ChiCubsFan 33 Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 You've gotta be kidding me. Or as hawk harrelson would say- YOUVE GOTTA BE BLEEPING ME!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChiCubsFan 33 Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 I thought the goal was to have Demetrius eventually take over for Skilling, especially considering that as long as Tom's health holds up, he'll probably keep doing his job until he no longer can. By that point, Demetrius should be seasoned enough to take over, especially if Tom keeps working for another 5-10 years. If WFLD was my only option, I'd be on the next flight out of town. Skilling will die in his weather center. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex979 118 Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Feder has a story up. http://www.robertfeder.com/2015/01/23/abc-7-weather-front-blows-out-mike-caplan/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TVNewsLover 727 Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 I feel like ABC O&Os weekday on-air staffs are bloated in general: WABC - 7 anchors, 2 weather, 1 sports KABC - 7 anchors, 2 weather, 1 sports WLS - 8 anchors (was 9), 4 weather (now 3), 2 sports WPVI - 8 anchors (10 if you count Sharrie Williams and Alicia Viterelli), 4 weather (3 if you don't count Karen Rogers), 2 sports KGO - 6 anchors (NORMAL!!), 3 weather, 1 sports (NORMAL!!) KTRK - 8 anchors, 3 weather, 1 sports No need for a million anchors. 2 anchor teams (4 people) in the evenings, 1 anchor team in the morning (2 people) for a total of 6 people. 1 for weather in the morning/noon, and 1 for 4,5,6, and 10/11, for a total of 2 weather people for weekdays, And you only one sports person needed for evenings. Just my two cents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24994J 5276 Posted January 23, 2015 Author Share Posted January 23, 2015 I'm not sure how much of the Feder article you all can see, but be prepared to hold onto your hula hoops... "Jennifer Graves, vice president and news director of ABC 7, is expected to announce new assignments Friday for the weather staff that includes Scott, chief meteorologist Jerry Taft, Tracy Butler and Phil Schwarz. Taft recently extended his contract through July 2016." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ns8401 846 Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 I feel like ABC O&Os weekday on-air staffs are bloated in general: WABC - 7 anchors, 2 weather, 1 sports KABC - 7 anchors, 2 weather, 1 sports WLS - 8 anchors (was 9), 4 weather (now 3), 2 sports WPVI - 8 anchors (10 if you count Sharrie Williams and Alicia Viterelli), 4 weather (3 if you don't count Karen Rogers), 2 sports KGO - 6 anchors (NORMAL!!), 3 weather, 1 sports (NORMAL!!) KTRK - 8 anchors, 3 weather, 1 sports No need for a million anchors. 2 anchor teams (4 people) in the evenings, 1 anchor team in the morning (2 people) for a total of 6 people. 1 for weather in the morning/noon, and 1 for 4,5,6, and 10/11, for a total of 2 weather people for weekdays, And you only one sports person needed for evenings. Just my two cents. I don't think more than 6 anchors, 2 weather and 1 sports is completely uncommon in larger markets... For Example here in Detroit: WJBK: 6 Anchors, 2 Weather, 1 Sports WDIV: 7 Anchors, 2 Weather, 1 Sports WXYZ: 9 Anchors, 3 Weather, 1 Sports Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TVNewsLover 727 Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 I don't think more than 6 anchors, 2 weather and 1 sports is completely uncommon in larger markets... For Example here in Detroit: WJBK: 6 Anchors, 2 Weather, 1 Sports WDIV: 7 Anchors, 2 Weather, 1 Sports WXYZ: 9 Anchors, 3 Weather, 1 Sports I know it's not uncommon in larger markets. I guess I'm saying it's not needed, especially since other stations in those markets do just as well with less. And when you have a bigger cast and times get tough, it just makes it harder when you have to let someone go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24994J 5276 Posted January 23, 2015 Author Share Posted January 23, 2015 I do agree that many of those rosters are bloated, however, most of the 6 stations that were listed there are very talent-centric, with most anchors having been around for decades. From my experience, people seem to watch ABC 7 out of habit, and because of the personalities. Look at social media, the comment sections, etc, and it's noticeable that, when compared to WMAQ and especially WBBM, viewers feel a greater connection to the WLS people, likely due to longer tenures and familiarity. Chopping that down to fit a silly quota set forth by some guys on the internet is irresponsible, and could lead to a legitimate loss of viewers. Let's say WLS dumped Taft, Rose, Burton and Sanders today. That would leave 6 anchors, 2 meteorologists, and a sports guy. Perfect! They're running a tighter ship, and everybody's happy! Wrong. Aren't the viewers going to feel a little betrayed, and what about morale in the newsroom? We all know what happened at WCBS in '96, and many say they still haven't recovered. The point is that many of the large ABC stations are in transition, especially WLS and likely WPVI (at some point), and having and 'out with the old' mentality rarely works, so instead of filling the