AndrewFinlayson's Blog

We received this note from the folks we have worked with on our food drive:

"While there are still outstanding food pallets to be counted, it is my pleasure to inform you that we have generated over $1.6 Million in combined food and cash contributions.  This amount will help feed over 2.2 million people..."

I want to thank all of our viewers for their support.  Once again we see that Chicago has some of the most generous supporters of people in need.  To the team at the food banks who work so hard on this every day, Jewel-Osco employees who pitched in, and our great on and off air staff here at Fox Chicago...thank you as well.  The need continues!

Andrew Finlayson

Jewel-Osco & FOX Chicago team up to fight hunger

Goal to raise 2.5 million meals for food banks during Hunger Action Month

(Itasca, IL) September 3, 2008— Jewel-Osco, a leading Midwest food and drug retailer,
and FOX Chicago, are teaming up during September’s “Hunger Action Month” to help
generate awareness about hunger while raising 2.5 million meals to benefit families
served by food banks across Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana.

Throughout September, Jewel-Osco will be collecting cash and food donations from the
public at all of its 184 stores, with a goal of raising $500,000 in cash donations and
250,000 pounds in food contributions--enough to provide 2.5 million meals that will feed
over 223,000 needy families.

Under Jewel-Osco’s “stuff the truck” in-store campaign, the public will be challenged to
fill as many trailer trucks with food as possible by donating canned and packaged goods.
All donations will benefit the Greater Chicago Food Depository, the Northern Illinois
Food Bank, the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana, the Peoria Area Food Bank, and the
River Bend Food Bank.

To help highlight the effort and generate awareness about hunger, FOX Chicago will air a series of public service announcements, news reports, conduct online fundraising efforts at www.MyfoxChicago.com, and broadcast live remotes during its popular Good Day Chicago weekday morning show (5 a.m. to 10 a.m.) from various Jewel-Osco store
locations, as follows:

Date City Jewel-Osco Store Location

September 4………….. Chicago…………1655 E. 95th Street

September 11…………Dyer, Indiana…….805 Joliet Street

September 18………….Westmont……….4 E. Ogden

September 25…………..Chicago…………2940 N. Ashland

The public is encouraged to stop by and donate food at these live remotes. The
live remotes will feature representatives from local food banks, pantries, community
leaders and groups.

“We are very excited to have FOX Chicago as a partner in this important effort,’ said
Keith Nielsen, president of Jewel-Osco. “Working together, and with the generosity of
the giving public, we can provide meals to many needy families in our community.”

“FOX Chicago is proud to join Jewel-Osco and local food banks as the media partner for
Hunger Action Month,” said Pat Mullen, vice president and general manager, WFLD.

 “Our intent is to increase awareness of the event and encourage viewers to join the
effort.”

Hunger Action Month is the creation of Feeding America (formerly America’s Second
Harvest), including all food banks participating in this effort. Please visit
www.feedingamerica.org for more information about the organization.

About WFLD FOX

WFLD FOX Chicago is part of the Fox Television Stations, one of the nation's largest
owned-and-operated network broadcast groups, comprising 27 stations in 18 markets and
covering nearly 37.34% of U.S. television homes. This includes six duopolies in the top
10 markets: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Washington, D.C. and Houston; as well as duopolies in Minneapolis, Phoenix and Orlando. For more information, please visit www.myfoxchicago.com.

About Greater Chicago Food Depository

The Greater Chicago Food Depository, Chicago’s food bank, is a nonprofit food
distribution and training center providing food for hungry people while striving to end
hunger in our community. The Food Depository distributes donated and purchased food
through a network of 600 pantries, soup kitchens and shelters to 500,000 adults and
children in Cook County every year. Last year, the Food Depository distributed 46
million pounds of nonperishable food and fresh produce, dairy products and meat, the
equivalent of 95,000 meals every day. The Food Depository’s programs and services for
children, older adults and the unemployed and underemployed address the root causes of hunger. For more information, log onto www.chicagosfoodbank.org or call 773-247FOOD.

