CBS owned station WWJ has announced it will be dropping its morning news show, “First Forecast Mornings.”

“WWJ remains committed to local programming where it makes sense,” the station said in a statement. “We will continue to do local weather reports at 5 and 11 p.m., our weekly public affairs show and local specials.”

The two hour morning news show features anchors Syma Chowdhry, Jill Washburn, and Randy Bhirdo.  It’s the sole traditional newscast aired by WWJ.

The final broadcast for “First Forecast Mornings” will be Friday, December 28.

Broadcasting & Cable reported the station will fill the morning slot with a combination of CBS network news from 5 to 6 a.m. and “Dr. Phil” from 6 to 7 a.m.

Syma Chowdhry and weather anchor Jill Washburn tried, and failed, to execute a visual trick on a recent WKBD morning newscast (video above).

Chowdry attempted to “hand” Washburn a piece of Halloween candy through the screen behind her, but the producer in Washburn’s live shot handed her the candy on the wrong side of the shot. “We’ve messed it up three times now,” Washburn said. “You see this candy? It’s mine now.”

Anchor Syma Chowdhry was the victim of a wardrobe malfunction while on today’s “First Forecast Mornings” show on Detroit CBS affiliate WWJ.

The belt holding Chowdhry’s mic pack popped off shortly after the station returned from a break leading the anchor, between laughs, to ask the control room, “Can Randy do his traffic first, you guys?”

The “Randy” she was referring to was co-anchor Randy Bhirdo, who took control of the situation by urging his now belt-less and mic-less co-anchor “get herself together” off camera before carrying on with the traffic report.  You can watch the video of the malfunction after the jump.

Read more

The producers at Detroit CW-affiliate WKBD had a little fun with anchor Syma Chowdhry yesterday morning.

Chowdhry was reporting a story about a cow-kissing event when a photoshopped picture of her kissing a cow appeared in an over-the-shoulder graphic. “I did not kiss a cow!” she exclaimed.

“That cow looks a little disturbed, in that picture,” weather anchor Jill Washburn remarked.

“No it doesn’t,” Chowdhry said. “It’s smiling on the inside.” Video after the jump… Read more

Syma Chowdhry is the new anchor of WWJ’s weekday morning newscast. Chowdhry comes to the CBS O&O in Detroit from News 12, a regional 24-hour news channel owned by Cablevision.

Jessica Hayes joins Indianapolis’s WISH as a multi-platform journalist. She comes to the CBS-affiliate from WTHI in Terre Haute, IN.

Ana Cabrera has been promoted to weekday morning anchor at Denver ABC-affiliate KMGH. Cabrera had been anchoring the weekend morning newscast since joining the station in 2009.