This Annual EEO Public File Report is filed on behalf of WLS-TV (the "Station" or "ABC7") in compliance with the FCC's EEO reporting requirements.
This report includes information from July 16, 2023 through July 31, 2024.
General Policy
WLS-TV has a longstanding commitment to a policy of equal employment and advancement opportunities for all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, gender, marital status, religion, age, national origin or citizenship status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a Vietnam era or special disabled veteran, or any other protected characteristic as established by law.
This commitment to fair employment practices applies to every aspect of the employment process to ensure that equal consideration is extended to all employees and applicants in recruitment, selection procedures, employee development, performance evaluation, promotions, transfers, benefits and other aspects of employment.
It is WLS-TV's policy to promote the realization of equal employment opportunity through a positive, continuing program of specific recruitment, outreach, hiring, promotion and other practices designed to ensure the full realization of equal employment opportunity.
Responsibility
John Idler, President and General Manager of WLS-TV, is in charge of the implementation and administration of the Equal Opportunity Programs and the accuracy of the information in this report, which was drafted by Dorothy Mathias, Business Admin Analyst of WLS-TV.
Job Vacancy Information
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WLS-TV is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to meeting and surpassing the Station's EEO information dissemination obligations. Notices of all full-time job vacancies were posted on the Station's website (www.ABC7Chicago.com), TVjobs.com, and on the Disney Careers website (www.DisneyCareers.com) of The Walt Disney Company, its ultimate parent company. Notices of full-time job openings were also provided and are listed on the Station's Recruitment Source List, which is made up of other professional groups, including minority and women's organizations, that requested such notification or that the Station believed could be useful referral sources. See Attachment A for the Station's Recruitment Source List, (including names, addresses, contact names and numbers of the organizations to which the Station directly sends notices of job openings). In addition, once open positions are posted on the Disney Careers website they are also distributed to various organizations which are listed via the DirectEmployers Association Job Syndication Alliances list detailed in Attachment D.
The Station will continue to actively seek out new recruitment sources to ensure that word of all job openings is distributed to a broad pool of potential applicants.
Positions Filled
During the reporting period (July 16, 2023 through July 31, 2024), WLS-TV filled 14 full-time job vacancies. Job-specific recruitment sources are itemized in Attachment B below.
Supplemental Non-Vacancy Specific Outreach and Recruitment Measures
(A) Internship Program: WLS-TV is continuing to offer internships with a majority of the internships now on a 2-track program and comprised of Winter/Spring (January-June) and/or Summer/Fall (August-January). However, if there is a need or the current intern left early a request can be made for the intern recruitment process. The internship program is administered by Disney Campus Recruitment. Students are encouraged to continually check the Disney site during those times for openings as well as throughout the year and for any unexpected openings. Information about the internship program is also posted on the Station's website. WLS internships include a wage and average about 18-20 hours per week. Interns also have the opportunity to participate in monthly get-together meetings with various news professionals. These employees discuss their position, career path, and offer meaningful career advice. This is meant to encourage interns to ask questions and to explore the various integral departments needed in order to have a television station function successfully.
Those who have successfully completed the Station internship program have often received paid positions in broadcasting after graduation. By way of example:
- In 2017, three former interns were hired by WLS-TV - two as freelance Production Assistants in Programming and one as a part time Desk Assistant in News.
One former intern was hired as a Weekend News Anchor and another former intern was hired as a News Producer at other television stations.
- In 2018, one former intern was hired by WLS-TV as a freelance Production Assistant in Programming and one former intern was hired as a Production Assistant for a radio news program. Three former interns were hired at other television stations; one as a Desk Assistant/Field Producer, one as a reporter and one as a Senior Producer.
- In 2019, one former intern was hired as a Production Assistant at another television station, one former intern was hired as a Multi-Media Journalist at another television station, and four former interns were hired by WLS-TV as freelance Production.
Assistants in Programming and one former intern was hired by WLS-TV as a staff News Reporter. One former intern, who had been hired by WLS-TV as a freelance Production Assistant in Programming was promoted to a staff Producer in Programming.
- In 2020, one former intern was hired as a Videographer & Editor at a Production company, one former intern was hired as a Media Apprentice for Image and Sound, and another former intern was hired as a Floor Director/Production Assistant at another television station.
