John Idler, President and General Manager, ABC 7 said, "Kathy Brock has been an essential part of our news team for close to three decades. Her intelligence, integrity and commitment to journalism are unrivaled. We will miss her leadership in the newsroom and wish her all the best."
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"Kathy has been a significant factor in the long-standing success of ABC 7 Eyewitness News. Her professionalism and ability to help viewers understand every aspect of a story, have made her someone Chicago news viewers trust and welcome into their homes," said Jennifer Graves, Vice President and News Director.
When talking about her decision to retire from ABC 7 Chicago, Brock said, "WLS represents the best of local television news. I firmly believe there is no equal and recognize what a gift it has been to be part of this team. There is poetry for me in closing out this career sharing the 6 and 10 PM desk with my original partner, Alan Krashesky, who has also become a dear friend...The time just seems right for change; I want to explore other passions and see what life's like off the night shift."
Brock joined ABC 7 Chicago in September 1990 as the co-anchor of ABC 7 News This Morning, working with Alan Krashesky, Roz Varon and Jerry Taft. She also served as a general assignment reporter for the daily newscasts. Brock was promoted to co-anchor of the 6 PM newscast in 1993 and the 10 PM newscast in 2003. Over the years, she has covered everything from national political conventions and local politics to important stories including the Chicago Loop flood and the Cook County Administration Building fire. She has had a role in every major Chicago news event for nearly 30 years.
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Brock's work has been recognized with nearly a dozen Chicago and Regional Emmy Awards. She has also been honored with two prestigious national awards, the Edward R. Murrow Award, given by the Radio-Television News Directors Association and the IRIS Award, from the National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE). She has also been named to Washington State University's Alumni Hall of Achievement.
Prior to joining ABC 7, Brock spent six years as an anchor/reporter at KUTV-TV in Salt Lake City, Utah. She also spent two years as an anchor/reporter at KBCI-TV in Boise, Idaho; at KEPR-TV, in Pasco, Washington; and at KWSU-TV in Pullman, Washington.
Brock has been involved in a number of Chicago philanthropic endeavors, including the Anti-Defamation League, Deborah's Place a transition facility for abused women and the MS Society of Greater Illinois. She also served on the board of directors for the Goodman Theatre and the Erikson Institute, a graduate school in child development.