Monica Pearson, John Bachman to host new 4 p.m. Channel 2 Action News newscast, post Oprah
Monica Pearson and John Bachman will host the new Channel 2 Action News 4 p.m. newscast starting May 26 after “The Oprah Winfrey Show” ends its 25-year run.
Pearson has been with the station for more than three decades and currently anchors the 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts as well. She has said she plans to retire next year.
(UPDATE, 6 p.m. Here’s a question I forgot to answer on the intial blog entry. Here’s how this impacts the other newscasts.) Jovita Moore, who co-anchors the 5 p.m. news with Justin Farmer, will take over the 11 p.m. slot for Pearson, working again with Farmer. Pearson will continue to anchor the 6 p.m. newscast. Pearson has no complaints: “After working the 11 p.m. for 36 years, I can’t wait to go to plays in the evening and go to dinner with my husband without having to watch the clock to get back to work. I will have a life!!!!” she said in an email.)
Bachman, who joined Channel 2 about four years ago, has been the primary weekend anchor and has also done general assignment reporting and specials. He will now be a full-time weekday anchor.
General Manager Bill Hoffman, in an interview today, said the station has added 20 employees to supplement the upcoming 4 p.m. newscast. That includes three on-air reporters, three photographers and two additional news vans. He said the station also recently purchased a high-end radar for weather forecasting.
“We did research and we also took stock in where we are as a brand right now,” Hoffman said. “We really believe where we are right now, this time, this place, this state of the station, that the best thing we felt was go news.”
Channel 2 is not the only major market replacing Oprah with news instead of another talk show. Hoffman said ABC affiliates in Philadelphia and New York are doing the same thing.
The station will now have three consecutive hours of local news from 4 to 7 p.m. on weekdays.
The other 4 p.m. newscast in Atlanta is on the CBS affiliate WGCL-TV, which added a 5 p.m. newscast last fall.
As for the pending departures of soaps “One Life to Live” and “All my Children,” Hoffman said he appreciated how dedicated the soap fans are, but unfortunately, the audience was aging and shrinking. He said he plans to take the two new ABC replacement shows hosted by chef Mario Batali and fashion guru Tim Gunn.
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By Rodney Ho, rho@ajc.com, AJCRadioTV blog
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189 comments Add your comment
mmmmmm
April 27th, 2011
10:01 pm
WSB needs to let ABC know that we want our SOAP’s to stay or they will loose their market share. We will not be watching the noon news the 4, the 5, the 6 or the 11 news if All My Children or One Life to Live are not saved. There is no need to switch on the TV at noon if there is no All My Children at 1:00. I can go to the Gym. I can watch Nancy Grace at 2:00 on Fox and Stick with The Judge Shows on Fox and Judge Judy at 4:00. My 11 year old and 16 year old they love Judge Judy at 4:00 on Fox. I wil watch the news on 11 or another station at 6 and 11.
If the Rumors are true that NBC may pick up the SOAPS I will be sure to follow with the news.
Rhett Butler
April 27th, 2011
10:15 pm
Not another hour of news. Jeez.
Monica Pearson.. bless your heart… but frankly my dear you should let it go.
Just let it go.
TRU
April 29th, 2011
8:32 am
Thank you ALL! I needed a laugh..
WSB weather coverage the best
April 29th, 2011
9:34 am
Just a side bar. WSB-TV had the best severe weather coverage during this week’s tornado
and severe thunderstorms.
Soap Network
April 29th, 2011
9:43 am
For all you soap fanatics, go watch your shows on the Soap Network. My suggestion, P&G should purchase blocks of time on the Soap Network and continue sponsoring new episodes of All my Children and One life to Live for the hard core fans. The fan base on the Soap Network is built in and the demographic would be more specific to the needs of the advertisers. BET did it with The Game and
the shows ratings are through the roof.
