WGN-TV

====News department history====
[[File:Federal Center 20180613 (25).jpg|210px|right|thumb|News van outside the [[Dirksen Federal Building]] in June 2018.]]
Although sports has been a major part of WGN-TV's identity, the station has also been well known in the Chicago area for its news programming, which, through its former co-ownership with the ''Chicago Tribune'', has played an important role since its launch. WGN's news department—which shared operations and management with WGN Radio until the news division was split into separate departments maintained by the respective properties in 1983—began operations along with the station on April 5, 1948, with the launch of its first regular news program, the ''Chicagoland Newsreel'', which was the first television newscast in the Chicago market to consist entirely of filmed coverage. The 15-minute broadcast—which originally aired weeknights at 6:45&nbsp;p.m., with a midday edition at 11:30&nbsp;a.m. being added in September 1949—was anchored by [[news director]] Spencer Allen (who had been a reporter and news writer for WGN Radio since 1938) and used a large staff of photographers and technicians, many of whom had previously worked for the ''Tribune''; Allen also anchored a 15-minute midday news program for Channel 9, ''Spencer Allen and the News'', from 1951 to 1953.<ref>{{cite news |title=Spencer Allen, TV News Pioneer |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1999-02-25-9902250178-story.html |author=Diane Struzzi |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=February 25, 1999 |access-date=March 25, 2019}}</ref>

From 1948 to 1965, WGN also produced an additional 15-minute-long newscast at 6:30&nbsp;p.m., with Austin Kiplinger (to be replaced by Allen in 1953 and then by [[Lloyd Pettit]] in 1956) reading the news summary and Frann Weigel as the weather anchor; the program was expanded to a half-hour in September 1955, when ''Newsreel'' was discontinued in favor of an amended sports news segment (anchored originally by [[Vince Lloyd]]). Under Allen's leadership, WGN-TV's newscasts evolved from a "police blotter/fire alarm-type of news operation" to incorporating more in-depth and investigative reports. WGN-TV also was the first Chicago television station to televise a local appearance by a [[U.S. President]] (carrying [[Harry S. Truman]]'s 1948 visit to Chicago) and provided mobile coverage of Gen. [[Douglas MacArthur]]'s visit to the city (in April 1951); it has also provided coverage of the Republican and Democratic presidential conventions each election cycle since 1952, and provided extensive pool coverage of [[Pope John Paul II]]'s Mass at [[Grant Park (Chicago)|Grant Park]] in 1979.

In September 1951, Channel 9 began carrying a 15-minute late night edition of ''Chicagoland Newsreel'' that followed its late evening movie presentations (which began at 10&nbsp;p.m. at the time). By 1967, the program had evolved into ''Night Beat'', a 30-minute overnight newscast that—until it was discontinued in 1983—featured the main anchor (which had included, among others, Greyson, McNeeley, Cliff Mercer and [[Jack Taylor (journalist)|Jack Taylor]]) presenting a summary of local and world news headlines as well as a brief weather forecast summary. In February 1955, the station installed a coaxial cable link from the city room of the ''Chicago Tribune'' (originally done for the early newscast, ''First Edition'', which aired from 1954 to 1956) to allow ''Tribune'' reporters and contributors to provide information on developing stories being covered by the newspaper and the WGN news department.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=WGN-TV Gets Hot News From 'Trib' |periodical=Broadcasting |page=64 |date=February 24, 1958}}</ref> After WGN-TV became an independent station in August 1956, the evening newscast was moved to 7&nbsp;p.m.—becoming the market's first prime time newscast and often being subjected to sports-induced preemptions—before settling at 10&nbsp;p.m. in September 1959, originally under the title ''10th Hour News'' (known in later years as ''The Park-Ruddle News'' and ''[Jack Taylor/John Drury and] NewsNine''). In May 1960, the late newscast (which, by that point, was anchored by Jim Conway, who also hosted a self-titled daytime talk show at the time) became the first local television news program in the U.S. to expand to a half-hour broadcast. Standard news updates presented by various on-staff anchors—under the title ''WGN Newsbreak''—also ran during the late morning, early afternoon and prime time hours in-between programs.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=WGN advertisement |periodical=Broadcasting |page=2 |date=October 16, 1961}}</ref>

In 1965, WGN appointed the first dual-anchor team ever employed in Chicago television news, as Gary Park (who came to the station from [[KCRA-TV]] in [[Sacramento]]) and Jim Ruddle (who previously worked at [[WTVT]] in [[Tampa]]) took the helm of the evening newscasts. On January 9, 1967, WGN shifted the 10 p.m. edition of the newscast by 15 minutes (concurrently reducing it to that length) in an attempt to improve viewership by placing the telephone quiz show ''The Name Game'' in the timeslot, reducing competition with late newscasts on WLS-TV, WMAQ-TV and WBBM-TV. (This experiment ended in May 1967, when WGN reverted to carrying the late newscast in its former 10&nbsp;p.m. slot and expanded it to 25 minutes.) The Park-Ruddle combination was broken up in June 1967, when Ruddle left to join NBC-owned WMAQ-TV, to be followed two years later by Park taking a prime time anchor role at fellow independent [[KTVU]] (now a Fox owned-and-operated station) in [[San Francisco]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Anchorman Ruddle sets sail as novelist |url=https://www.robertfeder.com/2014/05/11/ex-anchorman-ruddle-sets-sail-as-novelist/ |author=Robert Feder |website=RobertFeder.com |date=May 11, 2014 |access-date=March 25, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Anchor's Aweigh |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1988-11-27-8802190970-story.html |author=Michael Kilian |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=November 27, 1988 |access-date=March 25, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=WGN-TV upsets Chicago news hour with no news |periodical=Broadcasting |page=9 |date=December 26, 1966}}</ref> Also in 1965, WGN premiered its first attempt at a morning news show with ''Top 'o' the Morning''; [[Orion Samuelson]]—then a farm reporter for WGN Radio, who would eventually host the syndicated ''U.S. Farm Report'' starting in 1975—and Harold Turner (later replaced by Max Armstrong) provided agricultural news and weather. The program was replaced in May 1984 by a traditional morning newscast, ''Chicago's First Report'', which was canceled due to low viewership that December.

