Changes to WLNY's "The Couch"

When WLNY debuted its 7-9 a.m. broadcast "The Couch" in July 2012, it was hosted by weathercaster John Elliott, sportscaster Lisa Kerney and former Z100 radio personality Carolina Bermudez. While Kerney and Bermudez both took maternity leaves toward the end of the summer, the station brought on former PIX 11/News 12 Long Island/Fox 5 anchor Jodi Applegate to fill in. Now, as both women have returned from their respective leaves, it appears Applegate has replaced Kerney on the morning show.

@Mister_Bill @TheRealCarolina @WLNYTV Hi Bill! I'm focusing more on sports now all morning long on @CBS2ThisMorning Catch me there!!!
— Lisa Kerney (@LisaKerney) November 15, 2013

@RITGIN unfortunately @lisakerney is focusing more on sports for @cbsnewyork & @alexdenistv is great- still working for @wlnytv #thecouch
— Carolina Bermudez (@TheRealCarolina) November 17, 2013

The show also bid farewell to Katie McGee two weeks ago.  She said her husband was taking a job in Los Angeles with the NFL Network so she's going to look for work there.  McGee first joined CBS 2 in October 2002 and reported on entertainment primarily for the morning newscast until "The 2 Crew" was removed in early 2006.  She rejoined when the station went HD in April 2007 as the morning traffic reporter, a position which she held until January 2012 when Alex Denis took over, sending McGee at first to 5:00 p.m. entertainment reporter until joining WLNY's "The Couch" in the summer of 2012.




WLNY's other newscast at 9:00 p.m. also saw changes this year with Dick Brennan and Alice Gainer taking over the anchor desk after its previous anchors became exclusive to CBS 2: Chris Wragge left for the mornings and Dana Tyler remained at 6:00.

Lots of Breaking News: Ferry Crash and Crane Collapse

It was a busy day for breaking news in New York.

CBS 2 broke in after a commuter ferry crashed into Pier 11 at South Street Seaport at around 8:45 a.m..  Mary Calvi handled the early coverage and was soon joined by Rob Morrison.  Jim Smith reported from above the scene in Chopper 2 and, because of a chopper sharing agreement with Fox 5, Smith was also heard reporting "in SkyFox."

John Slattery reported from the pier via Mobile 2 signal by 10:22.  At 10:51, Sean Hennessey was live at New York Downtown Hospital, where around 20 of the injured had been taken, and the camera showed very close-up images of patients being loaded off ambulances.  Dr. Max Gomez later joined the coverage from the desk with analysis on what types of injuries might have been suffered.

As if often the case during special report situations lately, WLNY switched to airing CBS network programming, so viewers looking for "Let's Make a Deal" and "The Price is Right" didn't miss their shows if they knew where to look.  CBS 2 ended their special report at 11:30 and included more coverage during the regular noon newscast with reports from Slattery, Hennessey, Gomez as well as Tony Aiello in the newsroom and Steve Langford at the scene.

CBS 2 News interrupted regular programming again just before 3:00 with news of a 380-foot crane collapse in Long Island City, Queens.  Dana Tyler handled the brief special report with Chopper 2 coverage from Joe Biermann.  The station switched to "Dr. Phil" at 3:04.

CBS 2 broke in once again at 4:15 to carry an NTSB press conference with coverage anchored by Maurice DuBois until 4:30.

Dana Tyler: 20 Years

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:

CBS 2 at JDRF Walk

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.

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.

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.

Rosenfield Will Miss Tyler

The story in today's Daily News has a few more nuggets of information, including this:

"I will miss everybody I worked with in the newsroom, and especially Dana Tyler," Rosenfield said when reached Tuesday. "I've really enjoyed sitting next to Dana Tyler, it has been a pleasure and a privilege."

He said Tyler was "professional" and "giving."

There's also this about his contract:

The move is not completely unexpected. When Ch. 2 moved him to the noon and 6 p.m. shows last June, the station was technically in breach of his contract, meaning he could leave at any time for a better offer.

