ABC changing their logo; New graphics coming for ABC owned stations

[GraphicsMan 345]

Ugh I hate these changes at least KGO didn’t switch to Dispatch aka WABC theme.

[TheRolyPoly 3510]

KGO animates its logo at least in the open, unlike KABC, which has ignored it, despite the new modification.

[MorningNews 1711]

When did WABC’s theme get renamed to Dispatch?

[ns8401 995]

1 hour ago, MorningNews said:

When did WABC’s theme get renamed to Dispatch?

Dispatch is the name of that track in the music package.

[MediaZone4K 2661]

It's not a big deal at all, but I like the subtle differences in the ABC logo placements on the various Circle 7s. The audience likeky couldn't tell the difference but it was nice that we could. Dispatch is cool on WABC --but again-- it was unique in that it wasn't everywhere.

 

Since all of the national networks have been resurrecting classic themes, I'm hoping one of the ABC O&Os can bring back Cool Hand Luke.

[Vlad 406]

Yeah the audience really that would worry about these changes are really just us and the folks in the back-end. . The new circle 7 rollout is a bit of a mess though the websites and live streams for both KGO and KABC still have the older Circle 7 bug. Again probably nothing the average person would even care to notice, but us haha.

 

I also wonder what will KGO do with their website? As of now it is still branded as ABC7News.com despite their newscast now being called Eyewitness News. I think "abc7eyewitnessnews.com" would seem like a mouthful this day and age. 

Edited February 2 by Vlad

[NBC 5 Chicago 215]

I think we're overthinking this here. WLS's is still abc7chicago.com despite having Eyewitness News. Just my two cents but I don't think websites need to change just because of switching to the Eyewitness News branding. They're still ABC 7's...

[24994J 5888]

I do think KGO keeping ABC7 News as a brand online is not ideal, but that's a gripe I've had with them for years. Go all-in on ABC7 Bay Area best you can and call it a day.

[TheRolyPoly 3510]

I think ABC7BayArea.com would be just fine.

 

I mean, its not that hard to change it or go with that route.

[C Block 1611]

12 hours ago, 24994J said:

I do think KGO keeping ABC7 News as a brand online is not ideal, but that's a gripe I've had with them for years. Go all-in on ABC7 Bay Area best you can and call it a day.

 

This is what confuses me: the on-air brand changed without thought to the digital brand. If anything, in this day and age, there should be even less emphasis on TV branding. There has also been no explanation on air for the change from what I've seen. I get the sense that this was a reluctant and not super well-thought out change.

 

WABC and KABC still calling themselves Eyewitness News, I totally get. I didn't think WLS' change back to that brand was necessary at the time, but I get they did it for a throwback reason that may have resonated with their viewers. For KGO, the only honest reason for this change is "because New York, LA, and Chicago all do it and it makes sharing graphics easier," and that's a pretty lame reason.

[ns8401 995]

The app logos on the Apple TV apps for the O&O stations got a new look as well. Instead of just a blue background they now have a cityscape in an opaque silhouette of sorts specific to the market the station is in. New York for example has the Brooklyn bridge as part of its cityscape background. Interestingly New York and Chicago have the ABC logo dead center on the left side and the west coast stations have it in the lower left corner so they didn’t standardize here.

Edited February 4 by ns8401

[Weeters 2173]

On 2/2/2026 at 10:29 PM, C Block said:

 

This is what confuses me: the on-air brand changed without thought to the digital brand. If anything, in this day and age, there should be even less emphasis on TV branding. There has also been no explanation on air for the change from what I've seen. I get the sense that this was a reluctant and not super well-thought out change.

 

WABC and KABC still calling themselves Eyewitness News, I totally get. I didn't think WLS' change back to that brand was necessary at the time, but I get they did it for a throwback reason that may have resonated with their viewers. For KGO, the only honest reason for this change is "because New York, LA, and Chicago all do it and it makes sharing graphics easier," and that's a pretty lame reason.

 

You have to wonder if part of the CBS O&O "CBS News (city)"/callsign rebrands that happened under Wendy McMahon were driven by her time at ABC... Namely the ABC O&O stations collectively engaging in this strange branding self-sabotage, where they all seem to be trying to look like each other, to the point there's barely any distinction between them. Rebranding to "Eyewitness News" in 2026? Really?

