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UPDATE: On WGN, Paternity Court has taken the 2p slot beginning Monday.

Changes in Chicago: WBBM-TV: CBS 2 News at 9a, Drew Barrymore Show (1/2) on 9/12. WMAQ: NBC News Daily at 12p, Dateline (from WPWR) at 1p, Access Daily at 2p on 9/12. Days of our lives moves to Peacock on same day. WLS: No Changes WGN: One syndie, Maury ended its production last season, reruns had transferred to WCIU on 9/12. WFLD: Sherri at 10a + Jennifer Hudson show at 11a on 9/12. (replaces Wendy + Nick Cannon), The Real and The Good Dish both gone from the station. Last 8/8, Person, Place or Thing is tested for 4 weeks at 12a. WCIU: Maury reruns (from WGN) at 11a and 3a (replaces Relative Justice at 11a) on 9/12, Karamo debuts at 12p on 9/19, The Neighborhood (2x) at 6p, American Housewife at 11p and both hours of The Drew Barrymore Show at 12a on 9/12, Chicago P.D. reruns (from WPWR) at 12p on Sundays from 9/18. WPWR: Pictonary (2x) at 3p on 9/12, Last 8/8, Person, Place or Thing is tested for 4 weeks at 3:30p. One syndie, Dateline, which is aired at 10p, leaves the station for WMAQ, but they will continued to aired on the station as a weekly offering through MNTV.

Former WLS staffer Matt Knutson joins WMAQ as VP for Multiplatform content. https://www.adweek.com/tvspy/wmaq-chicago-hires-matt-knutson-as-vp-of-multi-platform-content/243366/

Wanda Skyes hosted show "Ring Nation" is announced and it will now premiere on September 26. No word on the station groups will be picking up this new series. https://deadline.com/2022/08/wanda-sykes-host-syndicated-viral-video-show-ring-doorbell-technology-1235089510/

Michael Gargiulo was testing positive for COVID-19. He posted on social media that he was fully vaccinated and boosted. They return to work next week. https://www.instagram.com/p/CbdfMAkOfmF/

Filipino-American reporter Chris Jose, formerly of WSB-TV in Atlanta, has jumped over to News 4. His work with the station will start in April. It will be the second reporter of Filipino descent to join WNBC, a year after the death of the station's first Filipino reporter Katherine Creag in February 2021.

Since 2016, "We're 4 New York" is combined with the word "Together" to form "Together, We're 4 New York". There had rumors that they wanted to bring back in 1997 and in 2012, but nothing happened, But they actually revived two times, one in 2002 (after 9/11) and in 2007 (after the station converted to HD). the theme was later used in news promos in 2008-2009, but they replaced it with a production music piece in 2010 but they keep the slogan.

During the live shot by Sandra Torres this morning, there's the reporter from WFLD photobombed the live shot. meanwhile, the bug on the lower thirds had reverted back to normal effective today but this time without the "CHICAGO" wordmark.

Saw the Chicago Marathon 2021 Results Book online, and there's the ad promoting the 10PM newscast featuring Stefan and Allison (minus Brant) that is saying "CONGRATULATIONS MARATHONERS!", but they lacking the 2012 NBC 5 Chicago logo. take a look at the picture.

Here is the promo from WTVJ: https://fb.watch/adshYWT9ko/

There's is an alternate version of the ad. the voiceover tag now says "...And "Sing 2", Only in theaters Wednesday (rated PG)!" which is used for this week only. Look at 0:09 mark for the video.

WNBC's holiday sing along is doing virtual again for the second year. This year's song will be "Feliz Navidad" and it is to tie-in to Illumination's animated film "Sing 2" due to release in theaters on December 22. This year's holiday sing along will marked the fifth year anniversary of hybrid Live Action/Animation promotional involvement between WNBC and Illumination. Take a look on their different comparisons from 2016 and this year: The one from 2016 is filmed in the Rockefeller Center Tree, but they include scenes from promotional clip from the first film. Following the "Happy Holidays" line and Gunter skates over the 2008 "4 New York" logo, the voiceover tag says "...And catch "Sing", in theaters December 21st!" The 2021 version of the promo begins with the characters from the second film followed by Pat, Gus, and Raphael says "Wait! Wait! Wait! What? What?" before the talent singing the same song. Towards the end of the promo, Jimmy Crystal (voiced by Bobby Cannavale) buzzed it, then Chuck Scarborough ends the promo (ala last year) says "Happy Holidays from NBC 4 New York (and Telemundo 47)..." followed by the voiceover tag "...And "Sing 2", Only in theaters December 22nd (Rated PG)!" This is the first time that the WNBC holiday sing along that to bear the MPA PG rating logo as like did to other movie tie-in promotions.

Update on programming changes in Chicago: The third season of N' Digo Studio will now air on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. on WMAQ replacing Infomercials beginning next Sunday. Last week, the revival of America's Black Forum began airing also on WMAQ and it airs at 4:30 am leading to the morning newscast every Saturday.

Actually Stefan did replacing Rob Elgas which he moved to the 4:30pm newscast until he leaved the station in 2015.

