Photos of tonight’s ceremony will be available to press following the illumination.
Today, in honor of ABC7 New York’s 75th anniversary, New York City Mayor Eric Adams named Aug 10 as WABC-TV Day and joined members of the WABC-TV team in the lobby of the Empire State Building for a special lighting ceremony. This evening the building will be bathed in “ABC7 Eyewitness News blue” light in honor of this momentous milestone.
In addition to Mayor Adams, attendees included ABC Owned Television Stations President Chad Matthews; WABC-TV President and General Manager Marilu Galvez; and WABC-TV anchorsSade Baderinwa, Shirleen Allicot, Mike Marza, Sam Champion and Sandra Bookman. They were joined by the commissioner of the city’s Department for the Aging and representatives from the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens boroughs, as well as the American Cancer Society, American Red Cross, Food Bank for New York City, Harlem Stage, Neighborhood Technical Association Clinic, Friends of Firefighters, League of Women Voters and the Broadway Association.
WABC-TV is the No. 1 station in the country and has held that position for more than two decades, covering breaking news from the 9/11 terrorist attacks to the NY blackouts and the recent COVID-19 pandemic. WABC-TV actively supports the community by partnering with multiple organizations and nonprofits, and highlighting local events like the NYC Pride March, the NY Marathon, the National Puerto Rican Day Parade, and more. WABC-TV was recently nominated for 40 New York Emmy® Awards and received four prestigious Edward R. Murrow Awards earlier this year including the Overall Excellence Award.
About ABC7/WABC-TV New York WABC-TV has been the leader in local news and entertainment programming in the New York City area for more than 60 years. Producing more than 45 hours of live, local news and weather each week, Channel 7 “Eyewitness News” is the most-watched local news in New York and the United States. WABC-TV also produces the No. 1 syndicated talk show, “Live with Kelly and Ryan,” weekdays at 9:00 a.m., which is seen in more than 200 markets across the U.S. Quality news and programming, cutting-edge technology and ongoing community outreach are the hallmarks of excellence that have consistently kept WABC-TV New York’s No. 1 station and the most-watched television station in the nation.
ABC 7 Eyewitness News Continues Dominant 4, 5, 6 and 10 P.M. News Winning Streak in Household and Key Demos in May 2023 Sweep
ABC 7 Chicago’s News at 10 p.m. continues an incredible household ratings winning streak during the May 2023 sweep, both Monday through Friday and Monday through Sunday. For more than 20 years, ABC 7 Eyewitness News at 10 p.m. has been the No. 1 News, excluding Olympic books with the exception of February 2022 where ABC 7 won despite Winter Olympics and Super Bowl programming. ABC 7 Eyewitness News at 4, 5 and 6 p.m. also continued an amazing first-place run in household ratings (for more than three decades) and demos, Monday through Friday – the No. 1 choice for news in Chicago.
In household ratings, ABC 7 has a 218% advantage at 4 p.m. over its nearest competitor, a 144% advantage at 5 p.m., a 163% advantage at 6 p.m. and a 70% advantage at 10 p.m., Monday through Friday. In the Monday through Sunday news race, ABC 7 has a 72% advantage over its closest competitor at 10 p.m. in household ratings.
Morning and middayABC 7 Eyewitness News also led the pack. At 4:30 a.m. ABC 7 has a 50% advantage over its nearest competitor in household ratings, a 27% advantage at 5 a.m., and ABC 7 ties in household ratings but wins in share at 6 a.m. At 11 a.m. ABC 7 won over its nearest competitor by 54% in household ratings.
“The ABC 7 news team, both on and off air, works hard every day and the results speak for themselves. Our truly amazing decadeslong winning streak continues to be a source of pride for all of us,” said John Idler, president & general manager, ABC 7 Chicago.
In the critical Persons 25-54 demo, ABC 7 has a 125% advantage at 4 p.m. over its nearest competitor, a 117% advantage at 5 p.m., a 180% advantage at 6 p.m. and a 78% advantage at 10 p.m., Monday through Friday. In the Monday through Sunday news race, ABC 7 has an 89% advantage over its closest competitor at 10 p.m. in Persons 25-54. At 11 a.m., ABC 7 has a 25% advantage over its closest competitor in Persons 25-54.
During this May sweep, ABC 7 was Chicago’s station of choice winning sign-on to sign-off in both household ratings with a 117% advantage and Persons 25-54 with an 80% advantage over its nearest competitor based on Monday through Sunday 6 a.m.-2 a.m.
Source: Nielsen Station Index (NSI) Household and Adults 25-54 data. May 2023 based on Chicago Live+SD (4/27 – 5/24/23).
