Storm Watch: Morning News Begins at 4

Mary Calvi announced this evening that CBS 2 News This Morning will begin an hour early, again. The 4:00 a.m. start time is because of the snowstorm that is beginning across the tri-state now and will continue into tomorrow.

A promo for tomorrow's newscast, which was likely produced on Friday, still says that it runs from 5 - 7 a.m. and has no mention of any big weather event for tomorrow.

McDonalds Honors Dana Tyler

Brian sends in this article from today's Daily News reporting that Dana Tyler will appear on the walls of McDonalds. It's all part of the fast-food restaurant's "2007 Black Broadcast Legends" campaign.

Tyler is featured because she was part of the nation's first all-African American news team back when she was paired with the late Reggie Harris. The paper has some good quotes from her in the story.

Columnist Richard Huff wrote: "Tyler is the longest-running anchor at Ch. 2, a place where the lineup changes faster than Britney Spears' rehab reservations."

Sweeps: CBS 2 News at Noon Leads With "Celebrity Trifecta"

CBS 2 News at Noon led with a "celebrity trifecta" of stories today.

Tamsen Fadal started it off with a live report from Fort Lauderdale with the latest from the Anna Nicole Smith hearings. Next was Newspath reporter Manuel Gallegus in Los Angeles with more on Britney Spears' actions. A lower-third on the screen said it was "Breaking News" that Spears reentered rehab (again). The third story was about Prince Harry going to serve in Iraq, with Newspath's Charlie D'Agata reporting from London.

The fourth story was the winter weather headed our way tonight.

In related news, today was the second consecutive day that Chris Wragge anchored the noon newscast solo. He said that Kristine Johnson will be back at 5:00, as was the case yesterday. Johnson's baby is due sometime next month.

Pablo Guzman to Report on "Latino Power"

CBS 2 News at 6:00 will air a special two-part series next week called "Latino Power." "Pablo Guzman reports on how far the Latino community has come in establishing itself in Corporate America and how Latino business is the fastest growing sector in New York," the press release says. "Both parts examine how numerous Latinos have emerged into extremely successful entrepreneurs and business owners, yet there are numerous realms including politics, where the Latino community still does not have as much visibility as they would like." The pieces will air next Thursday and Friday.

New Marketing and Strategic Sales Director

CBS 2 named Tiffany C. Goddard the director of Marketing and Strategic Sales yesterday, effective on Monday. She comes to CBS 2 from the CBS Television Stations Group, where she was director of Strategic Sales and Business Development. The press release lists her responsibilities:

Goddard will manage the marketing development for the station and grow the integrated marketing partnerships with new and existing clients. She will also work closely with the new business and digital sales teams and manage the growth of both divisions.

Changing Up The Camera Angles

CBS 2 News at 11:00 seems to have been experimenting with the camera angles lately. Many of the two-shots are coming from a camera that's placed lower than usual. There are also some shots that are coming from a higher position.

Here are a few snapshots from tonight's newscast:

Sweeps: Jim and Dana on Sunday Night

Jim Rosenfield and Dana Tyler are anchoring the late-night news right now. It began at 11:26 because CBS Sports' golf coverage went nearly a half-hour late. John Bolaris is on hand with the weather.

Chris Wragge and Kristine Johnson anchored the late news on the previous two Sunday nights when CBS 2 News followed the Super Bowl (on the 4th) and the Grammy Awards (on the 11th).

Sweeps: "Healthy, Weatlthy & Wise"

CBS 2 News at 5:00 will have another week-long series (last week, it was a behind-the-scenes look at "Judge Judy") starting tomorrow. This one is called "Healthy, Wealthy & Wise." WCBSTV.com says experts will talk about "how to stay healthy, how to become wealthy, and how to be more wise." The interviews will be conducted by medical reporter Dr. Holly Phillips and consumer reporter Kirstin Cole and Dave Carlin will have a piece on Friday.

Monday's topic will be cardiology, followed by nutrition on Tuesday, "Self-Made Millionaire" on Wednesday, "Rich Retiree" on Thursday and "How To Get Smarter" on Friday.

