TVNewser hears former Today show and MSNBC meteorologist Sean (it's pronounced Seen, don't call him Shawn) McLaughlin will be back in New York this weekend filling in for Dave Price on the "Early Show." McLaughlin will be on the show tomorrow, Saturday and Monday.

McLaughlin left NBC in Sept. 2006 and returned to Phoenix as chief meteorologist and news anchor at CBS affiliate KPHO.

Although Westin and others struggled to agree on a successful business model for news organizations going forward, they all agreed that specialization was going to play a crucial role.

“Basically, news organizations have had a strategy of covering the same news that everyone else does but trying to do it better,” said Westin. “That strategy is no longer a successful one. Half to two-thirds of evening newscasts are basically the same.”

Westin cited ABC News’s coverage of 2008’s Hurricane Gustav as a classic example. “We spent over a million dollars and sent 20 people,” said Westin. “And to be honest? We could have played the same footage from the last hurricane and no one would have noticed.”

The Sun-Times reports:

An engaging presence on ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7's on-air talent roster, Ryan Chiaverini, 31, is moving up at the station. He has been promoted to weekend sports anchor/reporter, filling the vacancy left after former weekend sports anchor Jeff Blanzy quietly exited last month, when his last contract expired after an 11-year run at the station.

If nothing else, Blanzy's departure proved that even market leader WLS is not immune to the economic downturn and staff downsizings that have affected all local TV affiliates. Chiaverini joined WLS in 2006 as a sports reporter and fill-in anchor. In his relatively short tenure, he has perhaps most distinguished himself on the football beat, while also hosting the football-themed "The Chicago Huddle." WLS News Director Jennifer Graves said Chiaverini "works hard and makes it all look easy."

That he does, and with that touch of attitude he brings to his reportage, we could see him evolving into a junior version of his pleasingly flippant WLS colleague Mark Giangreco.

MSNBC POSTS FIRST-EVER QUARTERLY VICTORY OVER CNN IN PRIME

MSNBC Out-Rates CNN in 2Q in Both Total Viewers and A25-54 For First Time in Weekday Primetime

MSNBC #1 News Network Among Young Viewers, Adults 18-34, in Primetime

"Countdown with Keith Olbermann" Continues to Dominate Over CNN's "Campbell Brown"

NEW YORK - June 30, 2009 – For the first time ever, MSNBC notched a quarterly victory over CNN in weekday primetime for 2Q09 in both total viewers and Adults 25-54, according to data from Nielsen Media Research. MSNBC was also the number one cable news network among younger viewers, Adults 18-34, in primetime in second quarter. For 2Q09, MSNBC also beat CNN at 8 p.m. among both total viewers and A25-54 with "Countdown with Keith Olbermann." Following are MSNBC ratings highlights for 2Q09:

- For the first time ever, MSNBC beat CNN in weekday primetime for 2Q09 (M-F, 8-11 p.m. ET) in total viewers (946,000 vs. 939,000) and among Adults 25-54 (289,000 vs. 261,000). MSNBC is up 18 percent in total viewers vs. 2Q08 (946,000 vs. 801,000) while CNN is down -10 percent.

- Additionally, in M-S Primetime, MSNBC beat CNN for the quarter among A25-54 (264,000 vs. 240,000).

- For the first half of 2009, MSNBC is beating CNN among A25-54 in primetime. Weeknights MSNBC is averaging 338,000 to CNN's 325,000 and for the full week MSNBC is winning 303,000 vs. 291,000.

- MSNBC was the number one cable news network among younger viewers for 2Q09, Adults 18-34, in 2Q09, in M-F and M-Su primetime. MSNBC was also number one in A18-34 at 8 p.m. with "Countdown."

- "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" continues to drive MSNBC primetime, out-rating "Campbell Brown" by a huge 65 percent among A25-54 (350,000 vs. 212,000) and by 51 percent in total viewers (1,159,000 vs. 769,000) in 2Q09. "Countdown" is up 7 percent in total viewers (1,159,000 vs. 1,081,000) for the quarter, while "Campbell Brown" is down -4 percent in total viewers.

Rick Gevers reports that RICK ERBACH returns to the ND chair as he moves to WGNO in The Big Easy and this Tribune-owned ABC affiliate.  Rick most recently was ND for WGCL-TV in Atlanta, a job he left about a year ago.

TVNewser has learned ABC News correspondent Terry McCarthy is leaving the network for a job at CBS News. In an email to colleagues, obtained by TVNewser, McCarthy writes, "Has been a lot of fun working with you all over the past three years, even as our industry is changing so quickly all around us. Who knows where we will all be in the next three years!"

McCarthy was ABC's principal Iraq correspondent. He has reported extensively overseas, from China, India and other parts of the Middle East. Before ABC, McCarthy worked for Time magazine in Los Angeles. It was former ABCer, now CBS's VP for talent and development Barbara Fedida who helped McCarthy transition from print to TV three years ago.

He'll be based at the CBS News bureau in Los Angeles but continue to cover international news.