About Northern Illinois Food Bank

Northern Illinois Food Bank is Illinois’ second largest charitable hunger-relief
organization and a member of Feeding America – The Nation’s Food Bank Network.
NIFB distributed over 22 million pounds of food in 2007 through its network of 520
feeding sites in 13 northern Illinois Counties that surround Cook County. Highlights of
NIFB’s past year include an aggressive youth nutrition program that provided over
389,000 meals, a Holiday Meal Box program that gave 26,755 families a holiday meal
with all the trimmings and its Mobile Pantry program made 215 visits to hard to reach
areas. Currently, more than 2,600 children are fed each day through the Food Bank’s
Summer Lunch Program and more than 40,600 different people receive food assistance through its network of agencies weekly. (www.northernilfoodbank.org)


About Food Bank of Northwest Indiana

The Food Bank of Northwest Indiana (FBNI) has served all of Lake and Porter Counties
since 1982. A nonprofit organization, the FBNI serves 90 partner agencies, including
food pantries, shelters, day care centers, and soup kitchens, providing quality food for
those in need, advocating solutions for hunger issues, and acting as a key human service referral resource. The food bank has distributed more than 30 million pounds of food since its incorporation and provides food and hope to more than 70,000 Hoosiers in Lake and Porter counties. For more information, visit www.foodbanknwi.org

About Peoria Area Food Bank

The Peoria Area Food Bank operates under the umbrella of Peoria Citizens Committee
for Economic Opportunity, Inc., a community action agency, and is a member of Feeding
America, the nation’s largest hunger relief organization. The Food Bank was formed in
1984 to supplement the dietary and nutritional needs of low-income families living in the
eight surrounding counties we serve. We provide over 115 active food pantries, soup
kitchens, homeless shelters, rehabilitation centers, senior housing, youth detention centers and low-income day-care centers with large quantities of food from name brand
manufacturers. We also distribute USDA commodities made available to us through the
Department of Health and Human Services Emergency Food Program. For more
information, please visit www.pcceo.org/foodbank.htm

About River Bend Food Bank

River Bend Food Bank began food distribution on January 4, 1982 in response to the
severe economic conditions in the Quad-Cities and surrounding areas. At that time, the
community was in the middle of a recession that would ultimately result in the loss of
over 20,000 manufacturing jobs. River Bank Food Bank acts as a liaison in the
development of a partnership with the food industry and other nonprofit agencies in
meeting hunger needs for their clients. We are an accredited member of Feeding
America, Illinois Hunger Coalition, Illinois Food Bank Association, and Midwest Anti-
Hunger coalition. Since its inception, River Bend has distributed over 40 million pounds
of surplus food to our area’s poor and needy. We are the largest hunger relief
organization in the region serving over 275 charities in a 22 country service area. All of
the charities served represent people who are in need of some form of assistance. For
more information, please visit www.riverbendfoodbank.org

About Jewel-Osco

Jewel-Osco, a SUPERVALU company, operates 184 stores in Illinois, Iowa and Indiana.
With a market-leading position in Chicago, Jewel-Osco stores offer consumers the
convenience of combined grocery and pharmacy retail, in addition to services such as
fuel centers at select locations. Originally established in 1899, the company and its
associates remain committed to the communities they serve, contributing more than $4
million each year to a variety of local charitable causes. For more information about
Jewel-Osco, please visit www.jewelosco.com or www.oscopharmacy.com.


About SUPERVALU INC.

SUPERVALU INC. is one of the largest companies in the United States grocery channel
with estimated annual sales of $45 billion. SUPERVALU holds leading market share
positions across the U.S. with its approximately 2,475 retail grocery locations. Through
SUPERVALU's nationwide supply chain network, the company provides distribution and
related logistics support services to more than 5,000 grocery endpoints across the
country. SUPERVALU currently has approximately 192,000 employees. For more
information about SUPERVALU visit www.supervalu.com.

###

The above press release was put out Wednesday related to our new food drive.  Having met with many of the people involved, I can speak first hand to the need in our community.  I want to thank the dedicated team at Good Day Chicago that has taken on this big project with enthusiasm and a sense of commitment.  Thank you also to the many viewers who have already responded in the first 48 hours of this effort...proving once again Fox Chicago viewers are some of the most generous people in the world.

Andrew Finlayson

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Dominic Mancuso, 312-565-5557

JEFF GOLDBLATT JOINS FOX CHICAGO NEWS

CHICAGO – Jeff Goldblatt is the new co-anchor of “FOX Chicago News at 9:00 p.m.,” announced Patrick Mullen, the station’s Vice President and General Manager.  He is scheduled to make his first on-air appearance during the week of August 18th. 

In making the announcement, Mullen stated, “We’re thrilled to have Jeff join the FOX Chicago News team.  His extensive local and national broadcast news experience, as well as his depth and breadth of knowledge about the Chicago market, makes him the ideal co-anchor for our late news program.”

