Posted by Bob C on September 15, 2009 at 09:52:49:
In Reply to: Bill Kurtis: 'There was a time when people actually watched Channel 2' posted by Bud on September 15, 2009 at 09:52:28:
: From Phil Rosenthal's Tower Ticker blog tonight:
Very true. And he could be talking about the channel 2s in New York and Los Angeles as well. Going back into the 60s, 70s and early 80s, the CBS affiliate was the unchallenged number one TV news source in most markets. Not that I'm ancient, but I am old enough to recall that being associated with CBS news was a great honor at one time. There was a certain mystique that these stations had which translated to viewer loyalty and great ratings.
It is amazing to see how far they've fallen. And the fascinating thing is that the same awkward news teams, lackluster coverage and lousy ratings enjoyed here by WBBM seem to be shared by most CBS O&Os across the country. Nobody watches WCBS-TV New York either and it's newscast is the spitting image of what we see here in Chicago. At this point, I am not sure how they turn it around. The habit of NOT watching channel 2 news can be difficult to overcome.
Leave it to Bill Kurtis to sum up my 2 paragraphs in one brutally accurate sentence. The guy is still a real pro.