Merri Dee leaves WGN.

[CircleSeven 1955]

The Tribune reports today that WGN's Director of Community Relations Merri Dee will leave Channel 9 on October 1st after 37 years. Besides being a community relations director, she was a one-time news anchor, a talk-show host, a host on several television specials, and a staff announcer at the station. She's recently been featured on the midday lottery drawings. She will be missed on WGN.

[rtmclaug 67]

I never really watched WGN, but Merri seems like a nice person. She did a lot for the station. Whatever she does with the rest of her life, I wish her nothing but the best of luck.

[CircleSeven 1955]

Here's WGN's article. For many years, I remember her as an announcer for alot of promos, movie openings some commercial plugs from local stores. Recently you would either see her doing the drawings during the midday news or you would hear her voice during those public outreach PSAs. She was the sole in-house VO before they'd acquired and used Dean Richards more during the 90s onto now. IMO, she was a better staff VO than him.

 

But throughout recent years, she's been doing outstandingly well with community outreaches. I remember when she first did the "For Kids Sake" and children adoption plugs back in the early 90s. I hope Channel 9 would continue to do some community outreaches in the future. As for Merri, whatever she does in the future, I hope she continues to have the excellence she'd carried on from her work at WGN. Channel 9 won't be the same without her.