WABC - 7 Eyewitness News

[abc7 Man 71]

West coast ABC7 logo on winter hat. I remember when they updated the website template and had the west coast version of the logo which was understood as site builder just needing to update the logo from the site template they used. But in this instance, someone has to actively order this hat.
 

Obviously, it’s not the biggest of deals, but it’s funny to notice these things.

[NYTV 138]

On 12/26/2025 at 8:36 AM, abc7 Man said:

West coast ABC7 logo on winter hat. I remember when they updated the website template and had the west coast version of the logo which was understood as site builder just needing to update the logo from the site template they used. But in this instance, someone has to actively order this hat.
 

Obviously, it’s not the biggest of deals, but it’s funny to notice these things.

Probably kept it from her KABC days. I recall Tim McNicholas reporting for WCBS while wearing a WBBM CBS 2 jacket. 

Edited January 16 by NYTV

[abc7 Man 71]

59 minutes ago, NYTV said:

Probably kept it from her KABC days. I recall Tim McNichols reporting for WCBS while wearing a WBBM CBS 2 jacket. 

Oh… Didn’t realize such a hat would be needed in LA. Lol.

[wabceyewitness 855]

8 hours ago, abc7 Man said:

Oh… Didn’t realize such a hat would be needed in LA. Lol.

Besides that it can sometimes get chilly in LA, areas of Southern California like Big Bear, Lake Arrowhead, and the rest of the San Bernardino and San Gabriel mountains often get snow — enough for ski and snowboarding. 

Edited December 26, 2025 by wabceyewitness

[Vlad 406]

On 12/26/2025 at 6:22 PM, wabceyewitness said:

Besides that it can sometimes get chilly in LA, areas of Southern California like Big Bear, Lake Arrowhead, and the rest of the San Bernardino and San Gabriel mountains often get snow — enough for ski and snowboarding. 

 

Very much indeed! They pretty much have all the same types of weather we get here, only difference is they have to drive further to experience it, haha. Whereas over here, it just comes to us at 4 distinct times of the year haha. Maybe Jaysha can put the hat to good use, when KABC needs her to cover a live breaking story from New York as a nod to her former location haha.

Edited December 30, 2025 by Vlad

[mountainave 618]

https://www.detpress.com/abcnews/pressrelease/perry-russom-named-abc-news-correspondent-and-wabc-tv-weekend-morning-co-anchor/

[Encore 323 79]

1 hour ago, mountainave said:

https://www.detpress.com/abcnews/pressrelease/perry-russom-named-abc-news-correspondent-and-wabc-tv-weekend-morning-co-anchor/

I wish that they gave it to Toni Yates because she has always been a steady fill-in presence for years and is loved by many viewers but Perry Russom is more youthful and has a higher profile with him also being a national correspondent, so it makes sense. 
Russom has a stiff and serious personality at times, and being a network correspondent requires some toughness but he has been able to lighten up a bit when he filled in a few times on Eyewitness News This Morning, so he is still not a bad choice.

[MorningNews 1711]

Meh. I was really enjoying the Chantee/Toni rotation on Saturdays and Sundays.

[Vlad 406]

Yeah they should've put either Toni or Chantee there in my opinion. I just think they want a fresh face. Toni Yates has been with WABC since 2006 and she's been filling in on the weekends for I want to say at least 10 years now so she has the tenure. Which leads me to think that they just want someone else for the role.

[24994J 5888]

I love how many times y'all have gotten your hopes up for Toni over the years, to get burned EVERY time. It's my favorite every 3-to-5-year tradition.

[RealNews18 271]

Do we possibly think Toni doesn’t want it? I mean yeah helping out when needed, but maybe doesn’t want to work weekends? I wouldn’t blame her. She def deserves it tho! 

[GraphicsMan 345]

This might be going far. Maybe we should go and ask Toni if she wants to anchor weekend mornings.

9 hours ago, Vlad said:

Yeah they should've put either Toni or Chantee there in my opinion. I just think they want a fresh face. Toni Yates has been with WABC since 2006 and she's been filling in on the weekends for I want to say at least 10 years now so she has the tenure. Which leads me to think that they just want someone else for the role.

She was a anchor in Philly before New York so maybe she doesn’t want another run.

[newsdude 68]

On 1/15/2026 at 8:19 PM, Encore 323 said:

I wish that they gave it to Toni Yates because she has always been a steady fill-in presence for years and is loved by many viewers but Perry Russom is more youthful and has a higher profile with him also being a national correspondent, so it makes sense. 
Russom has a stiff and serious personality at times, and being a network correspondent requires some toughness but he has been able to lighten up a bit when he filled in a few times on Eyewitness News This Morning, so he is still not a bad choice.

Russom is painful to watch on the desk. 

[GraphicsMan 345]

2 hours ago, newsdude said:

Russom is painful to watch on the desk. 

I don’t know how his work schedule will look like that’s 2 full time jobs.

[TVNewsLover 861]

18 hours ago, RealNews18 said:

Do we possibly think Toni doesn’t want it? I mean yeah helping out when needed, but maybe doesn’t want to work weekends? I wouldn’t blame her. She def deserves it tho! 

