NewsByte2 Changes

You might have noticed that this blog hasn't been updating as much these days.  That's because I recently began working for another local television station and will be unable to continue working on NewsByte2 for obvious reasons.  So I'm going to have to give it up.  But the remaining members of the NewsByte2 team Brian, David and Eileen will try to keep you updated with the latest Channel 2 happenings.

Dr. Holly Phillips Joins "Early Show"

TVSPY.com reports that Dr. Holly Phillips recently joined CBS News as a medical contributor on the "Early Show". Dr. Phillips will also continue her duties on CBS2.

Finch Fills In

Elise Finch has been covering the weather center for Lonnie Quinn yesterday and today. He will return tomorrow.

David Diaz Remembers 9/11

There's an interesting article in today's Daily News about former CBS 2 reporter David Diaz.  He tells the paper that he developed a sinus problem and a cough shortly after his reporting from Ground Zero and still has a headache and a problem with his right ear.  He spoke of reporters' natural desire to go to where the danger is:

"It's what you do in the news business. You rush into a lot of situations.  There may be a hazardous material spill somewhere or whatever, and those people just go and don't think much about it."

Diaz left the station in 2005 and now teaches at the City College of New York.

9/11/08

CBS 2 News will again air special coverage of the September 11th memorial ceremonies tomorrow. A station spokeswoman tells us that Chris Wragge and Kristine Johnson will anchor the broadcast, which begins at 8:25 a.m. and runs commercial-free until noon. Nearly 3,000 names will be read during the services.

Rescheduled Tennis Preempts 5:00 and 6:00 News

Because of Tropical Storm Hanna on Saturday, U.S. Open tennis play in Flushing, Queens had to be pushed back, with the men's finals being played today at 5:00.  CBS Sports' coverage is scheduled to last until at least 8:00, meaning that CBS 2 News at 5:00 and at 6:00 will be preempted.  The season premieres in high definition of "The Insider" at 7:00 and "Entertainment Tonight" at 7:30 will not be seen.

Susan G. Komen "Race for the Cure" Special

Maurice DuBois and Kate Sullivan host an hour-long special about breast cancer this weekend.  "Race for the Cure" airs tomorrow night at 7:00.  For more information about Susan G. Komen, including next weekend's race, go to wcbstv.com.

Tennis Preempts CBS 2 News at 5:00

CBS 2 News at 5:00 will not air this evening as the network's Labor Day coverage of the U.S. Open tennis tournament is scheduled to run until 6:00. CBS Sports came on at 11:00 this morning, taking a 30-minute break at noon for local news. "Dr. Phil" and "Judge Judy" were moved to 9:00 and 10:00, respectively, to make room for the coverage.

As similar schedule will take over on Friday as the network's coverage of the women's semifinals and men's doubles final begins at 12:30 and is set to run until 6:00. "Phil" and "Judy" will be aired at 10:00 and 11:00, respectively.

Jets Force Couric to 6:00

Because of the station's coverage of the New York Jets/Philadelphia Eagles preseason game, the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric will air a half hour earlier at 6:00 on CBS 2 this evening. Couric will be live from Denver's Invesco Field, where Sen. Barack Obama will accept the Democratic Party's nomination later tonight (and if a rumor from the Drudge Report is correct, Couric might have news about Sen. John McCain's vice presidential pick during the special broadcast).

Guzman Returns With Gotti Exclusive

Two weeks after suffering a heart attack, Pablo Guzman returned to CBS 2's airwaves this evening. He obtained an exclusive interivew with Victoria Gotti, sister of John Gotti Jr., who was indicted today in Tampa. Guzman appeared live at the top of CBS 2 News at 6:00 from Plainview in Nassau County.

The video is available on wcbstv.com here.

Guzman: "I'm going to be OK"

Just as he did two months ago, Pablo Guzman made a blog entry to update viewers and visitors on his health. It's a must-read for everyone and serves as a good lesson for us all when it comes to our health. He says he started having chest pains Sunday morning and again on Monday but it wasn't until Tuesday morning that he decided to do something about it:

Wait: Angela, my daughter, would be forever haunted if I died at home. And my son, Daniel, my wife, Debbie...I don't want to die! I want more years with these people! I love them too much!

