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The Definitive ABC 7 Thread


24994J

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Phil’s back doing weather for the Sunday morning show today.

Tracy was on yesterday morning, and Larry took Phil's shift last night (alongside Elgas and JR, oddly enough).

Seeing Phil working on a Sunday morning is no surprise. But coming in on the weekend of Lollapolooza is. Ever since Lolla came to Chicago, he seems to be off on the weekend of the event, except for today.

So, Tracy and Phil were in for Mark this weekend, while Larry and Tracy (tonight) were in for Phil. Figure all that out. I swear, they have a crazy weekend like this every August.

With Tracy in tonight. It would be no surprise if Phil comes in tomorrow.

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It was included in another form on the video I posted in the Classic Video thread, but I went and got another take of it in (slightly) better quality. The clock ticking to 4 o'clock is something I wish could be reincorporated into opens again, someday.

 

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So, I totally fell asleep on this, but here's a quick, irrelevant story. I was at a minor league baseball game the other night, the new Chicago Dogs independent team out in suburban Rosemont. ABC 7 has been a sponsor of theirs all season, with digital billboards facing the expressway on the backside of the scoreboard (as seen below, from the outfield concourse), and they've run ticket commercials, produced by the graphics department. Early in each game, a local celebrity appears on the scoreboard saying how they like their hot dogs (shocker, no one says ketchup :p). A lot of athletes have been featured, and even some real celebs, but I nearly spit out my drink when none other but DIANN BURNS shows up on the board. She even referred to herself as being "from ABC 7 News." A guy next to me, complete stranger, said exactly what I was thinking..."Getting fired 15 years ago hardly makes her part of the station," as she said it as if she still worked there now. We all had a good laugh.

 

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0811181953b_HDR.thumb.jpg.12fcddd84519384297277152fa8468da.jpg

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The Instagram video was the on-air message, but this'll do...

 

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10214074615954264

 

She didn't get fired. Ahern was poaching people from everywhere and gave her an offer she couldn't refuse. Funny that she would identify herself that way but its not all that uncommon. Antonio Mora did the same thing IN promo spots for WBBM when he was named anchor. He specifically referenced himself "from Good Morning America" which at the time I found interesting because he was joining a CBS station.

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"Getting fired 15 years ago hardly makes her part of the station," as she said it as if she still worked there now. We all had a good laugh.

 

[ATTACH]6337[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]6336[/ATTACH]

 

For some reason I’m thinking she was fired too. My recollection is on Linda MacLennan‘s last night at/on WBBM, Diann still hadn’t renewed with WLS, so station management pulled her off the air; no one realized it at the time, but Diann and Linda had the same final night at their respective stations. I’m also recalling that Diann then went on a tour of black radio stations in the city basically protesting WLS’ move to take her off the air. I don’t recall if she had a non-compete or not, but also don’t remember it being too long before she appeared on channel 2.

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I looked up some old Feder archives from 2003, and it looks like we're all kind of right.

 

February 27: "Now that weekend news anchor Cheryl Burton has signed a long-term renewal with WLS-Channel 7, all eyes are on the ABC-owned station's No. 1 news star, Diann Burns.

 

Both Burton and Burns were believed to have topped the "wish list" of Joe Ahern, president and general manager of WBBM-Channel 2. With Burton staying put at Channel 7, Burns could be poised to join Ahern after her current $2 million-a-year contract expires on June 30.

 

Burns, 45, who's been Chicago's top-rated and highest-paid news anchor for years, would be a prize catch for Channel 2, alongside 5 and 10 p.m. anchor Antonio Mora. Coincidentally, Linda MacLennan stepped down Wednesday after 16 years at the CBS-owned station, creating an obvious opening for Burns. Tracy Townsend has the 10 p.m. slot for the time being.

 

Emily Barr, president and general manager of Channel 7, reportedly has been pressing Burns to sign an early renewal with the station. Barr declined to comment Wednesday.

 

The only certainty Wednesday was that Burton, 40, had signed a new five-year deal, negotiated by her agent, Joel Weisman.

 

After more than 10 years as weekend news anchor, Burton is expected to expand her role and raise her visibility considerably under the new contract."

 

February 28: "In a coincidence of cosmic proportions, Linda MacLennan's last night on the air at WBBM-Channel 2 also turned out to be Diann Burns' last night on the air at WLS-Channel 7.

 

The big difference between the two sign-offs Wednesday night was that Burns didn't know at the time that her 18-year career at the ABC- owned station was over. So she never got to say goodbye.

 

Emily Barr, president and general manager of Channel 7, told Burns Thursday that she was being removed as news anchor of the station's 5 and 10 p.m. newscasts, effective immediately, and that she would be paid for the remainder of her contract through June 30.

 

Barr wasted no time Thursday replacing her No. 1 news star. Kathy Brock, a 13-year veteran of the station, succeeds Burns alongside Ron Magers at 10 p.m., while continuing to co-anchor at 6 p.m. with Alan Krashesky. Cheryl Burton, who has been weekend news anchor for more than 10 years, replaces Burns alongside Magers at 5 p.m."

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I would assume Rob Johnson just went solo for those months, with maybe some time with Stacey or someone lower on the ladder it was Leah Hope serving as interim anchor, 2 years removed from her demotion from the morning show. I'm not entirely sure if it's what you mean, but Karen debuted as weekend anchor. She may have spent a week or 2 behind the scenes after arriving, but there was no other buffer.