airwaves with untested talent, the bosses are creating a mix of old and new that keeps a station's heritage intact, while preparing for the future. And, in the case of WLS, keep in mind that just 15 years ago, WLS was operating with 22 full-time news, weather, traffic and sports anchors across weekdays and weekends. Twelve of those remain at the desk, plus 1 shifting to reporting, and another being let go just yesterday, totaling a current full-time roster of 20. That equates to a net loss of two anchors, and a restructured weather schedule. No matter how you slice it, they're one of the few stations to have cut back since the turn of the century when compared to its sisters and closest competitors, despite expanding their schedule over time. Do they still have some trimming to do? Probably, but it has to happen over time. This roster will look a lot more different within 3 years, guaranteed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24994J 5276 Posted January 23, 2015 Author Share Posted January 23, 2015 CONFIRMED: Cheryl will succeed Mike at 4. She will also assume the 5 o'clock duties, leaving Jerry with the 6 and 10 shows (and the chief meteorologist moniker), a move that I can't imagine he would really object to at this point in his career. http://www.robertfeder.com/2015/01/23/cheryl-scott-takes-over-afternoon-weather-on-abc-7/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TVNewsLover 727 Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 I do agree that many of those rosters are bloated, however, most of the 6 stations that were listed there are very talent-centric, with most anchors having been around for decades. From my experience, people seem to watch ABC 7 out of habit, and because of the personalities. Look at social media, the comment sections, etc, and it's noticeable that, when compared to WMAQ and especially WBBM, viewers feel a greater connection to the WLS people, likely due to longer tenures and familiarity. Chopping that down to fit a silly quota set forth by some guys on the internet is irresponsible, and could lead to a legitimate loss of viewers. Let's say WLS dumped Taft, Rose, Burton and Sanders today. That would leave 6 anchors, 2 meteorologists, and a sports guy. Perfect! They're running a tighter ship, and everybody's happy! Wrong. Aren't the viewers going to feel a little betrayed, and what about morale in the newsroom? We all know what happened at WCBS in '96, and many say they still haven't recovered. The point is that many of the large ABC stations are in transition, especially WLS and likely WPVI (at some point), and having and 'out with the old' mentality rarely works, so instead of filling the airwaves with untested talent, the bosses are creating a mix of old and new that keeps a station's heritage intact, while preparing for the future. And, in the case of WLS, keep in mind that just 15 years ago, WLS was operating with 22 full-time news, weather, traffic and sports anchors across weekdays and weekends. Twelve of those remain at the desk, plus 1 shifting to reporting, and another being let go just yesterday, totaling a current full-time roster of 20. That equates to a net loss of two anchors, and a restructured weather schedule. No matter how you slice it, they're one of the few stations to have cut back since the turn of the century when compared to its sisters and closest competitors, despite expanding their schedule over time. Do they still have some trimming to do? Probably, but it has to happen over time. This roster will look a lot more different within 3 years, guaranteed. I get what you are saying. In no way am I suggesting they should trim the cast just to meet a quota. If WPVI cut Jim, Monica, and Rick just to meet a quota, there would be a firestorm of complaints. What I am suggesting is, when Jerry decides to retire, they don't need to hire someone separate, Cheryl Scott can handle all evening newscasts. If Mark and/or Jim retire, one person can handle the weeknight sports duties. When Ron retires, Alan and Hosea can split the male anchor evening duties between them. When Linda retires, Kathy and Cheryl can split the female anchor evening duties among them (although I imagine the plan is to bring Judy to evenings, and bring in Tanja for mornings). That's all I'm saying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24994J 5276 Posted January 23, 2015 Author Share Posted January 23, 2015 I get what you are saying. In no way am I suggesting they should trim the cast just to meet a quota. If WPVI cut Jim, Monica, and Rick just to meet a quota, there would be a firestorm of complaints. What I am suggesting is, when Jerry decides to retire, they don't need to hire someone separate, Cheryl Scott can handle all evening newscasts. If Mark and/or Jim retire, one person can handle the weeknight sports duties. When Ron retires, Alan and Hosea can split the male anchor evening duties between them. When Linda retires, Kathy and Cheryl can split the female anchor evening duties among them (although I imagine the plan is to bring Judy to evenings, and bring in Tanja for mornings). That's all I'm saying. I completely agree with that plan, actually, but I also agree that Judy will likely get the 4, but it wouldn't surprise me at all if Phil somehow moves to weekdays. As for the sports anchor