I made a promise to God, and to my dad in heaven, my grandparents, my aunts and uncles --- OK! This time I'll call the doctor, OK? Only, please give me the strength to take a shower first. I don't want these people thinking, boy, those TV guys sure smell.

And he made it just in time. He was falling asleep when his doctor yelled "Stay with me, Pablo! Come on, Pablo! I don't want to lose you!" The self-described not-exactly-an-exercise-freak had 99 percent blockage in one artery and was told, "We thought we might lose you."

It's comforting to see that Guzman still has his sense of humor. The Bronx Bombers notes in parentheses when talking about his doctor, Mark Applebaum, that he is "a Yankee fan, it turns out."

While he's recovering now at Columbia-Presbyterian, he does have 70 percent blockage in another artery.

He ended this post just as he did his first one -- by thanking the people who saved his life.

I'm going to be OK. Thanks, Lord. And all you medical pros who chipped in. Gracias.

Newsroom Adds High Def Monitors

It looks like CBS 2's newsroom has undergone recent renovations. The bank of 12 monitors displaying the competition and other feeds has been replaced by six high definition screens, the top three of which are separated into quarters. Check out the snapshots below for a comparison.

Today:


July 14th:

Guzman Recovering After Heart Attack

Veteran CBS 2 News reporter Pablo Guzman is recovering after suffering a heart attack yesterday. Chris Wragge announced at 5:20pm that Guzman is on the road to recovery, and Wragge and Kristine Johnson encouraged viewers to send their well-wishes for Guzman to wcbstv.com. CBS 2 also reported the news with this article on wcbstv.com.

Regular CBS 2 viewers will remember that Guzman was injured in a car accident on his way home from work in May. Guzman was off the air for a month recovering from the accident, but fortunately he was not seriously injured.

Viewers can send their get well wishes to Pablo Guzman at wcbstv.com by clicking here.

Sneak Peek at Jets Promos

CBS 2's Creative Services has posted the following 15-second promos for Jets football coverage on YouTube:






CBS 2's coverage of the Jets begins August 7th as Gang Green heads to Cleveland in their first preseason matchup.

Hsu's 15th Anniversary at CBS 2

Today is Cindy Hsu's 15th anniversary at WCBS-TV.

She joined the station on this date in 1993 as a reporter before becoming a weekend anchor the following year. In the summer of 1996, Hsu was promoted to mornings, she outlasted several co-anchors and format changes. She was also anchoring the noon newscast until August 2000, which was typically the station's only #1 broadcast. Hsu left mornings in 2001 when Channel 2 started out a 4:00 show, becoming its news anchor and regular fill-in while also returning to the noon. In March 2002, she became co-anchor of the 4:30 and 5:30 newscasts, until September 2003 when she moved to 5:00, staying there until the following April. She remained on as noon co-anchor until April 2006, when the station once again shuffled lineups, and moved to weekend mornings for the next 12 months. Hsu began doing parenting reports in October 2004, then branded as "Parent 2 Parent" and now called "Family First."

According to her bio, Hus has won many awards, including Emmy Awards, the New York AP Broadcasters Award, the American Women in Radio and Television Golden Apple Award and the Friends of Adoption Award from the Adoptive Parents Committee. She is also very involved in the community and the Daily News reports today that Hsu will be at Shea Stadium with Lonnie Quinn tomorrow to kick off the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's "Walk to Cure Diabetes."

Saturday Morning Changes?

Today, Priya David filled in for Mary Calvi on CBS2 News This Morning alongside Steve Bartelstein. David is a CBS News reporter who can be seen on the Early Show and occasionally on the CBS Evening News. It was not clear if she was trying out for the job or just filling in because CBS2 was short-handed. In a funny moment, David smiled while talking about the Yankee's loss against Toronto. Bartelstein reminded her that she shouldn't look too happy about it.

The Saturday Early Show was anchored by Chris Wragge, Lonnie Quinn, and CBS2 Alum Andrea Stassou, who is the current fill-in host of CBS Up to the Minute. Stassou was at CBS2 until November 2006. Also, BMX Star Mike Spinner was one of the guests, doing stunts on the plaza. CBS2's Lonnie Quinn tried to replicate them with mild success.

The Difference At 6

In the wake of The Weather Channel shakeup, the 6PM weathercast has a unique characteristic. It is the only forecast to still hold The Weather Channel's logo in the upper right hand corner. This seemed to be an error on Monday, but the logo reappeared today only on the 6, and may continue be there for the near future.