Eric
April 30th, 2011
3:53 am
I don’t particulary care for Channel 2’s news… although 2 has several likeable on-air talents. I find the news presentation to be very bland and stale… as well as very negative and repeatative. I take that Channel 2 has no interest in a “Happy Talk” show… or positive and up-lifting stories.
We’ve witnessed the damage done from the recent cancellations of ‘Guiding Light’ and ‘As the World Turns’… I’m not very pleased with ABC’s decision to cancel ‘All My Children’ and ‘One Life to Live’, in order to accomodate more cheap talk shows. I find the soap cancellations as very disrespectful to the fans, to the cast and crew of both shows, and to Agnes Nixon. I won’t be watching ‘The Chew’ (proposed cooking/food talk-show with Mario Batali and company) and ‘The Revolution’ (proposed lifestyle/weight-loss show with Tim Gunn). I may very well give up on watching ‘Nightline’, ‘The View’, and other ABC and Channel 2 shows.
Oprah has no interest in saving our soaps… according to a recent video that she posted on You Tube. I would be willing to settle with ABC cutting AMC and OLTL back to half-hour. If ABC has no interest in saving the soaps… I’d be interested in seeing NBC picking them up.
Paulette Vita Griffin-DelCasale
April 30th, 2011
12:07 pm
I used to be a loyal watcher of WSB-TV news; I will no longer be watching anything on an ABC network day or night due to the actions taken to destroy our Soaps & slap the faces of loyal fans some of which have been watching AMC & OLTL for 40+ years. Although I will miss the WSB news staff, especially the Severe Weather Team, I have already moved on and do not regret a thing. Good bye to GMA, Regis & Kelly, The View, and ESPECIALLY, Noprah ~ the biggest sellout of them all! Adios my friends, and all my family and friends have followed suit.
Suzanne Lanoue
April 30th, 2011
12:53 pm
There is no such thing as “Soap Network”. Maybe you are referring to Soapnet? They are owned by ABC and they are shutting that down, too. It sure would be great if someone else made a soap network, but doubt we will be that lucky.
K. P
April 30th, 2011
12:54 pm
LMAO…aging and shrinking audience??? Thanks but I’ve heard and rejected that spiel from Frons already.
I’m a 21 year old working college student who began watching AMC less than a decade ago. The genre is not dead despite moronic higher ups trying to make it so.
Also I’ve only ever watched a DVRed AMC and I doubt that is fairly counted in the outdated ratings system, The so called reality that’s supposed to lure me to ABC is exactly what’s gonna make me boycott the network. Screw the Chew. I want All My Children back, Here’s hoping NBC steps up.
Bubbles LaRue
April 30th, 2011
1:31 pm
I have always watched WSB TV….even when they were NBC back in the 70″s I watched it faithfully…when they switched networks to ABC I still watched it….when Monica was still Pearson, when Linda Faye and Gail Janus were the weather girls….I love all the newscasters and especially the Severe Weather team….BUT if they stand firm on cancelling out beloved soaps I will not watch anymore….11 Alive here I come. Thanks you very much
Andrea Dawson
April 30th, 2011
3:04 pm
Excuse me, Did you just say aging and shrinking. A 2.5 million fan base is great. If abc did any advertising for the soaps it would continue to grow. I am 44 and my daughter is 11. We both watch the shows regularly. Last I heard our age groups were not considered seniors. My Hoffman, you have just made an ass of yourself……
Tina
April 30th, 2011
3:05 pm
I think its terrible that ABC gets to dictate on what we want to watch on television…..the soap fans are not only the elderly, soap fans are from every age, every background, we are from all walks of life. I refuse to watch ABC once my soaps are gone!!! Brian Frons has no idea what the viewers want & he has no respect or regard for how we feel. I don’t understand how Mr. Frons can compare the viewers to “dogs that can be trained” & still have a job after making that remark, ABC has not only lost my respect, but has lost me as a loyal viewer!!!
gayle ls
April 30th, 2011
3:34 pm
ABC may soon be a part of broadcast history just like our beloved soaps. It’s going down!
