NewsByte2

Glaros Heads to WBBM

2010-08-16T12:12:00.000-04:00

Megan Glaros is following Kate Sullivan to Chicago's WBBM. The weekend morning meteorologist and weekday entertainment reporter will be doing weather for WBBM's retooled morning newscast. The Chicago Sun-Times reports she will be joined by another WCBS alum: Steve Bartelstein, who will be one of the new morning anchors.

Glaros' last day at CBS 2 was yesterday. While no mention of it was made on-air, Rob Morrison tweeted the news before the cameras turned on:

Attention NY viewers: Last morning with the lovely @MeganGlaros. Our loss is Chicago's gain.

Morrison also tweeted this photo after the newscast:

Glaros announced her move via Twitter later in the afternoon:

It's true! I'm off to CBS Chicago! Going home to do my thing. You're all making me feel very loved!

She began at CBS 2 in May 2008.

Friend Promoted to CBS Television Stations

2010-08-10T22:11:00.000-04:00

CBS 2's news director and vice president David Friend will be overseeing all of the CBS owned and operated stations. Broadcasting & Cable reports that Friend has been promoted to senior vice president of news for CBS Television Stations, where he'll also work to strengthen CBS Radio and television partnerships.

Friend joins general manager Peter Dunn and creative services director Bruce Erik Brauer in adding the entire CBS O&O group to their WCBS duties.

CBS 2 Changes Twitter Name

2010-08-03T14:09:00.000-04:00

CBS 2's Twitter account, @wcbstv, just announced to its 7,756 followers that the station will be using a new account name:

The new name, @eyeonny, currently has 83 followers. Interesting that the station chose to start a brand new account instead of simply changing the name and keeping the 7,756 followers it already had.

CBSNewYork.com Launches

2010-08-03T13:03:00.001-04:00

Web surfers who type cbsnewyork.com into their browser are now redirected to newyork.cbslocal.com, the website that combines the resources of CBS 2 News with CBS Radio stations WCBS, WINS and WFAN. The same also happens when you type in wcbs880.com and 1010wins.com while wfan.com redirects to the sports page.

Until this morning, cbsnewyork.com redirected to wcbstv.com despite the new (well, old) web address being promoted on television since last week.

It is interesting to note that Kate Sullivan's bio is no longer on the website. It had been reported that Sullivan's last day at CBS 2 News would be last Friday but no indication was made on the morning or noon newscasts of her leaving. Cindy Hsu has been anchoring alongside Maurice DuBois this week with no mention of her being "in for" Sullivan. Promos for the morning newscast featuring the entire team have also stopped airing.

CBSNewYork.com Beta

2010-08-01T18:12:00.004-04:00

Here's a look at the new CBSNewYork.com, which combines CBS 2, 1010 WINS, WCBS NewsRadio 880 and WFAN SportsRadio 66 in a clean design.

CBS 2 is joining forces with the most trusted local CBS RADIO stations in New York to give you the best New York has to offer.

Typing cbsnewyork.com into a browser still redirects to wcbstv.com despite being promoted on television already. The new website has "beta" by the logo, which might explain why the weather on the front page header is "N/A".

The new home page has the video player lower on the right side than the current design but the video page sports a larger video player window.

CBSNewYork.com looks to aim to become a search engine for New York with this CBS Local Search page.

It also appears that new Twitter and Facebook names will be used for the merged identities: twitter.com/EyeOnNY and facebook.com/pages/I-Am-New-York/119141781466627 .

WBBM Introduces Sullivan as Anchor

2010-07-29T12:38:00.002-04:00

WBBM in Chicago today announced its new weeknight anchor teams, which includes Kate Sullivan. This would be why she's been off since anchoring CBS 2 News This Morning yesterday.

Here's what Sullivan had to say of her new assignment as co-anchor of the 5:00 and 10:00 newscasts starting September 13th:

While I have thoroughly enjoyed my four years in New York ... I am excited to return to the Midwest and do what I love for the people of Chicago. Joining Rob, Bill, Walter and the rest of the CBS 2 news team is a tremendous honor.

Sullivan's last day at WCBS will reportedly be tomorrow.

(By the way, WBBM last week adopted the graphics that CBS 2 recently premiered as the look spreads to other CBS O&O stations.)

Update: CBS2Chicago.com posted video of Kate Sullivan speaking with her new colleagues here.

CBSNewYork.com Returns... Sort Of

2010-07-29T10:20:00.000-04:00

As reported yesterday, CBS 2 will again be promoting the cbsnewyork.com domain name instead of wcbstv.com. As of this morning, the "new" domain appears beneath the logo in the on-screen bug and in promos. (Being that the URL is longer, it is now aligned with the entire eye-2 HD logo instead of just the eye and the 2.)

Users who type in cbsnewyork.com are instantly redirected to wcbstv.com, which still has that domain all over the website. Look for that to change, likely later today and in the days ahead.

CBSNewYork.com to Make a Return

2010-07-27T16:27:00.001-04:00

CBS will merge the websites for WCBS-TV, 1010 WINS and WFAN SportsRadio 66 in the coming weeks, according to Broadcasting & Cable. The new domain name, CBSNewYork.com, is actually an old one, having been used by WCBS, WFAN and WCBS NewsRadio 880 around five to ten years ago.

The stations have already been collaborating in recent months, with CBS 2's sports anchors doing the 11 p.m. update on WFAN, weather anchors doing the weather on WCBS 880 during the day, and radio reporters often turning up on CBS 2's broadcasts.

B&C also reported this nugget:

The station is considering a 4:30 a.m. news, too. “We’ll see if it’s needed,” says [CBS Television Stations president Peter] Dunn. “If it is, we’ll do it.”

(Thanks to kshow on tvnewstalk.net for the link.)

Sullivan Leaving CBS 2 News

2010-07-27T16:06:00.000-04:00

Apologies for being late in reporting this...

