WMAQ-TV (UHF channel 29 virtual channel 5.1) is an owned-and-operated television station of the NBC Television Network, located in Chicago, Illinois. WMAQ-TV's main studios and offices are located within the NBC Tower in the Streeterville neighborhood, with an auxiliary street-level studio on the Magnificent Mile at 401 N. Michigan Avenue, and its transmitter is atop the Willis Tower. WMAQ-TV is a sister station to WSNS-TV (channel 44), affiliated with the Spanish-language network Telemundo, which is also owned by NBC Universal.
History
The station officially signed on October 8, 1948, as WNBQ , the last of Chicago's four commercial VHF stations to launch, and the third of the five original NBC owned-and-operated stations, three weeks ahead of WNBK (now WKYC-TV) in Cleveland. Eight years later, it became the first station in the world to broadcast all of its programs in color. Though NBC had long owned WMAQ radio (670 AM, now WSCR), it did not change the TV station's call letters to WMAQ-TV until August 31, 1964. The calls of its sister radio station were initially assigned by the government, but went on to form the phrase " W e M ust A sk Q uestions," which the radio station took on as its motto in the 1920s.
WMAQ-TV gained fame for its newscasts during the 1960s, anchored by Floyd Kalber, John Palmer, Jim Ruddle, and Jorie Lueloff, with weatherman Harry Volkman (later of WBBM-TV, WGN-TV and WFLD), sports reporter Johnny Morris, and commentator Len O'Connor. In 1975, Jane Pauley, later of NBC's Today Show , briefly co-anchored WMAQ-TV's 10 p.m. news with Kalber. The station operated from the Merchandise Mart before moving to the NBC Tower in 1989.
The station was not only a launching pad for Pauley, but also for a few other personalities before they went national as well, including CBS sportscaster Greg Gumbel, CNN Headline News morning anchor Robin Meade, Inside Edition host Deborah Norville, Maury Povich, and The Insider host Pat O'Brien.
On January 14, 2008, WMAQ-TV became the second television station in Chicago to broadcast their news in high definition.
Since January 12, 2009, WMAQ and Fox affiliate WFLD have shared a news chopper and the footage taken from it; this agreement has reportedly paved the way for a larger pooling effort between the two stations.
Controversies
Jerry Springer
WMAQ achieved notoriety in 1997 when the station, in an effort to boost its newscast ratings, hired Jerry Springer as a commentator. At the same time, the station adopted a more tabloid news format by bringing in Joel Cheatwood. Previously, Cheatwood was known for establishing fast-paced tabloid newscasts at WSVN in Miami and WHDH-TV in Boston.
Though Springer was once a two-term mayor of Cincinnati before becoming a news anchor for that city's NBC affiliate WLWT, his association with his infamous talk show (which, until 2009, was broadcast from WMAQ's NBC Tower studios, and is now distributed by NBC Universal) led to the belief that the newscast was being dumbed down. There were a handful of Springer supporters; nevertheless, the incident triggered a lot of negative publicity, both locally and nationally. The station's well-respected longtime anchor team, Carol Marin and Ron Magers, resigned in protest. News broadcasts at that time originated from a studio that opened onto the station's newsroom. As Marin signed off her last newscast, station personnel stood en masse in the newsroom behind her in a symbolic show of support for her decision to resign. The station saw a drop in its ratings. Springer only made two commentaries before he resigned, feeling unhappy with the criticism he received.
Magers wound up at rival WLS-TV, where he still is today. Marin joined rival WBBM-TV while contributing reports at CBS before returning to WMAQ in 2004 as a special correspondent.
Amy Jacobson
On July 10 , 2007 , Amy Jacobson negotiated her exit with WMAQ , after being videotaped in a bikini with her two sons at the home of Craig Stebic; the video was obtained by rival station WBBM . Craig's wife Lisa was missing and had not been found as of that date. The incident raised the issue whether Jacobson crossed a journalistic ethical line in being friendly with a subject of the story. Jacobson reported at WMAQ for the previous 10 years. The video of her at Craig Stebic's home was either taken by or given to WBBM-TV, which has the entire six minute video on its website.
Digital television
WMAQ-DT broadcasts its signal on UHF channel 29. PSIP is used to display its virtual channel number as 5.x on digital television receivers and digital-to-analog converter boxes.NBC Weather Plus ceased being broadcast nationally on December 1 , 2008 , but weather maps and traffic reports are still broadcasts as NBC plus on channel 5.2 as of January 1 , 2009 . "Raw" coverage of various live events, including Barack Obama's victory rally in Grant Park and Governor Rod Blagojevich's impeachment trial has also been carried on channel 5.2
From June 13 to July 12th, 2009, WMAQ-DT simulcasted many of its newscasts as a contributor to WWME-CA's analog lifeline service for the Chicago area, an "unprecedented" four-station partnership. The "lifeline" programming on analog Channel 23 included WMAQ's weekday morning news from 4:30 a.m. to 7 a.m. and weeknights at 6 p.m., Saturdays at 6 a.m., 9 a.m. and weekend nights at 5 p.m along with WGN-TV (Channel 9)'s 9pm newscasts. The lifeline continues but they only simulcast entertainment programming from WWME's sister station WCIU-TV.
