ABC: The Absent Brain Cells Network!

[honeydo7]

During her time on the show, I found Michelle Collins to be smart & well-spoken. Execs at ABC must have decided they didn't want to her her comments on anti-semitism or how the Holocaust personally affected her family. But they see nothing wrong with Paula Faris & Candace Bure continuing to prosthelytize their religious & political beliefs to the audience & viewers at home. Making matters worse, this morning Whoopie, Joy & Raven didn't even have the decency to acknowledge/thank Michelle for her time on the panel. And those same execs can't figure out why the show's ratings continue dropping.

[NewDigs]

1 hour ago, honeydo7 said:

During her time on the show, I found Michelle Collins to be smart & well-spoken. Execs at ABC must have decided they didn't want to her her comments on anti-semitism or how the Holocaust personally affected her family. But they see nothing wrong with Paula Faris & Candace Bure continuing to prosthelytize their religious & political beliefs to the audience & viewers at home. Making matters worse, this morning Whoopie, Joy & Raven didn't even have the decency to acknowledge/thank Michelle for her time on the panel. And those same execs can't figure out why the show's ratings continue dropping.

There is a forum for The View.

Interesting.

[WendyCR72]

This show should be put out of its misery. Still, yes, The View does have its own forum.

[NewDigs]

Absent Brain Cells 

Good one!

I guess I watch very little ABC 'cuz I can't think of a comment other than, Good one!

[Bastet]

The NBC thread has "No Brain Cells Network" for its subtitle.  The CBS thread just sits there boring, with no similar insult to its executives' intelligence; someone should fill that in and hit the trifecta.

[WendyCR72]

42 minutes ago, Bastet said:

The NBC thread has "No Brain Cells Network" for its subtitle.  The CBS thread just sits there boring, with no similar insult to its executives' intelligence; someone should fill that in and hit the trifecta.

Well, @Bastet, that one is trickier! While this is the ABC thread, since you brought it up, all I could think of in keeping with the brains theme is "Completely Brainless Slop".  :-)

But if there are other suggestions, post 'em in the CBS thread so we can liven the title up!

[NewDigs]

2 minutes ago, WendyCR72 said:

Well, @Bastet, that one is trickier! While this is the ABC thread, since you brought it up, all I could think of in keeping with the brains theme is "Completely Brainless Slop".  :-)

But if there are other suggestions, post 'em in the CBS thread so we can liven the title up!

If I could figure out how to move and reply to your post in the CBS thread I would.

Perfect!

[WendyCR72]

6 minutes ago, NewDigs said:

If I could figure out how to move and reply to your post in the CBS thread I would.

Perfect!

Aww, shucks! Luckily for me, as a mod, I have the power to edit titles and such...so I'll find the boring CBS thread and jazz it up.  :-P

[Maverick]

Complete Brain Sludge?

[mtlchick]

I'm sure there is SOME method to the madness ABC is doing for its fall schedule, I have yet to see it.  

On the upside: they snared the Roseanne reboot, John Goodman included!

[Tunia]

Such a tongue-twister today:  George Stephanopoulos reporting on George Papadopoulus!

[stormy]

Not a fan of network tv, I have huge respect for ABC

[WarnerCL45]

On 2017-05-16 at 12:42 PM, mtlchick said:

I'm sure there is SOME method to the madness ABC is doing for its fall schedule, I have yet to see it.  

On the upside: they snared the Roseanne reboot, John Goodman included!

That worked out well for them!

[UYI]

Today marks the 40th anniversary of ABC's World News Tonight format, including the premiere of the iconic theme song and four note signature. It originally had a multi-news anchor set-up, with Max Robinson in Chicago (he was the first African-American news anchor of a major nightly network newscast, decades before Lester Holt at NBC), Peter Jennings in London, and Frank Reynolds in Washington.

This arrangement would actually last until 1983, when Reynolds took leave upon being diagnosed with bone cancer (he died soon after), with Robinson and Jennings co-anchoring for the time being, then a series of temporary anchors going and back and forth for awhile, until August 9th, 1983, when Jennings became the solo anchor (Robinson, sadly, would die from complications of AIDS in 1988).

Here's the first broadcast using this format. 

...I hope I don't kill the snarky mood by posting something too sincere. :P

[formerlyfreedom]

11 hours ago, UYI said:

It originally had a multi-news anchor set-up, with Max Robinson in Chicago (he was the first African-American news anchor of a major nightly network newscast, decades before Lester Holt at NBC), Peter Jennings in London, and Frank Reynolds in Washington.