role, Mark seemed a little annoyed on the radio last week about doing 25 sportscasts plus other segments this week, so I'd imagine that 4 o'clock sports would get dumped at some point. At this point, though, even if people aren't thrilled with Cheryl as heir apparent, at least she'll be surrounded by a solid team. On the other side of the desk, I think the next big challenge is sports, because while Rafer was clearly being groomed to succeed Giangreco, I just cannot see Dionne taking on the sports director role in the future as capably as Weigel would have...and it has nothing to do with gender. I'm just glad that the 10pm show seems to be solid for now, because I (for some silly reason) put together a 26 minute resync of themes to that talent open. I also have a hodgepodge of opens to post, but I'll hold off on that until things settle down. SEE Y'ALL IN 2018!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ns8401 846 Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 I completely agree with that plan, actually, but I also agree that Judy will likely get the 4, but it wouldn't surprise me at all if Phil somehow moves to weekdays. As for the sports anchor role, Mark seemed a little annoyed on the radio last week about doing 25 sportscasts plus other segments this week, so I'd imagine that 4 o'clock sports would get dumped at some point. At this point, though, even if people aren't thrilled with Cheryl as heir apparent, at least she'll be surrounded by a solid team. On the other side of the desk, I think the next big challenge is sports, because while Rafer was clearly being groomed to succeed Giangreco, I just cannot see Dionne taking on the sports director role in the future as capably as Weigel would have...and it has nothing to do with gender. I'm just glad that the 10pm show seems to be solid for now, because I (for some silly reason) put together a 26 minute resync of themes to that talent open. I also have a hodgepodge of opens to post, but I'll hold off on that until things settle down. SEE Y'ALL IN 2018!!! More New talent opens! I wonder how long it'll take for them to use them? This is a fairly linear move by 7, only a year and a half of Jerry laughing during weather at 10 to go and counting. Cheryl needs to do a ton of work on her on-air presence if she's gonna do all this and then succeed Jerry. She simply isn't that good right now and the inexperience delivering weather shows. If they change enough stuff and get rid of enough longtime folks in a short time (2-3 years) it will not end well. I don't know if Cheryl could drag the 4 and 5 down a tad or not. TV may be gone by 2018... Maybe one day you'll be posting clips at the flurried rate I do... How did you manage to put a 26 minute video together? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24994J 5276 Posted January 23, 2015 Author Share Posted January 23, 2015 Pretty much any theme that was used by ABC 7, combined with some rejected themes, alternative cuts, promo cues, and stuff used by the other O&Os. If something couldn't be cut down into the 15-18 second cut for an open, I wouldn't include it, but I made a few exceptions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChiCubsFan 33 Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 My opinion: We all saw this day coming, even though they said it wouldn't. Mike caplan is one of the best, not only at WLS, but in Chicago (next to skilling, of course) I'm guessing he's around 50-55 years old so he doesn't have a lot of his career left. His prime is over. It would be nice to see him on WGN Midday News and giving Tom the Evening at 9pm news. I wish nothing but the best for Mike, and nothing but the worst for WLS because they had it coming when they first got rid of Sylvia Perez. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BehindNYNews 143 Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 And so it begins. Cheryl on at 4pm now. Have to say, she's doing a lot better than when she started. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24994J 5276 Posted January 23, 2015 Author Share Posted January 23, 2015 I have to admit that I agree. There are still several nuances in her presentation that I don't like, but she seems to have upped her game in her first month on the air. Maybe she's fully realizing the stakes of this opportunity and is trying to live up to expectations. After everything that's happened in the last 19 hours, I still wish her the best in this endeavor. Oh, and Judy's in for Linda, so we'll see who's on at 7 tonight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChiCubsFan 33 Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Most likely who ever is on the 5/6 o'clock news. Either Kathy or Cheryl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jase 818 Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 And so it begins. Cheryl on at 4pm now. Have to say, she's doing a lot better than when she started. We still have to see how she handles major weather storms and the like. She seemed a bit lost during a major rain event last year (or the year before) when the entire NBC 5 storm team was on-air and everyone had to produce (if you will). Luckly she has Jerry for another year, but she is going against (either directly or indirectly) weather vets like Skilling, Miller and