Current personalities
- Allison Rosati - Weeknights 5pm, 6pm and 10pm
- Marion Brooks - Weekdays 4:30pm and "The Talk"
- Rob Elgas - Weekdays 4:30am-7am
- Zoraida Sambolin - Weekdays 4:30am-7am
- Matt Rodewald - Weekday Traffic Anchor 4:30am-7am
- Rob Stafford - Weeknights 5pm, 6pm and 10pm
- Alex Perez - Saturdays
- Dick Johnson - Sundays
- Mary Ann Ahern
- Christian Farr
- Lauren Jiggetts
- Dick Johnson
- Catie Keogh "24/7 Chicago" Host
- Nesita Kwan (Health and Science)
- Carol Marin (Politics)
- Natalie Martinez
- Pete McMurray "24/7 Chicago" Co-Host
- Lisa Parker (Investigative)
- Alex Perez
- Anthony Ponce
- Marcus Riley "24/7 Chicago" Correspondent
- Phil Rogers
- LeeAnn Trotter (Entertainment)
- Kim Vatis
- Charlie Wojciechowski
- Sharon Wright
- Mike Lorber - Sky 5 Reporter
- Jim Ryan - Fill-In Sky 5 Reporter
- Brant Miller - Weekdays & Weeknights 4:30pm, 5pm, 6pm and 10pm
- Andy Avalos - Weekdays 4:30am-7am
- Ginger Zee - Weekends 6am-7am, 5pm and 10pm
- Pete Sack - Fill-In
- Matt Rodewald - Weekday Mornings
- Sarah Jindra - Weekend Mornings
- Cassidy Hubbarth - Weekend Mornings
- Amanda Czernecki - Weekend Mornings
- Mike Adamle
- Paula Faris
- Darryl Hawks
- Peggy Kusinski - Anchor/Field Reporter; "Chicago Beat"
- Bruce Wolf
NOTE: Sports anchors cycle. There is not a set sports "anchoring" schedule.
Former On-Air Talent
- Linda Alvarez - reporter (1973-1977, later worked at KNBC and KCBS-TV in Los Angeles)
- Ryan Baker - sports anchor (2003-2008, now at WBBM-TV)
- Jackie Bange - weekend anchor/reporter (1990-1993, now at WGN-TV)
- Derrick Blakely - weekend anchor/reporter (1987-2003, now at WBBM-TV)
- Jamie Blyth - "24/7 Chicago" correspondent (2008)
- Darrian Chapman - sports anchor/reporter (2000-2002, deceased)
- John Coleman - meteorologist (1984-1990, now at KUSI-TV in San Diego)
- Chet Coppock - sports anchor (1981-1984, currently at WMVP-AM)
- Don Craig - anchor (1976-1978)
- Jim Cummins - reporter (1976-1978, later Southwest Bureau Chief at NBC News)
- Ed Curran - weather anchor (1999-2002, now at WBBM-TV)
- Darryl David - business reporter/weekend anchor (1987-1989)
- Anna Davlantes - weekend anchor/reporter (2000-2009)
- Billy Dec "24/7 Chicago" host (2008)
- Jill Dougherty - reporter (1980-1983, now at CNN in Washington, D.C.)
- Tom Duggan - sports reporter (1949-1953, deceased)
- Ysabel Duron - reporter (1986-1990, now at KRON-TV in San Francisco)
- Roger Ebert
- Joan Esposito - anchor/reporter (1989-1999)
- Russ Ewing - investigative reporter (1967-1981 and 1998-2001)
- Tsi-Tsi-Ki Felix - "24/7 Chicago" correspondent (2009)
- Renee Ferguson - investigative reporter (1987-2008)
- Ona Fletcher - reporter (1997-1999)
- Robin George - reporter/fill-in anchor (1990-2000)
- Mark Giangreco - sports anchor (1982-1993, now at WLS-TV)
- Sylvia Gomez - reporter (1992-1994)
- Roberta Gonzales - weather anchor (1990-1996, now at KPIX-TV in San Francisco)
- Greg Gumbel - sports anchor (1973-1981, now at CBS Sports)
- Cindy Hernandez - reporter (1994-1997)
- Chuck Henry - anchor (1979-1982, now at KNBC-TV in Los Angeles)
- Ellie Pai Hong - week
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WMAQ-TV (UHF channel 29 virtual channel 5.1) is an owned-and-operated television station of the NBC Television Network, located in Chicago, Illinois.
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