Most recently, Goldblatt spent nine years as a Chicago-based correspondent for Fox News Channel.  While in this role he covered a number of notable news events originating from the region, including the recent spate of floods in the Midwest, the NIU shootings and the Drew Peterson investigation.  Prior to this, he served as general assignment and investigative reporter for WTVJ-TV, the NBC affiliate in Miami. 

Added Goldblatt, “Chicago is a premiere news town and I’m fortunate to have lived and worked here for nine years.  I look forward to collaborating with the Fox Chicago team to bring viewers news about the issues and events that impact their lives.”

Earlier in his career, Goldblatt was the chief investigative correspondent for the nationally syndicated news magazine "American Journal."  Before this, he was a Washington, D.C.-based correspondent for the Providence Journal/A.H. Belo Broadcasting covering the political beat.  Goldblatt began his career at WECT-TV the NBC affiliate in Wilmington, North Carolina and later at WTVR-TV the CBS station in Richmond, Virginia. He graduated with honors from Colgate University with a Bachelor of Arts in history.

For more information, please visit www.myfoxchicago.com.

WFLD FOX Chicago is part of the Fox Television Stations, one of the nation's largest owned-and-operated network broadcast groups, comprising 27 stations in 18 markets and covering nearly 37.34% of U.S. television homes.  This includes six duopolies in the top 10 markets: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Washington, D.C. and Houston; as well as duopolies in Minneapolis, Phoenix and Orlando.

To this formal press release I would also like to add my personal thanks to David Novarro who has done an outstanding job as the anchor of the news at nine and The Ten over the last several months.  His professionalism helped us grow our ratings in May over the prior year and his leadership is one of the reasons why Fox Chicago is one of the most honored newsrooms in the Midwest.

Andrew Finlayson

Last night during the height of the storm, more people turned to Fox Chicago vs. any other station.  We appreciate your trust and your feedback on how we covered the strong winds and rain that created a wide range of damage across the region.  We are very thankful that no one was seriously hurt by the tornado. 

Our news coverage last night was comprehensive and accurate.  We were the first on the air with the warnings when Amy Freeze came to me and said she saw threatening weather on Live Power Doppler.  She was right and we went to air repeatedly, long before the storms hit Chicago.  Our website saw incredible traffic.  At one point over two thousand people were on our weather chat page...just one of the many resources we offer on line related to weather.

We have a short slide show of some of the pictures sent in.

http://media.myfoxchicago.com/slideshows/0805storm
/

Here are some of the comments from viewers:

Thank you so much for your up to the minute weather coverage when impending storms/tornadoes are forecast. No other television station gives us such thorough coverage.  M. Holly

Great job last evening tracking the strong storms that ripped thru the
area!  I live on the far northwest side of the city.  This is only the
second time that I can recall the tornado sirens going off.  I kept Fox on
to keep track of the changing conditions.  C. Gunia

I don't write TV stations with emails often.  Tonight got my attention.  You guys have your priorities straight... you made the right decisions.  Thank you, and well done. T. Powers

Besides cable you were the only station talking about the storm. (Other stations) kept showing their regular programming and only came in after the storm was moving away from the nothern part of the city. Shame on them and great job to you.  M. MacDonald

Last night during the height of the storm, more people turned to Fox Chicago vs. any other station.  We appreciate your trust and your feedback on how we covered the strong winds and rain that created a wide range of damage across the region.  We are very thankful that no one was seriously hurt by the tornado. 

Our news coverage last night was comprehensive and accurate.  We were the first on the air with the warnings when Amy Freeze came to me and said she saw threatening weather on Live Power Doppler.  She was right and we went to air repeatedly, long before the storms hit Chicago.  Our website saw incredible traffic.  At one point over two thousand people were on our weather chat page...just one of the many resources we offer on line related to weather.

We have a short slide show of some of the pictures sent in.

http://media.myfoxchicago.com/slideshows/0805storm
/

Here are some of the comments from viewers:

Thank you so much for your up to the minute weather coverage when impending storms/tornadoes are forecast. No other television station gives us such thorough coverage.  M. Holly

Great job last evening tracking the strong storms that ripped thru the
area!  I live on the far northwest side of the city.  This is only the
second time that I can recall the tornado sirens going off.  I kept Fox on
to keep track of the changing conditions.  C. Gunia

I don't write TV stations with emails often.  Tonight got my attention.  You guys have your priorities straight... you made the right decisions.  Thank you, and well done. T. Powers

Besides cable you were the only station talking about the storm. (Other stations) kept showing their regular programming and only came in after the storm was moving away from the nothern part of the city. Shame on them and great job to you.  M. MacDonald

We want to say thank you for the great reaction to our expanded morning news.  Jan Jeffcoat shared with me some of the e-mails from this morning.  It has made all the hard work of launching this new newscast worthwhile.  Here are some of the comments...know that we will continue to work to earn your trust.