Robert Feder blogged Wednesday night that morning and noon co-anchor Kate Sullivan is headed to WBBM in Chicago to co-anchor the evening newscasts there. According to Brian, the print edition of the Daily News reported that Sullivan's final day is this Friday. The New York Post says Lisa Daniels, who was once a reporter and weekend at CBS 2, is among the possible replacements being interviewed, then reported the next day that weekend anchor Mary Calvi was the leading candidate to replace Sullivan.

Sullivan joined the station and a retooled CBS 2 News This Morning with Maurice DuBois in April 2006. The pair also took over the noon newscast last year.

Dana Tyler: 20 Years

2010-07-16T10:11:00.000-04:00

On this day in 1990, Dana Tyler started at WCBS-TV as a reporter and weekend anchor. According to her bio, she and Reggie Harris became the first African American anchor team in New York. She has anchored the noon, 4:00 (and 4:30), 5:00, 6:00 and 11:00 newscasts. She's currently anchors CBS 2 News at 6:00 with Don Dahler.

Here's the promo CBS 2 started airing yesterday celebrating her 20 years at the station:

Videos of the New Look

2010-04-29T19:12:00.004-04:00

Thanks to YouTube user NYNewsWatch, we have the following HD videos of CBS 2 News' new look from this afternoon:

CBS 2 News Debuts News Graphics

2010-04-29T13:29:00.005-04:00

CBS 2 News debuted new graphics today at noon. It appears to be more of a update of the April 2007 Giant Octopus package than an entirely fresh look in that Arial is still the main font and similar CBS eye elements are used for the background animations. One major difference is that the yellow and gold colors that had been used along with the blue seem to have been dropped. As spotted last night and this morning, the "HD" lettering in the logo now sit next to the eye-2 logo and seems to make the logo look unbalanced, especially with the time, temperature and website address aligned with the eye-2 part in the bug.

The whole "upgrade" brings to mind the August 2006 simplification of the April 2006 look.

Here are some snapshots taken from the wcbstv.com videos:

2:29 P.M. UPDATE: A few more snapshots...
Looks like the CBS eye in the lower-thirds gets covered up for specific franchise brands, such as part of a caduceus for HealthWatch.

The weather graphics have also been updated. The graphics for the maps appear to be the same but the new unanimated background appears on the today/tonight/tomorrow slides and seven-day forecast along with new border treatments. The "CBS 2 HDTV" logos in the studio weather center have generally been replaced with "CBS 2 NEWS" logos.

More New Logo Sightings

2010-04-29T08:53:00.004-04:00

Something's definitely up... Below is a composite of the new logos spotted in other areas of wcbstv.com this morning:

And here's a larger version of the graphic directing visitors to the station's Twitter page:

The main logo in the banner is still the current "HDTV" logo.

9:37 A.M. UPDATE: The Facebook page has an updated profile picture that seems to show the "HD" part in a slightly different shade as the eye-2 part of the logo, something that was also spotted above:

New Logo On The Way?

2010-04-28T23:43:00.000-04:00

CBS 2 News seems to be testing out something on wcbstv.com. On top of the link for the live stream of CBS 2 News at 11:00, there's a graphic telling visitors to watch the noon newscast. What's noticeable is that the logo appears to be different. Instead of "HDTV" beneath the eye and the 2, it's just "HD" to the right of it.

Interestingly, the May 2010 "sweeps" period begins in just minutes.

"WCBS Grand" Anniversary

2010-04-27T09:14:00.004-04:00

Ten years ago today, "News 2" debuted a graphics package that was significantly different than anything else the station had used before, including animated lower-thirds for the first time. The music was "WCBS Grand," which you can sample to on Southern Media's News Music Search Archive.

CBS 2's 20/20 Updates Start Tonight

2010-03-22T17:01:00.000-04:00

CBS 2 News' sports anchors will begin providing the 11:00 p.m. "20/20 Update" for CBS Radio's all-sports station WFAN. Sam Ryan tweets that engineers are currently working on the audio equipment in the sports office. It had originally been reported that the updates would start last month but that timeline got moved back.

Newsroom Reopens

2010-03-03T23:31:00.000-05:00

CBS 2 staffers moved back into the newsroom today after renovations relocated them down the hall into the former Guiding Light studio about two months ago. The following pictures were tweeted via TwitPic by Sam Ryan and Kristine Johnson, respectively:

Johnson also tweeted that the Sales Department provided cookies for them to welcome them back home.

CBS 2 Weather on WCBS 880

2010-03-01T22:51:00.001-05:00

CBS 2 News meteorologists and weather anchors began providing the forecast on sister station WCBS NewsRadio 880 this morning. After longtime 880 (and former CBS 2) meteorologist Crag Allen's morning reports are over at 10:00, John Elliott jumps in for "Traffic and Weather Together on the 8s." Lonnie Quinn takes over from 2:00 to 4:00, when Allen returns for the evening commute. It seemed that every other hit was live, at least during Quinn's two hours, while the others were prerecorded.

As reported a few weeks ago, CBS 2's sports anchors Sam Ryan and Otis Livingston will soon be anchoring the 11:00 p.m. "20/20 Update" on WFAN SportsRadio 66 but it won't be tonight, as was originally planned.

21 Emmy Nominations

2010-02-25T23:01:00.000-05:00

The 53rd annual New York Emmy Award nominations are in and here's a look at CBS 2's 21 entries:

EVENING NEWSCAST: Under 35 Minutes

CBS2 News at 11: The Miracle on the Hudson. January 15, 2009. (WCBS-TV). Chris Wragge, Kristine Johnson, News Anchors.

CBS2 News at 11: The Passing of a Broadcast Legend, Walter Cronkite. July 17, 2009. (WCBS-TV). Chris Wragge, Dana Tyler, News Anchors.

EVENING NEWSCAST: Over 35 Minutes

CBS2 News at 5: The Miracle on the Hudson. January 16, 2009. (WCBS-TV).Chris Wragge, Kristine Johnson, News Anchors.

GENERAL ASSIGNMENT

Cop Puts Cameraman into Choke Hold. October 28, 2008. (WCBS-TV). Christine Sloan, Reporter; Jim Quodomine, Photographer; Chris McAnerney, Editor.

