WABC - 7 Eyewitness News

[MediaZone4K 2172]

1 hour ago, Encore 323 said:

All the petty arguments on the forum need to be let behind in 2024 and start fresh in 2025 by focusing only on WABC in this thread and respecting decisions to air less news on certain holidays. Have a nice New Year everyone.

Agreed. To put things in perspective, do we really need to be arguing about something as arbitrary as news anchor vacation time. IMO No.

Edited January 1 by MediaZone4K

[Vlad 325]

Seeing Shirleen Alicot anchor the New Year's Eve broadcast was nice. When Bill inevitably retires, I could see her being a future 11 p.m. anchor; she has the poise and presence. Maybe Mike and Shirleen in the evenings? 

Edited January 2 by Vlad

[RealNews18 204]

5 hours ago, Vlad said:

Seeing Shirleen Alicot anchor the New Year's Eve broadcast was nice. When Bill inevitably retires, I could see her being a future 11 p.m. anchor; she has the poise and presence. Maybe Mike and Shirleen in the evenings? 

Shirleen won’t be moving off mornings. She’s the “face” of mornings for WABC. Mike and Sade will be the 5 and 11, can’t see it being any other way. 

[Daybreak 288]

I’m excited for the move to Hudson Yards in the next month. The plan is to move them before the May sweeps for sure. Some may move before the February sweeps if things go well. 

[TheRolyPoly 2409]

12 hours ago, Vlad said:

Seeing Shirleen Alicot anchor the New Year's Eve broadcast was nice. When Bill inevitably retires, I could see her being a future 11 p.m. anchor; she has the poise and presence. Maybe Mike and Shirleen in the evenings? 

 

Yeah I was surprised in a YT video and was like... huh?! She must've either been tired or only did the 10pm that day (since 11pm was the NYE from ABC).

[MediaZone4K 2172]

WABC put together a pretty comprehensive half hour special on congestion pricing. I presume this aired at either 12:30 or 4:30 p.m. on a weekday?

 

https://youtu.be/QJ1HcUEtJco?si=mzpRCOA63_DDpkwm

Edited January 6 by MediaZone4K

[24994J 5575]

2 minutes ago, MediaZone4K said:

WABC put together a pretty comprehensive half hour special on congestion pricing. I presume this aired at either 12:30 or 4:30 p.m. on a weekday?

 

https://youtu.be/QJ1HcUEtJco?si=mzpRCOA63_DDpkwm

 

5:30pm, it appears.

[MediaZone4K 2172]

Was thinking that too, but I saw David and Sandra together which threw me off.

[24994J 5575]

They teased the 6 o'clock news coming up, at the end.

[MorningNews 1448]

They occasionally produce specials on key topics a handful of times a year and they always air as a special edition of the 5:30pm broadcast. 

[NYAZSporty 128]

Looks like WABC will be starting to move into the new Disney space at 7 Hudson Square pretty soon. 

 

[Vlad 325]

Gonna miss their outgoing space so very dearly. I remember when they moved to the street-side on Columbus Ave in 2011. It was a refreshing moment for them. I remember driving there from Long Island and parking the car just beside the studio just to get a star-stricken glimpse of the anchors haha. I think it was during the weekend so I saw Jeff Smith, Joe Torres, and Sandra Bookman at the time seated there.

 

But it's been more than 10 years in the studio so it makes sense for them to refresh again, hopefully, they'll get a nicer look, hopefully, a bit brighter this time than their previous look. But they used that space pretty well all in all so will be nice to see what the future holds for them at their new space at 7 Hudson Square.

 

[MisterBill 99]

9 hours ago, Vlad said:

But it's been more than 10 years in the studio so it makes sense for them to refresh again, hopefully, they'll get a nicer look, hopefully, a bit brighter this time than their previous look. But they used that space pretty well all in all so will be nice to see what the future holds for them at their new space at 7 Hudson Square.

 

And now they'll be in the congestion pricing zone, which they were not at the current studio. It's been mildly amusing seeing reporters who you know are going to be affected by it do stories about it. Fox5 will be the only one outside the zone.

Edited January 7 by MisterBill

[NowBergen 681]

5 hours ago, MisterBill said:

 

And now they'll be in the congestion pricing zone, which they were not at the current studio. It's been mildly amusing seeing reporters who you know are going to be affected by it do stories about it. Fox5 will be the only one outside the zone.

Companies will see the MTA Money Grab as a cost of doing business, just like regular tolls on bridges, tunnels, parkways and turnpikes.  As long as Disney (Paramount, NBCU, Nexstar, oops, I mean Mission and Fox) reimburse employees when covering stories the impact is more palatable to producing and on air staff.  The one's getting hurt are those that have to commute into the city via private vehicles that don't normally get reimbursed for tolls.  I would think many of them already take mass transit.