Just began watching Good Morning Chicago on the web, you guys have some great fun, and it shows!

Steve B

Your show is fresh and to the point, and I appreciate all the views you present.

Chuck R

I watch your broadcast everyday and am delighted that you have extended Good Day Chicago an extra hour (for us non-morning people).

Brittany W

You guys are awesome and make enjoyable to watch the news! Thanks!

Mandi L

Just wanted to tell the entire FOX TEAM you do a GREAT JOB!!! I love watching you guys in the morning, keep up the good work. GO FOX!!!

Felicia O

Thanks a lot.  We watch your show every morning, and appreciate the full-time Chicago coverage. 

Susan K

We expanded Good Day Chicago to cover breaking news and local events.  This week was notable for the amount of breaking news that we had each day and the important local developments that took place during our new hour of news from nine to ten am.

We had storms that caused some damage and power outages on Monday during that time period. Later in the week we had live coverage of a three year old boy being found after he was missing in a rural area for 12 hours, the arrest of a man police were seeking in connection with his wife's death, and Rev. Jesse Jackson talking with our anchors live about the comments he made about Obama on Fox News Channel.

I'm very proud of the team at Fox Chicago for providing such great news coverage of our community.  This week proved that a great deal is going on at nine in the morning and the ratings this week are further proof that the Chicago area wants up to the minute information. 

I don't want to leave anyone out on the team here, everyone pitched in to help launch this new program but we couldn't do it without you.  Thank you for watching and I hope you will let us know how we can improve this program in the weeks, months and years ahead.

Our investigative team at Fox Chicago does some outstanding work.  I hope you have seen some of the most recent reports. 

We have looked at some of the most powerful institutions and figures and asked some tough questions.   

Some of the best ideas for these stories come from you.  We want to make sure you know how to reach our investigative team.

You can call the Fox Investigates Tip Line at (312) 565-8076.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Dominic Mancuso, 312-565-5557

KORI CHAMBERS JOINS “GOOD DAY CHICAGO”

CHICAGO – Kori Chambers is the newest member of the “Good Day Chicago” team, announced Patrick Mullen, the station’s Vice President and General Manager.  Chambers will handle a variety of reporting and anchoring responsibilities for the program. 

In making the announcement, Mullen stated, “We’re thrilled to have Kori join FOX Chicago as we expand “Good Day Chicago” into the 9:00 a.m. hour.  His strong broadcast experience and engaging personality makes him the ideal addition to our morning news team.”

Prior to joining WFLD-TV, Chambers served as an anchor and reporter for WDIV-TV in Detroit since May 2005.  Previously, he was a weekend morning anchor and reporter for KVBC-TV in Las Vegas and before that as a reporter for WGGB-TV in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Chambers added, “I’m excited to be working with the talented news team at FOX Chicago.  I look forward to contributing to the station and the community.”

An upstate New York native, Chambers graduated from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism.  He has been recognized by the Detroit School Board for his weekly volunteer work in the classroom and in 2006 teamed up with Carver K-8 Learning Community to create and instruct a media course.  He is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists.

For more information, please visit www.myfoxchicago.com.

WFLD FOX Chicago is part of the Fox Television Stations, one of the nation's largest owned-and-operated network broadcast groups, comprising 35 stations in 26 markets, covering nearly 45% of U.S. television homes.  This includes six duopolies in the top 10 markets: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Washington D.C. and Houston; as well as duopolies in Minneapolis, Phoenix and Orlando.

# # #

Here's an interesting look behind the scenes.

News Corp, our parent company, has news people everywhere you can imagine. 

One part of the world wide operation is Sky News. 

In this report, one of our fellow correspondents gives us a look at how they are covering the news in the war zone. 

http://video.news.sky.com/skynews/video/?&videoSour
ceID=1319571&flashURL=/feeds/skynews/latest/flash/wilso
n_online_190608_1300.flv

My personal thanks to them for all they do in bringing us important news under difficult circumstances.

WFLD ADDS FIFTH HOUR TO “GOOD DAY CHICAGO”

FOX Chicago Continues to Produce the Most Local Weekday News Hours and Now the Market’s Only Local Newscast at 9:00 a.m.

