WCBS Mistakes through the years.

[nynewsguy 66]

Well, we all know the problems which have plagued WCBS for years (and that's no exaggeration). The biggest problem seems to be constant turnover in talent and management, along with the lack of a constant image.

 

Obviously one of the sets in 46 is getting another makeover. Guess it's time for another image change?

 

Anyway, point of the post is this - Friend made a big mistake in releasing Roz from her contract. She's a huge talent with a big name here in NY. It's not just because I used to work with her, but it's the truth.

 

Up until her departure from WABC, you could ask anyone on the street to name a person on channel 7. Undoubtably, the answer was always "Roz Abrams". (this was after Bill Beutel retired) - before his retirement, his name was usually first, but hers was a close second.

 

WCBS lured her over, with promises which were never fullfilled. Honestly, I'm happy she's getting to sit home and make money - because she deserves it. Channel 2 gave her the shaft - and unfairly so. Granted, WABC gave Roz the shaft when they hired Liz for 11PM when she asked for it, but the Cho appointment ended up being a great one.

 

The problem for Roz was bringing Jim Rosenfield over from channel 4. He should have never been paired with Roz at 5PM. The two of them at 11 wasn't a big issue, but the 5PM show was never a draw on WNBC with Rosenfield, and it wasn't at CBS with him either.

 

Calvi should have been paired with Roz at 5 from the beginning. And if any of the woman should have gone, it really should have been Dana. The woman has been there for 17 years and besides the 2 years she was with Stephen Clark, her ratings have had less of a pulse then roadkill.

 

Another huge HUGE mistake was dragging Kristine Johnson over for weekdays? I mean, who the hell made that decision? A total disaster, from day #1. Roz and Chris could have made a great team. Chris is actually proving himself to be a team player with talent - but Kristine Johnson is just as awful as Dana Tyler is. Kate Sullivan is better then both of them in my eyes - she does a great job at 5PM on WCBS.

 

Look, CBS mornings have been a graveyard since Captain Kangaroo retired. Kristine Johnson belongs there, if anywhere.

 

For all you Cindy Hsu fans - nice lady, with talent, but again, like Dana Tyler, not a draw. She used to do well at noon only because of the lead in from TPIR. Even that went away now - and it went away when she was still anchoring at noon. How about Maurice? zzzZZZzzz... I thought the morning shows were supposed to wake you up, not put you back to sleep?

 

Anyway, should have put Calvi on mornings with Maurice. They aren't terrible together.

Chris and Kate Sullivan at noon.

Chris and Roz at 5PM

Jim and Kate Sullivan at 6PM

Roz and Jim at 11.

 

Buh Bye Dana Tyler - or back to weekends, where she belonged from the beginning when she started.

As for Kristine Johnson - weekend AM with Cindy Hsu. Kirsten Cole doesn't deserve to be anywhere inside a studio - the woman is a backstabbing, icequeen, B*TCH. No joke, ask anyone. She should be out covering every hurricane, snow storm, tsunami, anywhere she'll be cold and wet. ;-) Actually, I say she go back to TV55 on Long Island and deal with the likes of Richard Rose. We all know how she landed that job.....

 

Anyway - just a rant I felt like going on before getting ready to go to work today. It's not a WCBS hatefest, just common sense.

[civic110 10]

I understand the rant and rave, and I agree....but do we really need to re-hash all of this over and over and over and over again?

[NYNews 54]

I understand the rant and rave, and I agree....but do we really need to re-hash all of this over and over and over and over again?

 

yeah, i think this topic has been gone over too many times already, and it's not like they're going to listen to us.

 

For all you Cindy Hsu fans - nice lady, with talent, but again, like Dana Tyler, not a draw. She used to do well at noon only because of the lead in from TPIR. Even that went away now - and it went away when she was still anchoring at noon. How about Maurice? zzzZZZzzz... I thought the morning shows were supposed to wake you up, not put you back to sleep?

 

I have to disagree, i'm not saying the TPIR doesn't have an impact, but the ratings went down the drain when Maurice came on board. WCBS' biggest mistake, hiring Maurice, Kristine and even Mary (should have stayed a reporter). And to be frank Roz wasn't drawing in ratings either. So i guess their both wrong, Roz for taking the job, and WCBS for offering her a position thinking they can take viewers away from WABC.

