WABC - 7 Eyewitness News

[MediaZone4K 2672]

10 hours ago, RealNews18 said:

To compare the “weight” of his name to the earlier anchors I don’t think is fair because times were a little different then, like now you can’t really compare names tho those in the 90s. 

I think even in this day and age certain local names still carry weight like Chuck Scarborough and Rosanna Scotto, Lori Stokes and even Sade. 

Edited 20 hours ago by MediaZone4K

[TVNewsLover 861]

I could tell that something was off with him the last few months. He seemed a little frail and forgetful. And then when Liz was off they started having subs. Hopefully treatments help and the progression is extremely slow. 
 

Curious as to who will succeed him at 6pm. On airtime alone, Sandra would appear to be the choice as she is only on for 1 hour each day, whereas Liz, Sade, and Mike all are on 1.5 hours, and David is on 2 hours. David, however, seems to be the most frequent fill-in. And I wouldn’t rule Mike out either. 

[tvnewsfan 7]

Awww not Bill. I’m not from New York but remember him as a reporter and anchor at KTTV right here in his hometown of Los Angeles back in the 90s, a great reporter back then. 
 

Bill was unique in that he was an Angeleno working in New York. Oftentimes, it’s New Yorkers who move to LA, but Bill anchoring the news in New York, you wouldn’t think he was a guy from the laid back aura of Southern California. He demonstrated poise, compassion, and grit, requirements to succeed in the intense environment of New York City.

 

Alzheimer’s is such an insidious disease, and for him to share this painful news and continue to work to report on it is a testament to his poise, compassion, and grit. I am hopeful his coverage gets national and global attention as he works persistently to raise awareness, empower people with this disease, their families, loved ones, caregivers, and communities working to find a better way. 
 

We have not seen the last of Bill.

[Vlad 408]

 

I just have to say its a bit heartbreaking and bittersweet to witness this moment. That moment when Bill Ritter decidedly left his post which such honor and dignity. Its a testament to who he is. He seems to be quite a remarkable human outside of the broadcasting space. He is well respected as we saw other outlets like WCBS, and others taking the time to mention this just is a testament to the amazing human he is.

 

Bill has had some tough shoes to fill when his namesake, Bill Beutel left the job to him 27 years ago. He did just that to the best of his ability. He did what he set out to do 27 years ago and now it is time for him to pass this baton along to the new generation as we were eluding to. He gave it his all.

Bill is a very special person for New Yorkers. His voice and his personality really was compelling. His reassurance with his warmth and personality, humility and dignity is not something we come across often in this industry and he had no shame in displaying that over the years. It made us feel like everything was going to be okay in the end with his delivery of the story. He is really pure and as wholesome as one can be and had such gravitas which I don't think anyone else has quite just yet its something that takes time to build and he certainly did that during his tenure at WABC. He truly upheld the high standard that his predecessor Bill Beutel (may he continue to rest in peace) passed on to Bill Ritter who he too now is passing on to the next. He's shown his vulnerability to us and is now seated with the other legends that we all knew and love. But for Bill its a little heartbreaking for me to see this because it kinda feels like he departed a little too soon. He certainly had a lot more to give and thats where it feels a bit sad for me. 

 

Over the years as a child and to this day as a near middle aged adult. Channel 7 was always on in the background, my parents would turn the channel it was a definitive part of my early life, and to this day I've always been a loyal viewer, the voices of these legends are etched in my memory and will always be forever. I've always knew that I was lucky to witness the professionalism this station continues to uphold the diversity and the professionalism of the individuals that work there it is a snapshot of what New York is at its best the diversity and the melting pot of different backgrounds coming together to deliver a product so profound which is why they continue to be the most watched station in the nation. WABC created a standard that help shaped the rest of this country and possibly the world. It brought me to these forums to have these compelling discussions about how these stations work behind the scenes and I really truly mean that.

 

Bill got us through some of our darkest times the unforgettable 9/11 attacks that changed our world today, the Blackout of 2003, Hurricane Sandy, COVID, these are the stories that shaped our city he delivered them with such grace. It is truly an end of an era as we know it with his departure, sure we will see other anchors and other personalities mold in the coming years but we will never quite see anyone like him again, he will be extraordinarily missed. Im glad he's going to remain with us while he shares his journey with us and hopefully he gets some more years to spend with his family and his beloved people in his life. Thank You Bill! 

 

Edited 12 hours ago by Vlad

[Encore 323 82]

Bill Ritter was and still is the face of Eyewitness News in the 21st century and there is no questioning that. Downstate New York, northern New Jersey, and southwest Connecticut residents opened the century in 2000 with him, closed the first quarter with him, and have already started the second quarter with him. Two of my aunties have been living there in the New York area (Borough Park, Brooklyn and Copiague, Suffolk County) since the early 1990s, and they have watched Ritter on both the network and local levels through the good and bad times. A lot of people get triggered when he inserts his opinions into the newscast, and their feelings are valid, but a lot of long tenured anchors tend to go off script a bit anyway, so I don’t really make it bother me. I hope his situation improves soon because Alzheimer’s disease is very destructive to one’s health.

Edited 8 hours ago by Encore 323

[Yankees4life 600]

Being old sucks, man.

 

Sad to see Bill go not on his own terms. Part of my childhood basically forced out of a job due to nature being an ass

Edited 9 hours ago by Yankees4life

[TheRolyPoly 3536]

Monday will be the first 6:00pm newscast on WABC-TV without a Bill sitting at the anchor desk permanently in nearly 56 years.

[Amra 193]

Very sad. My dad is suffering from dementia, so this announcement made me very sad. 

[Encore 323 82]

I know that Bill Ritter stepping down is the main issue of concern right now, but the Knicks just won the NBA Finals with a 94-90 win and Channel 7 is all hands on deck tonight with Sade Baderinwa and Mike Marza leading the coverage. I’m sure that this Knicks win will be putting a smile on Ritter’s face this weekend, especially with everything he is dealing with right now.

[swaggyboi128 4]

2, 4, 5, and 11 all have (or at least had as of midnight) special reports going in (2 4 and 5 leading out of their 11pm/late 10pm newscasts)...7 of course broadcasts the finals and thus their coverage is online-only until inside the NBA ends at which point Eyewitness News is scheduled

[MediaZone4K 2672]

7 minutes ago, swaggyboi128 said:

2, 4, 5, and 11 all have (or at least had as of midnight) special reports going in (2 4 and 5 leading out of their 11pm/late 10pm newscasts)...7 of course broadcasts the finals and thus their coverage is online-only until inside the NBA ends at which point Eyewitness News is scheduled

I wish Bill could've stayed through the Knicks win, one last happy NY story before the tragic circumstances forcing his retirement. 

[swaggyboi128 4]

41 minutes ago, MediaZone4K said:

I wish Bill could've stayed through the Knicks win, one last happy NY story before the tragic circumstances forcing his retirement. 

It is a shame, but perhaps given that it wasn't certain the knicks would win tonight until the final 8 seconds...I can see why he didn't wait...that and he probably wouldn't want to upstage them if he announced it immediately after.