NM
April 30th, 2011
3:41 pm
“As for the pending departures of soaps “One Life to Live” and “All my Children,” Hoffman said he appreciated how dedicated the soap fans are, but unfortunately, the audience was aging and shrinking. ”
IF the audience has been shrinking, then PLEASE tell me WHY AMC has been on the air for 41 years??? I would really like an answer to that. The audience’s are not shrinking and if you ask ANY soap fan, including myself, they watch their soaps every single day. For people who work during the day, they record and watch them in evening or over the weekend. The audience shrinking, is a load of BS. It’s Brian Frons vision that fans want more reality tv and cooking shows. Currently, there are 400 and counting reality shows on tv now, and over 20 cookings shows. Did Brian Frons ask the fans what they wanted, NO! He decided to kill the soaps, because they “cost” too much to make. Well, that’s a load of BS, because if they cost so much to make, they would have been cancelled A LONG TIME AGO! The Soaps fans DO NOT WANT anymore reality tv, anymore than non-soap fans want it. If we want to watch cooking shows, we can go to TLC, The Cooking Channel or The Food Network. What you guys AND ABC need to do, is LISTEN TO YOUR VIEWERS, because they are telling you want they want to watch, NOT what you think we want to watch!
@SoapNetworkComment-Since the whole world doesn’t have access to the Soap “Network”, which if you knew anything about soaps, you would have said, Soap Net, watching the soaps on the channel would be quite difficult.
ABC is committing “network suicide”, because NO ONE is going to watch them ever again.
Leona Di Marca
April 30th, 2011
3:50 pm
I will never forgive ABC for cancelling ALL MY CHILDREN. Over the years ABC has been my network of choice for daytime, primetime, national and local news. NO MORE! I am boycotting ABC except tor the soaps. I have been a loyal fan of AMC for many, many years and I am hoping that NBC or other networks will save this soap. SAVE the soap opera genre. Boycott ABC and boycott all things Disney.
lady katt
April 30th, 2011
4:08 pm
I may be aging but I am not shrinking. Soap fans are still going strong, and in big numbers. The fans of soaps are boycotting all other abc programing and will continue to until the network comes to its senses. There is a huge buying group among our age group, and we still control the big spending bucks. Sponsors that don’t want to help will feel the pinch in their pockets..
Diane Hoffman
April 30th, 2011
4:40 pm
I may be aging and shrinking (only because of because of my bones) but I do watch the soaps. If we are all shrinking it is because the ratings don’t include us. I am not dead yet and I don’t appreciate getting push under the carpet. I will still crawl out from under because I am still living! Please think of something you really love. Would you really want it to just go away and never come back? With cable, every age group should have on what they want to see. We don’t want people telling we can’t watch it because we don’t count. As long as we are alive, we count. Please save our soaps.
Betty Griffith
April 30th, 2011
4:47 pm
What Do You Know About The Fans Of These 2 Shows ??. NOTHING .Shrinking and Aging ,Let Me Inform You That They Range In Ages From Tweens To 80 Plus ..Our Shows Are Being Cancelled Without ABC Even Knowing How Many Viewers They Have …Did They Even For One Minute Take Into Consideration How Many Households Were Recording To Watch After The Dinner Hour ?.I Really Doubt It . I Recorded For 20 Yrs While Working ..If ABC Thinks Another Cooking Show And Fashion Show Will Bring In More Viewers Who Ever Came Up With That Bright Idea Has A Real Eye-Opener Coming Up …Can’t You Hear What The People Want ???.Leave Our Soaps On ..
