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Robert Feder confirmed that former Chicago Tribune employee has tapped on as VP of programming and creative services at channel 5. https://www.robertfeder.com/2019/10/07/robservations-ex-tribune-exec-head-creative-services-programming-nbc-5/

Paul Deanno was signed on as the meteorologist for channel 5's 11:00 am & 4:00 pm newscasts effective October 21. Deanno was the chief meteorologist for the CBS owned station in the San Francisco Bay Area and formerly, he was a meteorologist for the sister NBC O&O in Miami. https://www.robertfeder.com/2019/09/27/robservations-eve-cancellation-worldview-host-wins-studs-terkel-award/

Reporter Ash-Har Quraishi have signed on to become the national correspondent for the E.W. Scripps station group, owners of WTMJ-TV in nearby Milwaukee in which the viewers of WMAQ & WTMJ-TV are both serving in Kenosha and Racine viewing markets beginning September 16. His last report will be on the station September 15. I really missed & watching Ash-Har's fill-ins during the "The Rundown" social media stories while Kalee Dionne is not available. https://www.robertfeder.com/2019/08/29/robservations-wgcis-leon-rogers-host-late-night-show-fox-32/

Last weekend, NBC News correspondent Ron Mott was filling in for Dick Johnson on the 5 & 10 pm newscasts. the ND says that there are no further appearances on the anchor desk are planned for Mott in the near future. His appearance on the 5PM newscast last Saturday had been preempted because of the golf overrun. https://www.robertfeder.com/2019/08/19/robservations-columnist-mary-mitchell-celebrated-great-chicago-icon/

A few weeks ago, WMAQ had its own Youtube page. the official YT page had videos of some really interesting news stories as well as clips from the station's newscasts. What a great effort by NBC to set-up the other owned stations' official Youtube pages. https://youtube.com/channel/UCL9C44BZd_8hRa9OPMjIpMg/

It will be a possibly an potential contender to channel 7's "Windy City Live". Great question. Most NBC O&Os like in NYC, LA, San Francisco, San Diego, Miami, Boston and Hartford had their own lifestyle shows, meanwhile the Philadelphia station had previously have a lifestyle show. Only DC & Dallas don't have their own lifestyle shows of ours.

Former South Bend mayor and former investigative mentor at WMAQ channel 5 Pete Buttigieg is running for president in 2020. Buttigieg was called by former channel 5 reporter Renee Ferguson as a his mentor and friend. https://www.robertfeder.com/2019/04/15/nbc-5-mentor-renee-ferguson-boosts-pete-buttigieg-campaign/

Part-time reporter and former anchor Art Norman has announcing his bone cancer diagnosis. https://www.robertfeder.com/2019/03/13/robservations-colleagues-pulling-chicago-treasure-art-norman/

Station's VP of News Frank Whittaker was mentioned by Robert Feder in a story related to last Friday's shooting in Aurora when all television stations in the city has responded with wall-to-wall coverage: https://www.robertfeder.com/2019/02/18/robservations-amy-guth-host-daily-podcast-crains/

Yesterday, The graphics during the headlines trail has a thing... they say "SHOW TITLE" on the 5 pm news was very annoying. These graphic editors was so shocking....

Lauren Stauffer will be promoted as Managing Editor for channel 5's newscasts effective March 11. She is replacing Richard Maginn of which he will step down on March 10. Stauffer was working as the EP at WJLA, the ABC affiliate in Washington D.C. since 2013. https://www.robertfeder.com/2019/02/01/robservations-bobby-moynihan-wont-live-saturday-night/

Mike Lorber and his Sky 5 helicopter has been grounded since last month after its partner USTN shuts down in November. the station has announced that they finalized an new agreement with its new partner Total Traffic and Weather Network once Mike and his helicopter will return. https://www.robertfeder.com/2019/01/25/robservations-cbs-2-alums-sudberry-baskerville-team-podcast/

David Parrish was promoted as channel 5's content producer after he resigned from WBBM-TV when he was working as the EP of the station's 10pm newscast for 15 years. https://www.robertfeder.com/2019/01/11/robservations-wttw-air-disco-king-skokie-tonight/