 

June 5: "Karen Jordan, a weekend news anchor at WPHL-TV in Philadelphia, has been hired as weekend anchor and reporter at WLS-Channel 7, starting in July. The move confirms a report here last Friday.

 

Jordan, 30, a Chicago native and daughter of WGN-Channel 9 weekend anchor Robert Jordan, succeeds Cheryl Burton, who was promoted to 5 p.m. weekday anchor and 10 p.m. weekday contributing anchor at the ABC-owned station.

 

Karen Jordan, a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism and Spellman College, joined WPHL in 2000 after working for stations in Dayton, Ohio, and Rockford.

 

The anchor post alongside Rob Johnson has been vacant since February, when Cheryl Burton was promoted to 5 p.m. weekday news anchor and 10 p.m. weekday contributing anchor at the ABC-owned station. Leah Hope, a reporter and former morning news anchor at Channel 7, has been filling in."

 

As a little follow-up, Burton's move gave Rob some aspirations of his own, and he'd sign a new contract later in '03. That contract was for 3 more years, and increased his anchoring opportunities, but getting passed over after Joel's retirement sealed his fate, and that opened him up for leaving for CBS.

Edited by 24994J
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I looked up some old Feder archives...February 28: "In a coincidence of cosmic proportions, Linda MacLennan's last night on the air at WBBM-Channel 2 also turned out to be Diann Burns' last night on the air at WLS-Channel 7.

 

The big difference between the two sign-offs Wednesday night was that Burns didn't know at the time that her 18-year career at the ABC- owned station was over. So she never got to say goodbye.

 

I’ll be damned! That’s exactly what I thought. Thanks for looking that up. I didn’t remember that Diann was the market’s highest paid news anchor; I wish she would’ve stayed, I’m sure she’d still be the main anchor. I also wish Roseanne Tellez would’ve stayed at WGN; she had a great anchor gig on the city’s top rated morning news, now she’s out on the streets on the city’s lowest rated newscast. Dang.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Tornado Warning in McHenry right now. WLS was the only local station prepared to go live here on this holiday afternoon with Larry Mowry. Everyone else is in normal programming.

 

Edit: I think he might be upstairs in the weather center. His mic sounds like he's not in the studio itself.

 

Edit 2: WMAQ and WBBM started their coverage about 10 minutes after WLS. WGN and WFLD are deeply engulfed in sports and are staying with sports programming.

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Something I've never seen before...instead of a correspondent, like normal, ABC News pulled a local anchor of one of their stations to fill in for Kendis Gibson on the network's overnight newscasts. Terrell Brown got the nod, and is anchoring the 2 hours before his normal shift. It's an odd and costly arrangement, but Brown did anchor CBS News' overnight fare before coming to Chicago. It begs the question, after 4.5 years at the local level, is he itching to get back to a national audience?

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Something I've never seen before...instead of a correspondent, like normal, ABC News pulled a local anchor of one of their stations to fill in for Kendis Gibson on the network's overnight newscasts. Terrell Brown got the nod, and is anchoring the 2 hours before his normal shift. It's an odd and costly arrangement, but Brown did anchor CBS News' overnight fare before coming to Chicago. It begs the question, after 4.5 years at the local level, is he itching to get back to a national audience?

That is interesting. Did he anchor from New York or Chicago? If Chicago, did he also anchor the WLS show as normal?!

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Something I've never seen before...instead of a correspondent, like normal, ABC News pulled a local anchor of one of their stations to fill in for Kendis Gibson on the network's overnight newscasts. Terrell Brown got the nod, and is anchoring the 2 hours before his normal shift. It's an odd and costly arrangement, but Brown did anchor CBS News' overnight fare before coming to Chicago. It begs the question, after 4.5 years at the local level, is he itching to get back to a national audience?

 

Doesn't seem like the type to bail and appears happy where he's at. Maybe after 7-10 yrs., but not now I don't think. It makes sense to tap him to fill in on WNN given it's a role he has held before, albeit at CBS.

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That is interesting. Did he anchor from New York or Chicago? If Chicago, did he also anchor the WLS show as normal?!

From New York. He taped a little message that aired during the morning news, but Mark Rivera anchored with Tanja.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Today is ABC 7's 70th anniversary, going back through their time at WBKB, and the original WENR. Unfortunately, unlike the independent station 2 notches up the dial, they don't appear to be celebrating the occasion. Their 50th anniversary as WLS is next month.

 

I stand corrected.

 

https://abc7chicago.com/society/abc7-turns-70-look-back-at-7-decades-of-chicago-broadcast-history/4216642/

 

4261372_091618-wls-wls-70-spoton-vid.thumb.jpg.fb450bf5b053d720a49a6827869c41df.jpg

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Today is ABC 7's 70th anniversary, going back through their time at WBKB, and the original WENR. Unfortunately, unlike the independent station 2 notches up the dial, they don't appear to be celebrating the occasion. They're 50th anniversary as WLS is next month.

 

I stand corrected.

 

https://abc7chicago.com/society/abc7-turns-70-look-back-at-7-decades-of-chicago-broadcast-history/4216642/

 

[ATTACH=full]6498[/ATTACH]

 

Missed opportunity to put the logo next to the number 0.

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