 

We know there was some discussion about changing logos during the development of the ABC O&O graphics (including new logos entirely), and for a brief period this exact unification of Circle 7s was considered. Ultimately, the package launched with a compromise, where most everyone kept their version of the Circle 7 with a unified color palette. Now, years later, they unify on a logo, but go a step further and just roll out Eyewitness News in a market where it's totally unnecessary. "ABC7 Eyewitness News" is not a unique brand.

 

Not to mention that "Eyewitness News" remains an active trademark registered to CBS and "Action News" still belongs to Cox. It's quite strange for Disney of all companies to be stuck in this brand limbo, where they keep reinforcing the brands they don't own and not the ones that they do.

 

[bmasters1 432]

On 2/1/2026 at 11:28 PM, Vlad said:

Wow ABC really wants the ABC 7 logo to be consistent in their top tier stations. The KGO switch was totally left field. 

 

You bet-- never thought in my lifetime that KGO would be EWN there in San Francisco, just like w/the City of Angels (KABC), Windy City (WLS) and Big Apple (WABC). 

[GraphicsMan 345]

17 hours ago, bmasters1 said:

 

You bet-- never thought in my lifetime that KGO would be EWN there in San Francisco, just like w/the City of Angels (KABC), Windy City (WLS) and Big Apple (WABC). 

Well keep in mind WLS dropped "Eyewitness News" in 1997, and brought it back in 2013.  I never thought in my lifetime they bring that back either. 

[C Block 1611]

New mic flag today — either that, or it’s just one borrowed from another station down at the Super Bowl. 

[Vlad 406]

Wow just like WABC haha, one difference is that the ABC ball on the WABC circle 7 mic flags are still glossy and are the old ABC logo back in the mid 2010s when they had the glossy look. These are the ones they unveiled after the HD transition era. I remember when a few of the ABC O&Os adopted the "ABC 7 HD" for a hot moment in the late 2000s to early 2010s and thereafter, they returned back to their original early 2000s style one that they use today. Hopefully WABC gets a refresh on theirs, i've seen some of the ones that the reporters use, they are looking like they've seen better days lol.

 

Here's the one from the early 2000s

 

 

Here's one they used today:

 

 

Edited February 8 by Vlad

[MediaZone4K 2661]

On 2/3/2026 at 1:29 AM, C Block said:

 

This is what confuses me: the on-air brand changed without thought to the digital brand. If anything, in this day and age, there should be even less emphasis on TV branding. There has also been no explanation on air for the change from what I've seen. I get the sense that this was a reluctant and not super well-thought out change.

 

WABC and KABC still calling themselves Eyewitness News, I totally get. I didn't think WLS' change back to that brand was necessary at the time, but I get they did it for a throwback reason that may have resonated with their viewers. For KGO, the only honest reason for this change is "because New York, LA, and Chicago all do it and it makes sharing graphics easier," and that's a pretty lame reason.

 

On 2/4/2026 at 3:34 AM, Weeters said:

 

You have to wonder if part of the CBS O&O "CBS News (city)"/callsign rebrands that happened under Wendy McMahon were driven by her time at ABC... Namely the ABC O&O stations collectively engaging in this strange branding self-sabotage, where they all seem to be trying to look like each other, to the point there's barely any distinction between them. Rebranding to "Eyewitness News" in 2026? Really?

 

We know there was some discussion about changing logos during the development of the ABC O&O graphics (including new logos entirely), and for a brief period this exact unification of Circle 7s was considered. Ultimately, the package launched with a compromise, where most everyone kept their version of the Circle 7 with a unified color palette. Now, years later, they unify on a logo, but go a step further and just roll out Eyewitness News in a market where it's totally unnecessary. "ABC7 Eyewitness News" is not a unique brand.

 

Not to mention that "Eyewitness News" remains an active trademark registered to CBS and "Action News" still belongs to Cox. It's quite strange for Disney of all companies to be stuck in this brand limbo, where they keep reinforcing the brands they don't own and not the ones that they do.

 

Very identical. KABC simply refers to themself as ABC 7 on YouTube. There's been times at first glance I wasn't sure if I was watching them or KGO (not paying attention to story content).

 

I suppose WABC's Eyewitness News format was so successful that ABC wanted to duplicate that format across all the O&Os. Added bonus of many of the stations being on channel 7 to look extra identical. 

 

Interestingly since they're going for uniformity,  the flagship WABC still calls itself "Channel 7" and hasn't been returned to the brief "ABC 7" branding. 