Also, today at Noon, Dana Tyler anchored solo. Alexis Christoforous was off, but CBS News Reporter Alison Harmelin filled in to do MoneyWatch. Chris Wragge joined Dana for the 6.

CBS2 HD & The Weather Channel No More

Over the recent weeks, the "CBS2HD and The Weather Channel Forecast" has become the "CBS2HD Forecast" on-air, but The Weather Channel logo had remained intact. However, with today's confirmation of The Weather Channel's sale to NBC Universal, The Weather Channel logo was dropped from the 7 day forecast. A wide shot of the studio also reveals that a CBS2 HDTV logo covers The Weather Channel logo located underneath the plasma in the weather condo.

Skin Cancer Special This Weekend

CBS 2 will air "Sunburned: Skin Cancer Exposed" this Sunday at noon. The special will take a look at the sun's dangers now that summer has begun. "Sunburned" originally aired last year on August 5th and is still available on wcbstv.com.

CBS 2 Promo Website

Bruce Erik Brauer, vice president of CBS 2's Creative Services, sends us a link to his website showing off some of his latest projects. He explains the black and white still photos campaign as a desire to stand out from what the other stations are doing. There's also some insight on the weather factoid spots, children's IDs and the year ender.

Weekly Q&A with New Mets Manager

Ducis Rodgers announced in his sportscast tonight that Jerry Manuel, interim manager of the Mets since last week, will join CBS 2 in a weekly question-and-answer session. It will take place on Fridays and will incorporate viewer questions submitted via wcbstv.com.

Carolyn Costello Reports on CBS 2 News

Eileen reports that a new face debuted on CBS 2 News last week. Carolyn Costello contributed packages to the 5:00 news on Thursday and Friday and at 6:00 on Saturday.

It looks like Costello was most recently with WNCN in Raleigh, NC where she was a reporter and weekend anchor. Her WNCN bio says that she is a Long Island native, having worked as an associate producer at News 12 Long Island and a reporter at WLNY 55. Before WNCN, she reported for WXIX in Cincinnati.

Producer's Father Profiled

On this day after Father's Day, the father of a CBS 2 News producer is profiled in Broadcasting & Cable. Bill Applegate, the vice president and general manager of WOIO (CBS 19) and WUAB in Cleveland, took the duopoly from sixth to third place in revenue, in part by building a news department and taking it in a tabloid direction. His son is Brian Applegate, producer of CBS 2's late news, but he's not the only one continuing in his father's footsteps; his sister is an executive producer at KTLA Los Angeles and a brother used to be an EP at KOVR Sacramento.

“I kept trying to tell them, why not architecture?” Applegate says with a laugh. “I guess they grew up watching me run news departments and thought, Gee, that's kind of cool.”

CBS 2 "At The Tonys"

CBS 2 will air its annual Tony Awards preview show this weekend. "At The Tonys," an hour-long broadcast, airs Sunday at noon and is hosted by Dana Tyler.

Here's the description of the program from wcbstv.com's programing page (from TitanTV):

Highlights and performers from this year's Tony-nominated shows are featured, including Patti LuPone, Laurence Fishburne, Patrick Stewart and Martha Plimpton. Also: a sneak peak inside the goody bag.

It also mentions that entertainment reporters Katie McGee and Megan Glaros will contribute reports in the special.

The Broadway-honoring 2008 Tony Awards will air later that night at 8:00 on CBS.

More of Those New Promos

The third batch of those still photos promos hit the air on Wednesday. One features the noon and 6:00 anchor team of Dana Tyler and Don Dahler, meaning that all three of the weekday teams are now been highlighted in these spots. The other shows Cindy Hsu and talks about her parenting reports.

"A Team You Can Trust"


"Your Family, Your News"


These spots began airing on April 29th and the second group debuted on May 21st.

In other promo news, as the heat wave gripped the tri-state area over the weekend and the early part of this week, CBS 2 debuted a few more summer-related weather factoid promos. Here are two: Summer Solstice and Hottest Day.

And in recent weeks, the station has been doing promos for the next day's 6:00 newscast, as is regularly done with the 5:00 and 11:00 newscasts.

Update: We hear that a promo for John Slattery has also been spotted.

