Random WMAQ Thread

[mouseboy33 137]

That was a brilliant use of their entire broadcast area. The newsroom the set and other areas. It was great idea. It wasnt perfect. There were issues. But overall it was new and fresh. I wish they did a regular newscast from the newsroom. Debriefing the reporters from their desks rather than be hermetically sealed in the studio. YOu can see how the area was set up for these types of broadcasts. But the cameras werent balanced because the lighting was clearly differently depending on which camera was being used.  But I still think that the newscast from the newsroom  WGN did with Mark Suppelsa and Lourdes Duarte was probably the best version. It was properly formatted and the camera work was nicely done. Not too much bouncing around. I would appreciate more of this, as it could be point of difference for Ch5. But they messed up with that new announcer they picked and that "next generation newsroom" line and I hate their theme music. I like how WNBC says "From Studio XX from Rockefeller Plaza this NBC 4 NY." WMAQ needs to go back to just highlighting NBC Tower.  Prefer theme versions used by WNBC and KNBC. WMAQ usually uses the worst cuts of those themes.  But creatively this was a valiant effort by WMAQ in their new space. 

Edited March 18 by mouseboy33

[Jase 1164]

6 hours ago, NBC 5 Chicago said:

WMAQ did a 1 hour special 9pm election coverage yesterday on YouTube and their streaming channel. It was done solely in the new newsroom. They had a desk put in as well which I thought was nice. It truly was a great way to show off their new space with the different camera angles and monitors throughout. Here's the whole episode on YouTube. 

 

 

 

Glad they decided to think outside the box when it came to election night and I wouldn't be against them taking this approach moving forward. The days of being on for hours and hours on election night are long over....

 

They really should think about utilizing the newsroom like this more (breaking news, special reports, etc...).

Edited March 19 by Jase

[NBC 5 Chicago 215]

17 hours ago, mouseboy33 said:

That was a brilliant use of their entire broadcast area. The newsroom the set and other areas. It was great idea. It wasnt perfect. There were issues. But overall it was new and fresh. I wish they did a regular newscast from the newsroom. Debriefing the reporters from their desks rather than be hermetically sealed in the studio. YOu can see how the area was set up for these types of broadcasts. But the cameras werent balanced because the lighting was clearly differently depending on which camera was being used.  But I still think that the newscast from the newsroom  WGN did with Mark Suppelsa and Lourdes Duarte was probably the best version. It was properly formatted and the camera work was nicely done. Not too much bouncing around. I would appreciate more of this, as it could be point of difference for Ch5. But they messed up with that new announcer they picked and that "next generation newsroom" line and I hate their theme music. I like how WNBC says "From Studio XX from Rockefeller Plaza this NBC 4 NY." WMAQ needs to go back to just highlighting NBC Tower.  Prefer theme versions used by WNBC and KNBC. WMAQ usually uses the worst cuts of those themes.  But creatively this was a valiant effort by WMAQ in their new space. 

I'm happy they have a voice over again but I hate the voice. I'm hoping this is a temporary open and within a year or so there will be new ones. The newsroom portion just seems disjointed. I suspect new graphics by the 28 Olympics as these will be 7 years old and the Olympics are in LA in 28. I wish they would have gone back to using the Tower with the updates as their music since they're emphasizing that they're in the NBC tower in their open. 

[Georgie56 3661]

Richard Roeper is joining WMAQ as the entertainment/culture contributor.

 

 

[Jase 1164]

2 hours ago, Georgie56 said:

Richard Roeper is joining WMAQ as the entertainment/culture contributor.

 

 

 

Nothing against Richard, but Dean Richards would have been perfect for this role.

[24994J 5888]

[adamhubb21 1]

The elderly talent cannot stay at the station forever and one of these days they will retire.

[WeatherandTraffic 63]

On 4/6/2026 at 5:23 PM, adamhubb21 said:

The elderly talent cannot stay at the station forever and one of these days they will retire.

That's why NBC5 can't catch up to ABC7, they keep or hire older talent instead of hiring and grooming new talent. When they do hire new talent, they put them at the bottom and keep them there until they decide to leave. Look at Patrick Fazio, he was hired as second in command, then got demoted and demoted again to weekend mornings.

[24994J 5888]

Yeah, these older hires are admittedly good ones, but are they going to be a single contract and then gone, 3 & out? Ambitious pick-ups, but do the station bosses consider them long-term commitments?

[adamhubb21 1]

Is Claudia Olech and Kristen Kirchhaine expected to be part timers or move up to full time meteorologists?

[24994J 5888]

44 minutes ago, adamhubb21 said:

Is Claudia Olech and Kristen Kirchhaine expected to be part timers or move up to full time meteorologists?

 

At this point, with a full roster of full-timers, there's no real reason to believe they'd move up. Still, Brant is 76, and Pete is no spring chicken. Can't rule out a spot opening up, but no apparent timeline.

[Jase 1164]

Chuck and Lou are likely there for the long term (7-10 years, if not longer). Both appear to enjoy what they do. I can’t see Roeper lasting as long as them (3-4 yrs. max).

 

Hiring veteran (older) talent isn’t something we see a lot these days given they often are pushed aside for someone younger.