Oh, wow, does this take me back! I was a precocious young un, and liked to try and watch the news, and I do have memories of both Frank Reynolds and Max Robinson. And of course, Peter Jennings was my favorite anchor until his death. Thanks for posting this!

[ebk57]

11 hours ago, UYI said:

Today marks the 40th anniversary of ABC's World News Tonight format, including the premiere of the iconic theme song and four note signature. It originally had a multi-news anchor set-up, with Max Robinson in Chicago (he was the first African-American news anchor of a major nightly network newscast, decades before Lester Holt at NBC), Peter Jennings in London, and Frank Reynolds in Washington.

This arrangement would actually last until 1983, when Reynolds took leave upon being diagnosed with bone cancer (he died soon after), with Robinson and Jennings co-anchoring for the time being, then a series of temporary anchors going and back and forth for awhile, until August 9th, 1983, when Jennings became the solo anchor (Robinson, sadly, would die from complications of AIDS in 1988).

Here's the first broadcast using this format. 

...I hope I don't kill the snarky mood by posting something too sincere. :P

I grew up watching Max Robinson anchoring the news here in DC (along side Gordon Peterson, and Warner Wolf doing sports).  I was sad when he left the local station, but was glad he got the national gig.  And then, devastated when he died. 

Thanks for posting this.

[UYI]

From 55 years ago today, the little-remembered news coverage (compared to CBS, that is) courtesy of both ABC radio and TV:

48:43: A Spanish news flash! In 1963!

54:57: "The President of the United States, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, is dead. The President is dead. Let us pray."

And yes, that is "Hooray for Hollywood" by Doris Day playing as the first news bulletin occurs.

What is interesting to me about the ABC TV coverage to me is that General Hospital debuted on April 1st, 1963--nearly eight months before this moment. As it was scheduled at 3 PM Eastern time, it was preempted entirely by this (unlike As The Turns on CBS, which was in progress when the first news bulletin was sent out). It's weird how obvious details like that can go entirely over your head until it's pointed out.

 

One last piece of trivia:

The pilot of the sitcom Bewitched was, by coincidence, taped that same day; it would premiere on ABC one year later. 

[UYI]

One of my favorite network ad campaign themes EVER (because of COURSE I would like stuff like that): the song for the "We Belong Together" era of ABC during the 1986-1987 season, as sung by the late Leon Russell and Aretha Franklin. This was the year of the ill-fated "Life with Lucy", but nonetheless it is SUCH a jam!

[UYI]

I thought this might be fun: A celebration of the theme song of one of the most well-known ABC affiliates in the country: "Move Closer to Your World", which has been used as the theme for Action News on WPVI-TV, Channel 6 in Philadelphia, since 1972. 

There was a short-lived attempt, in either 1996 or 1997 (I've seen both dates mentioned here and there on the Internet), to change it to a more orchestral version, but enough people complained that it was changed back in FIVE DAYS. Personally, I think it's fine for what it is.

ETA--Per WPVI-TV's  Wikipedia page:

Quote

 when WPVI attempted to introduce a slower, modernized version of the theme performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra on September 20, 1996, the station immediately received complaints from viewers and reverted to the old theme only three days later

Finally, here's the new theme just prior to MCTYW, appropriately titled "The Action News Theme", which apparently was available on a 45 (!!!!), and was used back when it was still WFIL-TV; it became WPVI-TV around the time the theme music changed:

 

Edited November 22, 2020 by UYI

[UYI]

One more:

 

[UYI]

And a clip from 2002 of a dog named Mattie "singing" the theme.

 

[Tom Holmberg]

"Judge Harvey"... I can't say what the appeal of Steve Harvey is.  Don't get it.

[zoey1996]

I watched the fall line special for 2022 the other night. Some good, some I am most definitely not going to watch! Glad Abbott Elementary will be back, and The Rookie. 

[DanaK]

ABC has released their Fall schedule and in an unexpected move, it's all unscripted shows, with an insider telling TVLine they are  prepared for a long work stoppage. The plan for ABC's scripted shows is to premiere them at mid-season and possibly reduce episode orders for at least some of them

https://tvline.com/2023/05/16/abc-fall-schedule-2023-lineup-writers-strike-reality-shows/

[januaryman]

https://deadline.com/2024/05/abc-fall-2024-25-schedule-greys-anatomy-golden-bachelorette-the-rookie-conners-will-trent-1235915296/

[chitowngirl]

The ABC app is going away as of September 23

[Tom Holmberg]

Since I have cable through DIRECTV, I can't get ABC because they are in a fight with Disney, so maybe that;s a good thing (not that there's much on ABC I watch).