Posted by chicagomedia.org on May 08, 2009 at 12:37:32:
Channel 5 preparing for life after Warner Saunders
Now that anchor with more than 20 Emmys won't return to WMAQ, who is likely to replace him?
May 8, 2009
LEWIS LAZARE | Sun-Times Media & Marketing columnist
As we indicated in several columns in recent weeks, Warner Saunders, a familiar fixture in local television news for some 40 years, won't return to his anchor job on the 10 p.m. news at NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5. He has been absent since early March because of health issues. Saunders' exit, however, has raised questions about what WMAQ's flagship 10 p.m. newscast will look like post-Saunders.
Before formally retiring, Saunders plans to make a final live appearance on WMAQ's May 20 10 p.m. newscast to say goodbye, but not to read the news. The station then will air a 30-minute taped tribute to Saunders on Sunday, May 24, at 7:30 a.m., a time slot that pretty much ensures the show won't reach an especially large audience.
Now that Saunders' retirement is set, who will replace the longtime anchor on WMAQ's flagship 10 p.m. newscast? A WMAQ spokeswoman on Wednesday said the station would have no announcement about Saunders' successor -- if there is to be one -- until next month. The spokeswoman also insisted no decision has been made about whether Bob Sirott would get the 10 p.m anchor job, even though sources say Sirott has a clause in his WMAQ contract promising him a 10 p.m. anchor job. Sirott has been filling in regularly alongside 10 p.m. co-anchor Allison Rosati since Saunders was sidelined in early March. Reached Wednesday, Sirott couldn't comment. "I'm awaiting further developments," he said.
Honoring Warner
While refusing to confirm that Sirott would get a 10 p.m. anchor job, the WMAQ spokeswoman said the station could possibly go with a solo anchor arrangement. CBS-owned WBBM-Channel 2 switched to a solo anchor, Rob Johnson, for both its 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. weekday newscasts -- labeling the move an experiment to help differentiate its product from the competition. Should WMAQ opt to follow WBBM's lead, either Sirott or Rosati could potentially front the 10 p.m. newscast alone. And yes, such a tactic could help cut costs at the station -- a persistent theme at WMAQ and other local TV outlets in recent months.
WMAQ Station Manager Frank Whittaker was effusive in his praise for Saunders: "To recite all that Warner has done for NBC5 would take many pages; he has an amazing record of accomplishments." Saunders has won more than 20 Emmy Awards. Among his many accomplishments during 29 years at WMAQ, Saunders said he is proudest of a series of reports he did from South Africa on the release from prison of Nelson Mandela, which resulted in a documentary titled "South Africa: What Happens to a Dream Deferred."
Two events to honor Saunders' retirement are planned. WMAQ and Telemundo/Chicago will host a free-admission celebration at the Museum of Science and Industry on May 21, and the Museum of Broadcast Communications will host "A Salute to Warner Saunders" on May 16. For more information on the MBC event, visit www.museum.tv.