24994J 5269 Posted March 22, 2014 Author Share Posted March 22, 2014 Mike's dad died. That was enough to occupy his time. Phil was on vacation, and Jerry was using some saved days off. Tracy actually addressed the issue on social media last night, and it kinda sounds like she stepped up to the challenge, and volunteered to take this shift. As for Troy, he was apparently at the station, but it sounds like he would've taken over coverage in the early afternoon if necessary. Why they didn't just give him the morning show on Thursday and/or Friday, I don't know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ns8401 846 Posted March 22, 2014 Share Posted March 22, 2014 Mike's dad died. That was enough to occupy his time. Phil was on vacation, and Jerry was using some saved days off. Tracy actually addressed the issue on social media last night, and it kinda sounds like she stepped up to the challenge, and volunteered to take this shift. As for Troy, he was apparently at the station, but it sounds like he would've taken over coverage in the early afternoon if necessary. Why they didn't just give him the morning show on Thursday and/or Friday, I don't know. That sucks about Mike's dad. I'm surprised they didn't have Jerry come in or that he didn't come in voluntarily, very nice of Tracy to cover the whole thing. Perfect storm of absences but at the same time can't imagine why they would not use Troy. It almost seems inhumane. Hopefully she gets a few days off to recover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spring Rubber 609 Posted March 22, 2014 Share Posted March 22, 2014 So Jerry and Phil had the March Madness, and Mike had a much more unfortunate reason for being off. RIP Mike's dad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24994J 5269 Posted March 22, 2014 Author Share Posted March 22, 2014 Well, I think solo anchors on weekend evenings might be a thing of the past. Last Sunday, Ben filled in for Ravi, and Tanja is filling in for Karen tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ns8401 846 Posted March 22, 2014 Share Posted March 22, 2014 Caught the last few seconds, that close was very awkward plus the graphic at the end was from the story not the copyright one. Live tv is fun stuff. I'll have to wait to see her at 10 I suppose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24994J 5269 Posted March 22, 2014 Author Share Posted March 22, 2014 Like I said, she and Ravi are good together, so it went well. A thirty minute show doesn't necessarily lend itself to a ton of banter or interaction, but she was okay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ns8401 846 Posted March 22, 2014 Share Posted March 22, 2014 Like I said, she and Ravi are good together, so it went well. A thirty minute show doesn't necessarily lend itself to a ton of banter or interaction, but she was okay. It's not a big thing, she just walked on him a bit and probably should have paid more attention to the count, the graphic was an oops. Where did you say they were good together? I hadn't seen you say that, that's why I ask. You can easily banter in a thirty minute show if you pad it out a bit with a cushion to factor it in, you can even throw balled up paper if you want. If you are in an unfamiliar spot (like working with Ravi) it's not as easy to get a rhythm. I also do not know ABC7's blocking structure and what extra time is built in, it's not usually much. So when you get to 30 seconds and she tries to banter it's gonna clunk because he was trying to get out, they barely made it but Ravi saved it. I wonder what the blocking is like at her old station in Syracuse, my guess is that it isn't as tight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24994J 5269 Posted March 22, 2014 Author Share Posted March 22, 2014 I was only referring to when they did the morning show together a week or two ago. It's on here in a earlier post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ns8401 846 Posted March 22, 2014 Share Posted March 22, 2014 A few notes... - New hire Tanja Babich (WSYR) made her reporting debut last night. I first saw her this evening, though. Solid reporter, good looks, not an airhead, seems like a good hire...now let's see her at the anchor desk. As we all know, anchor chemistry has always been a hallmark at Channel 7. - I've been thinking about the possibility of an anchor switch. Now, it's been reported (a poorly kept secret) that Ms. Babich has been hired to do more than report and fill in. It should not come as any surprise that she is expected to find a permanent place at the desk before the year is out. The big question is where will she land? Frankly, I'm not sure. There are a few possibilities. Now, all of these are potential vacancies, not necessarily positions for Tanja, just positions that might open up. I do think that should any weekday anchor changes be made, any of the four weekend anchors are in good shape to move up the totem pole. Should that be the case, Tanja will land on Saturdays and Sundays... Do you mean this one? (I edited it down to the relevant parts, I didn't see any others mentioning her) I see the word evening but no mention of Ravi unless it was another thread? Just trying to keep it all straight here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24994J 5269 Posted March 22, 2014 Author Share Posted March 22, 2014 Huh, I guess you're right. I coulda sworn I had mentioned it, but yeah, Tanja and Ravi did the morning show while Hosea and Judy went to NYC to do something on the GMA set. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ns8401 846 Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 Huh, I guess you're right. I coulda sworn I had mentioned it, but yeah, Tanja and Ravi did the morning show while Hosea and Judy went to NYC to do something on the GMA set. Ok thanks for clearing that up, I've been following along lurking for awhile so I had kind of been wondering if she had anchored at all yet. Still can't believe she made that big of a jump that quick. I will be very interested to actually see her fully in action tonight on the app. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ns8401 846 Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 They say that mostly because she is cold and the banter on abc7 is so light and formal that it never really gets loose. You do get loose with Ron Magers, he can banter and joke and he and Cheryl work relatively well together. That 6pm show with Alan and Kathy is good, but both of them are very stiff and dry so it's awkward in itself. I always cringe when Chuck Goudie says something that merits a transitional discussion and one of them says "ok chuck thanks!" And then off they go to the next thing. I remember when Detroit went bankrupt and I was watching Chucks report on it and the financial troubles in Illinois and he said "as a native Detroiter it pains me to see Detroit like this". Surely that merits some kind of response? Nah just "ok chuck thanks." That's missing an opening for more insight right there. I'm not suggesting things get to the overly silly stuff that goes on at wxyz in Detroit (they were throwing wads of paper at each other after sports yesterday when the sports guy didn't pick MI or MSU for the final four, the female anchor is a MSU alum and jokingly didn't like it I guess. The lead anchor looked like he was under attack and was leaning way back with his arms up saying "We'll be right back" as he was ducking under the desk as they went to commercial). It was funny and at the same time really odd. Loose is a relative term I guess. That would never fly at WLS but it could be a bit less stiff with more concept that these people like each other and aren't just forced to sit together, the eyewitness news format was nicknamed happy talk after all. I mentioned the paper throwing thing and somebody posted it to youtube so they could be doing this and be this loose: This is from 3/19/14. I realize thats absolutely not WLS's style but since I described it.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T.L. Hughes 746 Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 CBS News anchor/reporter Terrell Brown is joining WLS as a reporter and contributing anchor. http://www.mediabistro.com/tvspy/terrell-brown-to-join-wls-as-reporter_b118434 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24994J 5269 Posted April 1, 2014 Author Share Posted April 1, 2014 According to Rob Feder and popular opinion, Brown will be joining Tanja Babich on the morning show soon, though both current anchors are still in place. I, on the other hand, am not yet convinced of this. There are several variables in play that could determine where the two newbies line up. The obvious choice would be for both to join the morning news. I disagree. Tanja filled in for Karen Jordan the other weekend, and showed off her decent chemistry with Ravi Baichwal. I wouldn't be surprised in the least if they became the new weekend team, or slid into the morning slot. If they were to be on weekends, I could see Karen being promoted to the AM news, possibly with Brown, maybe not. Karen could also find her way onto the weekday evenings, as it seems like Cheryl Burton's fill-in and 10pm contributing duties have been diminished, perhaps she's on the way out. Linda Yu's going to retire eventually. Someone could be getting in that line, though I feel that would still be a few more years off. As for Brown, I think putting him on the morning show is less likely than Babich. I sooner see him going to weekend mornings/nights, with Ravi and/or Ben Bradley moving up one step each. As for my opinion on the Brown hire, I like it. I've seen him on CBS, and he actually reminds me of a younger Hosea Sanders. It does seem, though, that whatever happens, Sandersa and Hsu are on their way out of the AM grind. I will miss them, but I'm not against a revamp of the early shift. Yes, stability is good, but something isn't working. I still think the format is a greater problem than the personnel, but that could come after a new team is installed. And, I know some people will see this as another reckless decision by the flying Disney elephant in-charge, but I look at it this way...sending the morning duo to NYC for a GMA bit and making new promos sounds to me like they're trying to make it work. Trying to push off a final decision as long as possible, giving them a fair chance. If this was a reckless move, they'd have been gone a long time ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorningNews 1289 Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 Oh wow I had no idea that Hosea and Judy were in jeopardy of losing their position. Are the ratings that bad for the morning hours? I know or at least that WGN Morning News is tops in AM in Chicago but I don't remember channel 7 being that far behind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24994J 5269 Posted April 1, 2014 Author Share Posted April 1, 2014 Oh wow I had no idea that Hosea and Judy were in jeopardy of losing their position. Are the ratings that bad for the morning hours? I know or at least that WGN Morning News is tops in AM in Chicago but I don't remember channel 7 being that far behind. They duke it out for 1st with WGN in total viewers, but are frequently in 3rd behind WMAQ in the demo. They did rebound some in February, but it's far and away the weak spot of the news division. Whether or not it's the fault of the anchors (it only kind of is), it's the television business, and I'm not entirely surprised. The whole show just seems tired, and the generational divide is clear when compared to WGN or NBC5. However, ABC7 is in absolutely NO DANGER of dropping to 4th, CBS2 has a choke-hold on that spot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorningNews 1289 Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 It says a lot to me about how great 7 is that a newscast ranking 3rd in the demo is far below their standards. WGN Morning News is always my choice when I'm in Chicago, they're so funny. Is channel 2 still without a permanent female anchor in the AM? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24994J 5269 Posted April 1, 2014 Author Share Posted April 1, 2014 Is channel 2 still without a permanent female anchor in the AM? Yup. Marissa Bailey anchors 3 days in addition to her weekend shift and Roseanne handles the other 2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BehindNYNews 143 Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 I completely agree that the few times I watch EWN Morning's, it's very dull. They seem too tired, you are supposed to wake up to them? I know the 7 in the Morning promo was odd but that kind of fun is supposed to wake you up in the morning. The current newscast is the polar opposite, they should be in the middle of present and the 7 in the Morning promo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ns8401 846 Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 It says a lot to me about how great 7 is that a newscast ranking 3rd in the demo is far below their standards. WGN Morning News is always my choice when I'm in Chicago, they're so funny. Is channel 2 still without a permanent female anchor in the AM? You get that way after 20 some years as a number 1 in every time slot. It's a foregone conclusion major attrition and personnel changes will quickly impact abc7 at some point, it's a matter of when not if at this point. I think Babich will replace Judy Hsu and she will move to 4 to replace Linda Yu to be honest. Kathy should be on at 5, 6 and 10 and Cheryl needs to be moved to full time feature reporter. This new guy will probably remain a reporter for a while until Ron retires and Alan moves up, then he will end up at 4, they will not totally nuke and rebuild the morning news, they don't need to, it just needs a pick me up, Tanya Babich would provide that, she gives it energy when she is on with Hosea or Ben Bradley or most anybody else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BehindNYNews 143 Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 Today, Linda celebrates 30 years at ABC 7. Congratulations Linda! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24994J 5269 Posted April 3, 2014 Author Share Posted April 3, 2014 A very nice write-up by Rob Feder, but the most amusing part of the article is that Joel Daly is on Facebook. http://www.robertfeder.com/2014/04/02/still-a-wonderful-time-for-linda-yu/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jase 818 Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 You get that way after 20 some years as a number 1 in every time slot. It's a foregone conclusion major attrition and personnel changes will quickly impact abc7 at some point, it's a matter of when not if at this point. I think Babich will replace Judy Hsu and she will move to 4 to replace Linda Yu to be honest. Kathy should be on at 5, 6 and 10 and Cheryl needs to be moved to full time feature reporter. This new guy will probably remain a reporter for a while until Ron retires and Alan moves up, then he will end up at 4, they will not totally nuke and rebuild the morning news, they don't need to, it just needs a pick me up, Tanya Babich would provide that, she gives it energy when she is on with Hosea or Ben Bradley or most anybody else. Karen is next in line to move and she would likely replace Linda and then possibly Kathy at some point. Ron is untouchable and could very well anchor another 8-10 years. By that point, it would make sense to give the job to Ravi and not Alan. While I would agree a complete morning rebuild isn't necessary at this point, I could see everyone, including Roz, being replaced within a year or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ns8401 846 Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 Karen is next in line to move and she would likely replace Linda and then possibly Kathy at some point. Ron is untouchab Ron is 69 and is gonna retire sooner than later, Alan succeeds Ron. Tell the powers that be that Ron is untouchable... as much as I like the guy (and that is a lot), he doesn't have too long to go, the same goes for Jerry Taft (71) and Linda (67). Theresa Gutierrez and Paul Meincke aren't gonna be far behind. both have to be nearing the 65-70 retirement zone by now. Everybody else but Mark Giangreco and Jim Rose are still under 60. But there will be some major upheavals in the next 2-3 years. We haven't seen anything yet as far as these reshuffled newscasts go. I have nothing against anybody at WLS (one of my favorite stations), but this seems like reality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24994J 5269 Posted April 3, 2014 Author Share Posted April 3, 2014 Alan succeeds Ron. Rafer succeeds Mark. Period. Those are about the only things close to guarantees, though I do like the odds of Karen following Kathy, but that seems to me to be several years off. As for weather, I don't have a clue. Unfortunately, I don't think that will end well. As for who gets shoved out, I really don't see it happening to any of the three elders in question. Jerry just got slapped with the "chief meteorologist" tag after 20 years in the role. He's the face of the operation, and I think he'll cut back before he gives it up cold turkey...but I have noticed he seems to be increasingly bored. Linda's bounced back nicely since the injury, and has seemingly returned to performing at the top of her game, so I don't think health is much of an issue. As for Ron, he's in a similar position as Jerry. I just saw a promo last week where Ron, one of the least tech-prominent personalities promotes the stations apps. That's the first time in a long time that the lead anchor has promoted the station solo, showing to me that the station must have enough confidence in his presence. I have noticed, like Jerry, that his delivery has started to slow a bit, but unlike Jerry, it's totally obvious that he still loves every aspect of his job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.