About ABC7/WLS-TV Chicago ABC7/WLS-TV Chicago is the No. 1 local news source and most-watched television station in Chicago. With top-rated daily newscasts spanning decades and the largest social media presence in the market with more than 2.6 million Facebook followers, ABC7 Eyewitness News provides breaking news, investigative reporting, weather, politics, traffic and sports in the multiplatform space to Chicago, the suburbs and northwest Indiana and southeast Wisconsin. Named Best News Operation by the Associated Press for four consecutive years, ABC 7 Eyewitness News produces “Chicago Proud,” a series of features that spotlights everyday heroes in and around Chicago. The station also produces the highest-rated New Year’s Eve special in Chicago, holiday kickoff special “The Magnificent Mile Lights Festival,” syndicated to a national audience, as well as the award-winning program series “Our Chicago,” which showcases the city’s diversity and highlights contributions in the Black, Hispanic, Asian, LGBTQ+ communities, among others. Every Friday, Windy City Weekend, entertains while giving Chicagoans everything they need to know about what’s happening in the city. ABC 7 is the only Chicago station producing and broadcasting parades representing Chicago’s rich cultural history. In addition to producing town halls focused on current social issues, the station has a long and proud tradition of broadcasting political candidate debates keeping Chicago’s electorate informed. ABC7’s outreach efforts include annual partnerships with the Red Cross for life-saving blood drives, one of the biggest one-day drives in the country and, most recently, spearheading an effort to raise more than $1.5 million for area food pantries.
ABC Owned Television Stations Celebrate Women’s History Month
‘Our America: Women on A Roll’ Special With Host Tamron Hall
Women’s History Month stories will air in the Local Newscasts of the Eight ABC Owned Stations, and be available on ABC’s Localish channel as well as the Eight ABC Owned Stations’ 24/7 live and local streaming channels, websites, mobile apps and connected TV apps on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Android TV
March marks the beginning of Women’s History Month, which is devoted to highlighting the achievements of women and girls both past and present, and the impact they have had on their communities and society as a whole. The ABC Owned Television Stations join in that celebration with a multiplatform slate of Women’s History Month content throughout the month that includes a variety of news stories, news coverage and premium content on the ABC Owned Television Stations’ 24/7 streaming channels, in addition to airing across these stations’ linear channels in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Houston, Raleigh-Durham and Fresno, and the stations’ connected TV apps on Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV and Roku.
The award-winning “Our America” series will present a Women’s History Month special – “Our America: Women on a Roll” hosted by the Emmy® Award-winning Tamron Hall, the broadcast journalist host of the nationally syndicated daytime talk show of the same name. In this Women’s History Month special, Tamron Hall will lace up her skates and explore how women have used skating as a platform to express their beliefs, form unbreakable bonds, and bring joy to themselves and their communities. “Our America: Women on a Roll” will air across the ABC Owned Television Stations and will be available on digital and streaming platforms.
“Women on a Roll” highlights diverse women and girls who are making a difference in their neighborhoods by uplifting and defining skate culture. From feminists fighting elbow to elbow on a roller derby flat track to a mother and daughter duo reshaping their community one rink at a time, these local skate icons share their inspiring stories, impart the lessons they’ve learned, and demonstrate how anyone can do anything with determination and perseverance – especially when one is on eight wheels.
ABC’s award-winning Localish channel will also broadcast other feel-good features highlighting extraordinary women across America throughout the month.
A brief overview of ABC Owned Television Stations celebrating Women’s History Month includes the following:
ABC7/WABC-TV New York: The No.1 station in New York and the most-watched television station in the nation is airing numerous news stories that celebrate women in their communities, its leaders and their instrumental role in every area of society. For the United Nations Observance of International Women’s Day 2023 on March 8, ABC award-winning news journalist Sade Baderinwa will host and deliver welcome remarks at the General Assembly Hall, United Nations Headquarters. The theme this year is “DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality.”Baderinwa will also host a panel with international women innovators, politicians and community advocates.
ABC7/KABC-TVLos Angeles: The most-watched station in Southern California will air numerous news segments, covering issues and interests that impact and celebrate women’s contributions to their communities.
ABC7/WLS-TV Chicago is proud to celebrate Women’s History Month with special news reports, programming and vignettes throughout March. The market leader will air weekly specials on exceptional women from Chicago who are making history. One story will focus on a Chicagoan who is making history as the first Black woman to play the lead role of Christine in “Phantom of the Opera” on Broadway. The station will also cover relevant news stories as they develop throughout the month.
6abc/WPVI-TV Philadelphia: For Women’s History Month, the market leader will air numerous news segments and stories celebrating female excellence, and highlighting local female heroes and notables.
