CBS2 Getting Its Act Together

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Posted by chicagomedia.org on November 17, 2009 at 10:08:27:

Getting its act together

WBBM makes waves with reunion, headway in news ratings war

November 17, 2009

BY LEWIS LAZARE

Since he has settled into his herculean job of re-igniting CBS-owned WBBM-Channel 2's news department, News Director Jeff Kiernan has kept a low profile and stayed focused on his task of differentiating WBBM's newscast content from the competition and getting viewers to sample the news product.

Now Kiernan can say he has made progress. The station's news ratings at 10 p.m. are up 50 percent over what they were a year ago, and WBBM is in a fierce fight with NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5 for second place in the 10 p.m. news ratings.

While nothing at the heart of Kiernan's turnaround strategy has changed in the last several months, even Kiernan knows Friday night's historic reunion of Walter Jacobson and Bill Kurtis was a major salvo in his efforts to up WBBM's news profile. And though some professional journalists we've heard from have -- perhaps rightly -- criticized WBBM for allowing commercial pitchman Kurtis to front a newscast, few who watched Friday night probably gave that matter a moment's thought. If anything, all Kurtis' commercial work has made the viewing public, especially Chicagoans, feel they know him even better.

While Kiernan said he wanted Friday's newscast to be as normal as possible, he did allow for a few minutes of reminiscences to acknowledge Jacobson's and Kurtis' iconic status with the station.

Kiernan said his greatest fear going into Friday night's 10 p.m. newscast was that he and his news team would fail to meet the expectations of all those who tuned in to watch. When the newscast was over, Kiernan said he felt a great sense of pride for all the hard work on the part of his team and Kurtis and Jacobson.

So will we be seeing more of the legendary anchor duo at 10 p.m.? We had to ask Kiernan the question Monday. But we weren't surprised by his refusal to answer. As we know, he doesn't like to engage in speculation, and he doesn't like to talk about new hires until he's shared the news with his staff. "We remain focused on our content," said Kiernan. Indeed.

(Chicago Sun-Times)

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: Getting its act together : WBBM makes waves with reunion, headway in news ratings war : November 17, 2009 : BY LEWIS LAZARE : Since he has settled into his herculean job of re-igniting CBS-owned WBBM-Channel 2's news department, News Director Jeff Kiernan has kept a low profile and stayed focused on his task of differentiating WBBM's newscast content from the competition and getting viewers to sample the news product. : Now Kiernan can say he has made progress. The station's news ratings at 10 p.m. are up 50 percent over what they were a year ago, and WBBM is in a fierce fight with NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5 for second place in the 10 p.m. news ratings. : While nothing at the heart of Kiernan's turnaround strategy has changed in the last several months, even Kiernan knows Friday night's historic reunion of Walter Jacobson and Bill Kurtis was a major salvo in his efforts to up WBBM's news profile. And though some professional journalists we've heard from have -- perhaps rightly -- criticized WBBM for allowing commercial pitchman Kurtis to front a newscast, few who watched Friday night probably gave that matter a moment's thought. If anything, all Kurtis' commercial work has made the viewing public, especially Chicagoans, feel they know him even better. : While Kiernan said he wanted Friday's newscast to be as normal as possible, he did allow for a few minutes of reminiscences to acknowledge Jacobson's and Kurtis' iconic status with the station. : Kiernan said his greatest fear going into Friday night's 10 p.m. newscast was that he and his news team would fail to meet the expectations of all those who tuned in to watch. When the newscast was over, Kiernan said he felt a great sense of pride for all the hard work on the part of his team and Kurtis and Jacobson. : So will we be seeing more of the legendary anchor duo at 10 p.m.? We had to ask Kiernan the question Monday. But we weren't surprised by his refusal to answer. As we know, he doesn't like to engage in speculation, and he doesn't like to talk about new hires until he's shared the news with his staff. "We remain focused on our content," said Kiernan. Indeed. : (Chicago Sun-Times)

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