- In 2021-22, four interns were hired by WLS-TV. Three as part time Desk Assistants in News and one intern was hired by WLS as a Programming Production Assistant. In addition, one former intern was hired as a Field Production Assistant at another television station.
- In 2023, one former intern was hired as a part time Desk Assistant and three interns went on to work as reporters at other television news stations.
- In 2024, two interns were hired as Reporter/Journalists, and one intern went on to be a part of a Producer in residence program at other news affiliates.
See Attachment C for a description of internship opportunities and a list of the schools the interns attended.
(B) Career Days: Over the past year, some of the Station's on-air-talent and managers have given in person and virtual broadcast career-oriented talks sponsored by educational or community groups:
Tanja Babich - News Anchor/Reporter
HFS Chicago Scholars - Chicago, IL - September 20, 2023
Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism - Chicago, IL- September 21, 2023 & April 1, 2024 (accompanied by Assistant News Director, Nneka Nwosu) & January 3, 2024 (accompanied by Senior Special Projects Producer, Poinesha Barnes)
Jaisol Martinez - Meteorologist
Douglas MacArthur International Spanish Academy - Hoffman Estates, IL - April 4, 2024
Dionne Miller - Sports Reporter
Junior Achievement of Chicago - Virtual - February 28, 2024
Jasmine Minor - Race & Culture Multi-Skilled Journalist
Wentworth Elementary School - Chicago, IL - June 4, 2024
Nneka Nwosu - Assistant News Director
Chicago Tech Academy - Chicago, IL - February 13, 2024
Blaine Middle School - Chicago, IL - May 3, 2024
Chioma Ogbonna - Senior Manager, Human Resources
Loyola University Chicago School of Communication - Chicago, IL - September 26, 2023
Ann Pistone - Newswriter
College of DuPage - Glen Ellyn, IL - September 22, 2023
John Rivers - Daily Hire News Photographer
Booth Tarkington Elementary School - Wheeling, IL - May 30, 2024
Roz Varon - Traffic Anchor
Roosevelt Middle School - River Forest, IL - November 1, 2023
(C) Station Tour: On February 27, 2024, Trenier Ward, Daily Hire Reporter, gave a tour of the Station to ten students and one teacher from Rowe-Clark Math & Science Academy-Chicago, IL.
On April 22, 2024, Ravi Baichwal, Anchor/Reporter, gave a tour to three journalists from Albania.
On July 10, 2024, Nneka Nwosu, Assistant News Director, gave a station tour which included the studio, newsroom, and control room during a live broadcast to twenty students and one professor from Northwestern University-Evanston, IL.
On July 10, 2024, Jayme Nicholas, Manager of Press & Publicity, gave a tour of the station to twenty members of the Ladies of Virtue-Chicago, IL. The group also got the opportunity to watch a live newscast and were taken to the control room to see how a newscast is directed behind the scenes. In addition, they also got the opportunity to speak and to ask questions about career paths to the producer, director, and talent.
On July 17, 2024, Jayme Nicholas, Manager of Press & Publicity, gave a tour of the station to three community members of the Pritzker School-Chicago, IL. The members got to watch a newscast and to observe the control room.
(D) Job Fairs: From July 19, 2023 through July 23, 2023 the Station attended the Asian American Journalists Association Convention in Washington, DC. Executive Producer, Wilson Toy, who has partial responsibility for hiring decisions, attended and collected resumes of potential job applicants. Mr. Toy also served as a panelist, reviewed applicant reels, and counseled journalists on what hiring managers hope to see when screening audition tapes.
From August 2, 2023 through August 6, 2023 the Station participated in the National Association of Black Journalists Convention in Birmingham, Alabama. Vice President of News, Jennifer Graves, who has responsibility for hiring decisions, attended, met, and provided feedback to job candidates. Poinesha Barnes, Senior Special Projects Producer also joined. Poinesha was part of a panel regarding power producing.
From July 9, 2024 through July 13, 2024 the Station attended the National Association of Hispanic Journalists Convention in Hollywood, California. Blanca Rios, Newswriter, whom finished her term as national secretary attended along with Jose Baltierra, Newswriter, Virginia Matos, Executive Producer, Tanja Babich, Anchor/Reporter and Diana Palomar, Vice President of Community Engagement. At the convention the team greeted, interviewed, networked, reviewed, and critiqued resumes and reels. Ms. Palomar took part in a leadership panel which discussed the journey and challenges of her role. Ms. Babich also was on a panel about the day-to-day struggles while in her role and what strategies she uses in order to keep prospering and moving forward.