The paper also notes: "Rosenfield grew up in a CBS household. His father, Jim Sr., was a veteran TV executive and former president of the CBS TV network." That would explain why he said "I grew up watching Channel 2 News... I feel truly privileged to have this responsibility because this is what I grew up watching" in this promo (1:00 - 1:15).

Meanwhile, NewsByte2 visitors are making their picks for who should fill Rosenfield's chair. It looks like most of you think it will be either weekend evening anchor Don Dahler or weekend morning anchor Steve Bartelstein. Someone mentioned that morning anchor Maurice DuBois might move back to afternoons. Two people also mentioned that they would like to see Cindy Hsu back at the anchor desk.

CBS 2 News Covers Bell Verdict

CBS 2 News broke in at 9:14 to report the news of the verdict in the Sean Bell trial. Dana Tyler and Jim Rosenfield tossed it right away to John Slattery, who was standing outside the courthouse in Kew Gardens, Queens, with news of the verdict: The three officers were acquitted on all charged. The news was significant because there were concerns that there might be a violent reaction to such a decision. Pablo Guzman was inside the courtroom at the time the verdict was announced and reported via telephone before he was able to get on camera. Jay Dow, Dave Carlin and Jackie Hyland also provided live reports on the community reaction. Chopper 2 HD provided aerial footage of the area.

As of this posting, CBS 2 News is still on the air.

5:04 P.M. UPDATE: The initial special report lasted until 10:29 and included the Bell family's march to the cemetery and press conferences from NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly and the PBA. CBS 2 broke in again at 11:53 to cover Mayor Michael Bloomberg's statement live from Jamaica, then transitioned at 11:59 to CBS 2 News at Noon. The newscast led with reports from Guzman, Carlin and Dow, but did eventually get to the rest of the day's news. Dana Tyler anchored another special report at 1:17, which covered a press conference by the Detectives' Endowment Association, including comments from the three officers who were found not guilty this morning. At the end of the special report, a brief statement from the Rev. Al Sharpton was played, before returning to regular programming at 1:43.

CBS 2 News Covers Pope Benedict XVI's U.S. Arrival

Pope Benedict XVI's airplane arrived at Maryland's Andrews Air Force Base a few minutes ahead of schedule, pushing up CBS 2's coverage. Originally planned to start at 4:00 p.m., CBS 2's special report kicked off at 3:52, making it the first local station on the air (the others started at the top of the hour).

Chris Wragge and Kristine Johnson anchored the report and spoke over live video of the pope's arrival ceremony. They were joined at the desk by Father Joseph Chapel of Seton Hall University's Immaculate Conception Seminary. Mary Calvi reported live from Washington, D.C. in front of the Catholic University and spoke with Father Mike Russo, a professor at St. Mary's College. She was later joined by the Catholic University's Frank Persico. John Slattery also reported from Washington and Tony Aiello was live at St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, where the pope will visit Friday afternoon. The lower-third graphic during the live coverage provided all sorts of biographical and historical information but also reported that Pope Benedict XVI plays the piano, listens to Mozart and Beethoven, and is the first pope to own an iPod.

CBS 2 News at 5:00 began at its usual time (4:58) with a special pope-related opening. Calvi, Slattery and Aiello returned to provide live reports and Sean Hennessey also reported live from the Flatiron District with how the city's subways are stepping up security. Pablo Guzman, Jennifer McLogan and Scott Rapoport contributed packages related to the pope's New York visit. Lonnie Quinn came on in the third block of the newscast with an abbreviated weather forecast. After a recap of the papal top stories, the 5:30 half-hour covered the rest of the day's news. Lonnie Quinn's forecast at 5:50 included "Weather for Papal Visit," a summary of the weather for Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

At 6:00, Dana Tyler and Jim Rosenfield continued with more coverage of the pope. Calvi, Slattery and Hennessey were back with live reports and Hazel Sanchez, live at St. Patrick's Cathedral, joined the team. Rosenfield reported on the first time a pope visited the United States back in 1965, with appearances by Bill Plante and Harry Reasoner. It was the first time in recent memory that an entire black-and-white package has aired on CBS 2 News. The 6:00 newscast returned to the rest of the news in the second block.