JUST IN: Zoraida gets out again for the second time in ten years. Robert Feder confirmed this report. Her final day is next Friday. https://www.robertfeder.com/2021/09/24/robservations-zoraida-sambolin-sign-off-nbc-5-morning-news-anchor/

WNBC once again placed the ad in this year's film guide for that year's Hamptons International Film Festival. They reuse last year's ad with David and Natalie, in which the former replacing Stefan Holt in the 4 and 11PM newscast one year ago. they also not mentioned the reintroduced 7PM newscast when the two are co-anchors.

"America's Black Forum" gets a reboot this season. Marc Moral, the president of the National Urban League will be their host for the revival. https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=173644091505072&id=108192664716882&__cft__[0]=AZVr4Qh_wn8L3xZOFC-X_YzvuFLngr3khZxejaXCqXxsOkNTs8XBFi2bWELXzEvVFaLSRJf_QkHj2dBrCz2BrXdspi3ZZvyosJsOJfBeBI4zcWdTlv3jwdRhzjzKFmUGle_AVIxr67ZbGGUY7d4y_EGA&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R

A big trade is coming to channel 5. Last May, Assistant ND Tracy Davis has been traded to WVIT and later appointing it as VP of News in exchange for Akemi Harrison, which began their work duties beginning next month. https://www.robertfeder.com/2021/07/06/nbc-5-taps-assistant-news-director-connecticut-station/

The station had new pictures of the 10pm team as seen in this year's program book of last night's UNCF "A Mind is..." gala. Stefan, Allison, Brant and Siafa are following the social distancing protocols in the photo, due to the COVID pandemic.

NBC Sports Chicago head Kevin Cross to take over as President of Channel 5 and the Telemundo sister station. Kevin is the second black president to take helm of channel 5 for the first time in two decades since Lyle Banks taking the helm in 1995 until he resigned in 1998 because of the Jerry Springer fiasco at the station. https://www.robertfeder.com/2021/04/20/nbc-sports-chicago-boss-kevin-cross-head-nbc-5-telemundo-chicago/

Another station employee is retiring. Randy King to retire after 7 years as VP of Technology and Operations in June. https://www.robertfeder.com/2021/03/26/robservations-ex-anchor-urges-lawmakers-protect-local-news/

Station boss David Doebler to step down and retiring in June. No word on the replacement for Doebler as the president of the station. https://www.robertfeder.com/2021/03/09/nbc-5-boss-david-doebler-retire/

Earlier tonight, they ditching "Nightly News" for a half hour extension of the 6:00 pm newscast for some reasons. Any thoughts on this situations?

Last night, "New Year's Eve in Chicago" has shifted to the pre-recorded format due to the COVID-19 pandemic that is cancelling all of Chicago's NYE fireworks celebrations. During the special, they airing a flashback of last year's live event. Big key moments of the event: * Planet Fitness returns as sponsor for the second year, which like did to last year; no mentions related to this throughout the special, in fact, the company had close all of its clubs during the start of the pandemic, but they reopened its clubs during the summer when some its lockdowns had been eased in most of its markets. * The show opened with the segment on its past news stories of the year * Carlson Kressley did an interview using video conferencing * The famous quiz segment of "Chicago Today", "What the EL Did You Like" has the frontliners edition exclusively for the special * Towards the end of the countdown, Chrissty Meltz performs "Talking to God", and then following the countdown, Chicago Children's Choir performing "Auld Lang Syne" * In addition to the frontliners featured on the special, Most of the celebrities are also made cameos including Today Show's Al Roker, Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb, Kelly Clarkson from "The Kelly Clarkson Show" (also from "The Voice"), Carson Daly, Gwen Steffani, Blake Shelton and John Legend from "The Voice", Patrick Williams from the Chicago Bulls, Dan Aykroyd, Common, Amanda Freitag, Jenifer Lewis, Benny the Bull, Staley Da Bear and even Channel 5's own Marion Brooks, Stefan Holt, Siafa Lewis, Alex Maragos and Allison Rosati. * During the credits, a notice regarding both Jewel-Osco and Abt Electronics receiving a prize consideration and promotional assistance for the quiz segment * When the special ended at 12:05 a.m., a new episode of "All Access" is filling the time gap until the start of "The Tonight Show". Speaking of last night, the Olympic bug will expect to return later beginning with the morning newscast. It will used for the entire year in anticipation for the now-postponed 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo this summer, and for the next year's 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing.

This year, WNBC is doing the holiday sing along, but this time will be all virtual and socially distant due to the COVID pandemic. it will be for the first time that the holiday sing along promo will be not to be filmed in the Rockefeller Plaza Christmas Tree unlike in the previous years, the last Holiday Sing Along filmed next to the tree was in 2018, it is to tie-in with the movie "The Grinch". Their song picked by the station for this year is "Frosty the Snowman". Celebrity cameos also made it in the promo including Kelly Clarkson from "The Kelly Clarkson Show" (which is produced and distributed by WNBC's corporate sister NBCU Syndication Studios) and the team from "The Today Show". Chuck Scarborough ends the promo with the words "Happy Holidays from NBC 4 New York (and Telemundo 47)."