ABC 7 VP of News Jennifer Graves announces retirement

She leaves on top after three decades of employment at WLS-TV 

After 22 years at the helm, ABC 7’s VP of news Jennifer Graves has called it a career.

“Jennifer Graves’ reputation for journalistic excellence has made her one of the most influential news leaders in Chicago for more than three decades. Her news judgement, a passionate commitment to fairness and tireless work ethic are her legacy. These attributes have contributed to ABC 7 long-standing position as Chicago’s No. 1 News,” said ABC 7 General Manager John H. Idler in a statement. “We want to acknowledge her unwavering dedication and her commitment to keeping Chicagoland viewers at the forefront of everything we do. We can’t thank her enough and wish her nothing but the best.”

Graves has called the shots for all of the ABC-owned station’s news coverage (both linear and digital) and helped launch the station’s 24/7 channel and other events including political debates, news specials, and more. Her last day is in June.

“It’s been the honor of my career to work with the talented journalists in the ABC 7 Chicago newsroom and chronicle the history of the Chicago area”, said Graves, also in a statement. “Thirty-two years have gone by in a flash, and I’ll leave with a lifetime of memories and more friendships than I can count.”

During her entire time at the station, ABC 7 has dominated local news ratings in Chicago where it has been tops for 38 years, even now when broadcast Nielsen ratings are eroding as viewers turn to other alternatives such as streaming and on-demand content. It made sense for ABC 7 and other local broadcasters to launch digital initiatives, as the station has streaming-only newscasts at 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Graves arrived at WLS-TV in 1992 from then-CBS affiliate WAGA Atlanta as an executive news producer, then promoted to her current promotion in 2001, before the 9/11 attacks. Since then, she guided the newsroom through numerous crises including the pandemic, two rounds of disturbances in Chicago’s Loop and other neighborhoods  (including instances of looting caught on camera right near the station on State and Lake), and Chicago’s ongoing gun violence epidemic.

In 2019, now-retired media columnist Robert Feder named Graves the third most powerful woman in Chicago journalism.

Graves is a graduate of the University of Missouri at Columbia, with a Bachelor’s Degree in journalism, and a member of the Radio Television Digital News Association.