Monday, March 17th, 2008 on CBS2-HD

Chris Wragge was live in Albany for the swearing in of New York's 55th Governor, David Paterson, at Noon and 5. He joined Kristine for his regular anchoring duties at 11 in New York City.

Dana Tyler was joined by Steve Bartelstein for the news at Noon and 6, instead of Don Dahler, who usually covers for Jim Rosenfield when he is off. Bartelstein also appears to be growing his hair in after successfully completing chemotherapy.

The weather forecast now changes from 5 day to 7 day when the plus 2 is added during the 5, 6 and 11 PM weathercasts.

CBS 2 News at 11 lead with breaking news. Hazel Sanchez reported from the newsroom on a NY Daily News report that David Patterson had an extra-marital affair in 1999 with his wife's knowledge. The story is posted on WCBSTV.COM

CBS 2 News Covers Spitzer's Resignation

CBS 2 had at least five separate special reports as news of Spitzer's imminent resignation broke.

At 9:06, Chris Wragge broke in from Albany to announce the news that Governor Eliot Spitzer would announce his resignation today. This eight-minute special report included Andrew Kirtzman in the studio, Mary Calvi in Albany and Marcia Kramer in the newsroom.

Chris Wragge returned to the air at 10:10 with word that Spitzer was scheduled to make an announcement before the media at 11:30. Back in the studio, Kirtzman spoke with political strategist Joe Mercurio and Kramer was in the newsroom with more. This report went until 10:16.

CBS 2 broke in again at around 10:50 to carry Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno's press conference. Dana Tyler and Jim Rosenfield anchored this special report and signed off at 11:03.

Tyler and Rosenfield returned at around 11:10 to cover Spitzer's transportation from his Upper East Side apartment to his offices on the East Side. Chopper 2 provided live pictures of the motorcade as Tyler and Rosenfield talked with Kirtzman about the implications of what was about to happen. Spitzer came to his podium at 11:43 with more apologies and, at 11:45, announced his resignation, effective Monday. His statement lasted three minutes. Rosenfield and Tyler then continued anchoring the commercial-free coverage through 12:27, the time when CBS 2 News at Noon usually signs off. Wragge provided several live shots from Albany, including a brief chat with political analyst Bob Bellafiore. Calvi also had a package air from the state capital. Jay Dow reported live from Harlem with that area’s reaction to the news that David Paterson is about to become New York’s first black governor and Tamsen Fadal had even more reaction from Midtown. John Elliott came on with a brief weather forecast at 12:25 before Rosenfield and Tyler recapped the morning’s events and promised to be back at around 1:00 with State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver’s press conference.

CBS 2 News returned at 1:04, going straight to Speaker Silver’s press conference during which he took questions from reporters. This ended at 1:15, when Rosenfield and Tyler tossed to Calvi, who briefly spoke with State Assemblyman Dov Hikind, the Brooklyn Democrat. This special report ended at 1:17.

CBS 2 Nominated for 22 Emmys

The New York Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced the nominees of Emmy Awards this morning. Here's a look:

DAYTIME NEWSCAST
Bronx Fire. March 8, 2007. (WCBS-TV). Chris Wragge, News Anchor.

EVENING NEWSCAST: Under 35 Minutes
Tragedy in the Bronx. March 8, 2007. (WCBS-TV). Brian Applegate, Producer; Dana Tyler, Anchor; Lou Young, Reporter.

EVENING NEWSCAST: Over 35 Minutes
Brooklyn Tornado. August 8, 2007. (WCBS-TV). Chris Wragge, News Anchor.

