New 5:00 Open

Here's the open to CBS 2 News at 5:00 (apologies for the audio hiccups):

#1 at 5PM during Storm

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."

More Spitzer Coverage

Chris Wragge anchored today's split edition of CBS 2 News at 5:00 from Albany while Kristine Johnson handled the rest of the day's news from the studio. The two also anchored another 30-minute 7:00 special, called "Spitzer Resigns," and will of course be on again tonight at 11:00.

Governor Eliot Spitzer's resignation is effective Monday at noon and that will presumably be when Lieutenant Governor David Paterson is sworn in. CBS 2 will likely cover that during the noon newscast.

Political reporter Andrew Kirtzman joined Campbell Brown on CNN's "Election Center" program tonight to talk about the Spitzer resignation and offered some insight on Paterson. This isn't Kirtzman's first time on CNN at 8:00 p.m. In fact, it was just about this time last year when he spoke with Paula Zahn about then-Republican front-runner Rudy Giuliani.

When Studio 46 Goes Dark

...Well, not entirely dark, but it looks like a light on the set went out a few minutes ago during CBS 2 News at 5:00.

Compare these before-and-after shots:

Before


After:


The problem seems to have been fixed after only a few minutes.

Rosenfield Reports Live From The Bronx

Jim Rosenfield co-anchored CBS 2 News at 6:00 from The Bronx tonight while Dana Tyler handled the other stories from the studio. Rosenfield was in the Highbridge section, where most of the reporters were stationed.

On a related note, Chris Wragge had a package air in the first block of the 5:00 news. He interviewed residents of Highbridge to get a sense of the community there.

Interestingly, "Tragedy In The Bronx," the title of the station's coverage, was also used on NBC 4 and FOX 5, while ABC 7 opted to be original with "Bronx Fire Tragedy."

Sullivan, Others to Fill in For Johnson

Another piece of news from Richard Huff in this morning's Daily News: Chris Wragge will anchor CBS 2 News at Noon solo. At 5:00, he will be joined by Kate Sullivan Mondays through Thursdays. Other anchors will sit in the chair on Fridays.

Deborah Garcia was there yesterday and today.

Sweeps: "Healthy, Weatlthy & Wise"

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

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

Sweeps: Behind The Scenes of "Judge Judy"

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

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

Coming Up at 5:00: Gimmicks

Since Chris Wragge and Kristine Johnson became the anchors for CBS 2 News at 5:00 (and Noon) in November, the newscast has undergone several changes to differentiate it from the others.

For starters, Wragge and Johnson occasionally comment on the stories that viewers have just watched or heard about. While it is not unheard of anchors offering such comments every once in a while, it seems to be much more pronounced at 5 p.m.

"Soapbox" is a feature that pops up every so often. It actually appeared a few times before November but has been seen more often in recent weeks with fresh graphics. Man-on-the-street-style soundbytes of random people sounding off on a chosen topic are shown a couple times in the hour. Such topics have included New Year's resolutions, the Jets and the Giants making it to the playoffs and whether there should be a limit on the amount of homework students are assigned. Back in 2001, CBS 2's 11 p.m. newscast sometimes had a very similar feature that went by the name of "Nightcast Soapbox."

"Top 5 at 5" is an occasional tips segment. Earlier this month, CBS 2 gave viewers five tips on "spicing up your love life." (CBS 2's "Fresh Grocer," Tony Tantillo, used to have a segment of the same name where he would show the week's top five buys at the grocery store.)

The latest interesting video is showcased in "Got To See." It comes complete with an opening animation and a "swoosh" sound.

While not exclusive to just the 5 p.m. broadcast, "Plus 2 Info" is the title given to the part of the show where the anchors add a bit of information that wasn't in the package that was just aired. There's nothing new about this except for the shiny graphic and the anchor telling viewers, "In your Plus 2 Information...."

Last week, a grouping of three or four stories going on across the country were given the name "What's Happening." And today, "The Buzz" became the title for entertainment headlines toward the end of the 5:00 half hour. Both, of course, not without graphics.

Will they get you to watch?

Dr. Holly Phillips Joins CBS 2 News

CBS 2 News added a medical reporter to its team today: Dr. Holly Phillips debuted on CBS 2 News at 5:00. Chris Wragge and Kristine Johnson welcomed her before and after her package. Phillips said that she is in private practice on the Upper East Side and is affiliated with Lennox Hill Hospital, where she teaches and admits.

On this FindArticles page, Phillips wrote that she worked with Fox News and appeared regularly on NBC's "The Today Show."

Phillips fills the void that was created when Dr. David Marks left the station last month.

Post: "Slow-Motion Massacre"

"ONE BY ONE, CH. 2 SQUEEZING OUT OLD FACES" is the sub-headline for this lead story in the Post's TV section by Michael Starr.