The WGN news department has long been one of the most respected local television news operations in the United States and has earned several journalism awards throughout its history, including [[Emmy]], [[Associated Press]], [[United Press International]] and [[Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award|duPont-Columbia Awards]]. The station has also long established top-drawer talent for its newscasts, many of whom have worked at WGN-TV for more than ten years, including Jack Taylor (anchor/reporter, 1954–1984, whose run included a stint as primary weeknight anchor from 1970 to 1979),<ref>{{cite news |title=Jack Taylor Finds 'Freedom' |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1989-07-18-8902180368-story.html |author=Rick Kogan |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=July 18, 1989 |access-date=March 25, 2019}}</ref> Carl Greyson (anchor, reporter and staff announcer, 1955–1980),<ref>{{cite news |title=WGN Announcer Carl Greyson |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1989-08-01-8901010140-story.html |author=Kenan Heise |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=August 1, 1989 |access-date=March 25, 2019}}</ref> Marty McNeeley (anchor/reporter, 1969–1986),<ref>{{cite news |title=Marty McNeeley, 1926–2013 |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2013-04-03-ct-met-mcneeley-obit-20130403-story.html |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=April 3, 2013 |access-date=March 25, 2019}}</ref> [[Robert Jordan (newscaster)|Robert Jordan]] (anchor/reporter, 1973–1978 and 1980–2016), Muriel Clair (assignment reporter, 1978–present, part-time since December 2011),<ref>{{cite news |title=Muriel Clair semi-retiring from WGN-Ch.9 after 33 years |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-xpm-2012-01-13-chi-muriel-clair-semiretiring-from-wgnch9-after-33-years-20120113-story.html |author=Robert Channick |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=January 13, 2012 |access-date=March 25, 2019}}</ref> and Steve Sanders (anchor/reporter, 1982–2020).<ref>{{cite web |title=Anchorman Steve Sanders to retire after 'amazing run' at WGN |url=https://www.robertfeder.com/2020/02/03/anchorman-steve-sanders-retire-amazing-run-wgn/ |author=Robert Feder |website=RobertFeder.com |date=February 3, 2020}}</ref> [[John Drury (television anchor)|John Drury]] joined WGN-TV in 1967 for what would be a three-year stint as anchor of its 10&nbsp;p.m. news as well as occasionally serving as anchor of ''Night Beat''. After working for WLS-TV for nine years, Drury returned to his former role at WGN in 1979, displacing Jack Taylor as 10&nbsp;p.m. ''NewsNine'' anchor. During his second stint at WGN, Drury took on an expanded role doing assignment and investigative reporting (often producing the reports with investigative reporter Alex Burkholder). In 1982, then-Mayor [[Jane Byrne]], accompanied by members of her public relations and cabinet staff, tried to talk Drury into shelving a report on Byrne's use of public funds towards city festivals designed to promote her administration in relation to her stint residing in the [[Cabrini-Green]] housing project. Drury went forward with the investigative report, which aided in Byrne's loss to [[Harold Washington]] in the 1983 Democratic mayoral primary and would help earn Drury a Chicago Emmy Award for Individual Excellence (the first of four Emmys during his career).<ref>{{cite news |title=Drury's verdict |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2002-03-01-0203010119-story.html |author=Jon Anderson |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=March 1, 2002 |access-date=March 25, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=John Drury: 1927—2007 |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2007-11-26-0711260130-story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321200718/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2007-11-26-0711260130-story.html |archive-date=March 21, 2019 |author1=Karoun Demirjian |author2=William Presecky |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=November 26, 2007 |access-date=March 25, 2019}}</ref>

Another mainstay of WGN-TV has been [[Tom Skilling]], who joined WGN in August 1978 to succeed [[Harry Volkman]] (who had two stints at the station, first from 1967 until 1970 and again from 1974 until the summer of 1978) as the station's main evening meteorologist. Skilling—who is rumored to be the highest paid local television meteorologist in the United States—would become known for presenting his on-air forecasts with detailed but fairly easy-to-understand analysis and striking accuracy (most noted by his predictions of the [[Groundhog Day blizzard]] two weeks before it created paralyzing effects on the Chicago area in late January and early February 2011), and with routine usage of ensemble computer models to illustrate expected weather scenarios. Skilling has also occasionally hosted half-hour documentary specials explaining extreme weather phenomenon and advancements