BREAKING NEWS STORY
East Side Plane Crash. October 11, 2006. (WCBS-TV). Michael Haynes, Director.

SPOT NEWS STORY
Subway Hero. January 2, 2007. (WCBS-TV). Ti-Hua Chang, Reporter/Producer/Writer.

CONTINUING COVERAGE
Son of Sam. May 7, 2007. (WCBS-TV). Scott Weinberger, Chief Investigative Reporter; Carl Gottlieb, Executive Producer; Sandra Kirkman Hines, Editor.

HARD NEWS: Single Story
Red Light Rabbi. November 29, 2006. (WCBS-TV). Scott Weinberger, Chief Investigative Reporter; Carl Gottlieb, Executive Producer.

INVESTIGATIVE: Single Story
Sky Chefs. November 6, 2006. (WCBS-TV). Scott Weinberger, Chief Investigative Reporter; Carl Gottlieb, Executive Producer; Sandra Kirkman Hines, Editor.

INVESTIGATIVE: Series
Foul Mouthed Mayor. April 30, 2007. (WCBS-TV). Scott Weinberger, Chief Investigative Reporter; Emily Smolar, Senior Investigative Producer; Carl Gottlieb, Executive Producer; Sandra Kirkman Hines, Editor.

EDUCATION
Generation Jets, Show 412: Governor's Island. December 2, 2006. (WCBS-TV). William Zagger, Director; James Thompson, Writer; Michael Tricarico, Animator.

CHILDREN
Generation Jets, Show 412: Governor's Island. December 2, 2006. (WCBS-TV). William Zagger, Director; James Thompson, Writer; Michael Tricarico, Animator.

SOCIETAL CONCERNS: News
Cost of a Life. November 29, 2006. (WCBS-TV). Lou Young, Reporter.

SPORTS PROGRAMMING: Program Series
Jets 24/7 with Eric Mangini, Show 501. September 10, 2006. (WCBS-TV). William Zagger, Director; James Thompson, Writer; Cameron Gordon, Production Manager.

SPECIAL EVENT COVERAGE
The Hamptons Classic. September 9, 2006. (WCBS-TV). Kirstin Cole, Host/Reporter.

PROMOTION: News Promo – Single Spot, Campaign
Son of Sam 30 Years Later. May 4, 2007. (WCBS-TV). Bruce E. Brauer, Executive Producer.
Weather Facts. June 6, 2007. (WCBS-TV). Bruce E. Brauer, Executive Producer.

ON-CAMERA TALENT: Anchor – News
Chris Wragge. August 8, 2007. (WCBS-TV). Composite.
Mary Calvi. October 2, 2006. (WCBS-TV). Breaking News: Amish School Shooting.

ON-CAMERA TALENT: Reporter – Features
Scott Rapoport. December 26, 2006. (WCBS-TV). Composite.

EDITOR: News
Sandra Kirkman Hines. May 23, 2007. (WCBS-TV). Composite.

ADVANCED MEDIA: Animator/Motion Graphic Designer
Bruce E. Brauer. April 16, 2007. (WCBS-TV). CBS-2 HD.

ADVANCED MEDIA: Video Editor
William Lee. July 15, 2007. (WCBS-TV). CBS2 HDTV Image Campaign.

Click here for a full list of nominees. The winners will be announced at a black tie gala on Sunday, April 6th at 7:00 p.m.

CBS 2 Presents "Arts & Leisure Week"

CBS 2 will air an hour-long special tomorrow night with highlights from The New York Times' annual "Arts & Leisure Week." The forum took place earlier this month at the TimesCenter on 41st Street. According to the press release, the celebrities include Mel Brooks, Sidney Lumet, Josh Brolin and Wynton Marsalis.

Dana Tyler hosts the broadcast, which begins tomorrow at 7:00 p.m. Video from the 2007 and 2006 shows is available on wcbstv.com.