BREAKING NEWS STORY

Flight 1549 Lands in the Hudson River. January 15, 2009. (WCBS-TV). Andrew Friedman, Assignment Manager.

HEALTH/SCIENCE: Program/Special

Race for the Cure. September 6, 2008. (WCBS-TV). Franca Braatz, Executive Producer.

SPORTS PROGRAMMING: Program Feature/Segment

Jets 24/7: Kenyon's Dream. November 23, 2008. (WCBS-TV). William P. Zagger, Executive Producer; Cameron Gordon, Producer; Dominic Savio, Assistant Producer.

SPORTS PROGRAMMING: Special

That Super Season with Joe Namath. October 25, 2008. (WCBS-TV). Richard Gentile, Bob Parente, Executive Producers.

COMMUNITY/PUBLIC SERVICE (PSAs)

Summer Streets Campaign. July 27, 2009. (WCBS-TV). Lonnie Quinn, On-Air Spokesperson.

PROMOTION: News Promo

Bulletproof Your Job. November 10, 2008. (WCBS-TV). Bruce Erik Brauer, Creative Services Director; Tim Taylor, Writer/Producer.

Weather Team: Fun Facts. January 24, 2009. (WCBS-TV). Bruce Erik Brauer, Creative Services Director; Lee E. Grossman, Writer/Executive Producer.

PROMOTION: Image

Holiday Kids IDs. April 12, 2009. (WCBS-TV). Bruce Erik Brauer, Creative Services Director.

COMMERCIAL – Single Spot

New Jets Stadium Promo. September 4, 2008. (WCBS-TV). Richard Gentile, Producer/Director

COMMERCIAL – Campaign

Dial 7’s. December 1, 2008. (WCBS-TV). Bruce Erik Brauer, Creative Services Director.

FTI. February 1, 2009. (WCBS-TV). Bruce Erik Brauer, Creative Services Director; Jennifer Bennett Lee, Writer/Producer.

ON-CAMERA TALENT: News Anchor

Chris Wragge. January 15, 2009. (WCBS-TV). “Coverage of Flight 1549.”

ON-CAMERA TALENT: Weather Anchor

Lonnie Quinn. March 4, 2009. (WCBS-TV).

ON-CAMERA TALENT: Features Reporter

Scott Rapoport. August 18, 2009. (WCBS-TV). Composite.

ON-CAMERA TALENT: Live Reporter

Chris Wragge. January 16, 2009. (WCBS-TV). “Miracle on the Hudson.”

WRITER: News

Sean Hennessey. October 13, 2008. (WCBS-TV).

EDITOR: Short Form

Robert Sevilla. September 25, 2008. (WCBS-TV). Compilation.

Update on Glaros' Baby Girl

2010-02-13T13:13:00.000-05:00

CBS 2 News reported the birth of Megan Glaros' girl this morning. Glaros and her husband Lance welcomed Lana into the world Thursday night. Little Lana weighs 6 pounds and measures 17.5 inches long. Mother and baby are said to be doing well.

Below are two pictures from the wcbstv.com video:

Glaros Gives Birth

2010-02-12T00:52:00.000-05:00

CBS 2 News meteorologist Megan Glaros just tweeted the good news minutes ago:

Welcome to the world Lana! Little girl is gorgeous and healthy!

Glaros spent Wednesday afternoon reporting live in the snow in Montclair, New Jersey.

20/20 Updates with Ryan and Livingston

2010-02-11T14:43:00.001-05:00

Jerry Barmash from NY Media Examiner tweets news that CBS 2 sports anchors Sam Ryan and Otis Livingston will anchor the 11:00pm "20/20 Update" on WFAN SportsRadio 66. This would appear to be the other part of the cross-promotion that began last week when CBS 2 began including the WFAN brand in graphics during sports reports.

Newsroom Renovation Update

2010-02-05T11:56:00.003-05:00

Kristine Johnson tweeted this picture of the CBS 2 newsroom yesterday:

Newsroom renovation update: desk pods being assembled now. Some HD monitors up too.

If the remodeling is still on schedule, it should be ready for staffers to move back in about three weeks.

WFAN-Branded Sports Segments

2010-02-05T11:56:00.000-05:00

As of Monday, CBS 2 News has been including the WFAN Sports Radio 66 brand in its sportscasts. The WFAN logo appears on the plasma monitor and over-the-shoulder graphics as well as on a new sports ticker/flipper on the bottom of the screen.

This isn't the first time WFAN, a CBS Radio station, has partnered up with CBS 2. During the Jets' playoff run a few weeks ago, CBS 2 News This Morning occasionally had reporters live at the WFAN studio to chat with morning hosts Craig Carton and Boomer Esiason. Carton also co-hosted a Jets playoff special with Sam Ryan. A similar special aired just before the Giants won the Super Bowl in 2008. And CBS 2 relied on WFAN team beat reporters Ed Coleman and Sweeny Murti to cover the Mets and Yankees at spring training last winter.

Ten Years of Eating Fresh and Staying Healthy

2010-02-05T11:43:00.000-05:00

Last Friday, CBS 2 News at 5:00 took a look back at Tony Tantillo's ten years on CBS 2. Tantillo began first appeared on the station in January 2000 when "News 2" moved its broadcasts to The Early Show's Studio 59 at 59th and Fifth. His produce tips also appear on other stations but CBS 2 is his home base as he appears live in the studio with his best buys and fresh recipes as well as on location "Dining Deals."

Take a look back at The Fresh Grocer's decade at CBS 2 with this video.

Lighting Director Passes Away

2010-01-28T17:25:00.002-05:00

CBS 2's Kristine Johnson reported minutes ago that a lighting director for the station passed away yesterday. Pat Ryan, who worked on CBS 2's weekend morning newscasts as well as for the CBS network, "worked tirelessly to make sure that our anchors and studio guests looked great," Johnson said. The Giants and Mets fan leaves behind a wife and five-year-old son. He was 45 years old.

Megan Glaros tweeted about Ryan's passing earlier today:

So sad one of the crew guys on our weekend show passed away.