[TheRolyPoly 3510]

The NBC chimes were born in Chicago. If you didn't know, now you know.

 

[ns8401 995]

On 4/10/2026 at 11:28 AM, Jase said:

Chuck and Lou are likely there for the long term (7-10 years, if not longer). Both appear to enjoy what they do. I can’t see Roeper lasting as long as them (3-4 yrs. max).

 

Hiring veteran (older) talent isn’t something we see a lot these days given they often are pushed aside for someone younger.

I can't imagine Goudie being there until 77-80 years old. He's 70 after all.

Edited April 13 by ns8401

[adamhubb21 1]

This station want to have rusted out talents.

[Jase 1164]

17 hours ago, ns8401 said:

I can't imagine Goudie being there until 77-80 years old. He's 70 after all.

He could have retired when WLS decided not to renew his contract, but didn’t. He appears in good health, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he continues to work. Plus, Brant is like 76, Mary Ann is 72, etc.. so he isn’t the oldest person there. 

[adamhubb21 1]

No Replacements for Miller is expected at all?

[24994J 5888]

53 minutes ago, Jase said:

He could have retired when WLS decided not to renew his contract, but didn’t. He appears in good health, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he continues to work. Plus, Brant is like 76, Mary Ann is 72, etc.. so he isn’t the oldest person there. 

To be fair, feeling like you still have some gas in the tank doesn't mean you want to do the job for another decade. And really, even with younger talent, I don't know that it's wise anymore to expect or guarantee anyone to be in their broadcasting position for even 5 more years, much less 10.

 

12 minutes ago, adamhubb21 said:

No Replacements for Miller is expected at all?

 

You're the one that brought up Olech & Kirchhaine, in the first place. I merely said that they wouldn't have a chance of going full-time unless someone left, and that Brant is likely the next to leave. There's no known timetable to anyone's future exit.

Edited April 13 by 24994J

[Jase 1164]

36 minutes ago, 24994J said:

To be fair, feeling like you still have some gas in the tank doesn't mean you want to do the job for another decade. And really, even with younger talent, I don't know that it's wise anymore to expect or guarantee anyone to be in their broadcasting position for even 5 more years, much less 10.

 

 

Sure.. anyone (regardless of age) can decide to leave the business at anytime (and for any reason) and nothing is truly guaranteed. But again, there doesn't appear to be any indication that Chuck, Lou, or any of the older folk at WMAQ are going to pack it in in the next 3 years (or so). Things can change for sure... Regardless; as a viewer, I'm happy they're still around and I am sure NBC 5 leadership is too (for however long that may be).

[newsman123 142]

Insiders with any info: NBC5 just listed for a political investigative reporter. Any idea who’s leaving? Mary Ann retiring?? 

[rtmclaug 75]

On 4/13/2026 at 6:23 PM, Jase said:

 

Sure.. anyone (regardless of age) can decide to leave the business at anytime (and for any reason) and nothing is truly guaranteed. But again, there doesn't appear to be any indication that Chuck, Lou, or any of the older folk at WMAQ are going to pack it in in the next 3 years (or so). Things can change for sure... Regardless; as a viewer, I'm happy they're still around and I am sure NBC 5 leadership is too (for however long that may be).

Regardless of how long they’ll stick around, they’re still great hires for channel 5. Even though they may never be able to surpass channel 7 in the ratings. 

[Jase 1164]

On 4/14/2026 at 5:02 PM, newsman123 said:

Insiders with any info: NBC5 just listed for a political investigative reporter. Any idea who’s leaving? Mary Ann retiring?? 

 

There isn't a political/investigative reporter job for WMAQ/NBC 5 currently listed on NBCUnicareers. Maybe it was posted in error (or a 'ghost' job posting)?

 

WFLD currently has a job listing for a political reporter as well. Maybe Paris is taking a page from Lou and jumping to WMAQ? While he still does reports (and serves as a fill-in anchor from time to time), Paris hasn't hosted 'The Chicago Report' since late last month (I believe). He started at WFLD in April 2024; so he could be bailing out, if you will, at the end of this month.

[Encore 323 79]

It's official, longtime Chicago journalist Paris Schutz is the latest person coming to NBC 5 and he is starting on Monday, May 4. He will continue working in political and investigative journalism when he gets to Channel 5, which he has built a big reputation for over the years.

 

http://nbcchicago.com/news/local/nbc-5-adds-acclaimed-journalist-paris-schutz-to-its-expert-on-air-talent-lineup/3929165/

Edited April 28 by Encore 323

[Jase 1164]

On 4/28/2026 at 4:24 PM, Encore 323 said:

It's official, longtime Chicago journalist Paris Schutz is the latest person coming to NBC 5 and he is starting on Monday, May 4. He will continue working in political and investigative journalism when he gets to Channel 5, which he has built a big reputation for over the years.

 

http://nbcchicago.com/news/local/nbc-5-adds-acclaimed-journalist-paris-schutz-to-its-expert-on-air-talent-lineup/3929165/

I guess my crazy hunch was correct…. John Schippman, Canellis and now Schutz have all moved from Fox 32 to NBC 5 in a short period of time. I wonder who else from WFLD ‘could’ be on WMAQ’s radar??

Edited May 2 by Jase