On October 20, 2023 Chioma Ogbonna, Senior Manager, Human Resources and Adriana Cortez, Assignment Desk Manager attended and spoke about internships and employment opportunities within WLS at the job/career fair at DePaul University in Chicago, IL.
(E) Sponsored Organization Events: Reporter, Terrell Brown attended the AAJA Camp from July 15-21, 2023 in Washington, D.C. This training camp brings culturally diverse students to learn from journalists where they receive hands-on training and production experience.
Digital Producer, Jordan Radloff, attended the Hispanic Scholarship Fund Media & Entertainment Summit in Los Angeles, CA from November 15 to November 19, 2023. Jordan presented and spoke on a panel about his journey and advancement throughout the company. He also served as a mentor by reviewing resumes, providing advice, and answering questions regarding his role and responsibilities.
Race and Culture Multi-Skilled Journalist, Jasmine Minor attended a Ladies of Virtue Networking Event on June 20, 2024 in Chicago, IL. This event prepared young ladies for the workplace. The workshops included dress code, communication and work ethics, along with networking and interviewing skills.
(F) Outreach: Race and Culture Multi-Skilled Journalist, Jasmine Minor participated in Build, Broader Urban Involvement & Leadership Development Event in Chicago, IL on February 19, 2024. This organization mentors and provides networking opportunities for young people who live in the city's most challenged neighborhoods.
Vice President of Community Engagement, Diana Palomar participated in a panel for the Chicago Cultural Alliance in Chicago, IL on March 12, 2024. Ms. Palomar provided insight and advice on how to work with news stations particularly WLS relating to cultural heritage.
Vice President of Community Engagement, Diana Palomar participated in the Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus Foundation event in Chicago, IL on March 29, 2024. Ms. Palomar spoke about Latina leadership, coverage, and mentorship in media.
(G) Scholarship Programs: Anchor, Cheryl Burton presented two students the Cheryl Burton Lindblom Scholarship from Lindblom Math and Science Academy in Chicago, IL. This scholarship was designed by Cheryl to assist students interested in pursuing a career in journalism.
(H) Company Training Program: WLS-TV provides opportunities for employee training. "People Manager Fundamentals" provides new and established managers a virtual, live workshop of resources to ensure that they understand the expectations and responsibilities of managing employees. There is also a question-and-answer session with partners from various teams. "Disney Leadership Essentials" is another training to help leaders build vital leadership skills and to help grow relationships that aid to the organization's success.
The Walt Disney Company mandates annual training of "Preventing Discrimination & Harassment" and "Standards of Business Conduct" for all Disney full-time employees, including management. It covers the requirements for equal employment opportunities and discrimination prevention. Additionally, they emphasize diversity, equity, inclusion, and the pillars that lead the company through Town Halls and related initiatives.
(I) Media Trade Group Postings: During the reporting period, the Station sent its upper-level full-time job openings to several media organizations with substantial representation of women and minorities, such as the National Association of Black Journalists and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and others listed in Attachment A.
- Efforts to Improve Mailing List and Recruitment Methodology
In an effort to expand and improve its organizational mailing list, the Station aired a 15-second spot on both its main 7.1 channel and 7.2 channel requesting that organizations interested in being added to our mailing list to contact us. The 15-second spot aired once a month between July of 2023 and June of 2024 on its 7.1 channels. The 15-second spot also aired once a month between July of 2023 and June of 2024 on its 7.2 channel. This message is also posted on the Station's website ( www.ABC7Chicago.com/jobs).
WLS-TV is engaged in a continual effort to evaluate the effectiveness of its EEO outreach and recruitment program and to improve and refine it as needed by monitoring the responses that are received and ensuring that the interviewing pool for the positions it fills includes a large number of qualified applicants from diverse sources. WLS-TV continually modifies and regularly expands its recruitment program as needed to fulfill these goals.