Jets' Road to Glory

2010-01-21T21:59:00.001-05:00

The New York Jets are one game away from Super Bowl XLIV and CBS 2 News is prepared. All this week, stories on Jets fever have been airing under a "Road to Glory" brand. Saturday night at 7:00, the station will put together a live one-hour special with Sam Ryan and WFAN Sports Radio 66's Craig Carton. Otis Livingston and Hazel Sanchez will report from Indianapolis, where the Jets will face the Colts in the AFC Championship, which is on CBS Sunday afternoon.

Should the Jets pull off a win, expect CBS 2 to go even crazier with coverage, especially because it's CBS's turn to carry this year's Super Bowl.

Newsroom Renovations

2010-01-21T21:45:00.000-05:00

For the past two weeks, staffers at CBS 2 News have been working out of a makeshift newsroom in the former "Guiding Light" studio, which is right next to CBS 2's Studio 46. That's because the current newsroom is being renovated. Here's what it looked like on January 6th, thanks to Kristine Johnson's TwitPic:

Assignment editors, producers, writers, reporters and website producers are among those working from the temporary newsroom. The offices of the news director, assistant news director and anchors are unaffected, as are the edit rooms.

While the construction is going on, CBS 2's flashcam position has been moved from the newsroom to master control and is being dubbed the "news desk." Fake monitors appear behind the window to make it look similar to the old newsroom shot.

We're told that the new newsroom should be ready in about five weeks.

#1 at 5PM during Storm

2009-12-10T17:46:00.000-05:00

CBS 2 News is patting itself on the back for the ratings during yesterday's snow and rain storm. The promo airing today says "more people watched CBS 2 at 5:00 than any other station." It ends with this line: "CBS 2 News at 5:00: Most watched when it matters most."

Holiday Window Shopping with CBS 2 News

2009-12-03T16:45:00.000-05:00

The new holiday promos have debuted and CBS 2 News is trying something different. Gone are the on-air talent saying the usual Christmastime clichés; instead, the anchors are featured inside holiday window displays.

Check them out:

WCBSTV.com posted a time-lapse video of the two-day shoot in a TriBeCa studio. Promo producer Tim Taylor narrates the two-minute video, showing the building of the elaborate sets and explains what was going on.

New Weather Map Banners

2009-11-12T12:28:00.002-05:00

CBS 2 News began using a new radar-like graphic in place of the regular banners on the weather maps last night at 11:00. It at first appeared to be an error because of the lack of a graphic behind the actual text; however, its continued use today seems to indicate that it is intentional.

While we're on the topic of the weather graphics, there remains an inconsistency between the morning/noon and the evening presentations. As seen below, Lonnie Quinn's seven-day forecast leaves out the blue title bar, making the text harder to read. Quinn's presentations have left this out for months while the other weather talent include it.

Dunn Promoted to President of CBS Television Stations, Will Remain WCBS-TV GM

2009-11-09T14:41:00.000-05:00

WCBS-TV's president and general manager Peter Dunn has been promoted to president of CBS Television Stations, according to this Mediaweek report sent in by Brian. He replaces Tom Kane, who left CBS, as head of the 29 owned and operated stations. Dunn will remain in his position at WCBS.

Les Moonves, president and CEO of CBS, had this to say:

Peter has been a terrific leader in every role he’s had at our station group, from president of sales to running two of our biggest stations. He knows how to deliver results and inspire the best work from his people, and knows the local marketplace as well as anyone.

Also in that article as of this posting is this line:

Prior to WCBS-TV, Dunn was president of sales for the BS Television Stations.

Tell them what you really think!

CBS 2 to Cover Parade of Champions

2009-11-05T18:53:00.000-05:00

CBS 2 News will air live coverage of tomorrow's Parade of Champions for the New York Yankees tomorrow beginning at 11:00 a.m. According to Chris Wragge's Facebook, the coverage will last for about three hours and will be anchored in part by himself along with sports anchors Sam Ryan and Otis Livingston.

The parade begins at Battery Park and will continue north on Broadway's "Canyon of Heroes" to City Hall, where a ceremony will be held at 1 p.m. in front of 500 lucky fans who won an online ticket lottery this evening.

John Slattery reported tonight that this will be New York's 206th ticker-tape parade, the most recent of which was in February 2008 for the New York Giants after winning the Super Bowl. This is the first such parade for the Yankees since beating the Mets in the 2000 World Series.

KYW Pays Off Bet With CBS 2 News This Morning

2009-11-05T10:10:00.006-05:00

Start spreading the news.

Before the World Series began, the morning team at KYW-TV in Philadelphia bet the crew of CBS 2 News This Morning that the Phillies would win. If they were right, Maurice DuBois, Kate Sullivan, John Elliott and Katie McGee would have to sing Elton John's "Philadelphia Freedom" live in New York and Philly.

Last night, the Yankees beat the Phillies 7-3 in Game 6 of the Fall Classic, bringing home the Yankees' franchise 27th ring. That meant the CBS 3 Eyewitness News This Morning team of Ukee Washington, Liz Keptner, Maria LaRosa and Bob Kelly had to sing Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York." CBS 2 rubbed it in a little more by showing video of the champagne celebration in the Yankees' clubhouse during the early morning performance. At the end, both teams said they were hopeful to be at it again next year.

If you want your ears to bleed, check out the simulcast from CBS 2 and KYW.

Former Reporter Wins Long Island Election

2009-11-04T13:14:00.003-05:00

Trish Bergin, who reported for WCBS-TV in the late '90s, won an election yesterday to Islip Town Council in Suffolk County. According to wcbs880.com, she received the most votes out of the four candidates for the two-seat election (though, as of this post, that is not Bergin who is in that picture). She ran as an independent but was also listed on the Republican and Conservative ballots.

Bergin was a second Long Island reporter on "News 2" from March 1997 - December 1998. During the "More News in Less Time, Every Time" era, she often reported live from the station's Long Island bureau in Uniondale during the morning newscasts. Most recently, she reported and anchored for News 12 Long Island.

