that brightens them a bit.  More white.  Blues are more royal than navy.

[sfomspphl 490]

Mike’s a likable broadcaster who played well in KC. Maybe I need to watch more but does he have the gravitas to hold the baton from Grimsby, Beutel, and Ritter? 

 

Years back I figured Torres was the heir apparent but can see he doesn’t have the 20-30 year runway Ritter had. 

 

I guess Ritter was a “soft” GMA weekend guy who hardened for EWN but he also had deep pipes like Torres. Not sure Marza  has that. 

 

Josh Einiger has age runway, the pipes and serious delivery but so good in the field and maybe he has zero desk desire. But he seems closer to the NYC vibe and gravitas that made Ritter successful. 

 

 

Edited October 21, 2024 by sfomspphl

[NYNewsCoverage 300]

28 minutes ago, sfomspphl said:

Mike’s a likable broadcaster who played well in KC. Maybe I need to watch more but does he have the gravitas to hold the baton from Grimsby, Beutel, and Ritter? 

 

Years back I figured Torres was the heir apparent but can see he doesn’t have the 20-30 year runway Ritter had. 

 

I guess Ritter was a “soft” GMA weekend guy who hardened for EWN but he also had deep pipes like Torres. Not sure Marza  has that. 

 

Josh Einiger has age runway, the pipes and serious delivery but so good in the field and maybe he has zero desk desire. But he seems closer to the NYC vibe and gravitas that made Ritter successful. 

 

 

I must say I agree with this assessment, I do not see Mike as Bill's successor but that is only my opinion. I would much prefer David Novarro; Mike seems a good fit for the mornings now with Shirleen and I don't think they'd want to mess that up. But reality does seem to suggest that they are grooming Mike for that position (by frequently having him appear on the Friday 11pm in addition to his morning shift.) Another wildcard would be to bring out Phil Lipof back to WABC in a more prestigious role although I don't see them doing that.

Edited October 21, 2024 by NYNewsCoverage

[MorningNews 1448]

I mean, every newscast he’s on is the most watched. Seems apparent New Yorkers think he’s good enough.

Edited October 21, 2024 by MorningNews

[RealNews18 204]

I think he’s good. I actually think he’s a little better fit for the evenings rather than the mornings and they are clearly exposing him to viewers at all times so he will be well known and I think most viewers will adjust quickly.

 

The mornings is what I’m not sure about. I know someone mention Pedro Rivera joining the desk with Shirleen but watching him a few times on weekdays (don’t really watch weekends much) I don’t know he’s the best fit there.