Can You Spot The Mistake?

These snapshots are from CBS 2's five-second station identifications on Super Bowl Sunday, February 4th from 4:59, 5:29 and 5:58, respectively.

Former WCBS Anchor Ralph Penza Passes Away

Ralph Penza, the award-winning broadcaster who most recently worked for NewsChannel4, passed away early Friday morning at the age of 74. He was with the station for a quarter century.

WNBC says that he joined WCBS from WABC, where he moved to in 1961. At Channel 2, he produced the 6 p.m. newscast and eventually became an anchor and reporter.

Sean Hennessey to Join CBS 2 News

Brian sends in this from the Boston Herald: WHDH Boston reporter Sean Hennessey will join CBS 2 News next month. No word on what his assignment will be.

Interestingly, WCBS is described as "the No. 1 TV station in the Big Apple."

Lou Young's Fall Fallout

Lou Young wrote about Tuesday night's live slip in the snow on his blog last night. He talked about how everyone has fallen... "It’s just that when I fall at work everybody sees it."

WCBSTV.com posted a fun story about the fall and the response:

After being assured nothing had been hurt but his pride, his colleagues on "CBS 2 News At 11" replayed the pratfall later in the newscast. It was shown a number of times on the next day's "CBS 2 News This Morning." It got nationwide play on Wednesday's CBS News' "The Early Show." And it was exposed to a world-wide audience when someone posted the clip on the popular video sharing Web site YouTube.

By the way, that video has already received over 20,000 hits.

"The thing I like about the fall is that it proves not everything is choreographed," Young told NewsByte2. "There are still honest moments possible. Even if they leave bruises."

Lou Young Slips On Ice Live

Just a few minutes ago, CBS 2 News reporter Lou Young took a tumble while doing a live report on the snow. While in Middletown, NY, he slipped onto his backside. He seemed to be okay, though, as he laughed and continued on with his report. A few minutes later, Dana Tyler joked to Young, "What hurt more: your pride or your bottom?"

11:50PM UPDATE: Here's the video:


12:06AM UPDATE: CBS 2 News replayed the event later in the newscast for viewers who missed it or just wanted to see it again. And WCBS NewsRadio 880 just played a brief audio clip of Young's fall.

Oh yeah, and do you think that the new style of lower-third graphics used for "Storm Watch" and "Spring Training" are a sign of changes to come?

CBS 2 Storm Watch

It's the first big snow storm of the season and CBS 2 is planning additional coverage. Meteorologist John Bolaris is calling for about two to four inches of snow across much of the area but up to a foot in the northern suburbs. The morning commute promises to be messy and CBS 2 News This Morning will begin an hour early at 4 a.m. to cover it, as well as the all-important school closings. During such snow events, CBS 2 often provides brief weather updates at the top and bottom of the hour during the day. The evening commute also looks to be troublesome and CBS 2 News will likely continue its team coverage.

Stay tuned, stay warm and stay safe.

New Public Affairs Manager

Vanessa Kenon-Hunt is now CBS 2's public affairs manager, according to this press release. For the past two years, she served as coordinator of public relations and community affairs. She "will function as the station’s liaison with the community, managing the production and broadcast of the station’s public service announcements and continuing to develop community affairs projects on behalf of the station," the release says.

Sweeps: Behind The Scenes of "Judge Judy"

In what appears to be a shameless attempt at self-promotion, Kristine Johnson will take viewers behind the scenes of "Judge Judy" today at 5:00. Johnson recently traveled to Los Angeles to shoot the piece, which has been promoted in spots since Friday.

But it's doubtful that CBS 2 News is trying to help its 4 p.m. program. Instead, CBS 2 News at 5:00 is trying to benefit itself by enticing the "Judy" audience to keep watching Channel 2, to boost the ratings for today and, if the viewers like what they see, for the days and weeks to come (at least until February 28th).

Wragge and Johnson Tonight at 11(:30)

For the second Sunday in a row, Chris Wragge and Kristine Johnson will anchor CBS 2 News at 11:00. (The newscast is actually slated to begin at 11:30, delayed a half hour because of CBS's presentation of the Grammys.) The rookie team also anchored last Sunday night after the Super Bowl. It looks like CBS 2 News' way to showcase its newest team during Sweeps.