[Vlad 325]

Yeah there is a lot of hidden opposition in the reporting there is a bit of resentment in it across the board on all of the news stations.

[MorningNews 1448]

Irrespective of one’s own opinions on congestion pricing, I’m surprised at the lack of MTA perspective in most reporting. Most reporting I’ve caught over the last few weeks focuses entirely on the citizen’s angst or support about the tolls and does little to share why the MTA is implementing them.

[NowBergen 681]

1 hour ago, MorningNews said:

Irrespective of one’s own opinions on congestion pricing, I’m surprised at the lack of MTA perspective in most reporting. Most reporting I’ve caught over the last few weeks focuses entirely on the citizen’s angst or support about the tolls and does little to share why the MTA is implementing them.

 

It doesn't help the head of the MTA doesn't seem to live in reality.  But that goes beyond discussion on this board and its primary focus.

[IceManNYR 240]

Kelly Ripa was responding to a viewer comment, who thought they were in the new studio, noting they were still in the old studio and would be moving to the new studio at the end of March.

[wabceyewitness 818]

WABC has started airing weekday morning news promos showing the team of Shirleen Allicott and Pedro Rivera, signaling the move Mike Marza to a later time slot as Bill Ritter prepares to cut back.  The promo oddly ends showing Shirleen and Mike together (with the rest of the morning team), sans Pedro. 

[wabceyewitness 818]

On 1/7/2025 at 7:45 PM, wabceyewitness said:

WABC has started airing weekday morning news promos showing the team of Shirleen Allicott and Pedro Rivera, signaling the move Mike Marza to a later time slot as Bill Ritter prepares to cut back.  The promo oddly ends showing Shirleen and Mike together (with the rest of the morning team), sans Pedro. 

 

caught this promo again… just a few minutes after another promo aired showcasing Shirleen, Mike and the morning team. 
 

[RealNews18 204]

On 1/7/2025 at 7:45 PM, wabceyewitness said:

WABC has started airing weekday morning news promos showing the team of Shirleen Allicott and Pedro Rivera, signaling the move Mike Marza to a later time slot as Bill Ritter prepares to cut back.  The promo oddly ends showing Shirleen and Mike together (with the rest of the morning team), sans Pedro. 

It seems what they do is “recap” especially the 10am show in promos, each day, regardless of who’s on, same for EWNTM. But promos still air with the main team. According to other posts it seems they’re moving next month? Do we see the anchor teams flipping then or does Bill wait til after February? And just to confirm… Mike will be doing the 5 and 11 when this happens? Pedro AMs and 10? 

[MediaZone4K 2172]

On 1/7/2025 at 6:50 AM, NowBergen said:

Companies will see the MTA Money Grab as a cost of doing business, just like regular tolls on bridges, tunnels, parkways and turnpikes.  As long as Disney (Paramount, NBCU, Nexstar, oops, I mean Mission and Fox) reimburse employees when covering stories the impact is more palatable to producing and on air staff.  The one's getting hurt are those that have to commute into the city via private vehicles that don't normally get reimbursed for tolls.  I would think many of them already take mass transit.

I would think the anchor talent gets picked up but the reporters I've spoken with in field definitely have to drop themselves home.

On 1/7/2025 at 4:20 PM, MorningNews said:

Irrespective of one’s own opinions on congestion pricing, I’m surprised at the lack of MTA perspective in most reporting. Most reporting I’ve caught over the last few weeks focuses entirely on the citizen’s angst or support about the tolls and does little to share why the MTA is implementing them.

From most stations I have seen the point hammered that the MTA is doing this to raise revenue for Subway repairs as well as ease traffic gridlock. Josh Eineger even went all the way to England to assess how congestion pricing worked out for London.

 

But I do agree that there is a negative undertone for congestion pricing coverage. I think it's because the proposition is that unpopular in New York City it's bleeding into reporting. 

[newsdude 58]

On 1/9/2025 at 12:43 AM, MediaZone4K said:

I would think the anchor talent gets picked up but the reporters I've spoken with in field definitely have to drop themselves home.

On 1/7/2025 at 4:20 PM, MorningNews said:

Times have changed. That's no longer the case for most local anchors.

[MediaZone4K 2172]

47 minutes ago, newsdude said:

Times have changed. That's no longer the case for most local anchors.

Wow!

 

And To clarify I assumed anchors were still picked up in BIG markets. Mid to small markets definitely not. 

[wabceyewitness 818]

5 hours ago, MediaZone4K said:

Wow!

 

And To clarify I assumed anchors were still picked up in BIG markets. Mid to small markets definitely not. 

certainly a thing of the past.