Jim McKay Passes Away

Veteran ABC sportscaster Jim McKay passed away of natural causes yesterday at his Maryland home. He was 86 years old. He had hosted ABC's "Wide World of Sports" for over four decades and covered 12 Olympic Games, including the tragic 1972 Munich Olympics. He was the father of CBS News and Sports president Sean McManus.

McKay also had a WCBS connection and it's the reason his last name was changed, according to NPR:

McKay was born Jim McManus in 1921. He was working under that name in 1950, when he took a job hosting a sports show on WCBS in New York. A network executive wanted to call that show The Real McKay — so the host changed his name.

The New York Times has this piece of information:

The next decade brought more television stints at WCBS-TV and the CBS network as a weatherman, a public-affairs moderator, a game show host and a sportscaster.

Heat Wave Weekend NewsBytes

Here are a bunch of quick headlines for you as you try to keep cool in the tri-state this weekend... Feel free to weigh in in the comments section:

> For the first time since Christmas, Cindy Hsu anchored a newscast. The nearly 15-year veteran of the station filled in alongside Chris Wragge on CBS 2 News at 5:00 and at 11:00, and next to Steve Bartelstein this morning.

> A day after two climbers scaled The New York Times building in Times Square, Don Dahler tried to give viewers a sense of what the two publicity-seeking men were feeling. The anchor climbed a 25-foot wall in Chelsea Piers three times and said that, by the end of the climbs, his arms and fingers were cramping, even though he does rock climbing and has done 200-foot cliffs. "The physical feats these men accomplished are nothing short of astounding," Dahler said, adding that they were "very dangerous, illegal, foolish and they could have easily ended in death." Watch the video on wcbstv.com here.

> Megan Glaros filled in for Lonnie Quinn at 11:00 last night even though Quinn was on hand for the 5:00 and 6:00 newscasts. Quinn had to be in Newport, RI to do the weather live from the "Great Chowder Cook-Off" on this morning's The Early Show.

> And speaking of CBS 2 News at 11:00 last night, there were no commercial breaks until 11:32. Hsu and Wragge did a ten-second tease just after "NUMB3RS" and this is usually followed by a 60-second commercial break. Instead, there were a few seconds of black and then the newscast started up. After the one break at the end, Glaros was called on to give another look at the forecast and Hsu and Wragge chatted about it for a few seconds. In the close, Wragge mentioned that it was a "commercial-free edition of CBS 2 News." Was this intentional?

CBS 2 News Covers Second Times Building Climber

Just minutes after reporting about the "French Spiderman" Alain Robert, who climbed the 52-story New York Times Building earlier today, Dana Tyler announced that it was happening again. Yes, a second man was scaling the building's wall. CBS 2 was the first station to report the news at 6:05 and immediately tossed to shots from Dave Carlin's position on the ground. Pictures from Chopper 2 followed soon after and Joe Biermann provided additional information. At one point, an "exclusive" graphic was put up but that was quickly discontinued after it was clear that the other stations had joined in the live coverage of the odd scene.

CBS 2 went to a commercial break at 6:12 and returned with some of the day's other news, weather and sports (which was reduced to just a story about the Yankees) mixed in with additional live coverage. Tyler explained to viewers that the station did not want to follow it continuously because of the possibility that it could end tragically. At 6:17, Biermann noted, "He is getting tired."

At the end of the 6:00 news, Tyler said that they would have more on the climber at 11:00.

WCBSTV.com has a story about the incident here.

Update: WCBSTV.com has the video of the initial breaking news report here... and here are some snapshots:


Tagging the story about the day's first climber with some video of other notable NYC stunts.


CBS 2 had a live shot almost immediately because they had been covering the first climber.


Chopper 2 and Joe Biermann on the scene.


The 52-story New York Times building in Times Square.


A police officer tells Dave Carlin to move out of the way.


The "exclusive" graphic did not stay on the screen for long.

Guzman Returns to Work

Pablo Guzman filed his first report today since being injured in a car accident early last month. His story, featured toward the top of CBS 2 News at 5:00, was about the families of Friday's crane collapse victims.

Update: Eileen writes in to report that Guzman actually returned to the air last week. He filed this report on Thursday and this one on Friday.

Glaros Does Weekend Morning Weather

Megan Glaros debuted on CBS 2 News at 5:00 on Wednesday, May 21st as an entertainment and features reporter but did not forecast the weather last weekend. Today was her meteorological debut.