Jeri Hoskins
April 30th, 2011
5:06 pm
Sounds lovely, however, consider my RSVP to watch cancelled, just like what ABC did to my favorite daytime dramas, AMC and OLTL. I may be part of the “aging and shrinking” demographic, but that has no bearing on why ABC is REALLY cancelling the shows. Daytime has been and always will be viewed by ALL age groups, from all walks of life. It really doesn’t matter how old a person is, if they are enjoying watching programs that allow them to relax and escape from the every day world, who is to tell them they are wrong?? The daytime dramas are not like primetime, where you expect them to have a shelf life of approximately 5-8 years; Soaps have been around almost as long as television has been on! However, its the big corporations who control the ads out there are missing out on their most loyal consumers when they try to ONLY appease and pull in a select number of demographics. Today’s economy is horrendous, and those of us who are in the 50+ age groups are not only raising second families, but also assisting our grown children due to job loss, etc. And not to mention, we are the grandparents who SPOIL our grandchildren with Disney. So really, its all a matter of what corporate heads who have been breathing the office air too long to realize AMERICA HAS CHANGED. To disregard and ignore their biggest consumers is suicide. We’ll see which companies are still thinking this way after the boycott is over. Until then, and when my soaps have disappeared, you’ll find me elsewhere on the TV dial.
Lisa Boland
April 30th, 2011
5:38 pm
Given all the empty reasons that Frons is telling us contributed to his decision to cancel the soaps, it sounds more like he thought he would make a name for himself by revolutionizing daytime tv. Well he defintely is making a name for himself. Not the one he wants. I wonder what demographic he falls under!
Amber Korakas
April 30th, 2011
6:04 pm
Very funny aging? I’m a 29 year old working mother and when I am not working and taking care of young children ages 4&5, I relax and watch my favorite shows All My Children, One life To Live and of course General Hospital. I love that this news broadcaster thinks that we need 3 hours of news! For what, background noise? Give me a break, when you have late afternoon news, most people aren’t glued to it like we are with our soaps! I would almost guarantee that if any if these shows were in a prime-time spot the ratings would go through the roof! Bottom line, ABC is making a huge mistake to can our shows to save what 40% of cost to run the new shows? Well too bad they will loose all of thier viewers and then they would have to cancel the new shows taking the place of our soaps! We have reality shows chanels, cooking chanels, fashion chanels and why add more to it? Why take away iconic, legendary shows that people love? We relate to these characters, we stop to watch and get a release from real life issues. We grow with the characters, see new styles, and expierence real life issues in the world from other perspectives! We don’t want news, we have news channels! Give me a break I think that you guys are idiots and by the time it’s all said and done ABC will realize that taking these shows off the air was the biggest mistake they could have ever made!
Dee Duran
April 30th, 2011
6:34 pm
The audience isn’t shrinking we were not noticed. We are being stereo-ed as lazy, homekeeper with nothing to do. Excuse me! However, many of us relaxed and enjoyed a good show after a hard days of reality at work. We were happy with what we had in our SOAPS. Watch us all come alive even the so called aging audience. We are not dead! NO BODY wants NEWS, REALITY SHOWS, or FOOD and FASHION. There is already a place for those wanta be entertainment. Final word congrats to you!
anita constantine-gay
April 30th, 2011
7:17 pm
“aging and shrinking” – well, lose the soaps and watch your viewers shrink away!
susan
April 30th, 2011
8:31 pm
Hoffman knows nothing about the audience for AMC and OLTL as well as Frons. There has never been an accurate survey for the actual viewers. There has to be consideration for the DVR and Soapnet viewers. Just watch the viewers shrink. You cancel our soaps ABC…We cancel you!
ppollard
May 1st, 2011
1:09 am
You are an idiot! We are not shrinking and aging. We are in the millions and are men and women, young and old, from all walks of life and areas. Before you make such a statement you need to do some research and get past the stereotyping!! You prefer a cooking show followed by a weight loss show …doesn’t that seem to negate each other? We are boycotting all abc,Disney and associated sponsors. We have the guts to stand up to the monopoly that is Disney. We have been loyal fans for over forty years have you been faithful to anything that long or do you have the guts to stand up too or continue being the big corporation’s yes man?
