CBS 2’s Friday night flashback: Kurtis & Jacobson
Tonight’s reunion of legendary news anchors Bill Kurtis and Walter Jacobson at 10 p.m. could well deliver the biggest audience ratings WBBM-Channel 2 has seen in years.
In fact, a large enough Nielsen number would move the CBS-owned station ahead of NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5 among viewers between the ages of 25 and 54, the demographic most prized by advertisers. (Both stations trail ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7.) But even if that happens, Bruno Cohen, president and general manager of Channel 2, insists there’s no future role in mind for Bill & Walter. “It’s one night only,” he said. “That’s all there is to it.”
As first tipped here Thursday, Kurtis, 69, and Jacobson, 72, will be anchoring Channel 2’s marquee newscast together for the first time in 20 years. From 1973 to 1989 (except for the three years Kurtis anchored “The CBS Morning News” in New York), they were the definitive anchor team in the market.
On the newscast tonight, Jacobson also is expected to reprise “Walter’s Perspective,” a staple of his dual role as anchor and commentator, while sporting his trademark shirtsleeves and suspenders. “To tell you the truth, I had to run out to Macy’s and buy a pair of suspenders today because I couldn’t remember where I’d put any of the old ones,” he said.
Rob Johnson, who normally anchors Channel 2’s 10 p.m. newscast solo, will be away tonight at the wedding of a friend in Indianapolis. To underscore his endorsement of the two celebrity substitutes, Johnson made the official announcement to staffers at an early morning newsroom meeting.
“This is a great opportunity for one night to have people that showed us the way so many years ago,” Johnson said. “The reason we’re here today is because of people like these two. I know where they’ve been is where we want to be again. I’m honored that they think enough of our product to say: ‘Hey, we’d like to anchor the news Friday night when you’re gone at 10 o’clock.’ ”
Reaction to the news was generally favorable among Channel 2 staffers, who said they were energized by the attention that the Bill & Walter reunion was drawing. Competitors and critics, however, were far less awestruck.
One rival station executive expressed bewilderment at the latest example of Channel 2 wallowing in its fossilized past rather than executing any new or original ideas. Earlier this year, Kurtis was brought back as a special contributor, and Harry Porterfield, 81, was rehired as a midday news anchor and reporter.
Another competitor questioned Channel 2’s judgment in deploying a “Breaking News” alert Thursday to announce what is essentially a promotional stunt, adding: “Why spend all that time trying to get viewer trust and throw it away like this?”
Among critics, the Tribune’s Phil Rosenthal labeled Kurtis and Jacobson as “WBBM stuntmen” in his headline and dismissed the pairing as “the latest effort by [Channel 2] to remind viewers of better days.” The Sun-Times’ Lewis Lazare played it straight, although the home page of his paper’s Web site promoted Bill & Walter’s “Return to Radio” for some time before it was corrected.
For viewers middle-aged and older, tonight promises to be an exercise in nostalgia and a throwback to a time when “The Ten O’Clock News” was appointment viewing for hundreds of thousands of Chicagoans. For those who were still in diapers or not yet born when Bill & Walter anchored their last newscast together — and may know Kurtis only from his AT&T commercials or his role in Will Ferrell’s “Anchorman,” and Jacobson only from his last gig at Fox-owned WFLD-Channel 32 — it’ll be a chance to see for themselves what all the fuss was about.
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blogs.vocalo.org
The guy who *really* must this is Walter, not Bill. Bill has so many things going on that a one-night gimmick is just another evening for him — he otherwise could have been MCing a benefit, cutting another commercial, editing a documentary, hawking his beef (and tacos!), or hanging out at his house in Mettawa. Walter, on the other hand, craves the spotlight and clearly — apart from his DUI — hasn’t done a heck of a lot since he was pushed out at Fox-32. I hear he spends a lot of time in Florida with his wife, who’s big into horses. And obviously he’s at his vacation home as well……
Ha Ha, Rob…was that a back-handed compliment to LL or a thinly-veiled dismissal?
WTTW could use one of their HD stations, 11.1, 11.2, or 11.3 for the Walter & Bill news show. Nice to see the demographic numbers 25-54 mentioned in print. Why do they say, these are the prized numbers by advertisers? It’s usually 18-49 that’s the prize.
Rob, it is good to have you back again. Checking your blog is the dessert of my news reading. I bet you feel good to be back in the saddle again. Keep up the good work!
Are they going to be able to locate Walter’s old fake rolltop desk for his ‘perspective’?
