WMAQ-TV

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WMAQ-TV
Chicago, Illinois
Branding NBC 5 Chicago
Channels Analog: 5 (VHF)
Digital: 29 (UHF)
Affiliations NBC

NBC Weather Plus (DT 5.2)
Owner NBC Universal
Founded January 7, 1948
Call letters meaning We Must Ask Questions
Former callsigns WNBQ (1948-1964)
Former affiliations None
Transmitter Power 20 kW/494 m (analog)
350 kW/508 m (digital)
Website http://www.nbc5.com/

WMAQ-TV, officially branded as NBC 5 Chicago, is the Midwestern flagship television station of the NBC television network in Chicago. Broadcasting from facilities at NBC Tower on North Columbus Drive and its Magnificent Mile street-level Studio 5 on North Michigan Avenue, the station transmits from the Sears Tower. WMAQ-TV call letters refers to a past slogan, "We Must Ask Questions." It currently offers NBC Weather Plus on its digital subcarrier.

Contents

The station officially signed on January 7, 1948, as WNBQ, the third of five stations launched by NBC behind New York City and Washington, D.C., ahead of Cleveland (by ten months) and Los Angeles. 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-AM, it did not change the TV station's call letters to match until 1964.

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 reporters Johnny Morris and Greg Gumbel, 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 Jane Pauley, but also for a few other personalities before they went national as well, including CBS sportsman Greg Gumbel, CNN Headline News morning anchor Robin Meade, Inside Edition host Deborah Norville, and The Insider host Pat O'Brien.

WMAQ achieved notoriety in 1997 when the station, in an effort to boost its newscast ratings, hired Jerry Springer as a commentator.[1] 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, Florida and WHDH in Boston, Massachusetts.

Though Springer was once a newscaster at WLWT-TV in Cincinnati, Ohio (another NBC affiliate), his association with his infamous talk show (which was, and is, 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 being let go, and station management later called his hiring a mistake.

Magers wound up at rival WLS-TV, where he still is today. Marin joined rival WBBM-TV while contributing reports at CBS before coming back to WMAQ in 2004 as a special correspondent.

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. 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.[2] The video of her at Craig Stebic's home was either taken by or given to WBBM-TV Chicago, which has the entire six minute video on their website.

WNBQ logo with RCA logo

WMAQ-TV logo from 1964 to 1969

WMAQ-TV logo from January 1, 1976 to September, 1979

The 11-feathered peacock after merging with the Proud N logo, from September, 1979.

WMAQ-TV logo from January 26, 1986 to July 24, 1992 (used the 11-feathered peacock from January to May 1986)

WMAQ-TV logo from November 1995 to August 2000

The Present NBC 5 logo, used since August of 2000

Digital channels

Channel Programming
5.1 / 29.1 Main WMAQ programming / NBC HD
5.2 / 29.2 NBC Weather Plus

WMAQ's helicopter - Sky5
WMAQ's helicopter - Sky5
WMAQ's newscast opening from 2000 until 2005.
WMAQ's newscast opening from 2000 until 2005.

The station's radar is called "Live Doppler 5".

Allison Rosati on NBC 5 on June 23, 2006.
Allison Rosati on NBC 5 on June 23, 2006.

NBC5 ANCHORS

NBC5 REPORTERS

  • Mary Ann Ahern, General Assignment Reporter
  • Renee Ferguson, Investigative Reporter
  • Nesita Kwan, Health Reporter, also Fill-in anchor
  • Carol Marin, Political Editor (formerly longtime Anchor and Investigative Reporter)
  • Natalie Martinez, General Assignment Reporter
  • Lauren Jiggetts, General Assignment Reporter
  • Art Norman, Feature Reporter, also Fill-in anchor, technology reporter, and iCast at lunch host.
  • Lisa Parker, Investigative Reporter: Target 5
  • Alex Perez, General Assignment Reporter
  • Anthony Ponce, General Assignment Reporter
  • Phil Rogers, General Assignment Reporter (formerly with WBBM-AM)
  • LeeAnn Trotter, Entertainment Reporter (former Weekday Morning Traffic Anchor)
  • Lisa Tutman, General Assignment Reporter
  • Kim Vatis, General Assignment Reporter
  • Charlie Wojciechowski, Technology Reporter and general assignment reporter
  • Sharon Wright, General Assignment Reporter

NBC5 WEATHER PLUS METEOROLOGISTS

  • Brant Miller (AMS Seal of Approval), Chief Meteorologist, seen weekdays at 4:30, 5, 6 & 10PM
  • Andy Avalos, Weekday Morning Meteorologist, seen from 4:30-7AM and also for news and weather breaks during Today
  • Pete Sack, Meteorologist (Fill in metorologist)
  • Ginger Zee meteorologist 2006-present (Weekend metorologist and fill in metorologist)

SPORTS ANCHORS/REPORTERS

  • Ryan Baker, Weekdays/Weekends (also co-hosts Sports Sunday)
  • Paula Faris, Weekends
  • Peggy Kusinski, Weekdays/Weekends, also Chicago Bears Beat Reporter
  • Bruce Wolf, Evening Sports Anchor

In director Spike Lee's 1986 film She's Gotta Have It, the character Greer Childers is seen wearing a WMAQ tee shirt.

