Roz Varon, Chicago's first morning news TV traffic reporter, to retire after 35 years at ABC7
CHICAGO (WLS) -- It's a bittersweet day for all of us.
Our dear friend and colleague Roz Varon has decided to retire after 35 amazing years at ABC7.
Her final day at the station will be Friday, April 5. Varon has been a fixture on ABC 7's morning news since she began at the station 35 years ago. She has the distinction of being Chicago's first TV traffic reporter on the morning news and one of the first TV traffic reporters in the country.
"Roz's expertise and connection to our viewers are the reasons she has been our top traffic and transportation reporter for more than three decades," said President and General Manager John Idler. "Chicagoans know they can count on Roz to avoid a jam. We applaud Roz as she puts an exclamation point on an outstanding career."
"There's no doubt that Roz's pioneering efforts on the traffic beat have paved the way for others in Chicago and around the country," said Graves. "In addition to her dedication to ABC 7, Roz, a stage 4 breast cancer survivor, has also been a fierce advocate in the fight against breast cancer. We congratulate Roz on her many achievements, professionally and personally."
Varon joined ABC 7 News as the morning traffic anchor in 1989. She expanded her role at the station by providing extensive coverage of the transportation beat and later, "Weekender," her series featuring a weekly roundup of metro Chicago events. Varon also published "On the Road with Roz: Adventures in Travel and Life," a delightful and heartening collection of words and images detailing travels on Route 66 and around the world with her family.
SEE ALSO: ABC7's Roz Varon inducted into Silver Circle
Varon has won multiple Emmy Awards in traffic reporting, specialty programming, spot news and features. She has also been honored with several Peter Lisagor Awards, including one for "Weekender." The Girl Scouts recognized her as a role model with their Girl Scouts of the USA Thanks Badge. She won the Illinois Broadcasters Association's Silver Dome Award for her breast cancer special, "Faces of Inspiration."
As a breast cancer survivor, Varon works diligently to help heighten cancer prevention and awareness and is an in-demand motivational speaker. An animal lover, she volunteers much of her time to the Anti-Cruelty Society.