in forecasting technology (including 1991's ''It Sounded Like a Freight Train'', focusing on the science of the Chicago area's climatological history with tornadoes, and 1992's ''When Lightning Strikes'', centering on the science and dangers of lightning), which have earned several Chicago Emmy nominations and award wins, as well as a weekly feature on the 9&nbsp;p.m. newscast, ''Ask Tom Why'', in which Skilling answers viewer-submitted weather questions (and which served as the basis for a similarly formatted column featured in the ''Tribune''{{'}}s weather page). Under Skilling, WGN also coordinated the centralization of its weather operations to encompass WGN-TV, WGN Radio, CLTV, and the ''Tribune'', and, in May 2007, became a broadcast partner in the [[WeatherBug]] real-time [[Automated weather station|automated weather observation]] network (the largest station member by market size). Skilling holds the record as the longest-serving television meteorologist at a single station in the Chicago market, having served as chief meteorologist at WGN-TV for 45 years until he retired from the station and from broadcasting on February 28, 2024. (Volkman holds the record as Chicago's longest-serving television meteorologist overall, having worked in the market from 1959 until he retired from broadcasting in 2004, including other stints at WMAQ-TV and WFLD as well as an 18-year run as chief meteorologist at WBBM-TV.)<ref>{{cite web |title=The Cult of Tom |url=http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/June-2008/The-Cult-of-Tom/ |periodical=[[Chicago Magazine]] |date=June 1, 2008 |access-date=March 25, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=WGN-TV Celebrates 40 Years with Chief Meteorologist Tom Skilling |url=https://wgntv.com/2018/08/09/wgn-tv-celebrates-40-years-with-chief-meteorologist-tom-skilling/ |website=WGN-TV |publisher=Tribune Broadcasting |date=August 9, 2018 |access-date=March 25, 2019 |archive-date=March 21, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321200646/https://wgntv.com/2018/08/09/wgn-tv-celebrates-40-years-with-chief-meteorologist-tom-skilling/ |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=For Skilling, There Is No Such Thing as Bad Weather |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/25/business/media/for-tom-skilling-no-such-thing-as-bad-weather.html |author=Dan McGrath |newspaper=The New York Times |date=November 24, 2011 |access-date=March 25, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Tom Skilling |url=https://qctimes.com/tom-skilling/article_fc7eb39e-585d-11df-a522-001cc4c002e0.html |newspaper=[[Quad-City Times]] |publisher=[[Lee Enterprises]] |date=May 5, 2010 |access-date=March 25, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=WGN-TV and WeatherBug Partner to Offer Viewers Live, Neighborhood-Level Weather Reporting—On-air and Online Starting Tuesday |url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/WGN-TV+and+WeatherBug+Partner+to+Offer+Viewers+Live%2c...-a0163701102/ |agency=PR Newswire |website=WGN-TV |publisher=Tribune Broadcasting |via=The Free Library |date=May 21, 2007 |access-date=December 10, 2010 |archive-date=October 22, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022044743/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/WGN-TV+and+WeatherBug+Partner+to+Offer+Viewers+Live,...-a0163701102/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The late newscast was moved into prime time on March 10, 1980, concurrently becoming known as ''The Nine O'Clock News'' (later retitled ''WGN News at Nine'' in May 1993, as part of a uniform retitling of its newscasts under the ''WGN News'' moniker used in some promotions and report sign-offs since 1981). The shift to the 9&nbsp;p.m. hour briefly made it the first hour-long prime time newscast in the Midwest and, for its first seven years in that slot, it was the Chicago market's only local television newscast at 9 p.m. Initially airing five nights a week for one hour, the revamped weeknight-only newscast was first anchored by the prior ''NewsNine'' team of Drury, Skilling, sports anchor Bill Frink and commentator Len O'Connor. On June 9 of that year, the program switched to a hybrid local-national format that incorporated the ''[[Independent Network News (TV program)|Independent Network News]]'' (''INN'')—a Tribune-syndicated nightly news program originating from New York sister station WPIX, which was later retitled ''INN: The Independent News'' in September 1984 and ''USA Tonight'' in January 1987—in place of the locally produced segments that had occupied the 9:30&nbsp;p.m. half-hour since the March format change. After briefly being relegated to weeknights following the shift to prime time, half-hour weekend editions of the 9&nbsp;p.m. broadcast were added on October 4, 1980, anchored originally by Larry Roderick and Robert Jordan.