Campaign 2009 Coverage Tonight

2009-11-03T12:13:00.002-05:00

CBS 2 News says it will provide live coverage tonight of the election results. It begins at 8:00 when polls in New Jersey and Connecticut close.

The major race of the hour will be for New Jersey governor, between Democratic incumbent Jon Corzine, Republican Chris Christie and independent Chris Daggett.

Then at 9:00, polls in New York close and the results for New York City mayor should be known as Democrat Bill Thompson is seeking to keep independent Michael Bloomberg from getting a third term.

The coverage will likely be short updates at the top of the hour instead of a wall-to-wall broadcast during primetime.

Studio 46 has a "Campaign 09" logo on the right side of the desk for today's coverage:

World Series Wager with KYW

2009-10-28T12:31:00.002-04:00

The CBS 2 News This Morning crew has a lot at stake in the outcome of the World Series, which begins this evening. Maurice DuBois led the team in some trash talk with Ukee Washington and KYW Philadelphia's CBS 3 Eyewitness News This Morning. If the Yankees win, CBS 3 will have to sing Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York." CBS 2 will have to sing Elton John's "Philadelphia Freedom" if the Yanks somehow lose to the Phillies.

Check out video from the 5:40 simulcast this morning from the CBS 2 perspective and the KYW perspective.

Oh, and someone please tell the KYW anchors that her name is Katie McGee.

Yankees Pep Rally Coverage

2009-10-27T23:25:00.001-04:00

CORRECTION: 12:33 P.M. WEDNESDAY: It looks like the coverage is only on wcbstv.com and not on the air. So if you go check out the live stream right now, you can watch video of the rally complete with audio of "The Young and the Restless."

CBS 2 News just announced that they will provide live coverage of the Yankees pep rally tomorrow. The rally takes place in Times Square the day the Yankees return to the World Series for the first time since 2003. CBS 2's coverage begins at 12:30, just after CBS 2 News at Noon.

Where's the Bacon?

2009-10-22T19:19:00.000-04:00

It was just last week when CBS 2 debuted a new promotional campaign for the morning newscasts. Soon after, eagle-eyed viewers of the station noticed that one of the eight promos, "It's Like Bacon," stopped running. Fans of the "mmm mmm tasty tasty bacon" promo held a massive protest outside of the CBS Broadcast Center. CBS 2's John Slattery reports on the outrage...

Inside WCBS Newsradio 880

2009-10-22T18:28:00.002-04:00

NewsByte2 paid a visit to the other WCBS in the CBS Broadcast Center yesterday afternoon. Check out this video and the following pictures for a behind-the-scenes look at WCBS Newsradio 880.

Looking toward the entrance of the WCBS Newsradio 880 newsroom on the eighth floor.

Steve Scott anchoring the 2:00 hour. Scott joined WCBS 880 on September 11, 2006 after 20 years in Chicago.

Scott using his finger to scroll down on his script. The busy newsroom is on the other side of that window.

A closer look at the board with the WCBS Newstime clock ticking away. The anchors on WCBS 880 engineer their own newscasts, including turning on and off their microphones, playing reporters' packages, and running commercials.

Wayne Cabot, who's been with WCBS 880 since 1988, joins Steve Scott at 2:59. The team brings the tri-state area the news for the commute home through 7:00. The coverage streams live on wcbs880.com and continues even when the Yankees are airing on 880 AM.

WCBS Newsradio 880 has quite a history, having done all-news for over forty years.

Special thanks to Steve Scott for making this visit possible and for both Scott and Cabot for being great hosts (and for allowing the pictures and video).

Dr. Phillips Joins "The Doctors"

2009-10-16T12:27:00.003-04:00

It's just for one day but CBS 2's medical reporter Dr. Holly Phillips will be on national TV next week. She will guest on the panel of syndicated show "The Doctors" Monday. Among the topics mentioned in the promo: how to know whether you're taking the right vitamins and the FDA studying using LSD to treat headaches.

"The Doctors" airs weekday mornings at 9:00 on CBS 2.

1:03 p.m. Update: Here's the promo that was likely customized for WCBS:

We've also been sent this shot of Dr. Phillips walking onto the set on Monday's show:

Storytelling Promos Coming Monday

2009-10-16T10:05:00.004-04:00

CBS 2 News will "launch a powerful series of on-air spots pitching its correspondents as storytellers" Monday, according to the Daily News. Jennifer McLogan, Pablo Guzman and Jennifer McLogan will be seen in the "first wave." In one, McLogan speaks of covering the 1996 crash of TWA Flight 800:

"I reported on the story, every day for two months. It was a very sad day, and it was hard to report, but that's my job, and it's a day I'll never forget."

Columnist Richard Huff says the promo "is poignant without being cheesy."

This might be the first time the station has given a newspaper a heads-up about a campaign before it began airing. It's also interesting that Jennifer McLogan, who has been with the station since 1993 and originally joined in 1982, is featured in her own promo as she is almost always left out of such spots.

(Photo from the Daily News.)

Shorter, Music-less Teases

2009-10-14T18:35:00.000-04:00

CBS 2 News is following in the steps of cable news networks in the way they tease stories in the newscasts. Beginning on today's 5:00 newscast, teases have been cut to just one or two stories. Most notably, there is no music playing underneath. The regular "Coming Up" animation wasn't used at 5:00; instead, a lower-third banner usually used in promos. "Coming Up" was used in the 6:00 newscast, though it likely appeared to be in error.

The station had been tinkering with the way they teased stories since last week. The first story was often done with the anchors still on camera and using the alternate banner before promoting the other stories with the regular animation. The usual music was still being used.

This style seems to have been copied from channels like CNN and FOX News. Many of those cable newscasts employ the short and music-less teases with the theory being that viewers tune out whatever an anchor says after the words "coming up" or the news theme begins playing. Unfortunately, this style is also rather boring as much of the urgency is taken away. This blogger hopes CBS 2 was just doing this as a test today and doesn't do it again.

