Bill Kurtis and Walter Jacobson look to recapture the magic for Channel 2

Together again for the first time in the WBBM Channel 2 newsroom: Bill Kurtis and Walter Jacobson.

News Director Jeff Kiernan announced today that Kurtis and Jacobson, the top-rated news duo in the city back in the glory days of the Channel 2 newsroom 30 years ago, will reunite to do Friday's 10 p.m. newscast. They'll be filling in for Rob Johnson, as he attends the wedding of a longtime friend this weekend.

"There's no trickery involved," Johnson said. "We certainly want people to watch our news and hope Bill and Walter's presence encourages lots of people to watch."

The CBS affiliate has drawn on Kurtis recently for his "Cold Case Files" reports, as well as abundant station advertisements. Yet both Kurtis and Jacobson insisted they have no plans to renew their old roles permanently.

"We began our careers here," Kurtis said, "and we are flattered to be asked to help out."

Actually, it will be Jacobson's first appearance in Channel 2's new street-level news studio at Washington and Dearborn in downtown Chicago across from Daley Plaza. Their heyday was back at the station's old McClurg Court studios.

Channel 2 has recently gained on second-place WMAQ Channel 5 in the marquee 10 p.m. news race behind entrenched leader WLS Channel 7, but that's largely due to a diminished lead-in audience at Channel 5 from Jay Leno's 9 p.m. talk show.