<ref>{{cite news |title=WGN trying to outdo Channel 32's challenge |url=https://www.newspaperarchive.com/us/illinois/arlington-heights/daily-herald-suburban-chicago/1980/02-26/page-32 |author=Diane Mermigas |newspaper=[[Daily Herald (Arlington Heights)|Daily Herald]] |via=Newspaper Archive |page=32 |date=February 26, 1980 |access-date=March 25, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=War only a subplot in seamy 'Eternity' |url=https://www.newspaperarchive.com/us/illinois/arlington-heights/daily-herald-suburban-chicago/1980/03-10/page-15 |author=Diane Mermigas |newspaper=Daily Herald |via=Newspaper Archive |page=15 |date=March 10, 1980 |access-date=March 25, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Newscast to link 30 independent stations |url=https://www.newspaperarchive.com/us/illinois/arlington-heights/daily-herald-suburban-chicago/1980/05-02/page-27 |newspaper=Daily Herald |via=Newspaper Archive |page=27 |date=May 2, 1980 |access-date=March 25, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=INN is in business |periodical=Broadcasting |page=79 |date=June 16, 1980}}<br />{{cite magazine |title=INN is in business |periodical=Broadcasting |page=80 |date=June 16, 1980}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=WGN blazes new trail in battle for viewers |url=https://www.newspaperarchive.com/us/illinois/arlington-heights/daily-herald-suburban-chicago/1980/09-08/page-16 |author=Diane Mermigas |newspaper=Daily Herald |via=Newspaper Archive |page=16 |date=September 8, 1980 |access-date=March 25, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=WLS-TV gambles on boost in ratings from news facelift |url=https://www.newspaperarchive.com/us/illinois/arlington-heights/daily-herald-suburban-chicago/1980/07-21/page-32 |newspaper=Daily Herald |via=Newspaper Archive |page=32 |date=July 21, 1980 |access-date=March 25, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=INN to Feature a New Approach |author=Steve Daley |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |page=5 |date=January 9, 1987 |id={{ProQuest|290997656}}}}</ref> By 1985, Drury (who returned to his previous role as main co-anchor at WLS-TV in late 1984) and Denise Cannon (who became the former's co-anchor in 1981 and departed at the end of 1984) were succeeded as principal anchors by Rick Rosenthal and [[Pat Harvey]].

Since the reformatting as a prime time newscast, WGN-TV has been the ratings leader in the 9&nbsp;p.m. timeslot, with or without news competition in the arena and even at times when weaker-rated shows led into the newscast, and typically holds a larger audience than the 10&nbsp;p.m. newscast on WBBM-TV. The 9&nbsp;p.m. newscast's dominance was to such an extent that, from 1984 until 1989 (when it was unseated by KTVU in San Francisco), it had the largest viewership of any prime time local newscast in the United States. Legitimate competition sprang up for ''The Nine O'Clock News'' on November 16, 1987, when Fox O&O WFLD consolidated the half-hour 7 and 11&nbsp;p.m. newscasts that launched its full-scale news operation three months earlier into a single broadcast at 9 p.m.<ref name="tvra-wgnnews">{{cite magazine |title=News makes TV rating news |periodical=Television/Radio Age |publisher=Television Editorial Corp. |page=A34 |date=March 6, 1989}}<br />{{cite magazine |title=News makes TV rating news |periodical=Television/Radio Age |publisher=Television Editorial Corp. |page=A36 |date=March 6, 1989}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=WFLD-TV Rolls the Dice with its Nightly News Slot |url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1987-11-20/features/8703270435_1_newscast-cosby-show-competitive-time-period |author=Steve Daley |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=November 20, 1987 |access-date=September 5, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Fox flashback: When Murdoch put his mark on local news |url=https://www.timeout.com/chicago/tv/fox-flashback-when-murdoch-put-his-mark-on-local-news |author=Robert Feder |website=[[Time Out Chicago]] |date=July 31, 2012 |access-date=September 3, 2015 |archive-date=October 5, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151005061235/http://www.timeout.com/chicago/tv/fox-flashback-when-murdoch-put-his-mark-on-local-news |url-status=dead}}</ref> Although WFLD aggressively marketed its fledgling newscast towards younger audiences as having a fresher style compared to WGN's more traditional news format, viewer loyalty has continued to propel Channel 9 to No. 1 in the ratings at 9 p.m. to the present day (with one of the only exceptions being a tie with Channel 32 in the May 1996 sweeps period), even with the WFLD newscast having the Fox prime time lineup as its lead-in. For this reason, WFLD moved its newscast back to its original 7&nbsp;p.m. timeslot in September 1988, only to return it to 9 p.m. the following year to accommodate the planned expansion of Fox's prime time lineup. A sports highlight and interview program, ''Instant Replay'', which has been hosted since its debut by sports director Dan Roan, began accompanying the Sunday edition of the newscast in August 1987. WGN re-expanded its prime time newscast to one hour on June 4, 1990, after Tribune discontinued production of ''USA Tonight'' under a collaborative agreement between Tribune and Turner Broadcasting in which the Tribune stations were granted access to [[CNN Newsource]] content and began feeding video footage to the [[CNN]] video wire service.