I wish Bruno Cohen the best in his efforts to build the Ch 2 news, but Rob Johnson must have been in junior high school in the early 70’s because the station wasn’t showing anybody the way. Curtis was a solid anchor and appealing and Jacobson always seemed disapproving, condescending and self-important. Fahey Flynn was banished to WLS-TV and crushed his old station at a time when ABC barely had two hit shows in prime time.
What are they celebrating at WBBM-TV?
Rob rides again, Billy and Skippy share the desk, and Chicago TV journalism offers a jolt to time outside the walls of the Museum of Broadcast Communications. Whoa.It fits neatly between the 2012 madness and Friday the 13th. Call this circustry if you like. How about news programming genius?
The 10pm broadcast itself from the early 70’s was called both by critics. The traditionalists were stunned, the audience was romanced, and a giant was born. Billy and Skippy rode something new and now backed by a newsroom ready to rock. It had it’s time then and will again tonight. Retro makes news all over again. Man.
Perhaps the powers that be at channel 2 will grant this “dynamic duo” the status of anchors emereti and as such would show up for special occasions, such as elections.
Like Bobby Hull dropping the ceremonial puck or Ernie Banks throwing out the first ptich
I’ll be watching, remembering and appreciating the talents of both men. Long before I started working in the Chicago market, Bill graciously toured me around Channel 2 and helped me focus on why I really wanted to be in the broadcast news business. Walter, while a curmudgeon, was always fun to watch.
It will be fun to have them both back for a visit.
Even though it is only for one night, I will be watching Channel 2 on Friday. But there is no reason for me to go back after the stunt.
Parading out Bill and Walter like The Sunshine Boys will be entertaining, but only increase the contrast to what happens 364 days a year at CBS2’s news desk. The fact of the matter is that God himself could anchor the broadcast and the audience would still be a fraction of what it was 20 years ago. The way people find and consume news has changed so much… tonite’s flashback stunt will be just a warm reminder of what once was.
It will be great to see these two legends together again. I never understood why any local station would just bring in Walter for his “Perspectives” I enjoyed them, well researched and thought provoking. I have been a Channel 2 news fan since Bill and Walter and even lived through the days of the Carol Marin “experiment” (wasnt her fault, just didnt click). Lets hope that this isnt a “one” time effort, would love to see them on Channel 2 each day. These two class acts are always welcomed in my home.
“Fahey Flynn was banished to WLS-TV and crushed his old station…”
What? Um, not to imply any disrespect to Fahey Flynn, but it’s pretty well documented that the Bill and Walter Ch. 2 broadcast dominated the market for pretty much the entire time they were on the air together. See, that’s why people are still talking about them and harkening back to those “good old days,” and why a stunt like this works. No one “crushed” them….
Yes, we can go back! I arrived in Chicago (in the television advertising business) in 1982. I moved from Toledo and expected big time journalism. One of the first stories reported that I can remember was Kurtis talking about “Cruising in North Chicago” and the police were not going to put up with these teen-age drivers any more. It was the lead story “Live on THE 10 o’clock news.” Remember that slogan? I thought I was back in Toledo…make that Lima, Ohio. Actually, these guys were very good. Kurtis went on to anchor with Diane Sawyer at CBS then came back and waited for WBBM to call after the station fell from 1 to 3. It took weeks but they brought him back. This is a good idea by the news managment team and the GM. I wish all of the old guys in the business the very best…and that includes me.
Nice to see them together again, but I was a little disappointed they couldn’t have found a role for P.J. Hoff. And in all seriousness, I was slightly surprised by Ryan Baker’s comment about Johnny Morris not being available. The best part was Bill’s momentary slip-up about Rob Stafford was attending the funeral of a friend (it was a wedding, but as Bill and Walter both joked, these days, at their ages, they’re attending more funerals than weddings).
I had the wrong Rob in my previous post. It was Johnson, not the similarly named Stafford over at NBC5.
I thought it was great. THe parade of newscasters throughout the years, except maybe for Linda Mc Clennan , who had a certain something (that Ann States does not), have all been forgettable. But Bill and Walter are legendary. They may be older, but so am I. I love the idea of them alternately crisply and sincerely delivering news, as well as raking muck, respectively, on some HD channel. Since John Drury has gone, there is NO ONE to watch at 10. (apologies to Ron Magers…..I like you, but the insufferable Kathy Brock and aging wannabe Burton are painful to watch).
Bill and Walter rock!
Curious to hear what the ratings were.
Who was Mike Richards?