At 6:15, anchors Steve Bartelstein and Mary Calvi both welcomed Glaros. "It's so good to have you here," said Calvi. Bartelstein, always the gift-giver, got his new colleague a coffee mug with an alligator on its floor, telling her, "I know you're from Miami... and there aren't as many gators around here." Glaros said of the present, "So I can scare myself when I get down to the bottom of my drink." Bartelstein explained that his mom always tells him to give gifts on first days because it is supposed to be good luck. "All I have for you guys is storms this afternoon," the meteorologist quipped.

When it was time for her next full weather hit at 6:42, Glaros found something to give to Bartelstein and Calvi. "I don't think Lonnie's going to mind," she said as she handed over the gifts. "Woowww, markers," said Bartelstein of the yellow highlighters.

CBS 2 News Covers Deadly Upper East Side Crane Collapse

CBS 2 News broke in at 8:25 during its regular cut-in during "The Early Show" to report news of a crane collapsing on a 20-story building on 354 East 91st Street by 1st Avenue at around 8:00 (watch the initial report here on wcbstv.com). Maurice DuBois and Kate Sullivan handled the breaking news coverage, which lasted for the rest of the morning into the noon news. Initial reports said that two people were dead but that was later revised at 9:27 to at least one dead with several others injured. WCBSTV.com's breaking news text message alert was sent at 8:20 while the website streamed the live coverage.

Most of the pictures came from Reggie Harrison (a former NYPD cop) and Chopper 2. Sean Hennessey began reporting from the ground via phone but was later seen on camera at around 9:13 interviewing many witnesses of the collapse. Jay Dow also reported via his phone at around that time and was first seen on camera at East 91st and 2nd at 9:53. At 9:37, the first video from the scene was fed in as DuBois explained to viewers that it was difficult to get a live truck any closer. Katie McGee came on several times to talk about the traffic conditions and the bus detours. At 10:14, Chris Wragge reported from the 92nd and 2nd began interviewing witnesses and later spoke with Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer. Magee Hickey, who said it took her and her crew nearly an hour to get from another story in Brooklyn, joined the live coverage from the ground at 10:56. Additional reporting was sourced to Tony Aiello and John Slattery.

As is often the case during breaking news coverage, the anchors spoke with politicians, experts and witnesses via the phone. Among the phone interviews were: Councilman Tony Avella, Buildings Committe - NYC Council; Jessica Lappin, (D) NYC Council - Manhattan; Bo Dietl, retired NYPD detective; Ann Marie Kross, 60 Minutes producer/witness; James Pritchett, crane collapse expert in Mobile, AL; Phillip Shiffman, lives in building/witness; Erik Dilan, Chairman of Buildings Committee - NYC Council; Mary Jo Gillis, who lives nearby and was woken up by the sound of the crash; and Ira Goldman, Red Cross spokesperson. Audio and then video of Mayor Michael Bloomberg calling the accident "unacceptable" on his weekly WOR radio show ran a few times.

At 9:51, pictures that viewer Victoria Pericon e-mailed in to wcbstv.com came on the screen. The series of three shots showed the crane as it fell.

A new conference with Mayor Bloomberg, Governor David Paterson and Acting Buildings Commissioner Robert LiMandri began at 11:21. They provided some new information, including the fact that the one fatality and the two seriously injured were construction workers, and took questions from reporters.

Sullivan and DuBois signed off at the top of the hour as Don Dahler anchored CBS 2 News at Noon from the ground. He tossed to Hickey, Dow, Slattery, Wragge, Harrison in Chopper 2, and McGee in the studio with traffic updates. The station took its first break in almost four hours at 12:18. When Dahler returned 90 seconds later, he tossed to Sullivan in the studio with a brief look at the other stories making news before turning to John Elliott with the weather. Sullivan then tossed back to Dahler and then Harrison with some final comments before saying goodbye and closing just before 12:28.

Here are some snapshots of the coverage:


























Updated news on this story is available at wcbstv.com.

Update: CBS 2 News broke in again at 3:00. Don Dahler, reporting from the scene, reported the news that a second victim had passed away. He also provided the identities of the two fatalities. The special report lasted just over 90 seconds. Dahler returned at 4:00 with a quick update and said that one of the victims who had died was in the taxi cab that the crane fell onto.