New Morning Campaign

2009-10-12T19:27:00.001-04:00

CBS 2 News just debuted a new promotional campaign for the morning newscast. The eight spots feature the team of Kate Sullivan, Maurice DuBois, John Elliott and Katie McGee in front of that familiar white background comparing their morning news to different parts of the morning routine.

Here's one of the spots: "It's Like Coffee"

Here are links to the others:

"Something to Smile About"

NewsByte2 contributor and eagle eye David notes that these look similar to promos done a month ago by Boston's WBZ: "It's Like Coffee," "Fresh is Better" and "It's Like Bacon." We tweeted this on @NewsByte2 and heard back from Lee Grossman, executive producer of CBS 2 Promos:

wbz spots inspired our campaign... we created 5 new spots and cbs-2-ified 3 of theirs. i'm very happy and proud of this campaign

The promos began airing today.

CBS 2 News #1 at 11:00

2009-10-09T19:42:00.000-04:00

There's more ratings news to report today and once again it's good news for CBS 2: For the first week of October, CBS 2 News came in first place at 11:00, thanks in part to a strong CBS primetime. Crain's New York Business reports that WCBS earned a 5.5 rating, up 31% over the same time last year. By comparison, the other stations are down: WABC is down 16% to a 5.4 and WNBC is down 19% to a 2.9.

CBS 2 News at 5:00 Up 20%

2009-10-09T12:35:00.000-04:00

We're getting our first look at how WNBC's decision to drop its 5:00 newscast and replace it with a lifestyle program is affecting ratings. According to the Daily News, WNBC is down 45% in the 5:00 hour in the first five weekdays of October when compared to last year. WABC is still number one but down 12%. WCBS is in second and up 20%, WNYW is up 21%, and WPIX's "Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader" is up 22% in the timeslot.

Garcia Leaves

2009-10-07T21:04:00.000-04:00

According to Lou Young's Twitter, reporter Deborah Garcia is leaving CBS 2. Her last report aired on the 6:00 newscast. For many weeks in 2007, she and Sean Hennessey anchored the Saturday and Sunday morning newscasts in what appeared to be an attempt to groom the pair but that ended by the summer. Garcia joined CBS 2 in October 2006 from WKMG, the CBS affiliate in Orlando.

Morrison's First Day

2009-10-05T19:23:00.001-04:00

Rob Morrison appeared on CBS 2 for the first time this evening at 5:08. His story on Afghanistan strategy can be viewed here on wcbstv.com.

"You're welcome to be here," Don Dahler said to Morrison after his package aired. "You're a familiar face in New York so we're glad to have you here."

"It's a pleasure to be here with people who take local news so seriously, so thank you for having me," Morrison said.

By the way, Morrison just tweeted this news:

Wonderful welcome at CBS 2 today. Many familiar faces. Anchoring the 5 pm tomorrow.

Don't Worry About The Facts

2009-10-05T11:09:00.004-04:00

Accuracy apparently doesn't matter these days. Check out two examples in stories about Rob Morrison becoming an anchor/reporter at CBS 2:

Michael Starr, New York Post, today:

Morrison was one of several high- profile staffers -- including Jim Rosenfield, Scott Weinberger and Andrew Kirtzman -- cut loose by Ch. 4 last year in a cost- cutting move.

WNBC has cut many big names in the last year but those guys weren't among them. Rosenfield left CBS 2 after three years in May 2008. He had been at NBC 4 before that and after his first stint at CBS 2. CBS 2 cut Weinberger and Kirtzman in March 2008. Weinberger also joined from NBC 4 but Kirtzman never even worked at that station at all. It's unclear where Starr got his info from.

Jerry Barmash, examiner.com, Saturday:

It’s been four months since was Rob Morrison was cut from his “Today in New York” duties, weekday mornings at WNBC.

Actually, Morrison left "TINY" late May 2008, not 2009, so it's more like one year and four months. What's worse is that this was Barmash's lead and it only took three words to be wrong. Oh, and in the same piece:

Cindy Hsu, who filled in for Calvi in recent weeks, will go back to a Monday to Friday reporting schedule.

Hsu was anchoring weekend mornings alongside Calvi in recent months, not filling in for her.

As they say, don't let the facts get in the way of a good story... but these aren't even good stories.

CBS 2 at JDRF Walk

2009-10-04T23:28:00.000-04:00

CBS 2 sponsored today's JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes in Battery Park and over the Brooklyn Bridge. NewsByte 2 was there and took these pictures:

Meteorologist Megan Glaros did the weather all morning from 6:00 to 9:00 from Battery Park.

CBS 2's live truck with its microwave mast up.

Anchors Dana Tyler and Cindy Hsu hosting the kick-off program before the walk began.

Cindy's daughter Rosie taking pictures of the crowd with her mom's phone.

Morrison Tweets

2009-10-03T12:11:00.000-04:00

Rob Morrison, who will join CBS 2 News on Monday, sent this message to NewsByte2 on Twitter this morning:

Thrilled to be part of an organization that still believes in the value of community and local news.

You can follow Morrison on Twitter @robmorrison1... and you can follow this blog @NewsByte2.

Rob Morrison To Join CBS 2 News

2009-10-02T20:40:00.003-04:00

NewsByte2 has learned that Rob Morrison, formerly of WNBC, will join CBS 2 News. His first day is scheduled to be Monday, according to an e-mail sent out this afternoon to staffers. Morrison will be anchoring Saturday and Sunday mornings with Mary Calvi and report three days a week. He previously anchored WNBC's "Today in New York" until May of 2008. Late last year, Morrison authored this blog post on The Huffington Post about suddenly being a stay-at-home dad.

Cindy Hsu, who had been co-anchoring with Calvi since Steve Bartelstein abruptly resigned March 17th, will return to weekday reporting with a focus on families.

Special 3PM Newscast Tomorrow

2009-09-13T19:36:00.000-04:00

With the rainy weekend in Flushing, the U.S. Open had to deal with postponed matches. The men's final (between Juan Martin del Potro and Roger Federer) will now take place tomorrow afternoon, with CBS Sports coverage beginning at 4:00 p.m. and scheduled to last about three hours.