  • NBC News Night Report (1960s)
  • News Center 5 (1970s-Early 1980s)
  • Channel 5 News (Mid 1980s-1997)
  • News Channel 5 (1997-1998)
  • NBC 5 Chicago News (1998-2000)
  • NBC 5 News (2000-present)

This film, television, or video-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

  1. ^ Johnson, Steve (July/August 1997). How Low Can TV News Go?. Columbia Journalism Review.
  2. ^ Rosenthal, Phil (2007-07-10). Jacobson out at WMAQ. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved on 2007-07-10.

v • d • e
Broadcast television in the Chicago market (Nielsen DMA #3)

Local television stations
WBBM 2 (CBS) - WMAQ 5 (NBC, WX Plus on DT2) - WLFM-LP 6 (MTV3) - WLS 7 (ABC, AccuWX TV on DT3) - WGN 9 (The CW) - WTTW 11 (PBS, Create on DT3) - WOCK-CA 13 (AZA) - W13BQ 13 (DW) - W18AT 18 / W54BK 54 (LeSEA) - WYCC 20 (PBS) - W64CQ 22 (TBN) - WWME-CA 23 (Ind) - WHVI-LP 24 (LeSEA) - WCIU 26 (Ind) - WSPY-LP 30 (A1) - WFLD 32 (Fox) - WEDE-CA 34 (Ind) - WWTO 35 (TBN) - WCPX 38 (ION) - WOCH-CA 41 (Ind) - WSNS 44 (TEL) - WFBT-CA 48 (Ind) - WAAA-LP 49 (Ind) - WPWR 50 (MNTV) - W54BE 54 (Edu. Ind) - WYIN 56 (PBS) - WXFT 60 (TFT) - WJYS 62 (Ind) - WGBO 66 (UNI)

Local cable television channels
CLTV - Comcast SportsNet Chicago - Superstation WGN (satellite-only) - Bostel

Past local cable television channels
FSN Chicago - Hawkvision

Defunct aerial pay television channels
KS2XBS - Spectrum - Sportsvision - ON-TV
v • d • e
NBC Network Affiliates in the state of Illinois
See also: ABC, CBS, CW, Fox, MyNetworkTV, PBS and Other Stations in Illinois
v • d • e
NBC Universal, Inc. (a subsidiary of General Electric and Vivendi)
Universal Studios Focus Features • Islands of Adventure • Rogue Pictures • United International Pictures1 • Universal Animation Studios • Universal Studios Home Entertainment • Universal Playback • Universal Orlando Resort • Universal Pictures • Universal Studios Hollywood Theme Park • Universal Studios Florida Theme Park • Universal Studios Japan • Universal Studios Singapore • Universal Studios Theme Parks • Universal CityWalk
Broadcast TV Assets NBC • Telemundo • NBC News • NBC Sports
NBC Universal Cable A&E Television Networks (25%) • Bravo • Chiller • CNBC • MSNBC2 • Mun2 • NBC Weather Plus • Oxygen • Sci Fi Channel • ShopNBC • Sleuth • Sundance Channel (co-owned with Robert Redford and CBS Corporation) • Telemundo Internacional • Telemundo Puerto Rico • Trio • Universal HD • USA Network
CNBC Global Channels CNBC (US) • CNBC World • CNBC Latin America • CNBC Europe • CNBC Asia • CNBC Africa
CNBC Europe Branches Class CNBC • CNBC-e • CNBC Arabiya (according to CNBC Europe) • CNBC Nordic • CNBC Africa • TVN CNBC Biznes
CNBC Asia Branches Nikkei CNBC • CNBC-TV18 • CNBC Awaaz • CNBC Pakistan • CNBC Australia • CNBC Hong Kong • CNBC Singapore
Sci Fi Global Channels US • UK • Germany • France • Australia • Spain • Benelux
NBC Universal
Television Group		 NBC Studios • NBC Universal Television Distribution • Telemundo Television Studios • Telemundo of Puerto Rico Studios • Universal Media Studios
NBC O&Os KNBC • KNSD3 • KNTV • KXAS3 • WCAU • WMAQ • WNBC • WRC • WTVJ • WVIT
Telemundo O&Os: KBLR • KEJT-LP • KHRR • KDEN • KNSO • KTAZ • KTMD • KVDA • KSTS • KVEA • KXTX • WKAQ8 • WNEU7 • WNJU • WSCV • WSNS
ShopNBC O&Os: WWDP
Spanish Independent
TV Stations		 KBOP4 • KWHY8
Internet Ventures: msnbc.com2 • NBBC5 • iVillage • Television Without Pity • OUTzoneTV.com • getTRIO.com • BrilliantButCancelled.com • calamitygame.com
Other Assets: qubo6 • EMKA, Ltd.
  1. 50%, with Viacom's Paramount Pictures.
  2. Co-owned with Microsoft in a joint venture (82% owned by NBC, 18% owned by Microsoft).
  3. The stations are co-owned with LIN TV in a joint venture (76% owned by NBC, 24% owned by LIN). KNSD also includes a repeater used for rebroadcast of Entravision's KBNT-CA.
  4. Owned by Commercial Broadcasting Corp., and operated by the NBC / LIN joint venture (see note 2)
  5. A joint venture between NBC Universal and its broadcast affiliates.
  6. Co-owned with Corus Entertainment, Classic Media, Scholastic Books and ION Media Networks
  7. The station is owned by NBC Universal, but is controlled by ZGS Broadcast Holdings.
  8. Sale pending.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WMAQ-TV"
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