ATTACHMENT A
WLS-TV RECRUITMENT SOURCE LIST
For the Report Period 07/16/23 - 07/31/24
Bright Horizons - 500 West Monroe Street - Chicago, Illinois 60661
Contact Gina Barnes - Phone (312) 876-8687
Email gina.barnes@brighthorizons.com
Chicago Urban League - 4510 S. Michigan Avenue - Chicago, Illinois 60653
Contact Joe O. Gray - Phone (773) 285-5800 - Fax (773) 285-7772
Contact Calmetta Coleman, CUL Newsletter; Andrew Wells, CUL Workforce Clients Email ccoleman@chiul.org ; AWells@chiul.org
Connecticut School of Broadcasting - 3901 Coconut Palm Drive - Suite 105
Tampa, FL 33619
Contact Shayna King - Phone (813) 443-5307
Email jobs@gocsb.com
Counseling for Special Needs Adults - 125 S. Wilke Rd - Arlington Heights, IL 60005
Contact Christine Santini - Phone (847) 212-8093
Email mcmayyy@aol.com
Emma Bowen Foundation - 1221 Avenue of Americas 28th Floor, New York, NY 10020
Website: emmabowenfoundation.org
Family International Outreach Ministries, Inc. - 117 Fairlane Dr - Joliet, IL 60435
Contact Linda Weatherspoon
Email llwspoon@yahoo.com
Harold Washington College - 30 East Lake Street - Chicago, Illinois 60601
Contact Ollie Horan - Phone (312) 553-5667 - Fax (312) 553-3130
Illinois Broadcasters Association - 200 Missouri Ave - Carterville, Illinois 62918
Email iba@ilba.org & dgray@ilba.org
Illinois Center for Broadcasting - 455 Eisenhower Lane South, Lombard, IL 60148
Phone (630) 524-4628.
Email dclark@beonair.com
Illinois Department of Employment Security - 33 South State St. - Chicago, IL 60603
Contact Lynn Cox & Jeffrey Routier
Email lynn.cox@illinois.gov ; jeffrey.routier@illinois.gov
Illinois Media School - 210 S Clark St - Chicago, IL 60603
Contact Anthony Tobias - Phone (331) 215-4733
Email atobias@beonair.com
Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans - 3800 W. Division Street -
Stone Park, Illinois 60165
Contact JoAnn Serpico - Phone (708) 450-9050 - Fax (708) 450-9065
Email jcc@jccia.com
Latino Council on Media - 2011 West Pershing Road - Chicago, Illinois 60609
Contact Mary Gonzalez-Koenig - Phone (773) 523-4380 - Fax (773) 247-3924
NAACP - 800 East 78th Street - Chicago, Illinois 60619
Contact Rev. James Demus - Phone (773) 487-9600 - Fax (773) 429-9834
Email westsidenaacp@gmail.com
NABET - CWA Local 41 - (National Association of Broadcast Employees & Technicians) 211 West Wacker Drive - Suite 1030 - Chicago, Illinois 60606
Contact Chris Willadsen - Phone (312) 372-4111 - Fax (312) 372-4115
Email raza@nabet41.org; jfabrizi@cwa-union.org;
Website NABET 41.org
NABJ Chicago Chapter (National Association of Black Journalists) - P.O. Box 811132 - Chicago, IL 60681.