ABC7/KGO-TV San Francisco: The Bay Area celebrates female leaders in business, sports and culture. ABC7/KGO-TV news anchor Jobina Fortson will interview Meena Harris, founder of the Phenomenal brand to talk about women in the workforce and her new book. Fortson will also be live on the court with the Golden State Warriors for the morning news to highlight the Women’s History Month events at the Chase Center. Additionally, Fortson will interview Bay Area artist Allison Hueman, who designed the rose jersey, and women-owned businesses at Thrive City outside the Chase Center.
The station also plans to air an interview with Marin County woman Zara Babitzke, founder of the nonprofit Ambassadors of Hope and Opportunity, which helps homeless and foster care youth become self-sufficient.
KGO is committed to featuring at least one Women’s History Month guest each week in March, and social media posts will highlight Women’s History Month with reflections on women of note.
ABC13/KTRK-TV Houston will celebrate Women’s History Month with a vast collection of stories. The station is producing several new Women’s History Month-themed stories for newscasts throughout March. One of those stories is a profile on retired U.S. Army Sergeant Kari Miller Ortiz who lost both legs to a drunk driver. She took up adaptive sports and won several Olympic medals as well as a Paralympian of the Year honor. Today, Ortiz is inspiring and working with other injured vets, teaching them a variety of adaptive sports and providing them with critical emotional support.
KTRK will air its locally produced half-hour special, “Our America: Celebrate Her Stories,” on its 24/7 channels.
KTRK also serves as the media partner for Dress for Success Houston. An ABC13 anchor will emcee its annual event gala.
ABC11/WTVD-TV Raleigh-Durham will partner with Dress for Success Triangle NC in honor of International Women’s Day. The Dress for Success mobile boutique will come to the station for Glitz, Glam and Giving Back. The organization provides professional work attire for those who need it.
The station will air a multitude of news segments and community programming to celebrate Women’s History Month including stories covering Ya Liu and Maria Cervania, the first Asian American women elected to serve in the N.C. General Assembly. They are paving the way for more diverse representation in North Carolina.
The station will also highlight women-owned businesses such as Sugar Euphoria. The owner of Sugar Euphoria, Randi Smith, creates wedding cakes and has been featured in several publications. Sugar Euphoria also represents the only Black-owned business in Historic Raleigh.
ABC30/KFSN-TV Fresno will air numerous inspiring stories in newscasts highlighting Central California’s women of note throughout the month. Viewers can watch inspiring profiles about community members, individuals and women-owned businesses.
About ABC Owned Television Stations
Disney Network’s eight owned ABC stations are multiplatform leaders in local news and information. Collectively No. 1 across all U.S. television, reaching 23% of households and more than 34 million Total Viewers and 62 million digital visitors a month, with a record of 2.2 billion minutes streamed, the eight stations are comprised of WABC-TV New York, KABC-TV Los Angeles, WLS-TV Chicago, WPVI-TV Philadelphia, KGO-TV San Francisco, KTRK-TV Houston, WTVD-TV Raleigh-Durham and KFSN-TV Fresno. WABC-New York has remained the No. 1 station in the country for 19 years.
In its 15th year as broadcasting partner, ABC7 Los Angeles announces it will air “2023 Kingdom Day Celebration” special on Monday, Jan. 16, 2021 (11:00 a.m. PST) to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This year marks the first time the parade will be live streamed on Hulu to a national audience. The event, which is a live parade that travels down the streets of South Los Angeles, will be a two-hour long televised event, hosted by ABC7 anchors Leslie Sykes and Rachel Brown. They will be joined by ABC7 reporters Josh Haskell and Michelle Fisher along the parade route. The special is presented by Blue Shield California.
The Los Angeles Kingdom Day Parade is the nation’s largest and longest running Kingdom Day Parade and Birthday Celebration, honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Junior. A very special guest this year will be newly elected Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass who plans to attend the parade, as well as Congresswoman Maxine Waters, along with a variety of local notables and city council members. Other expected guests include L.A.County Supervisor Janice Hahn, LAPD Police Chief Michel Moore and the LA County Sheriff Robert Luna, along with the Head of LA Head of School Superintendent, Alberto Carvalho.
The annual event held on the Martin Luther King, Jr. national holiday features talented marching bands, colorful floats, dynamic dancers, dramatic drumlines, spirited cheer squads, VIP city, state and national leaders, clip-clopping cowboy and charro equestrian units and a diverse array of community groups marching for social justice and in support of Dr. King’s ‘dream.’ In addition, ABC7 will hosting a photo booth and will be participating in the Leimert MLK Festival.
ABC7 Los Angeles is Southern California’s No. 1 local news and information source. ABC7 is a leader in digital and social audience engagements and was the first station in the Los Angeles market to regularly broadcast news in high definition and also the first local television station in the United States to surpass 3 million Facebook followers. The station’s offices and studio are located in Glendale, California.