Krystal
May 1st, 2011
4:26 am
If by aging you mean getting older which you my friend are doing as well every single day….its a natural progression. I have recently turned 30 and have been watching the soaps over the years starting when i was very young. You may do as you like but I for one will not watch any cooking shows…I already know how to cook just fine!! I do it for a living every day. As far as the other stupid show no thanks if I want to live healthly then I’ll go out side and get exercise. If I want to be entertained which by the way soaps were and have always been entertainment I will watch anything but disney or abc. Small minded ignorant jerks are a dime a dozen its to bad you just had to show that you fit nicely into that box. Have a great day and I will enjoy any programming that is on a channel that is not abc.
Krystal
May 1st, 2011
4:41 am
Another thing I have known of nooooo person to ever be counted in the “Neilsen” ratings. I don’t think they even remotely correlate with what real people are watching. The news may be on at 4pm but so is the radio while I am cooking dinner or helping with homework. 10 oclock news is the only one I regularly watch.
Mims
May 1st, 2011
10:59 am
ABC wants to put on shows that are cheaper to produce yet will get lower ratings. What’s the point of producing shows that no one wants and won’t watch? Seems a waste of money to me. Also have read they’re adding a new show to primetime – Good Christian B*tches. Way to offend Christians in the audience, ABC. Apparently the people who make the programming decisions are sharing the same crackpipe.
Monica better watch it, they may farm her out because she isn’t in their precious demographic anymore.
get real
May 1st, 2011
12:58 pm
Aging eh? Interesting to know I am only valued until I reach 49. So I wont VALUE YOUR SHOWS EITHER!. Wow. Dumb comment but glad to know how we are really viewed. Buh byel
get real
May 1st, 2011
1:00 pm
by the way. i’m under 49 and i make 10k a month and i work. have kids. single mom. did it all with determination and tenacity. just see what a bunch of us “aging” viewers can do to a network. just check out FANS UNITED AGAINST ABC suckers!
Anne65
May 1st, 2011
3:20 pm
I am sitting here reading the comments. I just don’t understand what everyone means about the audience aging and shrinking. Perhaps they are dying and there are less and less numbers? No one to replace us?? I am 58 years old, feel like I am still 20 and watch All My Children everyday. Soaps are an American Tradition since the 1950s. I began watching All My Children with my mother the day it started (41 years ago). My mom died, I married, had my own children, raised them, went back to work. I, like so many others did it all!! Raised children (who are now 21 & 24 and watch AMC themselves), cooked, cleaned, worked in and out of the house. EARNED A LIVING. Believe me, lazy we are not. Soaps have been a form of stress relief for many of us. Just one hour of the day we have taken for ourselves to RELAX. Is there a problem with that? I resent the fact that the rating companies put an age limit of 18-49 on the ratings. Talk about a great case of discrimination !!! We are not dead yet. We live and breath just like anyone else. Aging? As I said, this is an American Tradition that we would like to pass on to next generation, who I am sure thousands and thousands will enjoy. So Daytime Drama has not shrunk in the least little bit. Those of you who disagree, fine – but it will not stop us!
CM
May 1st, 2011
5:57 pm
AGING AND SHRINKING? Last time I looked I was still 6′ LOL! Aging, you are only as old as you feel. And I feel it is time Hoffman, Frons and Sweeney get lost!. All you people want is MONEY and to me that spells GREED, let me see for people that know religion and the seven deadly sins, I believe GREED is one of them. I know probably opened up a can of worms here that they will come back with, who cares, Oprah, I watched her every day, not any more, She is sleeping with the Mouse. As far as Susan Lucci is concerned, looks like she also knew what was going on, please O has her and the rest of them on her show right smack before the announcement that they were cancelling, she knew too. They already had Lucci on DH, signed sealed and delivered. They are holding back on it now, because it will make her look like a liar. I saw how cozy she is with Frons. I love SL and her character, but you can see right through her. She was called to their office by herself, she admitted as such on Leno. Why by herself, so they could discuss the deal. Sorry I am really upset over this. The Chew and The revolution can both bite my left one, will not watch, FRONS AND SWEENEY MUST BE FIRED!!!