Have you watching the 2019 edition of "New Year's Eve Live in Chicago" 3 days ago? the full fireworks show and countdown was incredible unlike the 2018 edition which has been criticized for showing the final 30 seconds of the countdown coming back from the commercial. Some of the station's personalities Marion Brooks and Siafa Lewis was in the Hilton Chicago, while Chris Hush was at the Drake. Zoraida Sambolin, Rob Stafford and Allison Rosati had also made cameos via pre-recorded greetings along with national NBC News personalities including Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, Al Roker, Kathie Lee Gifford and Lester Holt.

BIG NEWS! Katie Kim recently posted on Instagram that they will except the first baby in June of next year. https://www.instagram.com/p/BrsslAmHNKD/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

the station has announced that "New Year's Eve Live in Chicago" will returned for the 2019 edition. Marion Brooks, Chris Hush and Siafa Lewis are among of the confirmed hosts for the event, with KISS FM's Fred, Big 10's Ally Strum and former "Windy City Live" contributor Ji Suk Yi serves as co-hosts which is will be airing 2 weeks from this Monday. In other news, congratulations to meteorologist Kalee Dionne and her husband Johnathan Pair on adopting her daughter Mila Pair yesterday. Kalee was missing in action from the news desk from several weeks now. https://www.robertfeder.com/2018/12/19/robservations-countdown-shows-battle-new-years-eve-viewers/

This year's News 4 Holiday Sing-Along was recently posted on the station's web site and Youtube page yesterday. "Deck the Halls" is this year's song. Unlike the previous sing-along promos, the promo made a cameo appearance from The Grinch and his puppy sidekick Max from the animated film of same name, which is voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch and Frank Welker and it is animated by their sister animation studio Illumination Mac Guff in France using Autodesk Maya. The 2016 Holiday sing-along has using the characters from another Illumination film, "Sing" had also made cameos in the promo.

Very sad news. channel 5's traffic data and production services provider US Traffic Network (USTN) was closed this past weekend. they are also affecting rivals channel 7 & 9 due to USTN's closure. https://www.robertfeder.com/2018/12/03/robservations-nexstar-acquire-wgn-tribune-media-deal/

Rob Stafford, Allison Rosati and Brant Miller was doing the 10pm newscast following the Bears/Packers game last night. Siafa Lewis was also doing it and he did also doing the Bears pre-game show and "Sports Sunday". It is reminding me when Rosati and Warner Saunders doing the 10pm sunday newscasts during the 2006 NFL season 12 years ago.

Robert Feder says that Katie Kim was now officially promoted as weekend morning anchor alongside Susan Carlson. https://www.robertfeder.com/2018/09/06/robservations-nbc-5-names-katie-kim-weekend-morning-anchor/

According to Daily Herald's Robert Feder, longtime reporter Emily Florez is leaving the station after she is coming back from her maternity leave back in February while the station is covering the Super Bowl and the Winter Olympics; but she is resigned after six years and she is coming back to her hometown of Salt Lake City when she is previously working for a CBS affiliated station. https://www.robertfeder.com/2018/08/13/robservations-tronc-reported-close-sale/

Earlier tonight in the 5 p.m. news, Rob Stafford made his profanity whlie he's doing the cold open. He saids "B*tches" rather than he saying "Beaches". Who the station will proposed an FCC fine for their profanity on live TV during the news?

Former KSHB staffer Lexi Sutter joins the NBC 5 family begining today. It is third former staffer of Kansas City NBC affiliate that joined the station following Kalee Dionne in October 2016 and Patrick Faizo in July last year. http://www.robertfeder.com/2018/05/25/robservations-fox-32-ties-wgn-late-news-ratings/

Have you seen the upgrade to the current "Look N" graphics entitled "Look N v.2"? it is made their debut in some news promos last month.

Allison Rosati is already going off the news desk since last week... its been 1 week without Allison in the newsdesk... Rob, Brant and Siafa doing a good job since last week.