Random WBBM Thread

[rkolsen 1686]

Here’s a direct link to the listing. 

 

Heres the blueprint taken directly from the lease brochure.  It appears that it’s pretty much the former studio space and doesn’t include bathrooms unless that’s what’s along the diagonal line. I assume that one big white area next what looks like a garage ramp is the current studio. 

 

Are these blacked out windows (where the supposed LED screen was to be) part of the CBS space or the second floor of the listing?

 

[Jay Russell 25]

20 grand a month and no bathroom wowwww

[Weeters 1969]

The space behind the area where the jumbotron was to go is the HVAC and lighting grid space. The other studio on the same floor (the big room on the right side of the floorplan) has a catwalk along one side, though I'm not sure if the streetside studio does. 

 

A bathroom would be fairly easy to plumb, since there's a set just right of the streetside studio The shaded ares marked NIC/Not In Contract seem to refer to this plan's original use as an office space furnishing plan (They seriously couldn't dig up a better floorplan??) Obviously you don't need office furniture in the bathroom so it's marked NIC.

[rkolsen 1686]

On 5/31/2019 at 2:55 AM, Weeters said:

 

A bathroom would be fairly easy to plumb, since there's a set just right of the streetside studio The shaded ares marked NIC/Not In Contract seem to refer to this plan's original use as an office space furnishing plan (They seriously couldn't dig up a better floorplan??) Obviously you don't need office furniture in the bathroom so it's marked NIC.

Is the NIC marked area the studio or the big white space next to what looks like a ramp?

[rkolsen 1686]

Here’s a better floor plan I’d say courtesy of the City of Chicago in 2015 (p. 6).

 

[Weeters 1969]

2 hours ago, rkolsen said:

Is the NIC marked area the studio or the big white space next to what looks like a ramp?

 

It's the big open space just left of the ramp space and right of the elevator banks.

 

2 hours ago, rkolsen said:

Here’s a better floor plan I’d say courtesy of the City of Chicago in 2015 (p. 6).

 

 

That's the entirety of the block, which does actually expose another oddity about the WBBM space: the only way to get extremely large items (i.e. large set pieces that wouldn't fit in an elevator from the docks below) in and out of the studios is through one of the Block 37 mall entrances. You can see the oversized doors next to the revolving door on Google Streetview, and on that plan you can see the large double doors leading into the hallway between the studios.

 

That mall entrance likely would have also been the audience staging area, had they ever landed the talk show or whatever they initially intended the current news studio to be used for.

[24994J 5629]

Derrick Blakely is retiring, and so goes one of CBS 2's best reporters. All the best to him.

 

https://www.robertfeder.com/2019/06/10/one-heck-ride-reporter-derrick-blakley-retiring-cbs-2/#more-21996

Edited June 11, 2019 by 24994J

[Georgie56 3326]

Question. Are the Price Is Right weather updates done live or prerecorded?

[brb588 114]

Ryan Baker is on in the morning providing a new update during CBS This Morning. Does this usually happen with him?

[okiechi 55]

1 hour ago, brb588 said:

Ryan Baker is on in the morning providing a new update during CBS This Morning. Does this usually happen with him?

 

Looks to be just for the week...

 

 

[MorningNews 1498]

It's really a shame that WBBM doesn't utilize the streetside studio at all anymore. It's initial iteration was beautiful. Does NBC 5 still have a streetside studio?

[Spring Rubber 716]

45 minutes ago, MorningNews said:

It's really a shame that WBBM doesn't utilize the streetside studio at all anymore. It's initial iteration was beautiful. Does NBC 5 still have a streetside studio?

Nope, NBC 5 terminated their lease on the streetside studio (it wasn't in their own building) back in 2012. ABC 7 is the only one in the market still using a streetside studio.

[Georgie56 3326]

Derrick Young is out.

[Spring Rubber 716]

And apparently they're not sure if they're going to replace him. I guess they'll just take the lean approach and have the anchors read the traffic?

[24994J 5629]

Did they ever have a fill-in traffic person, in Derrick's absence?

[Georgie56 3326]

50 minutes ago, 24994J said:

Did they ever have a fill-in traffic person, in Derrick's absence?

 

Ed Curran filled in from time to time.

[Jay Russell 25]

Yes anyone they can find just kidding kinda it’s usually Ed Curran or Robb Ellis

I’m just wondering was Derricks contract not renewed

[CircleSeven 1960]

Sounds like changes are ahead on the morning show.

 

 

 

[24994J 5629]

24 minutes ago, CircleSeven said:

Sounds like changes are ahead on the morning show.

 

I'm not necessarily against this. Baker appeared to be a competent newsreader when he filled in over the summer, and exudes infinitely more personality than Mike Puccinelli. Mike's a pro's pro reporter, but bland as hell on the desk. If I were to guess, Audrina's new role will likely set her up as a CBSN Chicago anchor, post-morning show. As for the new traffic anchor, she came from California, and it looks like she's already enjoying her time here.

 

Edited September 11, 2019 by 24994J

[Georgie56 3326]

So will Megan Mawicke be promoted to sports director?

[24994J 5629]

No reason why Megan wouldn't be. Matt Zahn has an online bio, so he's apparently in good position to succeed her. I'd imagine they'll look outside for a new 3rd, not a new lead.

[24994J 5629]

In addition to those moves, Dana Koslov and Megan Hickey get promotions.

 

https://www.bizjournals.com/chicago/news/2019/09/11/cbs-owned-channel-2-moves-ryan-baker-from-sports.html

[brb588 114]

It is more lucrative to be a morning anchor than the lead sport anchor? It seems like starting over to me.

[okiechi 55]

35 minutes ago, brb588 said:

It is more lucrative to be a morning anchor than the lead sport anchor? It seems like starting over to me.

 

In some stations/markets, it might be...but this is WBBM. They're in the throw-anything-at-the-wall-and-see-what-sticks phase, like it's going to do much for them anyway ratings-wise.

 

(And yet Black Rock hasn't done too much about it, sooo...)

[Jay Russell 25]

I don’t know if someone has brought this up in recent days, but WBBM’s old streetside studio has been stripped but I don’t understand why they have there video board turned of if they don’t even have a tenant.