Contact: Tony Smith
Email secretary@nabjchicago.org ; tony@nabjchicago.org
Updated: July 28, 2023
NAHJ Columbia Chapter (National Association of Hispanic Journalists) - 916 South Wabash, 4th Floor, Chicago, IL 60605
Contact Tyler K. McDermott
Email hjc@loop.colum.edu
National Latino Education Institute - 2011 W. Pershing Road - Chicago, IL 60609
Phone (773) 247-0707 ext. 243
Contact Celia Lopez
Email clopez@nlei.org
NLGJA (National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association) - 1420 K Street, NW
Suite 910 - Washington, DC 20005
Contact L. Spencer - Phone (202) 588-9888 - Fax (202) 588-1818
Email info@nlgja.org
Rainbow/PUSH Coalition - 930 East 50th Street - Chicago, Illinois 60615
Contact Candice Brown - Phone (773) 373-3366 - Fax (773) 256-2772
Contact Reverend Janette Wilson
Email revjwilson@rainbowpush.org
Restorative Justice Community Court - 3605 W. Fillmore Street - Chicago, IL 60624
Contact Jacquelyn Ingram - Phone (773)-588-0180 - Fax (773) 826-3620
Email jmjingram@gmail.com
Rona Mobley Wells Foundation - 3720 South Dearborn - Chicago, IL 60609
Contact Rona Mobley - Phone (312) 972-5332 - Fax (866) 850-0307
Email ronamiracle@yahoo.com
Saint Sabina Employment Resource Center - 7825 S Racine Ave - Chicago, IL 60620
Contact Tony Tobias - Phone (708) 651-8629
Email Atobias@ercsabina.org
Contact Don Jones - Phone (773) 783-3760
Email djones@ercsabina.org
State of Illinois - DHS - Division of Rehabilitation Services - 555 W. Monroe - Chicago, IL 60661
Contact Michele Velez
Email michele.velez@illinois.gov
Added: June 24, 2024
Transformation Learning Center - 1013 Desplaines Ave - Ste 203 - Forest Park, IL 60130
Contact Francine Anderson
Email Franderson59@gmail.com
United Cerebral Palsy Association - 325 North Wells Street - Suite 321
Chicago, Illinois 60610
Contact Angela Welch - Phone (312) 464-1608- Fax (708) 863-3863
Women Employed - 65 E. Wacker Place- Suite 1500 - Chicago, Illinois 60601
Contact Maritza Gonzalez - Phone (312) 782-3902 - Fax (312) 782-5249
Email info@womenemployed.org
Youth Job Center of Evanston - 1114 Church Street - Evanston, Illinois 60201
Contact James Sibley - Phone (847) 964-5627 - Fax (847) 864-3098
ATTACHMENT B
POSITIONS FILLED BETWEEN 07/16/23- 07/31/24
Listed below are the fourteen full-time positions filled at WLS-TV between 07/16/23 and 07/31/24 the recruitment methods used for each, and the sources of interviewed applicants.
Race and Culture Multi-Skilled Journalist
Date position was opened: 02/08/23
Date position was filled: 07/17/23
The position was posted on the ABC7 website, the Disney Careers website, the tvjobs.com website, the Emma Bowen Foundation website, the AAJA website, the NABJ website, the NAHJ website, and faxed or emailed a notice of the position to the organizations listed on Attachment A.
Eleven people were interviewed. Referral sources of the candidates interviewed were as follows: Seven applicants from the Disney website, two applicants from LinkedIn, one from the ABC7 website, and one staff referral. The candidate hired was a Disney Careers applicant.
Weekend Anchor/Reporter
Date position was opened: 03/21/23
Date position was filled: 08/21/23
The Station posted the position on the ABC7 website, the Disney Careers website, the tvjobs.com website, the Emma Bowen Foundation website, the AAJA website, the NABJ website, the NAHJ website, and faxed or emailed a notice of the position to the organizations listed on Attachment A.
Five people were interviewed. Referral sources of the candidates interviewed were as follows: Two internal staff candidates and three agent referrals. The candidate hired was an agent referral.
Investigative Producer
Date position was opened: 05/10/23
Date position was filled: 09/05/23
The Station posted the position on the ABC7 website, the Disney Careers website, the tvjobs.com website, the Emma Bowen Foundation, the IRE website, the AAJA website, the NABJ website, the NAHJ website, and faxed or emailed a notice of the position to the organizations listed on Attachment A.
Eleven people were interviewed. Referral sources of the candidates interviewed were as follows: One applicant from the Disney career site, four applicants from LinkedIn, two internal referrals, two from the Google search engine, and two internal candidates. The candidate hired was an employee referral.
Sports Anchor/Reporter
Date position was opened: 09/07/23
Date position was filled: 09/17/23
The Station posted the position on the ABC7 website, the Disney Careers website, the tvjobs.com website, the Emma Bowen Foundation, and faxed or emailed a notice of the position to the organizations listed on Attachment A.
Three people were interviewed. Referral sources of the candidates interviewed were as follows: Two internal staff employees and one referral. The candidate hired was an internal staff employee. This was a promotion for the employee going to a lead anchor role.
Digital Producer
Date position was opened: 08/22/23
Date position was filled: 10/02/23
The Station posted the position on the ABC7 website, the Disney Careers website, the tvjobs.com website, the Emma Bowen Foundation, the AAJA website, the NABJ website, the NAHJ website, and faxed or emailed a notice of the position to the organizations listed on Attachment A.