[cbs2idiots 21]

They brought in Star anchor Ernie Anastos, Roz Abrams, Jim Ryan who suppose to be well known and more popular than Dana Tyler and Cindy Hsu and where did the ratings go, no where. Its not the anchors its the whole CBS network that need to be evaluated because they cater for only the elderly and a certain type of race. Quite frankly I dont seen any young people watching CBS.

 

nynewsguy Dont blame Cindy and Dana for WCBS mismanagement and incompetence. When both Cindy and Dana are gone I will put my loyalty elsewhere.

[Amra 130]

The mistakes are because WCBS is ratings desperate. They need to play their cards for long term gain, not short term. Dana Tyler and Cindy Hsu aren't the problems for CBS 2. The biggest mistake was the hiring of David Friend as ND. Also, the firing of Warner Wolf, the firing of Ernie Anastos and the hiring of Roz Abrams. WCBS has good talent, yes, some of them need the axe on their heads like Kristine Johnson, Deborah Garcia, Maurice DuBois and John Elliot. CBS 2 needs a new News Director, some one with vision, like KCBS/KCAL Nancy Bauer Gonzales. Also, instead of losing great talent like Audrey and Reid, they should've negotiated paycuts and put great people on. My dream 6/11PM team is: Ernie Anastos, Dana Tyler, Warner Wolf and John Bolaris. Also, Cindy Hsu and Ernie Anastos is a good pair for 5PM. And Chris Wragge and Cindy Hsu is another great pair/option.

[nynewsguy 66]

ok, point taken about my rant, but the difference between my post and previous ones by other members is substantial. I actually backed my points up with facts, whereas previous posts just listed their "dream teams" and complained about the departures of Reid Lamberty,etc.

 

Anyway, Anastos was there LONG before Roz was - hardly fair to compare her arrival to his.

The other comparison to Jim Ryan - well, he was forced out of his job at WNYW, and the idea there was to reunite him with Mario Bosquez and Dave Price. Again though, like Roz, he hardly had a chance. How long was he there? 9 months?

 

As for CBS2idiots comment - I was not placing blame on Cindy or Dana for the incompetence of WCBS management. Cindy has anchored every broadcast except 11PM, and Dana everything except mornings. No matter where they are, the ratings stink. It's not a reflection of their abilty as anchors, it's just merely showing that they do not draw, or retain, an audience. People won't purposely tune in to watch them - and actually, they seem to have the opposite effect, with people tuning out.

 

Again - here we go with dream teams. See, at least in my post, I realigned newscasts with people still on the WCBS payroll. Yes, ROZ is still a WCBS employee - making her 2 million for the next 3 years. :-)

[qwertywcbs 0]

Okay, I didn't read word for word what you all posted, because honestly, I can hardly find the time to check this board as it is anymore, and I don't have time to read essays. But from what I got from skimming....

 

 

Dana and Cindy do not draw attention because they have never been at the station when ratings have been amazing, and never had that popularity in New York. But Dana being about one of three still at the station since before 2000, she needs to stay. A WCBS without Dana would be a WCBS with no one watching (yes, a few people still watch today...)

 

Kristine... bad hire.

Kate... good choice.

Ernie.. great with Dana and Cindy, horrendous with Roz.

Roz... great with Mary, poor with Ernie and Jim.

Cindy... great with everyone except Maurice

Dana... great with EVERY SINGLE ONE of her numerous co-anchors except Maurice.

Chris... we had such low hopes for him he is impressing all of us on this board (give or take)

Maurice... bad hire... poor with everyone he works with. Bringing Kate down.

 

 

Anyone watch tonight at 6? The banter before weather was over a minute long with Dana singing, Jim pulling out a "Michael Jackson glove" and Bolaris joining in with Dana's singing. It's not something you'd expect from lead anchors in New York... but it was fun nonetheless.

 

 

 

WCBS has made poor choices, and they still are. Ratings won't go up with anything they try. They don't give it time to work. Had they had a good product when CBS moved up into first in primetime, they could have ridden that wave too... but they didn't, so they will suffer, and now have lost the CBS momentum (despite CBS having top 10pm shows).