Not a whole lot is advanced in this story -- it's mostly what has already been reported here and other places around the 'net. The layoffs are attributed to the need to trim the station's budget, which is due to lower than expected political advertising last year. Hillary Clinton and Eliot Spitzer, the Post says, spent "much less" in New York than projected, probably because they had no close competition.

Starr notes that Roz Abrams is off the air (since November) and is owed nearly $6 million for the remainder of her contract. Audrey Puente is also said to be gone (though her bio is still up, leaving me to think that she could be called upon to fill-in before her contract expires).

Cindy Hsu, who's described as "popular anchor-turned-reporter," has a contract expiring in March that won't be renewed.

The Post also speculates that Lonnie Quinn, "Sam Champion-look-a-like from South Florida," will likely mean that John Bolaris is on the way out.

This line sums it all up: "Industry types say Ch. 2 is cutting costs by chopping higher-priced, locally known talent, including Mario Bosquez and Lynda Lopez, and replacing them with cheaper anchors and reporters from outside New York."

The article also points out that "Judge Judy," which returned to CBS 2's 4 p.m. hour in September, hasn't helped CBS 2 News at 5:00. "The numbers have moved a little bit with 'Judge Judy,' " an anonymous insider said, "but they're concerned they haven't capitalized on 'Judy's' good numbers."

I wonder if it could be related to the fact that there are two unknowns at the desk at 5 p.m. that replaced Roz Abrams and Mary Calvi after just half a year. It's these constant changes and removal of familiar faces for cheaper, weaker talent that will continue to hurt CBS 2 News. Every new management team thinks it has the solutions, and that includes changing everything. The viewers have responded.

The Peter Dunn/David Friend team is very different from the one of Lew Leone/Dianne Doctor, which worked to acquire big names from other local stations. Dunn and Friend don't need them.

I also wonder how they expect to save money by paying Abrams $6 million to watch the news from her den for a few more years and not at least have her anchor until her contract runs out.

What do you think about these changes? Will they help CBS 2 or hurt them? Do you think more people will be let go in the near future?

CBS 2 News at 5:00 Delayed Due To Ford Interment

CBS 2 News at 5:00 did not start until 5:22 today because CBS News was providing live coverage of the Gerald R. Ford interment ceremony in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The top story: "Is It A Meteorite?" - Tanya Rivero had a package on a strange object that fell through a house in Freehold Township, NJ. That was followed up by a chat with John Bolaris, who gave his best guess as to what the object is (a meteorite from the Quadrantids meteor shower).

New 5:00 Talent Open

First came the 6:00 talent open, now here's one for the 5:00 newscast. This evening while going into the second commercial break at 5:20, CBS 2 played the newest talent open, which was very similar to the 6:00 version. It sounds like there is a new female announcer, who said, "You're watching CBS 2 News at Five, with Ernie Anastos, Dana Tyler, Brett Haber's sports, and weather with David Rogers and Janine D'Adamo." The 6:00 talent open has not aired since it premiered Monday, and to my knowledge no other newscast has received a new open with the anchors.

"CBS 2 News" is Here!

Friday, 5/18/01, 6:45pm "CBS 2 News" Is Here!
It looks as if the name change to "CBS 2 News" has officially taken place. At 5:00, the "CBS 2 News at 5:00" opening was used. This has been used two times in the past few weeks. At 5:30, a new "CBS 2 News at 5:30" opening was used (the announcer recorded the voice over again). And at 6:00, it was called "CBS 2 News at 6:00". Previously, this opening has only been used once. "CBS 2 News This Morning" and "CBS 2 News at Noon" have been using the new title since late April.

CBS 2 Update

-"CBS 2 News at 5:00" lasts only one day. Today, the 5:00 newscast was back to being called "The News at 5:00". The 5:30 and 6:00 newscasts have not yet been renamed "CBS 2 News".

-Today at 5:44, Brett Haber did a new two and a half minute sports segment called "Haber's Sports Shorts". This is the first time in many years that CBS 2 has had a regular sports report on the 5:00 newscast. The last one was "Warner's Plays Of The Day", which was a quick video clip of sports highlights and a preview of the 6:00 sports report. That ended in 1998.

-Speaking of Brett Haber... Last night on Hollywood Squares, he unfortunately didn't walk away the big winner. But his charity was awarded $5,000.

-Today marks the one year anniversary of "NEWS 2" switching their graphics and themes. And TV News Themes has added the current CBS 2 News theme! To listen to it, click here.

CBS 2 News at 5:00

Thursday, 4/26/01, 6:45pm CBS 2 News at 5:00
"The News at 5:00" changed to "CBS 2 News at 5:00" this evening, but so far "The News at 5:30" and "The News at 6:00" have not changed to the new "CBS 2 News" name. "CBS 2 News This Morning" changed this morning, and "CBS 2 News at Noon" changed yesterday.