<ref>{{cite news |title=TV linkup for Tribune, Turner |author=James Warren |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=April 10, 1990 |id={{ProQuest|282641212}}}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=TBS-Tribune join hands for programing |periodical=Broadcasting |page=58 |date=May 28, 1990}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=Fox gets news edge in L.A., Chicago |author=Cynthia Littleton |periodical=Broadcasting & Cable |page=38 |date=June 3, 1996}}</ref>

WGN began programming long-form news outside its established 9&nbsp;p.m. slot on September 19, 1983, when it debuted ''Midday Newscope'', which grew out of the three-minute-long local news segments that had aired during the ''INN Midday Edition'' (which followed the newscast until that program's September 1985 cancellation) since January 1983. Originally anchored by Rick Rosenthal (who was replaced by Steve Sanders, after Rosenthal replaced Drury as 9&nbsp;p.m. co-anchor in 1984), the newscast—a local version of [[Telepictures]] and [[Gannett|Gannett Broadcasting]]'s short-lived syndicated format, ''Newscope''—featured a hybrid of local news headlines and weather forecasts and in-depth consumer, financial, entertainment and lifestyle features. The program was reformatted into a more traditional newscast, retitled ''Chicago's Midday News'', on September 17, 1984, and later expanded to an hour in September 1985.<ref name="tvra-wgnnews"/><ref>{{cite news |title=Channels 9 and 32 add original programming |url=https://www.newspaperarchive.com/us/illinois/arlington-heights/daily-herald-suburban-chicago/1983/09-18/page-50 |author=Gordon Walek |newspaper=Daily Herald |via=Newspaper Archive |page=50 |date=September 18, 1983 |access-date=March 25, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=Daily news series to be offered by Gannett/Telepictures |periodical=Broadcasting |page=30 |date=August 23, 1982}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title='Newscope' service scheduled to be discontinued |periodical=Broadcasting |page=79 |date=June 11, 1984}}</ref> The midday newscast—which concurrently rebranded from ''WGN News at Noon'' to the ''WGN Midday News'' with the expansion—would eventually expand to 90 minutes (moving to an 11:30&nbsp;a.m. start) on September 15, 2008; it was subsequently expanded to two hours (moving to 11&nbsp;a.m.) on October 5, 2009.<ref name="tvnc-wgnmiddayeveningnews">{{cite web |title=WGN Launching 11:30 A.M., 5:30 P.M. News |url=http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/25379/wgn-launching-1130-am-530-pm-news |website=TVNewsCheck |date=September 11, 2008}}</ref><ref name="b&c-wgnnewsboost">{{cite web |title=WGN Boosts News |url=https://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/wgn-boosts-news-27627 |author=Michael Malone |periodical=Broadcasting & Cable |date=July 7, 2008 |access-date=March 25, 2019}}</ref><ref name="trib-paynematerre">{{cite news |title=WGN's Allison Payne moves to expanded noon news; Micah Materre officially gets 9 p.m. slot |url=http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/towerticker/2009/09/wgns-allison-payne-moves-to-expanded-noon-news-micah-materre-officially-gets-takes-9-pm-slot.html#more |author=Phil Rosenthal |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=September 16, 2009}}</ref> On September 19, 1988, WGN became the first Chicago television station to [[closed caption]] its newscasts for the [[hearing impaired]].

On January 25, 1992, the station debuted hour-long 8&nbsp;a.m. newscasts on Saturdays and Sundays. To accommodate the launch of ''Chicago's Weekend Morning News'' (which marked the first major weekend morning news attempt in Chicago television and one of the only instances of a television station carrying a morning newscast on weekends without already having a weekday equivalent) and the concurring moves of ''Charlando'' and ''People to People'' to Sundays, WGN dropped three long-running religious programs—''What's Nu'' (produced by the Chicago Board of Rabbis), ''Heritage of Faith'' (produced by [[Protestant]] group Greater Chicago Broadcast Ministries) and ''Mass for Shut-ins'' (produced by the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago]])—from its Sunday morning lineup, a move that was criticized by the Council of Religious Leaders of Metropolitan Chicago and other religious groups on grounds that the programs catered to diverse religious audiences in fulfillment of the station's public service programming obligations. (The latter two programs were subsequently acquired by WGBO-TV, under an agreement which allowed them to continue to be produced out of the WGN-TV studios.) The Sunday edition was discontinued after the September 4, 1994, broadcast; the Saturday edition would follow suit four years later on December 19, 1998, with then-news director Steve Ramsey citing the need to provide more resources for its weekday morning newscasts. Weekend morning newscasts returned on October 2, 2010, with the debut of hour-long editions at 6&nbsp;a.m. (shifted to a two-hour block at 7&nbsp;a.m. on September 10, 2016, following Channel 9's disaffiliation from The CW, and expanded to a third hour on Saturdays until 10&nbsp;a.m. on January 11, 2020).