 

And you all know that I am a Dana fan, but I must say, I really do think she puts on one of the best presentations out of all the other women in a position like hers (Sue Simmons, Rosana Scotto, Liz Cho, Brenda Blackmon & Kaity Tong). Sue is great, but sometimes I question her presentation. I've never liked Liz, Rosana is the yeller, Brenda yells more than Rosana, and Kaity stumbles too much. I didn't like how loose Roz was at 11, and she moved around too much. I took a liking to Roz at noon and 5 though.

[NYNews 54]

Anyone watch tonight at 6? The banter before weather was over a minute long with Dana singing, Jim pulling out a "Michael Jackson glove" and Bolaris joining in with Dana's singing. It's not something you'd expect from lead anchors in New York... but it was fun nonetheless

 

Yes, they really seem to be relaxed and having fun. But then again, as some of you suggests, could it all just be an act? IMO, i think it's real chemistry.

[jayRos 0]

If I remember correctly the critics liked ,and the ratings were steadily increasing when afternoons-11 were mixed with Cindy Hsu , Micheal Pomeranz, Dana tyler and Ernie Anastos.

 

Cindy and Micheal-noon

Cindy and Ernie-5pm

Dana and Micheal-6pm

Dana and Ernie-11pm.

 

Anastos was a veteran. Cindy and Dana both had a good amount of airtime. They though ratings would skyrocker bringing in a superstar like Abrams. They actually went downward. As somebody else said Ernie had better chemistry w/ Cindy and Dana then Roz. It seems Ernie and Roz always tried to compete with one another who is the lead, while Cindy and Dana seemed to let Ernie act as the dominant anchor more or less. Then they replaced Micheal Pomeranz with Maurice Dubois. They both read the news the same, yet Pomeranz had more personality and gelled better with his co-anchors than Maurice.

 

The recent Roz Abrams and Mary Calvi pairing didn't seem bad, but they didn't give it anytime.

[qwertywcbs 0]

If I remember correctly the critics liked ,and the ratings were steadily increasing when afternoons-11 were mixed with Cindy Hsu , Micheal Pomeranz, Dana tyler and Ernie Anastos.

 

Cindy and Micheal-noon

Cindy and Ernie-5pm

Dana and Micheal-6pm

Dana and Ernie-11pm.

 

Anastos was a veteran. Cindy and Dana both had a good amount of airtime. They though ratings would skyrocker bringing in a superstar like Abrams. They actually went downward. As somebody else said Ernie had better chemistry w/ Cindy and Dana then Roz. It seems Ernie and Roz always tried to compete with one another who is the lead, while Cindy and Dana seemed to let Ernie act as the dominant anchor more or less. Then they replaced Micheal Pomeranz with Maurice Dubois. They both read the news the same, yet Pomeranz had more personality and gelled better with his co-anchors than Maurice.

 

The recent Roz Abrams and Mary Calvi pairing didn't seem bad, but they didn't give it anytime.

 

100% agreed with every word of what you posted. Ernie was great with Cindy, and even better with Dana, yet I still preferred the Clark/Tyler 4, 6, & 11pm team.

[nynewsguy 66]

If I remember correctly the critics liked ,and the ratings were steadily increasing when afternoons-11 were mixed with Cindy Hsu , Micheal Pomeranz, Dana tyler and Ernie Anastos.

 

Cindy and Micheal-noon

Cindy and Ernie-5pm

Dana and Micheal-6pm

Dana and Ernie-11pm.

 

Anastos was a veteran. Cindy and Dana both had a good amount of airtime. They though ratings would skyrocker bringing in a superstar like Abrams. They actually went downward. As somebody else said Ernie had better chemistry w/ Cindy and Dana then Roz. It seems Ernie and Roz always tried to compete with one another who is the lead, while Cindy and Dana seemed to let Ernie act as the dominant anchor more or less. Then they replaced Micheal Pomeranz with Maurice Dubois. They both read the news the same, yet Pomeranz had more personality and gelled better with his co-anchors than Maurice.

 

The recent Roz Abrams and Mary Calvi pairing didn't seem bad, but they didn't give it anytime.

 

100% agreed with every word of what you posted. Ernie was great with Cindy, and even better with Dana, yet I still preferred the Clark/Tyler 4, 6, & 11pm team.

 

Agreed 100% there. WCBS made a HUGE mistake replacing the Clark/Tyler team with Anastos/Rae in 2000. That's really where it started to go down, and fast. i believe WCBS hasn't had ratings as good since then.