Here's a preview:

Cindy Hsu Anchors From "Race For The Cure"

From 6:oo to 9:00 this morning, Cindy Hsu provided live reports from the Susan G. Komen Race For The Cure. Brendan Keefe anchored the rest of CBS 2 News Sunday Morning from the studio. Hsu was joined by breast cancer survivors and their families, some of whom were featured on last night's special.




At the end of the newscast, Hsu was joined by the rest of CBS 2's team participating in the event: Maurice DuBois, Kate Sullivan, Dana Tyler, Chris Wragge, Kristine Johnson, Lonnie Quinn, Tamsen Fadal and Dr. Holly Phillips.

CBS 2 Presents "Race For The Cure"

On the eve of this weekend's Susan G. Komen New York City Race for the Cure, CBS 2 News will air an hour-long special on breast cancer. "Race For The Cure" is hosted by morning anchors Maurice DuBois and Kate Sullivan and airs Saturday night at 7:00. According to the press release, the "inspirational hour" "highlights the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in New York City and takes a positive and encouraging look at breast cancer survivors and new advances in fighting the disease." Dr. Holly Phillips, Dr. Max Gomez, Dana Tyler, Cindy Hsu, Kristine Johnson, Tamsen Fadal and Katie McGee will also provide reports.

For the third year in a row, CBS 2 is the media sponsor of the 5K race, which takes place Sunday morning at 9:00. Check out two of the spots the station has been running for the cause here.

CBS 2 News Covers Steam Pipe Explosion

Jim Rosenfield broke the news on CBS 2 News at 6:08: Police were being called to 42nd Street between Lexington and 3rd Avenues after reports of underground explosions. They then returned to the regular newscast until 6:15 when the story was again reported and updated. At 6:19, Rosenfield and Dana Tyler conducted a phone interview with a spokesman for the Transit Authority. A live metrocam shot showing the steam billowing up into the skyline. That there was no reason to suspect terrorism was a point that was frequently made. This coverage remained sustained until 6:30, when the station aired the "CBS Evening News with Katie Couric."

CBS 2 News returned at 7 with two more hours of live coverage, anchored by Chris Wragge and Kristine Johnson. Reporters on the scene included Dave Carlin (via phone), Scott Weinberger (via phone), Sean Hennessey (via phone), Brendan Keefe and Pablo Guzman (on the phone at first but on camera later in the evening). Casualty numbers came in: One dead and at least 20 injured. At 8:21, CBS 2 went live to Mayor Michael Bloomberg's press conference, at which the mayor declared that the incident was the result of "a failure of our infrastructure" and not related to terrorism.

Wragge and Johnson Promoted to 11:00

Richard Huff breaks the news in today's Daily News: "Chris Wragge and Kristine Johnson on Monday will become the A-Team at WCBS/Ch. 2." The pair will trade in their noon anchoring duties for the 11:00 p.m. spot. Dana Tyler and Jim Rosenfield will move to noon.

Here are some of General Manager Peter Dunn's comments to the paper:
- "We've been trying to work on every newscast since we've been here. Everything we've done so far has been a benefit to the station."
- On recent ratings increases: "We just want to keep that momentum going. We have tremendous confidence in all our anchor teams, we just want to put them in the right time slot."
- On not wanting to rank his teams: "I would never put an A-C or C label, they're all very experienced. They all do a phenomenal job."

In other news, Dr. Max Gomez returns to Channel 2 as a freelance medical reporter, while Dr. Holly Phillips will remain the station's lead reporter on that front.

CBS 2 At The Tonys

CBS 2 will air an hour-long special this weekend in advance CBS's broadcast of the 2007 Tony Awards. "CBS 2 At The Tonys" with host Dana Tyler comes on this Sunday at 11 a.m.

The Tony Awards will be seen Sunday night at 8 on CBS.

At The Met Repeat

It looks like CBS 2 News is repeating the "At The Met" special focusing on the Greek and Roman Galleries, according to promos. The show will air at 11:30 tomorrow morning and is hosted by Dana Tyler. It previously aired four weeks ago.