WTTW shifts ‘Chicago Tonight” to 10 p.m.
Public television station goes head-to-head with late local news as it returns to late-night
It’s back to the future as Chicago Tonight returns to late-night as the public affairs/news analysis show known for its deep-dive into issues facing the city and suburbs, exits primetime to compete directly with four 10 p.m. local newscasts, beginning January 23.
“There is a need for high-quality local news that takes people in our region deeper into the stories behind the headlines of the day,” said Chicago Tonight executive producer and WTTW news director Jay Smith in a press release. “Our goal is for them to feel they can’t end the day without having read our daily newsletter, visited our website throughout the day, and watched Chicago Tonight at 10 pm.”
Anchored by Brandis Friedman and Paris Schutz, Chicago Tonight underwent a massive set makeover, unveiled on October 3. Its Week In Review show, which according to the press release, is being separated from Tonight and continues at 7 p.m. Fridays. Chicago Tonight had been airing Mondays-Thursdays at 7 p.m. and The Week In Review followed Fridays at 7 p.m., followed by Washington Week at 7:30 p.m. With the move to 10, Chicago Tonight would have a Friday airing as well.
“WTTW News is an essential source for trusted, local, independent news that connects the people and communities in our region,” said WTTW President and CEO Sandra Cordova Micek. “We inform and engage our audience by providing clarity and context around complex issues, serving as a resource for information about the Chicago/Midwest region, and engaging communities through in-depth original reporting.” As a non-profit, the station has a WTTW Fund For Independent News, which viewers can donate to.
The move pits Chicago Tonight against local newscasts on commercial stations, long dominated by ABC-owned WLS-TV and NBC-owned WMAQ-TV, with CBS-owned WBBM-TV lagging behind in the ratings for decades and joined by Nexstar’s WGN-TV, who added a 10 p.m. newscast in 2015. As linear viewership continues to drop, the market’s four local stations saw huge ratings declines in May 2021 at 10, the biggest decline since May 2014.
Chicago Tonight’s move also means weeknight PBS programming will run in-pattern with other member stations in large cities, as opposed to being delayed an hour though stations are allowed to set their own schedules. This was evident a few years back when someone on the Black Girl Nerds account live-tweeted a program airing an hour ahead of viewers watching in Chicago.
This isn’t the first time Chicago Tonight has aired in a later time slot. On April 24, 1984, Chicago Tonight debuted as a revamped version of John Callaway’s half-hour 10:30 p.m. show, as he was anchor for fifteen years. The show moved to 6:30 p.m. on September 30, 1985 and assumed its 7 p.m. slot on October 6, 1986 and expanded to an hour on January 6, 2003. A 10 p.m. edition also ran in the late 1990s.
Also announced today, WTTW plans to launch resources devoted to Chicago’s upcoming mayoral election, including digital voter guide and numerous digital forms. Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who is running for re-election against a dozen or so candidates in February’s primary, appeared on Chicago Tonight Tuesday.
The news was first reported by Crain’s Chicago Business.