Posted by chicagomedia.org on October 23, 2008 at 07:39:29:
In Reply to: Sun-Times says Tribune says Warner Saunders is ready to retire posted by chicagomedia.org on October 22, 2008 at 15:46:30:
The end has been slow in coming, but after 28 years at NBC-owned WMAQ-TV Channel 5, Warner Saunders is about to retire from the station -- in stages. Station sources confirm that Saunders will first relinquish his early news co-anchor duties at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. in January, and hand over those responsibilities to veteran Chicago broadcaster Bob Sirott. WMAQ seems to have been prepping Sirott for a major on-air presence after losing rising star Mark Suppelsa, who left -- first for Fox-owned WFLD-TV and more recently Tribune Co.-owned WGN-TV, where he now co-anchors the 9 p.m. newscast. Sirott anchors WMAQ's 4:30 p.m. news.
Sirott also is the leading candidate to co-anchor WMAQ's all-important 10 p.m. newscast with Alison Rosati, when Saunders fully retires from the station in late May 2009. But sources say other candidates could be considered both inside WMAQ's news department and outside the station, especially if the ratings start to falter as Sirott takes on additional responsibilities. Other possible 10 p.m anchor candidates could include Rob Stafford, who has network experience at NBC, or Dick Johnson, who spent many years at ratings powerhouse ABC-owned WLS-TV, before jumping to WMAQ. But WMAQ General Manager Larry Wert may be reluctant to pay big bucks to nab a marquee anchor from another local station -- or another market -- after watching deposed anchor Diann Burns fail to work her magic when she moved to CBS-owned WBBM-TV from a hugely successful stint at WLS. Sirott is not a complete stranger to WMAQ's 10 p.m. newscast; he filled in for a couple of months while Saunders was on medical leave in fall 2006.
The soon-to-depart Saunders came to anchor prominence at WMAQ at a difficult moment in the station's history. Respected anchors Ron Magers and Carol Marin had abruptly exited the station in 1997, largely to protest the hiring of controversial talk-show host Jerry Springer to do commentaries. In the wake of Magers' and Marin's departures, WMAQ suffered serious ratings erosion that Saunders and Rosati helped stem.
(Lewis Lazare, Chicago Sun-Times)