Chicago Media Covers Inauguration In A Big Way

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: Inauguration play : Broadcast media keeps eyes on budgets, inauguration : January 15, 2009 : BY LEWIS LAZARE Media and Marketing Columnist : The inauguration of a president of the United States doesn't come along every day. But the swearing-in of Barack Obama on Tuesday as the nation's 44th president is not only historic, it's also a big day for Chicago, the new president's hometown. With so much history being made, it's imperative for local broadcast media to fully cover the story's many local angles and relay to Chicagoans unable to get to Washington, D.C., as much as possible of the day's special pomp and circumstance. : We spoke to executives at some of Chicago's major television and radio outlets about their plans for Obama inauguration coverage. Local broadcast executives clearly understand the importance of this particular presidential inauguration, and they are trying to commit as many resources as possible. But we also sensed there will be some restraint too, as most local stations are dealing with pinched budgets that force them to allocate their resources judiciously. All the network-owned local TV stations will rely heavily on their respective network feeds to cover the swearing-in itself and the Inauguration Day parade, though some plan to cut away from the network coverage occasionally for Chicago-focused segments. : The city's top-rated television news outlet, ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7, is sending a three-person contingent of on-air talent to the nation's capital: Cheryl Burton, who will serve as the station's Washington anchor for the event; newly anointed chief political reporter Charles Thomas, and Andy Shaw, who retires from the station after his final broadcast from Washington on Wednesday. The station's two chief news anchors, Ron Magers and Kathy Brock, will remain in Chicago. Per WLS news director Jennifer Graves, WLS altogether will have 18 or more hours of almost continuous Inauguration Day coverage from its own staff and the ABC network. : NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5 is making do with just two on-air reporters in Washington: Mary Ann Ahern and Carol Marin (also a Sun-Times columnist). WMAQ will stick with the network feed for most of the day but plans an expanded local newscast starting at 4 p.m. Tuesday. : Over at CBS-owned WBBM-Channel 2, the news department welcomes its new news director, Jeff Kiernan, on Monday. Kiernan surely will get a baptism by fire as he orchestrates the station's Inauguration Day coverage. WBBM intends to put reporter Dorothy Tucker on one of 10 buses headed for Washington this weekend with Rep. Danny Davis (D-Ill.) and a contingent of older Obama supporters. Tucker will use cutting-edge Skype technology to report to WBBM viewers from the Davis cavalcade as it rolls toward Washington. WBBM's veteran political reporter Mike Flannery will, of course, be on the ground in the capital along with Tucker, assuming her bus makes it to the inauguration on time. WBBM also plans to cut away from the CBS network feed at 12:10 p.m. Tuesday to provide a full 25 minutes of locally focused coverage. : Tribune Co.'s WGN-Channel 9 will have plenty of on-air talent in Washington for the big day, starting with anchors Mark Suppelsa and Micah Materre. Reporters Robert Jordan, Julie Unruh and Marcella Raymond will round out the generous WGN contingent. : Fox-owned WFLD-Channel 32 plans to have a group of four on-air talents in Washington, including anchor Robin Robinson and political editor Jack Conaty, Darlene Hill and Tera Williams. : And last but not least, there's news radio station WBBM-AM (780), which is sending two of its most familiar on-air talents to cover the Obama inauguration: political editor Craig Dellimore and morning anchor Felicia Middlebrooks. They'll be doing interviews all day with Chicago dignitaries attending the inauguration. : : (Chicago Sun-Times) : : ----------------------------- : WBBM-TV reporter Dorothy Tucker's big adventure : By Lewis Lazare : on January 14, 2009 5:00 PM : Of course all of Chicago's major television and news/talk radio stations will be trying to outdo each other covering Barack Obama's historic inauguration as the 44th President of the United States on Tuesday. : But reporter Dorothy Tucker may have one of the toughest -- and potentially more fascinating -- assignments among all the local broadcast reporters headed to Washington, D.C. Not only will she be covering the inauguration on Tuesday for CBS-owned WBBM-Channel 2, but she'll be doing all that after travelling to Washington, D.C. from Chicago on one of 10 buses carrying Illinois state congressman Danny Davis and a large group of Obama supporters. Tucker and the Davis bus cavalcade are currently slated to leave Chicago around 10 p.m. Sunday night. : Tucker hopes to document the mounting excitement as this band of Obama fans rolls toward Washington. And once in the nation's capital, Tucker wants to keep on recording her traveling companions' thoughts about all that is unfolding around them. : While on the bus, Tucker will file reports to WBBM via skype, one of the more cutting-edge transmission technologies out there now. It should be an interesting experiment in "you are there" journalism. We just hope Tucker hits Washington with enough energy left to keep on covering what is sure to be a very big event. : : (Chicago Sun-Times)

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