<ref>{{cite news |title=WGN-church tie was boon to both |author=Michael Hirsley |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=January 10, 1992 |id={{ProQuest|283130772}}}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Religious shows find new home |author=Michael Hirsley |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=February 26, 1992 |id={{ProQuest|283297012}}}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title='Sports Writers' May Be Near Fox Finish |author=Jim Kirk |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=December 9, 1998 |id={{ProQuest|418616840}}}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=WGN-Ch. 9 plans new early morning weekend news |url=http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/towerticker/2010/08/wgn-ch-9-plans-new-early-morning-weekend-news.html |author=Phil Rosenthal |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=August 23, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=WGN will expand its weekend morning newscast once it becomes an Independent |url=https://changingnewscasts.wordpress.com/2016/08/22/wgn-expand-weekend-morning-news-once-becomes-independent/ |author=Roly Ortega |website=The Changing Newscasts Blog |date=August 22, 2016 |access-date=March 25, 2019}}</ref><ref name="cn-wgnmorenews"/>

Morning news programming was extended to weekdays on September 6, 1994, with the ''[[WGN Morning News]]'' debuting as a one-hour broadcast from 7 to 8&nbsp;a.m., anchored originally by Dave Eckert, Sonja Gantt and meteorologist Paul Huttner. In an effort to improve viewership, the program—which replaced children's programs (including ''The Bozo Show'', which displaced the Sunday edition of the morning newscast) that had previously aired in that time period—was soon reformatted from a more traditional newscast to feature a mix of straight news and entertainment and lifestyle features that use a looser style similar to morning radio programs. This reformatting helped the ''Morning News'' to eventually begin beating competing local and national morning news programs—including its closest initial competitor, WFLD's ''Fox Thing in the Morning'' (now ''Good Day Chicago'')—in the 25–54 age demographic and in total viewers. (The program would expand to two hours, extending until 9&nbsp;a.m., on January 8, 1996, with a later hour-long expansion [to 10&nbsp;a.m.] on September 3, 2013.) An hour-long 6&nbsp;a.m. "''Early Edition''" of the newscast debuted on August 5, 1996; this block of the newscast would gradually expand to three hours, beginning with the addition of a 5:30&nbsp;a.m. half-hour in January 2001 and ending with its July 11, 2011, extension to 4&nbsp;a.m.<ref>{{cite news |title=Dahl's Final Surprise Chills Departing Meier |author=Steve Nidetz |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=September 4, 1994 |id={{ProQuest|283943365}}}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Attention Early Birds! WGN Morning News Starts at 4:00AM Beginning July 11 |url=http://www.wgntv.com/about/station/pressrelease/wgntv-early-birds-wgn-morning-news-starts-at-4am-20110616,0,5721549.story |website=WGN-TV |publisher=Tribune Broadcasting |date=June 16, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110914071444/http://www.wgntv.com/about/station/pressrelease/wgntv-early-birds-wgn-morning-news-starts-at-4am-20110616,0,5721549.story |archive-date=September 14, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=WGN Morning News To Expand Starting September 3 |url=http://chicagoradioandmedia.com/news/5702-wgn-morning-news-to-expand-starting-september-3 |website=Chicagoland Radio and Media |date=June 24, 2013 |access-date=September 3, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=WGN Announces Morning Show Expansion and Changes to On-Air Lineup |url=http://www.adweek.com/tvspy/wgn-announces-morning-show-expansion-and-changes-to-on-air-lineup/102548 |author=Kevin Eck |website=[[AdWeek|TVSpy]] |publisher=[[Prometheus Global Media|Mediabistro Holdings]] |date=August 22, 2013 |access-date=September 3, 2015}}</ref> (The ''WGN Morning News'' became the first WGN-TV newscast to be denied clearance on the national feed in September 1996, with its forced removal reportedly being due to self-imposed exclusivity restrictions concerning the newscast's paid segments and rate charges that the station's sales department would have to pay if the segments aired nationally; simulcasts of the ''WGN Morning News'' temporarily returned to WGN America on February 3, 2014, when it began airing the 4&nbsp;a.m. hour.)

