Rob Elgas
In March of 2023, Elgas was promoted and now anchors ABC 7 Chicago's top-rated 10 p.m. newscast. The veteran news anchor and reporter now anchors the live, digital 7 p.m. newscast and has also anchored the station's top-rated 4 p.m. newscast since May of 2016.
Upon his arrival at Chicago's most watched television station, ABC 7's Vice President of News Jennifer Graves said, "Rob Elgas is an experienced journalist who has established a strong connection with Chicago viewers during his 13 years covering Chicago and suburbs."
A Chicago area native, Elgas brings more than two decades of news experience to ABC 7.
Elgas joined ABC 7 from NBC 5 in Chicago where he anchored the early afternoon news and reported for the late evening news.
An award winning journalist, Elgas has won several Emmy Awards including an Emmy for breaking news coverage of a devastating tornado in the area. Elgas reported from Naplate, Illinois after a tornado outbreak devastated the small town. He also co-hosted an Emmy Award-winning broadcast of the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival parade with Cheryl Burton, Janet Davies, and Judy Hsu. The broadcast was nationally syndicated and seen in top markets across the country.
During his career, Elgas had been honored with Associated Press and Peter Lisagor Awards for his live breaking news coverage of protests in Chicago in 2014. He won Emmy Awards for co-hosting various specials, including a Winter Olympic special, "Hometown Hopeful," featuring Chicago Olympians. He has covered two Olympics, the 2006 Winter Games in Torino, Italy and the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
Elgas has traveled to Washington, D.C. for the State of the Union, and covered breaking news in California and Texas for ABC 7. But his most memorable assignment was covering the historic World Series win by the Chicago Cubs, joining Mark Giangreco and Jim Rose in Cleveland for breaking news coverage of Game 7 of the 2016 World Series.
Prior to his return to Chicago in 2002, Elgas worked for ABC 7 in El Paso, Texas. Hired in 1998, he was a weekend anchor before co-anchoring the morning show from 2000-2002.
Elgas started his broadcasting career behind the lens in Champaign-Urbana, working as a photographer for WICD-TV.
Elgas attended the University of Illinois, studying agricultural communications and journalism, before landing his first job in television.
Elgas is a member of NAHJ, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. Most of his family now lives in south Texas, just a few hours north of the Mexican border.
Born in Arlington Heights and raised in Crystal Lake, Elgas now lives in the southwest suburbs with his wife and two children.
Follow Rob Elgas on:
Facebook: @RobElgas
Twitter:@RobElgasABC7
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