It could also be that WABC wants a male-female pairing as the permanent duo. 

[GraphicsMan 345]

On 1/17/2026 at 9:53 AM, TVNewsLover said:

It could also be that WABC wants a male-female pairing as the permanent duo. 

Diana and Sade were a team for almost 15 years that’s non sense. Either Toni doesn’t want it or they keep passing her over.

[24994J 5888]

1 hour ago, GraphicsMan said:

Diana and Sade were a team for almost 15 years that’s non sense.

 

Current bosses' decisions in 2026 might differ from former bosses' decisions in 2003. Crazy thought, I know.

[TVNewsLover 861]

5 hours ago, GraphicsMan said:

Diana and Sade were a team for almost 15 years that’s non sense. Either Toni doesn’t want it or they keep passing her over.

Bill Beutel and Roger Grimsby were a pair for almost 16 years. Your point? Just because management has gone with same-sex pairs in the past, doesn’t mean that that’s what they were looking for here.
 

Also, the Diana Sade pairing didn’t exactly come about because there was an opening and they decided they wanted two females to anchor together.  Diana decided she wanted to scale back her schedule so they moved her to the 5 PM, pairing her with the more senior anchor of Roz Abrams, and pushing aside the junior anchor of Rob Hanrahan, and then when Roz left, she was replaced by Sade who just prior was brought in without a show to anchor and displaced Lori at noon. 
 

Anyway, I didn’t say it was definitively the reason, just a possibility. 

[HanSolo 467]

14 hours ago, 24994J said:

 

Current bosses' decisions in 2026 might differ from former bosses' decisions in 2003. Crazy thought, I know.

This is spot on. Setting aside that bosses do change, even the same boss can look at the entirety of the business picture in front of them (costs, staff, competition, etc) and make a surface-level different decision that is in no way contradictory to past decisions. The circumstances and data can be different. 

[Nynewsguy7 23]

This has been in the making for weeks. It was down to Perry and Ike Ejiochi.
 

Part of moving everyone together into the same building, studios on 4 and newsroom on 6, was to combine resources and this is an example of that.  
 

I’m sure you have all seen the frequent appearances of ABC network talent on local since the move. Most notably would probably be Aaron Katersky and Darian Sutton. 

Conversely, the same with weather - Lee doing WNT W-F, and Dani or Jeff doing weekend evenings. It’s all part of creative cost savings - which we all need to do as the landscape changes. 

Perry will continue to contribute to network 3 days a week - but eventually his role at local will grow. 

Some 411 - Toni does not want a regular anchor slot. She enjoys her role in NJ and being close to home. She’s always happy to help wherever needed - but she likes her weekends to spend with her boys. 

Edited January 19 by Nynewsguy7

[TheRolyPoly 3510]

5 hours ago, Nynewsguy7 said:

This has been in the making for weeks. It was down to Perry and Ike Ejiochi.
 

Part of moving everyone together into the same building, studios on 4 and newsroom on 6, was to combine resources and this is an example of that.  
 

I’m sure you have all seen the frequent appearances of ABC network talent on local since the move. Most notably would probably be Aaron Katersky and Darian Sutton. 

Conversely, the same with weather - Lee doing WNT W-F, and Dani or Jeff doing weekend evenings. It’s all part of creative cost savings - which we all need to do as the landscape changes. 

Perry will continue to contribute to network 3 days a week - but eventually his role at local will grow. 

Some 411 - Toni does not want a regular anchor slot. She enjoys her role in NJ and being close to home. She’s always happy to help wherever needed - but she likes her weekends to spend with her boys. 

 

This is amazing information, thank you! It finally gives greater clarity as to why Toni is not on weekend mornings and its because she doesn't want to!

 

But she is excellent with Michelle and I think she'll be more than happy to remain as a fill in there whenever she wants to.

[MorningNews 1711]

Yeah it’s clear that Toni herself isn’t interested in the role. She’s the station’s New Jersey reporter and has been the primary fill-in for weekend mornings for 10-15 years now.

 

Michelle on the other hand responded to fan comments online that she wanted the weekday morning spot after filling in for an extended period when Ken Rosario was fired. 

[abc7 Man 71]

ABC7’s previous home is gone.

[Action Newsroom 1376]

1 hour ago, abc7 Man said:

ABC7’s previous home is gone.

As someone who went to tapings of Live (3 times) and The View (multiple times), and saw inside WABC's streetside studio each time (including once when I waved to two female anchors [and they waved back to me]), this really breaks my heart.

[Vlad 406]

Aw, I echo your sentiments @Action Newsroom. 

 

I remember the first time when I saw WABC's streetside studio, I had driven from my home out in Long Island and parked right next to it, sometime in 2013, to view the weekend evening newscast. In the more recent years of now living in the city i'd always get off the 1 to just stand by it. It's really breathtaking how in less than a year after its final broadcast, a building so rich and filled with history, now completely gutted. The streetside studio was nice, shame ABC no longer has any external facing studios anymore. (Times Square is also gone too)   All in all, this is an end of an era. It's one of those moments in life when one doesn't realize how special something was until after its gone for good so yeah, its really heartbreaking indeed. .

Edited January 23 by Vlad