Who's Next At 10:00pm For NBC5 News?

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Posted by chicagomedia.org on May 13, 2009 at 18:20:43:

The suspense at WMAQ-Channel 5: Who's next at 10 p.m.?

By Lewis Lazare | Chicago Sun-Times
on May 13, 2009 4:31 PM

So now we are in a holding pattern as suspense builds about who will anchor NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5's 10 p.m. newscast. No announcement is expected until next month. But what once seemed a given -- that veteran newscaster Bob Sirott would assume a role as a 10 p.m. anchor -- suddenly seems somewhat less so. And whether it wanted to or not, WMAQ has raised the ugly specter of Rosati and Sirott possibly duking it out for a solo anchor assignment at 10 p.m.

At least a couple of factors make a potential battle for WMAQ's 10 p.m. anchor job(s) a messier matter than it might otherwise be. For one thing, well-informed sources say Sirott has a clause in his contract with WMAQ that specifically promises him a 10 p.m. anchor role in the post-Saunders era at the station. If, for whatever their reasons, WMAQ management doesn't offer him the 10 p.m. job, things could get ugly. Or at the very least, costly, if they have to pay off Sirott.

Furthermore, sources who know and respect long-time WMAQ on-air talent Rosati say she definitely should not be counted out in any fight that might ensue over the 10 p.m. anchor job Though her on-air demeanor couldn't be pleasanter, Rosati is apparently one tough cookie who developed a close bond of mutual admiration with Saunders over many years, but who also, sources say, fiercely guarded her right right to be seen as Saunders' equal on the 10 p.m. newscast. "She would count the 'reads' she and Warner would get each night on the newscast and make very sure he wasn't getting more than she did," said one source who knows Rosati well.

Should things take a somewhat surprising twist, and Rosati winds up fronting the 10 p.m. solo, it would mark only the second time in recent history that a woman has had such a role in the Chicago TV market. Sun-Times columnist Carol Marin fronted a groundbreaking 10 p.m. newscast on WBBM for a while. But perhaps in large part because of its unusual format, that newscast never caught on, and Marin left WBBM.

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: The suspense at WMAQ-Channel 5: Who's next at 10 p.m.? : By Lewis Lazare | Chicago Sun-Times : on May 13, 2009 4:31 PM : So now we are in a holding pattern as suspense builds about who will anchor NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5's 10 p.m. newscast. No announcement is expected until next month. But what once seemed a given -- that veteran newscaster Bob Sirott would assume a role as a 10 p.m. anchor -- suddenly seems somewhat less so. And whether it wanted to or not, WMAQ has raised the ugly specter of Rosati and Sirott possibly duking it out for a solo anchor assignment at 10 p.m. : At least a couple of factors make a potential battle for WMAQ's 10 p.m. anchor job(s) a messier matter than it might otherwise be. For one thing, well-informed sources say Sirott has a clause in his contract with WMAQ that specifically promises him a 10 p.m. anchor role in the post-Saunders era at the station. If, for whatever their reasons, WMAQ management doesn't offer him the 10 p.m. job, things could get ugly. Or at the very least, costly, if they have to pay off Sirott. : Furthermore, sources who know and respect long-time WMAQ on-air talent Rosati say she definitely should not be counted out in any fight that might ensue over the 10 p.m. anchor job Though her on-air demeanor couldn't be pleasanter, Rosati is apparently one tough cookie who developed a close bond of mutual admiration with Saunders over many years, but who also, sources say, fiercely guarded her right right to be seen as Saunders' equal on the 10 p.m. newscast. "She would count the 'reads' she and Warner would get each night on the newscast and make very sure he wasn't getting more than she did," said one source who knows Rosati well. : Should things take a somewhat surprising twist, and Rosati winds up fronting the 10 p.m. solo, it would mark only the second time in recent history that a woman has had such a role in the Chicago TV market. Sun-Times columnist Carol Marin fronted a groundbreaking 10 p.m. newscast on WBBM for a while. But perhaps in large part because of its unusual format, that newscast never caught on, and Marin left WBBM.

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