Edited February 9 by MediaZone4K

[ns8401 995]

20 hours ago, MediaZone4K said:

 

Very identical. KABC simply refers to themself as ABC 7 on YouTube. There's been times at first glance I wasn't sure if I was watching them or KGO (not paying attention to story content).

 

I suppose WABC's Eyewitness News format was so successful that ABC wanted to duplicate that format across all the O&Os. Added bonus of many of the stations being on channel 7 to look extra identical. 

 

Interestingly since they're going for uniformity,  the flagship WABC still calls itself "Channel 7" and hasn't been returned to the brief "ABC 7" branding. 

The only other one of the original 5 that refers to itself as Channel 7 is the orphaned one. It’s kind of surprising cause you’d think “channel x” would be a pretty standard thing across local TV. I don’t know that it really made all that much sense to go to ABC 7 in the first place. By the time they did it everybody knew the channel lineup no matter what city you were in. 

Edited February 10 by ns8401

[Geoffrey 958]

On 2/8/2026 at 11:04 PM, MediaZone4K said:

I suppose WABC's Eyewitness News format was so successful that ABC wanted to duplicate that format across all the O&Os.

 

Is it really a format that they're using or simply a branded title?

[MediaZone4K 2661]

On 2/13/2026 at 6:59 PM, Geoffrey said:

 

Is it really a format that they're using or simply a branded title?

At the time it was a format. It was said that Eyewitness News emphasized faster pacing, reporters on scene, eyewitness reactions, anchor teams, and happy talk banter. Now that all newscasts have evolved to doing the same thing, Eyewitness News has been reduced to a title rather than a specialized format.

Edited February 17 by MediaZone4K

[Vlad 406]

Eyewitness News is a format that has evolved over the years. It originated in Philadelphia (KYW) and early on in New York, (WABC), emphasizing more detailed storytelling from the perspective of the reporter and their constituents out on the field, providing an Eyewitness accounts on the story rather than it being reported from the desk. It was more compelling and made the story itself more interesting than the traditional news often boring reading that was done prior to that format.

 

There is also Action News, also originating in Philadelphia (WPVI) which emphasized more faster paced news, with reporters still out on the field, but delivered at a faster pace, and timed, to allow more stories to be told and to cover a wider area. At the time of their debut there were distinct differences especially in the earlier days.

 

But today, unless you really attention and are laser focused, there are some elements derived from both formats, its a blend.  It's really kinda the same thing and Eyewitness News is just a title now rather than a format. Some stories are faster paced, some stories are slower depending on the context. Today, when I watch WPVI and WABC, who pioneered these formats, there is hardly a difference in their delivery and storytelling style maybe a few elements but they have loosened up a little bit. WPVI still kinda holds onto their Action News format with less reporting and more delivery, whereas WABC, embodies the storytelling from the field approach with the anchor introducing the story and the reporters telling the rest of the story.

 

 

Edited February 17 by Vlad

[MediaZone4K 2661]

On 2/17/2026 at 12:52 PM, Vlad said:

Eyewitness News is a format that has evolved over the years. It originated in Philadelphia (KYW) and early on in New York, (WABC), emphasizing more detailed storytelling from the perspective of the reporter and their constituents out on the field, providing an Eyewitness accounts on the story rather than it being reported from the desk. It was more compelling and made the story itself more interesting than the traditional news often boring reading that was done prior to that format.

 

There is also Action News, also originating in Philadelphia (WPVI) which emphasized more faster paced news, with reporters still out on the field, but delivered at a faster pace, and timed, to allow more stories to be told and to cover a wider area. At the time of their debut there were distinct differences especially in the earlier days.

 

But today, unless you really attention and are laser focused, there are some elements derived from both formats, its a blend.  It's really kinda the same thing and Eyewitness News is just a title now rather than a format. Some stories are faster paced, some stories are slower depending on the context. Today, when I watch WPVI and WABC, who pioneered these formats, there is hardly a difference in their delivery and storytelling style maybe a few elements but they have loosened up a little bit. WPVI still kinda holds onto their Action News format with less reporting and more delivery, whereas WABC, embodies the storytelling from the field approach with the anchor introducing the story and the reporters telling the rest of the story.

 

 

On the subject, a Roger Grimsby obituary from World News Now (1995) just to mind.

 

Kevin Newman basically said that though 1970 clips of WABC Eyewitness News looked similar to '95 newscasts, it set the standards for modern formatting. Anyway back to graphics...

 

 

 

Edited February 19 by MediaZone4K