Due to the preemption, CBS 2 News will air a special newscast at 3:00... That information is according to Lou Young's Twitter.

Twagiarism?

2009-08-27T18:01:00.005-04:00

...Just because the cool thing to do these days seems to be to change the first letters of a word to "tw" whenever it involves Twitter.

If that headline still doesn't make sense, maybe these screenshots will:

Tweet from @BreakingNews this afternoon:

Tweet a few minutes later from @wcbstv:

Those familiar with Twitter know that copying tweets is not rare. "Retweeting" is a popular way of sharing favorite and interesting posts but that usually includes the letters "RT" and a link to the original tweeter as a way of citing the source. That's not what happened here.

This might be a good time to announce that NewsByte2 is now on Twitter: twitter.com/newsbyte2.

New Promos: "Your 5:00 News"

2009-08-26T13:46:00.004-04:00

The competition is narrowing -- again -- and CBS 2 News is trying to take advantage of it.

The station launched a series of spots this week promoting its 5:00 newscast. That's because WNBC 4 will dump "News 4 New York at 5:00" on September 14th and replace it with a lifestyles program.

Here are the promos. The last one doesn't feel like a typical CBS 2 promo because it uses a different announcer. You can check out more videos on NewsByte2's YouTube page.

This isn't the first time the station has promoted its 5:00 newscast in this way. In September 2008, CBS 2 began airing this "News As It Happens" promo when WNBC changed the format of the 5:30 show. Then when WNBC put an entertainment show at 5:00, CBS 2 ran this promo touting "one full hour."

Wragge's Busy Schedule

2009-08-25T15:23:00.000-04:00

TVNewser profiles CBS 2 News anchor Chris Wragge today, saying that he is "out of his mind" for having such a busy schedule. He's filling in on CBS News' "The Early Show" all week while still anchoring CBS 2 News at 5:00 and at 11:00. This certainly isn't the first time this has happened but what's different this week is that he has other CBS Sports and CBS News shoots to do this week.

Here's a look at his schedule this week:

3:45AM Alarm goes off
4:30AM Car arrives
4:45AM Arrive at studio, begin prep
7:00AM Host "The Early Show"
9:30AM Post-wrap meeting
10:15AM Out of studio
10:30AM Home
10:45AM-12:30PM Nap
1:45PM Back in office; lunch at desk
2:00PM Meeting
2:45PM In studio shoots and prep
5:00PM WCBS News
6:00PM Break for dinner or nap
7:00PM Prep for tomorrow
9:30PM Prep for evening news
11:00PM Evening News
12:00AM Home
12:30AM Asleep
Repeat.

He says it takes two or three weeks to recover.

Sam Ryan Changes Mind, Will Stay at CBS 2

2009-08-18T16:39:00.001-04:00

Brian sends in this story from examiner.com, which reports that sports anchor Sam Ryan has changed her mind and will remain at CBS 2. Ryan, who's looking to spend more time with her family, apparently agreed to stay with the station as long as she can work one less day a week. Otis Livingston is expected to pick up the remaining days of the week.

5:20PM UPDATE: Newsday reports that Ryan will work Monday through Wednesday. Thanks again to Brian for the link!

Sam Ryan to Leave CBS 2

2009-08-14T09:01:00.000-04:00

The Daily News' Richard Huff reports that lead CBS 2 sports anchor Sam Ryan will leave the station August 27th. She will focus her attention on sportscasting duties for CBS, including anchoring Saturday broadcasts for CBS College Sports (formerly "CSTV") as well as reporting for "The NFL Today."

Ryan tells the Daily News that she's looking forward to spending more time with her family, four-year-old daughter Jensen, seven-year-old son Nicklaus, and husband. She will also freelance at SportsNet New York, anchoring the 1 a.m. edition of "Sports Nite" tonight as well as appear on other shows in the future.

Ryan joined CBS 2 News from ESPN in June 2006. When the station let Ducis Rodgers go in January, Ryan and Steve Bartelstein split the evening sportscasts during the week. Then when Bartelstein left shortly after that, Ryan became the lead sports anchor.

CBS 2 and CW 11 Share Chopper

2009-07-17T09:04:00.001-04:00

Richard Huff reports in the Daily News this morning that CBS 2 and CW 11 will share a helicopter. The partnership, which starts tomorrow, will reportedly save each station half a million dollars. Last spring, FOX 5 began sharing its chopper with NBC 4, leading to NBC 4's reporter/photographer Jim Smith returning to CBS 2.

Picture of Couric and Dunn

2009-05-28T08:59:00.006-04:00

Check out this picture of WCBS-TV general manager Peter Dunn with the CBS Evening News' Katie Couric:

Major Changes in the WCBS Sports Office

2009-01-28T18:45:00.005-05:00

In a move that may very well be a "sign of the times," WCBS has laid off sportscasters Ducis Rogers and John Discepolo.

Rogers' final sportscast was the 6PM edition of CBS2 News on Thursday, January 29th, 2009. His final story was on Shea Stadium in which he said "all good things must come to an end" referring to Shea's demolition which is currently under way. Sam Ryan did the 11PM sportscast. She will do weekday evening sports and pre-tape morning sports the night before, while Steve Bartelstein will do weekend evening sports.

CBS2-HD's Literary Talent

2009-01-28T18:25:00.006-05:00

WCBS anchor Don Dahler is set to release his book, entitled "A Tight Lie" in March. It has already gotten a rave review from none other than WABC meteorologist Bill Evans: "It's an exciting read! An absolute thriller! Once I started reading it, I could not and did not put it down!" This is Dahler's first novel, but it may not be his last if he keeps getting reviews like that. You can pre-order it at Amazon and Barnes and Noble if you are interested.

Dahler is not the only familiar face writing a book. Former political reporter Andrew Kirtzman is, according to the New York Post, writing a book on the Bernie Madoff scandal. He was apparently offered $250,000 by Harper Collins, the publisher of his last book "Rudy Giuliani: Emperor of the City." The book title has not yet been announced, but it is expected to be out sometime in 2010.

