New Year's Eve Preemption

Because of CBS Sports' coverage of the Sun Bowl this afternoon, which began at 2:00, CBS 2 News at 5:00 will not be seen. According to the schedule on wcbstv.com, the college football game is scheduled to end at 6:00.

Tomorrow, CBS Sports will air the Gator Bowl beginning at 1:00 and is expected to end by 5:00.

Wragge, Quinn Remain on Saturday Early Show

It looked like it might be temporary but now it looks like it'll last a bit longer. Chris Wragge has been co-anchoring The Saturday Early Show since at least the spring. He began at a time when TSES was auditioning male anchors but has been anchoring steady since the summer. Lonnie Quinn has been doing weather since at least the summer.

This morning, Wragge and Quinn said goodbye to Maggie Rodriguez, who will be joining the weekday version of The Early Show January 7th. Rodriguez mentioned that she will continue to watch them on TV on Saturday mornings. It appears those six-day work weeks aren't going away for these two anytime soon.

Merry Christmas from NewsByte2!

To celebrate, here's a look at some of the promos CBS 2 has aired this holiday season:

Behind the Scenes of a Promo Shoot

WCBSTV.com posted the four versions of the year-ender promos on the main page today. In addition to that, the website has a slideshow of 27 pictures giving a behind-the-scenes look at the shoot. Plus, there's this three-minute-plus timelapse video showing how it was all done.

"Historical Events" and "The Year's Events" Promos

CBS 2 News began airing a new set of promos this morning. One 60-second version, "Historical Events," looks back at some of the biggest stories that have been covered since the beginning of television. Another shows the memorable stories from 2007 with big shots of a smiling news team. The promos seem almost movie-like because of the lighting and the music. There are also new five-second IDs, showcasing the different teams with the phrase "News as it Happens."




Update: Here are the videos:

Kirtzman in Iowa

Andrew Kirtzman is covering the primary campaigns in Iowa for CBSNews.com. In his first post last night, he writes of how he keeps getting lost. Here's one particularly interesting passage from his campaign diary:

I have come to Iowa on a mental vacation. I'm a television reporter seeking refuge in the written word, unburdened by cameras, cameramen, sound bites or satellites. As the Iowa caucuses grew closer, I realized that this was the only place on earth where I truly belonged. And so I've run away to join the media circus.

CBSNews.com says that Kirtzman will be "writing regularly" for the website.

Berardelli Back on CBS 2

Meteorologist Jeff Berardelli returned to CBS 2 during the 5 and 6 PM newscasts today for the first time since his departure for WFOR, CBS 4 in Miami on Sunday, March 18, 2007. Berardelli was seen one other time since his move to Miami, during the Tunnel to Towers coverage in September. Berardelli was in for Lonnie Quinn who went on vacation late last week. It is unclear whether Beradelli is here to stay, or just helping out while CBS 2 is short-handed after the recent departure of John Bolaris back to Philadelphia. Stay tuned to NewsByte2 for more updates.

"Eye On The Storm" Graphics

For the first time in recent memory, CBS 2 News has ditched the "Storm Watch" brand for snow coverage. (There have been instances in which special titles, such as "Valentine's Day Storm" and "December Blast," have been used for specific storms, but this seems to be a broader change.) Here's a look at some of the new graphics:




Special "Eye On The Storm" lower-thirds were used during CBS 2 News at Noon but the regular look returned at 5:00...

Sullivan to Appear on "Guiding Light"

Michael Starr in the New York Post reports today that morning anchor Kate Sullivan will appear on "Guiding Light" today. She won't have to act too hard as she will be playing the part of a news anchor. The CBS soap airs at 10:00 this morning.

10:24 A.M. UPDATE: Sullivan was the first person seen and heard as the show opened, anchoring fictional station WSPR's election night coverage as the results trickled in.

Holiday Set Decorations

It's that time of year again. CBS 2 News added poinsettias to the set yesterday to give the studio a holiday feel.





UPDATE: Here are some more views of the holiday additions to Studio 46:

Bolaris Leaves CBS 2 News

Meteorologist John Bolaris has apparently left CBS 2 News as his online biography was removed from wcbstv.com sometime yesterday.

Bolaris was CBS 2's chief meteorologist from December 9, 2002 until weathercaster Lonnie Quinn replaced him on June 28, 2007. After being replaced by Quinn, Bolaris remained with CBS 2 News as the weekend evening meteorologist.

Speculation about the future of Bolaris at CBS 2 News grew over the summer when he was spotted in Philadelphia, where he was previously a chief meteorologist at WCAU-TV. In October, Dan Gross of the Philadelphia Daily News reported that Bolaris would be signing on with WTXF Fox 29 in Philadelphia as their chief meteorologist, beginning in January 2008.

Knapp on CBS 2 News

Samantha Knapp reported the last story on CBS 2 News at 5:00 tonight.

Knapp was most recently a reporter at WKMG-TV, the CBS affiliate in Orlando, Florida.

LI Bureau to Move Into New Newsroom

Last night at the end of the 11:00 newscast, Chris Wragge and Kristine Johnson talked about a "new addition to the CBS 2 News team."

Hofstra University President Stuart Rabinowitz and School of Communication Dean Cybil Delgaudio unveil the NewsHub sign.

It's Hofstra University's converged newsroom, which was unveiled last night. The purpose of the new room, dubbed "NewsHub," is to put print, broadcast and online journalism students in the same area allowing for better integration of information.

Students demonstrate the technology in the new newsroom.

CBS 2 announced that its Long Island Bureau will soon be based out of NewsHub. The bureau is currently housed inside Hofstra's radio station, WRHU 88.7FM.

Dozens of people were on hand to watch NewsHub in action.

(Photo credit: NewsByte2 ... Full disclosure: This blogger is a journalism student at Hofstra.)

New School Closings/Delays Ticker

We got our first look at this season's school closings and delays graphic: