Report: Chuck Goudie out at ABC 7

The longtime investigative reporter was at the ABC-owned station for 44 years

Axios Chicago is reporting that Chuck Goudie has been let go from ABC-owned WLS-TV after a four-decade-plus run at the top-rated station. 

“Chuck Goudie was a valued member of our ABC7 team for many years and we thank him for his groundbreaking contributions,” a station spokesperson told Axios Chicago. “We wish him only the best in his next chapter.”

Goudie arrived at WLS-TV in 1980 as a general assignment reporter and was promoted to head investigative reporter a decade later. Goudie was a significant presence at the station as head of the I-Team investigative unit, which dug deep into news stories, such as the background of criminals like Robert Crimo III, who shot and killed numerous people at a Highland Park Fourth Of July parade in 2022 and did fact-checking on multiple stories. Goudie was inducted into the NATAS Silver Circle in 2018.

Fact-checking is coming under fire from some quarters as President-Elect Donald Trump returns to the White House on Monday. Trump complained about being fact-checked by moderators from ABC News last year at a Presidential Debate against Joe Biden. 

Local stations have come under fire in recent years from viewers for their lackluster news coverage as ratings continued to decline in the streaming era. Nationwide cutbacks from network-owned stations and station groups alike have also affected content. ABC parent Disney laid off numerous staffers at its owned stations last year, notably at KGO San Francisco and at ABC 7 here. 

2025 has gotten off to a rough start for local journalism. Just days into the new year, On The Block, a partnership between the non-profit Block Club Chicago and Weigel’s WCIU, came to an unexpected end. And the Chicago Reader may be on the verge of bankruptcy and possibly ceasing operations.

But there is a glimmer of hope. Los Angeles’ local stations – often criticized for their focus on crime and car chases, won praise for their continuing coverage of the deadly wildfires that engulfed the area starting on January 7 and destroyed much of the Pacific Palisades. Michael Schneider of Variety even said local news was far more efficient in covering the disaster than social media, especially on X/Twitter as it and Facebook have eliminated fact-checkers. It was a reminder of the excellent coverage Chicago stations provided last July after tornadoes descended on the Chicago area.

Goudie declined to comment to Axios on what his next move would be. Let’s hope this isn’t the beginning of a purge by network-owned stations and affiliate station groups of journalists whose purpose is to hold our leaders accountable – no matter how much pressure Trump and incoming FCC Chairman Brendan Carr puts on them.