 

If Clark/Tyler and Cooley-Hill/McDermott were still in the anchor chairs right now, I think you'd have a different WCBS. But hey, then again, the CBS2 Information Network was a complete disaster - so I guess it makes sense they made boneheaded decisions when it came to talent as well.

[cbs2idiots 21]

I agree with every one with the Tyler/Clark pairing, I believe it was one was CBS2 best pairings in a long time but too bad it was only 3 short years. Tyler/Anastos was also great the 2 station veterans. Tyler and Rosenfield is not bad , Jim is not as stiff as he was years ago 1998-2000.

[Amra 130]

IMHO, Stephen Clark was WCBS' excellent choice and management should have kept him on the team. He was perfect with Dana Tyler. Viewers and I agree replacing him was a total f__k up that would eventually haunt WCBS for a very long time. I know very well that Steve is perfectly happy at WXYZ-TV in Detroit. He was in NYC recently and we spoke briefly about his days at Channel 2 and what should've been.

 

And Warner Wolf said it best, "They're NOT nice people."

 

Because they are desperate, one of their problems is ratings hunger. Also add to the equation David Friend. Peter Dunn really needs to get rid of him. I get a sense that WCBS is getting a little bit tabloidish lately.

[canitgetanyworse 0]

I get a sense that WCBS is getting a little bit tabloidish lately.

 

A little bit? You caught that too. 6 & 11 a little. 12 a little more. 5-6 and am's are ridiculous.

And the chatter and banter between anchors is terribly forced and inane. You can tell it's done just for the sake of doing it. These are not two friends walking down the street and discussing a story; these are anchor teams being forced to expound on crap they know nothing about. Made even worse by the recent exchange between Dana and Jim,

D-"sad story"

J- "yes it is"

D- "yes it is, really sad"

J- "hard to believe"

 

STFU already and give me the news! >

[Amra 130]

When Dana was anchoring the 11PM news solo, she seemed more comfortable delivering the news alone. More paused and to the point. Jim is good anchoring. But Dana alone is better. And yes, I've caught that too. It's getting tabloidish. I pray that the axe falls on Friend's head, and soon. Maybe Dunn is going to let Dana anchor solo, as qwerty has said, they stopped airing the Dana/Jim promos. If WCBS wants to gain something in ratings, they have to do it delivering QUALITY HARD NEWS. Like they showed on the old Channel 2 News promos on YouTube. When was Tony Guida dropped from WCBS?

[qwertywcbs 0]

I get a sense that WCBS is getting a little bit tabloidish lately.

 

A little bit? You caught that too. 6 & 11 a little. 12 a little more. 5-6 and am's are ridiculous.

And the chatter and banter between anchors is terribly forced and inane. You can tell it's done just for the sake of doing it. These are not two friends walking down the street and discussing a story; these are anchor teams being forced to expound on crap they know nothing about. Made even worse by the recent exchange between Dana and Jim,

D-"sad story"

J- "yes it is"

D- "yes it is, really sad"

J- "hard to believe"

 

STFU already and give me the news! >

 

Dana and Stephen had the best chemistry... just to reiterate the fact that that was WCBS' best team for the past two decades, and probably will continue that for the next two decades.

 

 

When Dana was anchoring the 11PM news solo, she seemed more comfortable delivering the news alone. More paused and to the point. Jim is good anchoring. But Dana alone is better. And yes, I've caught that too. It's getting tabloidish. I pray that the axe falls on Friend's head, and soon. Maybe Dunn is going to let Dana anchor solo, as qwerty has said, they stopped airing the Dana/Jim promos. If WCBS wants to gain something in ratings, they have to do it delivering QUALITY HARD NEWS. Like they showed on the old Channel 2 News promos on YouTube. When was Tony Guida dropped from WCBS?

 

 

Dana is topnotch alone. She really could handle it solo.

 

Only problem is, that if she ever did get to solo, ALL the blame falls on her when she doesn't send viewers skyrocketing. It doesn't fall on the quality of stories, overall feel of the newscast (set/graphics), or reporters.

[civic110 10]

She surely could handle it alone, but would NY be ready for the first solo female 11pm news anchor?

[qwertywcbs 0]

She surely could handle it alone, but would NY be ready for the first solo female 11pm news anchor?

 

What does WCBS have to lose? Certainly not viewers.

(And to top it off, not only first solo female, she could be the first solo African American I believe as well)