In July 1996, WGN-TV began using a [[Eurocopter AS350|Eurocopter AS350 B2]] helicopter for newsgathering, "Skycam 9", which is used for certain breaking news events and traffic reporting.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=WGN sends Skycam 9 aloft |periodical=Broadcasting & Cable |page=56 |date=July 15, 1996}}</ref> In October 1999, freelance reporter Jane Boal made headlines when she was hit from behind while trying to move away from a car attempting to drive away from an accident with another vehicle during a live midday report about a carbon monoxide leak that forced the evacuation of a school in the Rogers Park neighborhood; Boal (who was laid off by the station in May 2009) suffered cartilage and ligament injuries to both of her legs after being pinned between the car involved in the accident and a WGN live truck, but was able to resume work in early November.<ref>{{cite news |title=Disturbing Footage Thrusts a Reporter Into the News |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1999-10-07-9910070134-story.html |author=Jim Kirk |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=October 7, 1999 |access-date=March 25, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Reporter Hit by Car Returns to Work |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1999-11-02-9911020267-story.html |author=Jim Kirk |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=November 2, 1999 |access-date=March 25, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=WGN-TV cuts Jane Boal, others |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-bn-xpm-2009-05-14-28525563-story.html |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=May 14, 2009 |access-date=March 25, 2019}}</ref> In 2000, WGN-TV constructed a new {{convert|26,000|sqft|m2|0|adj=on}} newsroom covering two floors on the eastern portion of its studio facility, increasing the building's size to approximately {{convert|131,000|sqft|m2|0}}; the original newsroom was renovated for use by the station's weather department.<ref name="WGN Studios">{{cite web |title=Chicago Architecture Info: WGN Television |url=http://www.chicagoarchitecture.info/Building/1334/WGN-Television.php |website=Chicago Architecture Info |publisher=Artefaqs Corporation |access-date=May 1, 2011 |archive-date=December 7, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151207171144/http://www.chicagoarchitecture.info/Building/1334/WGN-Television.php |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=New WGN Facility Leaves Room for Speculation |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2000-03-08-0003080047-story.html |author=Jim Kirk |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=March 8, 2000 |access-date=March 25, 2019}}</ref>

WGN scored a major coup in April 2008, when it persuaded veteran WMAQ-TV and WFLD anchor [[Mark Suppelsa]]—who turned down a contract with the latter station due to a proposed salary cut—to take over as lead anchor of the 9&nbsp;p.m. newscast, replacing Steve Sanders (who was moved to the midday newscast and was later joined in September 2009 by his former co-anchor on the 9&nbsp;p.m. broadcast from 1993 until Suppelsa's appointment, [[Allison Payne]], after Micah Materre moved to the prime time newscasts full-time). Suppelsa remained a main co-anchor of the weeknight newscasts until his retirement from broadcasting in December 2017, and was replaced two months later by Joe Donlon (who served a similar role at [[KGW]] in [[Portland, Oregon]], and would himself depart WGN-TV in June 2020 to become main co-anchor of sister network WGN America{{'}}s fledgling prime time newscast ''[[NewsNation (WGN America)|NewsNation]]'').<ref>{{cite news |title=Suppelsa's hiring not the end for Sanders |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2008-07-08-0807070508-story.html |author=Phil Rosenthal |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=July 8, 2008 |access-date=March 25, 2019}}</ref><ref name="trib-paynematerre"/><ref>{{cite web |title=It's official: WGN hires news anchor Joe Donlon |url=https://www.robertfeder.com/2018/02/13/official-wgn-hires-news-anchor-joe-donlon/ |author=Robert Feder |website=RobertFeder.com |date=February 13, 2018 |access-date=March 26, 2019}}</ref> On July 19, 2008, beginning with that night's edition of the 9&nbsp;p.m. newscast, WGN-TV became the third television station in the Chicago market to begin broadcasting its local newscasts in [[High-definition television|high definition]]. Video from remote and field equipment was initially broadcast in [[480p]] standard definition following the transition; high definition cameras began to be used for field reports in July 2010, a move which made WGN-TV the first station in the market to broadcast all locally originated portions of its newscasts (including live field reports) in HD.

Starting under the direction of now-former news director Greg Caputo, WGN-TV spearheaded a major expansion of its news programming. In addition to the expansions of its existing newscasts, WGN first launched an early-evening newscast on September 15, 2008, when the ''WGN Evening News'' premiered as a half-hour weeknight broadcast at 5:30&nbsp;p.m.<ref name="tvnc-wgnmiddayeveningnews"/><ref name="b&c-wgnnewsboost"/> The newscast expanded to one hour (starting at 5&nbsp;p.m.) on October 5, 2009, with Saturday and Sunday editions being added on July 12, 2014.<ref name="trib-paynematerre"/><ref>{{cite web |title=WGN adds 5 p.m. news on weekends |url=http://www.robertfeder.com/2014/06/23/wgn-adds-5-p-m-news-on-weekends/ |author=Robert Feder |author-link=Robert Feder |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=June 23, 2014}}</ref> The weekday editions of the newscast were later expanded to include a second hour (starting at 4&nbsp;p.m.) on September 8, 2014, and then to three hours (extending it to the 6&nbsp;p.m. hour) on April 4, 2017. (The superstation feed did not clear any of the expanded newscasts up until the conversion of WGN America into a conventional cable channel.)