NewsByte2 Changes

2008-10-06T20:44:00.001-04:00

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"

2008-09-19T16:40:00.003-04:00

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

2008-09-16T19:22:00.003-04:00

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

David Diaz Remembers 9/11

2008-09-11T10:28:00.000-04:00

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

2008-09-10T18:15:00.000-04:00

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

2008-09-08T15:37:00.001-04:00

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

2008-09-05T12:27:00.001-04:00

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

2008-09-01T14:42:00.000-04:00

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

2008-08-28T12:42:00.000-04:00

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

2008-08-05T18:23:00.004-04:00

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"

2008-07-24T22:30:00.002-04:00

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

2008-07-24T18:03:00.000-04:00

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

2008-07-23T20:09:00.006-04:00

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

2008-07-23T16:21:00.002-04:00

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

2008-07-21T10:24:00.000-04:00

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?

2008-07-12T17:17:00.003-04:00

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

2008-07-09T00:53:00.005-04:00

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

2008-07-07T12:15:00.007-04:00

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

2008-06-27T12:36:00.000-04:00

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

2008-06-26T12:55:00.000-04:00

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

2008-06-24T18:32:00.002-04:00

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

2008-06-16T23:00:00.001-04:00

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

2008-06-16T09:45:00.000-04:00

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"

2008-06-13T10:52:00.002-04:00

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

2008-06-13T10:51:00.001-04:00

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

2008-06-08T09:22:00.001-04:00

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

2008-06-07T12:02:00.002-04:00

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

2008-06-05T18:32:00.002-04:00

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

2008-06-02T17:10:00.002-04:00

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

2008-05-31T09:56:00.000-04:00

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

2008-05-30T12:38:00.001-04:00

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.

"Women at the Top" Tomorrow Night

2008-05-30T11:53:00.000-04:00

Kristine Johnson hosts "Women at the Top" tomorrow night at 7:00 on CBS 2. The hour-long special focuses on women who have found success in the areas of business, politics, finance and entertainment.

All this month, CBS 2 has been airing sponsored spots recognizing successful women for "Month of Women."

Guzman Thanks Viewers on Blog

2008-05-28T12:51:00.003-04:00

Pablo Guzman made his first blog post on wcbstv.com this morning and wrote about his accident earlier this month. In it, he describes being rescued from his car by Good Samaritans and thanked everyone who helped him. He also thanked viewers for writing in with their well wishes (posted here and here):

Thank you. And thank all of you who gave me such good medicine as to take the time and write here at CBS, and wish me well. OK, I admit it: I cried. And savored every word like chicken soup.

He ended the entry by saying, "See you soon."

Dahler Debuts at Noon and 6:00

2008-05-27T23:01:00.003-04:00

Don Dahler made his weekday debut today though his new co-anchor was still off. Kate Sullivan filled in for Dana Tyler at noon while Kristine Johnson filled in at 6:00. No mention was made that it was Dahler's first day as permanent anchor of those newscasts.

Dahler is also filling in for Chris Wragge at 11:00.

Dahler to Replace Rosenfield

2008-05-27T08:46:00.001-04:00

The Daily News reports this morning that Don Dahler has been named to take over Jim Rosenfield's spot on CBS 2 News at Noon and at 6:00. He'll sit next to Dana Tyler. Dahler joined the station the day after Labor Day, filling in for Rosenfield at 6:00.

Meanwhile, the paper also reports that Steve Bartelstein "picks up Dahler's weekend assignments," presumably meaning that he will do both the morning and evening newscasts on weekends. This is the same assignment that Mary Calvi has had since November when Bartelstein joined.

Rosenfield Signs Off

2008-05-22T20:02:00.001-04:00

Jim Rosenfield said goodbye to viewers at the end of CBS 2 News at 6:00 today. "A personal note: This is my last broadcast here on CBS 2," he said. "I just want to thank you for inviting me into your homes every evening." Kristine Johnson, who was filling in for Dana Tyler, added, "You have been so kind, so generous and someone that truly many of us in that newsroom admire. I know Dana is thinking of you at this very moment so, on behalf of her and everyone here at CBS 2, we're truly going to miss you. We wish you many more successes."

As the camera pulled back and the music played out, Lonnie Quinn and Ducis Rodgers were seen shaking Rosenfield's hand before Johnson leaned over for a kiss.

Here's video of the close:

WCBSTV.COM: An Award Winning Website

2008-05-22T16:09:00.003-04:00

WCBSTV.com won the Edward R. Murrow Award for Best Local Broadcast Website. This accolade follows months of record hits on the webpage. The award was announced in March, and is now prominently featured on the wcbstv.com homepage.

May Sweeps Results

2008-05-22T15:54:00.004-04:00

A press release this afternoon announces some highlights for CBS 2 during the May Sweeps period, which officially ended yesterday.

CBS 2 was #2 in households from sign-on to sign-off, and CBS 2 News at 5am, 5pm, 6pm, and 11pm all finished in second place in households. Here are some important victories:

- CBS 2 News This Morning at 5am with Maurice DuBois and Kate Sullivan was up 29% over last year

- CBS 2 News at 5pm with Chris Wragge and Kristine Johnson was up 21% compared to last year, and was the only newscast at 5pm to show growth

- CBS 2 News at 6pm with Dana Tyler and Jim Rosenfield also was the only 6pm newscast to show growth compared to last year

Update: Here's the ABC 7 press release with all the numbers

3:45AM		Alarm goes off
4:30AM		Car arrives
4:45AM		Arrive at studio, begin prep
7:00AM		Host "The Early Show"
9:30AM		Post-wrap meeting
10:15AM		Out of studio
10:30AM		Home
10:45AM-12:30PM		Nap
1:45PM		Back in office; lunch at desk
2:00PM		Meeting
2:45PM		In studio shoots and prep
5:00PM		WCBS News
6:00PM		Break for dinner or nap
7:00PM		Prep for tomorrow
9:30PM		Prep for evening news
11:00PM		Evening News
12:00AM		Home
12:30AM		Asleep Repeat.