Baskerville and I am not sure she will ever be good enough in some people's eyes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24994J 5276 Posted January 23, 2015 Author Share Posted January 23, 2015 I was thinking, at one point last fall, when the hiring of Scott was first rumored, many speculated that the ABC 7 job is not much more than a resume booster, something to keep her busy until either coast comes calling. If that is the case at some point, could this whole ordeal ultimately work in Tracy and/or Phil's favor? Wrap your head around that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24994J 5276 Posted January 23, 2015 Author Share Posted January 23, 2015 Mark seemed a little annoyed on the radio last week about doing 25 sportscasts plus other segments this week Just now..."We have 55 shows a day now! What is this, CNN?" Waddle: "Are you ready for the 7?" Mark: "I'M NOT READY FOR 6!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex979 118 Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 My opinion: We all saw this day coming, even though they said it wouldn't. Mike caplan is one of the best, not only at WLS, but in Chicago (next to skilling, of course) I'm guessing he's around 50-55 years old so he doesn't have a lot of his career left. His prime is over. It would be nice to see him on WGN Midday News and giving Tom the Evening at 9pm news. I wish nothing but the best for Mike, and nothing but the worst for WLS because they had it coming when they first got rid of Sylvia Perez. I agree that WGN is Caplan's best option if he wants to stay on TV in Chicago. However, I think it would be more likely that he would get weekend evenings, as Jim Ramsey is probably nearing retirement. Also, Mike could have more time for the photography he's been doing on the side. In my opinion, a good setup would be Tom only on evening and nine o'clock, with Demetrius getting all of midday and becoming the primary backup for Skilling, in position to take over for Tom some day. However.... Is Demetrius willing to wait, though? Frankly, I know it could be career suicide for the bosses, but I can't help but feel like something personnel-wise is going to go down soon on WGN Morning News, but that's for another thread. I could also see newlyweds Demetrius and Erin taking off for a slightly smaller market, where D could be chief meteorologist and Erin could be an anchor. But now I'm getting off topic. As for tonight at 7pm, I would be shocked if they had Judy on. She started anchoring at 4:30am; having her do 4pm is a bit of a stretch, and 7pm would be pretty ridiculous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24994J 5276 Posted January 24, 2015 Author Share Posted January 24, 2015 Who had Hosea and Stacey? Anybody? Anybody? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jase 818 Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 I was thinking, at one point last fall, when the hiring of Scott was first rumored, many speculated that the ABC 7 job is not much more than a resume booster, something to keep her busy until either coast comes calling. If that is the case at some point, could this whole ordeal ultimately work in Tracy and/or Phil's favor? Wrap your head around that one. No one from WLS has gone on to bigger and better things (ABC, NBC, CNN, etc..). She would have been better positioned to grow and move on had she waited her turn at WMAQ. Even tho she is not directly responsible for Mike's departure, people will hold that against her and that may hurt her image. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ns8401 846 Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 No one from WLS has gone on to bigger and better things (ABC, NBC, CNN, etc..). She would have been better positioned to grow and move on had she waited her turn at WMAQ. Even tho she is not directly responsible for Mike's departure, people will hold that against her and that may hurt her image. Eric Horng? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spring Rubber 611 Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 My opinion: We all saw this day coming, even though they said it wouldn't. Mike caplan is one of the best, not only at WLS, but in Chicago (next to skilling, of course) I'm guessing he's around 50-55 years old so he doesn't have a lot of his career left. His prime is over. It would be nice to see him on WGN Midday News and giving Tom the Evening at 9pm news. I wish nothing but the best for Mike, and nothing but the worst for WLS because they had it coming when they first got rid of Sylvia Perez. This comment plus the earlier comments about only needing one evening meteorologist brings up the point that I was thinking about last weekend: It doesn't make sense that every time Tom Skilling takes a two week vacation that Jim Ramsey should have to work 16 straight days with no time off (well this time around, Jim did 15 consecutive days and then took off the final Sunday before Tom got back, and they called in Tim McGill to fill in). It just doesn't make any damn sense that at least once a year (usually twice, IIRC), Jim, at his age, should be working 16 consecutive days because the station only has two evening meteorologists. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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