<ref>{{cite news |title=Tribune Co.'s WGN-Channel 9 to add more weekend newscasts |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/chicago/news/2014/06/24/tribune-co-s-wgn-channel-9-to-add-more-weekend.html |author=Lewis Lazare |newspaper=Chicago Business Journal |date=June 24, 2014 |access-date=September 3, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=WGN shuffles anchors as it expands evening news |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-wgn-shuffles-anchors-expands-evening-news-20140819-story.html |author=Robert Channick |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=August 19, 2014}}</ref><ref name="robfeder-wgn6pmnews">{{cite web |title=WGN adds 6 p.m. newscast; teams Bradley & Duarte at 4 p.m. |url=http://www.robertfeder.com/2017/03/02/wgn-adds-6-p-m-newscast-teams-bradley-duarte-4-p-m/ |author=Robert Feder |website=RobertFeder.com |date=March 2, 2017 |access-date=April 14, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=WGN-Channel 9 adding more local news as appetite for it diminishes in Chicago |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/chicago/news/2017/03/03/wgn-channel-9-adding-more-local-news-as-appetite.html |author=Lewis Lazare |newspaper=Chicago Business Journal |date=March 3, 2017 |access-date=April 14, 2017}}</ref> In 2009, WGN-TV began streaming its weekday midday and 5&nbsp;p.m. newscasts live on its website. On February 22, 2010, WGN-TV became the first television station in the Chicago market to allow [[iPhone]] users to watch live streams of its newscasts; the 6 to 9&nbsp;a.m. block of the ''WGN Morning News'', the midday and 5&nbsp;p.m. newscasts were initially available for streaming to iPhone users. (At present, all newscasts are streamed through the station's website and on [[Apple Inc.|Apple]] devices, though sports segments are blacked out—presented only with the audio feed—due to streaming restrictions on sports highlights imposed by the major sports leagues.)<ref>{{cite press release |title=WGN-TV First in Chicago to Stream Newscasts |url=http://corporate.tribune.com/pressroom/?p=1689/ |date=February 22, 2010 |access-date=December 9, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717101642/http://corporate.tribune.com/pressroom/?p=1689%2F |archive-date=July 17, 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

On October 5, 2015, the station restored a 10&nbsp;p.m. newscast—originally only airing Monday through Friday nights—to its schedule after a 35-year absence; weekend editions of the 10 p.m. broadcast were added on January 11, 2020.<ref>{{cite news |title=WGN enters 10 p.m. news battle |url=http://www.robertfeder.com/2015/08/18/wgn-enters-10-p-m-news-battle/ |author=Robert Feder |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=August 18, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Tribune Media's WGN-Channel 9, in surprise move, adds 10 p.m. local newscast |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/chicago/news/2015/08/18/tribune-mediaswgn-channel-9-in-surprise-move-adds.html |author=Lewis Lazare |newspaper=Chicago Business Journal |date=August 18, 2015 |access-date=September 3, 2015}}</ref><ref name="cn-wgnmorenews"/> A secondary live sports news show, ''GN Sports'', premiered on January 28, 2020, as the lead-out program for the weeknight 10&nbsp;p.m. newscasts; co-hosted by Dan Roan and Jarrett Payton, the program focuses on sports news and highlights, feature segments and in-studio interviews in a similar format as ''Instant Replay'', as well as including sports gaming and fantasy sports analysis. (Payton formerly co-hosted the similar CLTV program ''Sports Feed''—alongside WGN sports reporter Josh Frydman, who serves as a ''GN Sports'' contributor—from 2015 until Nexstar shut down the cable news channel in December 2019.)<ref name="feder-gnsports"/><ref>{{cite news |title=WGN-TV is introducing 'GN Sports,' a weeknight sports show hosted by Dan Roan and Jarrett Payton |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/breaking/ct-wgn-tv-weeknight-sports-program-20200117-zkewckb6qrhwhmpcinashnxqtm-story.html |author=Phil Rosenthal |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=January 16, 2020 |access-date=January 29, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=WGN-TV to debut 'GN Sports'—new weeknight sports show |url=https://wgntv.com/2020/01/16/wgn-tv-to-debut-gn-sports-new-weeknight-sports-show/ |website=WGN-TV |publisher=Nexstar Media Group |date=January 16, 2020 |access-date=January 29, 2020}}</ref> Weekend editions of ''GN Sports'' were added on August 14, 2021, with the Sunday broadcast replacing the cuisine and tourism program ''Chicago's Best'' (which had aired on WGN for ten years from January 2011 until August 8, 2021).<ref>{{cite web |title=Robservations: WGN drops 'Chicago's Best,' expands 'GN Sports' to weekends |url=https://www.robertfeder.com/2021/07/16/robservations-wgn-drops-chicagos-best-expands-gn-sports-weekends/ |author=Robert Feder |website=Robert Feder.com |date=July 16, 2021 |access-date=August 26, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Brittney Payton gets new co-host on 'Chicago's Best' |url=http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/7/71/792040/brittney-payton-gets-new-co-host-on-chicagos-best |newspaper=Chicago Sun-Times |date=November 15, 2013 |access-date=September 3, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017035638/http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/7/71/792040/brittney-payton-gets-new-co-host-on-chicagos-best |archive-date=October 17, 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Robservations: Two new co-hosts join WGN's 'Chicago's Best' |url=https://www.robertfeder.com/2018/04/19/robservations-two-new-co-hosts-join-wgns-chicagos-best/ |author=Robert Feder |website=RobertFeder.com |date=April 19, 2018 |access-date=March 20, 2019}}</ref>