Actually, Ryan Seacrest wasn't in Los Angeles on New Year's Eve. He was in New York.

It seems hard to believe that Seacrest took over as host of "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" in 2005. That was well before Clark passed away at age 82 following a heart attack in 2012.

I think the bigger story is that ABC 7 was the only Chicago option on New Year's Eve after NBC 5 sat this one out. No other Chicago station stepped up to the plate for a live, local New Year's Eve broadcast.

I don't know if budget cuts in recent years dating back to the 2020 pandemic figured into the equation or if viewing habits simply changed.