Thirteen people were interviewed. Referral sources of the candidates interviewed were as follows: Five applicants from LinkedIn, two from Indeed, one from email, one from Glassdoor, one from the Association of Journalists, one internal candidate, one from an organization, and one from another job board. The candidate chosen was internal. This position represented a promotion for the internal employee going from originally an intern to daily hire/part-time role to now a full-time staff position.
Maintenance Engineer
Date position was opened: 08/25/23
Date position was filled: 10/21/23
The Station posted the position on the ABC7 website, the Disney Careers website, the tvjobs.com website, the Emma Bowen Foundation, faxed or emailed a notice of the position to the organizations listed on Attachment A.
Eight people were interviewed. Referral sources of the candidates interviewed were as follows: Three internal candidates, one former employee, one from Glassdoor, one from LinkedIn, one from Indeed, and one referral. The candidate chosen was an internal employee. This was a promotion for the internal employee, going from daily hire to full-time staff.
Streaming Content Producer
Date position was opened: 07/21/23
Date position was filled: 10/23/23
The Station posted the position on the ABC7 website, the Disney Careers website, the tvjobs.com website, the Emma Bowen Foundation, and faxed or emailed a notice of the position to the organizations listed on Attachment A.
Six people were interviewed. Referral sources of the candidates interviewed were as follows: Two applicants from the Disney career website, three applicants from Indeed, and one from LinkedIn. The candidate hired was from the Disney Careers site.
Senior Digital Producer
Date position was opened: 09/21/23
Date position was filled: 11/06/23
The Station posted the position on the ABC7 website, the Disney Careers website, the tvjobs.com website, the Emma Bowen Foundation, the AAJA website, the NABJ website, the NAHJ website and faxed or emailed a notice of the position to the organizations listed on Attachment A.
Five people were interviewed. Referral sources of the candidates interviewed were as follows: Two applicants were internal, two from Disney Careers, and one from LinkedIn. The candidate chosen was an internal employee. This represented a promotion for the internal employee going from a digital producer to a senior digital producer.
Newswriter/Producer
Date position was opened: 09/27/23
Date position was filled: 11/20/23
The Station posted the position on the ABC7 website, the Disney Careers website, the tvjobs.com website, the Emma Bowen Foundation, the AAJA website, the NABJ website, the NAHJ website, and faxed or emailed a notice of the position to the organizations listed on Attachment A.
Four people were interviewed. Referral sources of the candidates interviewed were as follows: Two internal employees, one LinkedIn applicant, and one from the Disney career site. The candidate hired was an internal employee. This position represented a promotion for the internal employee who went from a daily hire to a full-time staff role.
Executive Producer
Date position was opened: 09/28/23
Date position was filled: 01/01/24
The Station posted the position on the ABC7 website, the Disney Careers website, the tvjobs.com website, the Emma Bowen Foundation, the AAJA website, the NABJ website, the NAHJ website, and faxed or emailed a notice of the position to the organizations listed on Attachment A.
Six people were interviewed. Referral sources of the candidates interviewed were as follows: Four internal employees and two from Disney careers. The candidate hired was an internal employee. This position represented a promotion for the internal employee who went from a producer to an executive producer.
Digital Producer
Date position was opened: 11/14/23
Date position was filled: 01/29/24
The Station posted the position on the ABC7 website, the Disney Careers website, the tvjobs.com website, the Emma Bowen Foundation, the AAJA website, the NABJ website, the NAHJ website, and faxed or emailed a notice of the position to the organizations listed on Attachment A.
Fifteen people were interviewed. Referral sources of the candidates interviewed were as follows: Six applicants from LinkedIn, two from Indeed, one from email, one referral, one from another organization, one from Glassdoor, one from The Association of Journalists, one from another job board, and one from Google search engine. The candidate chosen was an employee referral.
News Photographer
Date position was opened: 12/18/23
Date position was filled: 02/03/24
The Station posted the position on the ABC7 website, the Disney Careers website, the tvjobs.com website, and faxed or emailed a notice of the position to the organizations listed on Attachment A.
Five people were interviewed. The referral source for all five candidates was that they were internal employees.
Television Director/Stage Manager
Date position was opened: 11/10/23
Date position was filled: 02/14/24
The Station posted the position on the ABC7 website, the Disney Careers website, the tvjobs.com website, the Emma Bowen Foundation, the AAJA website, the NABJ website, the NAHJ website, and faxed or emailed a notice of the position to the organizations listed on Attachment A.