Dana Tyler "At The Met" Tomorrow

CBS 2 News will take viewers inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art tomorrow morning at 11:00 in a half-hour special. Dana Tyler will host the program, called "At The Met." CBS 2 says it will showcase the upcoming Greek and Roman Galleries, which have yet to be opened to the public.

Lowering the Lower-Thirds

CBS 2 News seems to be experimenting with the lower-thirds today. The graphics have been lowered to a position almost aligned with the time and temperature, covering up the space that had been left open for the morning ticker. Over the course of the noon newscast, the graphics seem to changing positions slightly: They either line up with the time/temp bug on the bottom or are slightly above that position.

It's not just the L3s that are affected: The "live" graphic has also been lowered, though this appears to be in error. The "Money Watch" full screen graphic was lower as well.

During the first tease of the newscast, the text for the upcoming stories was not lining up with the "Coming Up" graphic, but the "Coming Up" was lowered to correct this by the second tease.

Interestingtly, there were no graphics and no bug in the final block of the News at Noon.

CBS 2 News Covers Anna Nicole Smith's Death

Lara Spencer, co-host of "The Insider," reported the top story on CBS 2 News at 5:00 yesterday: the death of celebrity Anna Nicole Smith. By today at noon, CBS 2 had sent two reporters to cover the story from opposite ends of the country: Tamsen Fadel reported live from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on news of the autopsy and investigative reporter Scott Weinberger reported from Los Angeles on the potential paternity test.

Is there anybody out there who thinks that this story would get the same play if it had happened next month?

Lead Sports Anchor: Ryan or Rodgers

CBS 2 News has decided against hiring an outsider to become the station's lead sports anchor, the New York Post reports this morning. Instead, the station will opt for one of its own: either Sam Ryan, who joined last June, or Ducis Rodgers, who's been there since 2003. CBS 2 had been looking toward ESPN to fill the gap.

The station also uses WCBS NewsRadio 880's Kevin Connors for weekend morning sports, though his bio has yet to be listed on wcbstv.com.

CBS 2's Super Sunday

CBS 2 will kick off Super Bowl Sunday with "Sunday Blitz" at 11 a.m. That's followed by a special 11:30 edition of "Sports Sunday." Sportcasters Chris Wragge, Ducis Rodgers, Sam Ryan and Kevin Connors will be on hand to preview the biggest sporting event of the year.

WCBSTV.com: "The Fastest Growing New York Television News Website"

WCBSTV.com posted this press release today pointing out its successes in 2006. Here are some of the highlights:

• Double the amount of page views in the second half of 2006 compared to the same period in 2005
• 215% increase in website visits from July-December 2005 to July-December 2006
• 260% increase in monthly unique visits
• 258% increase in page views in January 2007 over January 2006

It looks like increased promotion for the website, as well as added features such as most newscasts streaming live, played a large role in the increases.

Let The Sweeps Begin!

Today marks the beginning of the four-week February 2007 sweeps period, a time when broadcast networks and local stations try even harder for you to get you to watch their programs. Nielsen Media Research then puts out ratings data that gives broadcasters information to base their ad rates on.

This blog will try to have the most comprehensive sweeps coverage relating to CBS 2 News. Send in a tip, either by e-mailing or commenting on a post, if you see anything that looks like it might have been done just for sweeps.

Detailed promos have already been airing for the past few days for tonight's 11 p.m. story by Investigative Reporter Scott Weinberger called "Fake Cops, Real Dangers." We'll see how many more such promos and special reports air this month.

Perhaps the biggest event of the month comes on Sunday as it is CBS's turn to air the Super Bowl, annually the highest-rated broadcast of the year. It will be CBS 2's chance to catch the attention of viewers in the New York metro area.

Dana Tyler To Be Honored

Dana Tyler, along with My 9's Brenda Blackmon, will be honored tonight at the Museum of Television & Radio's 2007 Faces of Black History Awards, according to the Post.