Yvette
May 1st, 2011
7:36 pm
Sounds dull. What do we need another hour of news for? You guys already repeat yourselves at 5 & 6pm. Oh well, doesn’t matter anyway because once AMC & OLTL are gone, I’ll have no reason to every turn the channel to WSB-TV.
Eric
May 1st, 2011
8:46 pm
Frons says that we (the TV viewers and soap fans) all want more reality programming. I completely disagree, because I don’t see that as being accurate at all. Eileen Fulton (Lisa, ATWT) has stated numerous times that “Foucs Groups” have played a major role in ruining the soaps.
I’ve never been a “Nielsen Family”, and don’t know of anybody else who has. I do agree that the Nielsen ratings system is very much flawed and out-dated.
I certainly hope that NBC will consider saving ‘All My Children’ and ‘One Life to Live’… maybe airing them as half-hour soaps in the 2PM hour, after ‘Days of our Lives’. I could also picture NBC cutting ‘Today’ back to its original 2-hour format… and reviving ‘Later Today’ talk show at 9AM as well.
Eric
May 1st, 2011
8:49 pm
Furthermore… Susan Lucci appeared on ‘The Tonight Show with Jay Leno’ last Friday (April 29)… and she too was “blindsighted” by the AMC and OLTL cancellations.
Lora Bivens
May 3rd, 2011
8:35 pm
I am 45 years old and have watched One Life To Live for 30 years! Guess what? IT’S THE ONLY SHOW I WATCH ON ABC! Don’t tell ME what I want to watch! And my 18 year old daughter watches it with me sometimes because its on my DVR NOT VCR! Let me asks this question what is the “AVERAGE AGE” OF THE PEOPLE MAKING THIS DECISION????!!!!! I repeat ABC will be wiped off my DVR forever if you cancel OLTL.
aurora
May 5th, 2011
11:24 am
AGING AND SHRINKING WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, ABC IS GOING TO BE AGING AND SHRINKING SOON IF THE SOAPS GO OFF, BECAUSE I’VE STOPPED WATCHING ABC EXCEPT THE SOAPS IF THEY GO OFF SO WILL I AND ALL OF MY FRIENDS. YOU’VE GOT SOME NERVE,IS NOT JUST OLD PEOPLE WATCHING THIS SOAPS IS PEOPLE OF ALL AGES, IVE WATCHED THE SOAPS FOR YRS THEY ARE OUR SECOND FAMILY, AND NOT CAUSE I DONT HAVE ANYTHING ELSE TO DO, BUT I MAKE TIME TO WATCH THEM AND RELAX IN THE AFTERNOON. YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT!!!
Frances
May 6th, 2011
11:06 am
I wouldn’t mind the extra news if the news stations, including WSB had something to say. However, WSB repeats the same news @ 5 ,6, & 11, so now they will start @ 4, repeat @ 5, repeat @ 6 and finish up with 11. UGH!!!!!! And leave Monica alone, she has a right to work as long as she wants.
Tammy Lynn C
May 8th, 2011
1:19 am
I sort of agree with alot of people that we don’t need another 4 P.M. newscast. The concept is great in other time zones but not here. Im a homemaker and Im not going to turn on the news at 4 but I make one exception, John Bachman. Totally handsome and very friendly. I wish he could replace Justin Farmer. The perfect news team in Atlanta after Monica leaves the station is John and either Kimberly Kennedy or Pam Martin, who would be a pro but lacking that Jovita&John. Justin is very cute but comes across cold. WSB has a very strong male force but a very weak female force. (I suppose because of Monica.) The best newscast in Atlanta ever was on Channel 5. Forrest Sawyer and Pam Martin.