Eleven people were interviewed. Referral sources of the candidates interviewed were as follows: Two applicants from Disney Careers, four from LinkedIn, two internal applicants, and three employee referrals. The candidate hired was from LinkedIn.
Traffic/Breaking News Anchor
Date position was opened: 03/18/24
Date position was filled: 05/14/24
The Station posted the position on the ABC7 website, the Disney Careers website, the tvjobs.com website, the AAJA website, the NABJ website, the NAHJ website, and faxed or emailed a notice of the position to the organizations listed on Attachment A.
Ten people were interviewed. Referral sources of the candidates interviewed were as follows: Two internal applicants, two from Disney Careers, two agent referrals, and four Word of Mouth referrals. The candidate hired was an internal employee.
ATTACHMENT C
INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
The following are descriptions of internship opportunities at WLS-TV and a list of the schools that the station's 2023-24 interns attended.
The News Department consists of three unique intern opportunities.
NEWS DEPARTMENT - I-TEAM & CONSUMER TEAM
Northwestern University June 2023 - June 2024 (extended)
The I-Team investigates complaints from viewers whom have been wronged and try to help them. The team looks for patterns of complaints with some companies to forewarn viewers of a possible scam. The goal is to alert viewers and to improve people's everyday lives by not getting wronged themselves.
While on the team the interns' follow-up on hotline calls and emails, log/set-up interviews, attend field shoots with the producer and reporter, sit in on editing segments, and assist in finding digital original stories.
NEWS DEPARTMENT - SPECIAL PROJECTS
Northwestern University January 2024 - May 2024
Texas Southern University January 2024 - June 2024
Illinois State University May 2024 - August 2024
The Special Projects Team produces reports for multiple platforms. The team executes coverage of the station initiatives and high profile events.
Interns assist producers with stories by brainstorming ideas and researching topics, set-up interviews, attend field shoots and interviews with reporter and producer, and sit in on editing of segments.
NEWS DEPARTMENT - NEWS, RACE & CULTURE
Indiana University Bloomington January 2024 - June 2024
The News, Race & Culture team explores the impact of such things as race, ethnicity, culture, gender, and sexual orientation on everyday life. The goal is to expand the diversity of voices included in storytelling.
Interns assist reporters in developing and researching story ideas by reaching out to the community, following up on story pitch ideas, conduct/log interviews, and help write digital stories.
GRAPHICS DEPARTMENT
DePaul University August 2023 - June 2024
Interns in the Graphic Design department participate and support designers and animators in meetings to discuss collaborative projects in addition to critiquing creative design projects. As well as creating artwork for multi-platform design projects, they assist in asset creation and learn creative project planning, experience the motion design process from start to finish including distribution, and develop a thorough understanding of how designs come to live on multiple platforms.
DIGITAL / WEB DEPARTMENT
DePaul University August 2023 - January 2024
Columbia College-Chicago January 2024 - June 2024
Digital Interns are part of a digital team assisting in producing stories, creating original videos, and engaging our audience on social networks. Interns take on new challenges and make a difference. Some of these responsibilities include update and develop digital
content, research internet-related reports, sites and systems, format documents and images, along with special projects that come up.
PROGRAMMING, PROMOTION & PUBLICITY INTERN
University of Notre Dame October 2023 - June 2024
The Creative Services internship program is very hands-on. The intern gains knowledge of real-world experiences in production, post-production, promotion writing, and digital media marketing. The program is designed to interact with multiple departments at the station, including News, Digital, Programming, Promotion, Production and Publicity.
Interns learn from both promotion and programming producers on how to create promos and content for special programs and "Local-ish." There is opportunity to pitch story ideas to the programming team and will be held accountable for seeing various projects through to the end. There is also opportunity to work on the station's weekly talk show, "Windy City Weekend," where you help with social media and other production tasks involved with getting a weekly show on the air.
SPORTS DEPARTMENT
University of Kansas August 2023 - June 2024
The sports interns are responsible for coordinating video footage of sports highlights for WLS-TV's Sports Department. Interns gain knowledge in studio and of post-production techniques. When possible, the intern may have an opportunity to go out into the field with the Sports Eyewitness News Team.
Attachment D