CHICAGO – FOX Chicago will add a fifth hour to its morning news program, “Good Day Chicago,” announced Patrick Mullen, Vice President and General Manager, WFLD-TV.  Starting on Monday, July 7th, the extended program will be presented from 5:00 –10:00 a.m. (CT)

In making the announcement, Mullen stated, “This is a natural extension for FOX Chicago, as our station already leads the market in locally-produced weekday news hours.  The additional hour of “Good Day Chicago” well positions us to take advantage of a growing appetite for local news, weather and information during this time period.”

Mike Barz and Jan Jeffcoat will host the fifth hour, joined by reporters Pat Elwood and Nancy Loo, traffic reporter Sondra Solarte and meteorologist Tammie Souza.  Overseeing the extended program will be “Good Day Chicago” Executive Producer Melinda Tichelaar. 

Tichelaar added, “This extension will allow us to provide live coverage of news events throughout the morning, giving viewers the most up to the minute information about what’s going on around Chicago.”

During the 9:00 hour, viewers can expect to see more in-depth coverage of breaking news and weather.  Regular features will include discussion of hot topics and news of the day along with a variety of local commentators, as well as health reports and results of topical text and phone surveys. 

For more information, please visit www.myfoxchicago.com. 

WFLD FOX Chicago is part of the Fox Television Stations, one of the nation's largest owned-and-operated network broadcast groups, comprising 35 stations in 26 markets, covering nearly 45% of U.S. television homes.  This includes six duopolies in the top 10 markets: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Washington D.C. and Houston; as well as duopolies in Minneapolis, Phoenix and Orlando.

The above is the press release by the station.  My personal thanks to the entire AM team that does such a great job day after day.  The newscast keeps getting better and now more people will get to see it. 

Andrew Finlayson

While we did not win the Eppy Award, we were in great company for the awards given out last Thursday.

Here is a list of the winners.

One of the reasons why Fox Chicago is considered to have one of the best local television websites in the country is our track record of innovation. 

Besides our Obamatracker.com, GreatChicagoDeals.com, and LivenewsCameras.com...we have a new project that is getting international attention.

AirFoxLIve

It is a website that lets you see where AirFox is flying with live pictures from the helicopter.  It is a virtual way to ride along with the helicopter and see flight data.

Please try it weekday mornings between 5:30 am and 8:00 am CST or during breaking news.   A great job by our web team lead by Steve Baron to get this all up and operational.

Andrew Finlayson

Some of you may have seen our website www.livenewscameras.com 

We continue to see great interest in this experiment in journalism.  

Here is a feature that was just done about this website by the G4 network.

http://www.g4tv.com/attackoftheshow/videos/21561/Web_T
ools_Live_News_Camerascom.html

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Jessica Moss, 212-301-3817

THE FOX CHICAGO SCHOOL CHALLENGE GOES BIG FOR ST. BALDRICKS

WFLD Raises More Than $1,000,000 for Cancer Research

with Help of 3,800 Chicago-area Students

CHICAGO -- FOX Chicago helped raise $1,000,000 to benefit the St. Baldrick’s foundation, announced Patrick Mullen, the station’s Vice President and General Manager.  The funds raised by the station’s efforts, led by anchor Patrick Elwood, will benefit cancer hospitals across the country including eight in the Chicago area.

In making the announcement, Mullen stated, “This is an enormous undertaking and we truly appreciate Patrick’s hard work and dedication, as well as the support of staff members who participated in the St. Baldrick’s Day event.”    

As part of the FOX Chicago’s involvement, Elwood challenged area students to participate in St. Baldrick’s Day activities.  More than 3,800 students from 44 schools answered the call by agreeing to have students get pledges and shave their heads to help raise money. 

Elwood added, “I’m so proud of all the students across the city that went bald for this great cause.  Our work together shows you’re never too young to make a difference.”

St. Baldrick's is the world's largest volunteer-driven fundraising event for childhood cancer research.  Thousands of volunteers shave their heads in solidarity of children with cancer, while requesting donations of support from friends and family.  This is the fourth year that FOX Chicago has been involved with the organization. 

More information on The St. Baldrick’s Foundation can be found at http://www.stbaldricks.org.  For further details on “The FOX Chicago School Challenge,” please visit http://www.gobaldchicago.com or www.myfoxchicago.com.

WFLD FOX Chicago is part of the Fox Television Stations group, one of the nation's largest owned-and-operated network broadcast groups, comprises 35 stations in 26 markets, covering nearly 45% of U.S. television homes.  This includes six duopolies in the top 10 markets: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, and Washington D.C. and Houston; as well as duopolies in Minneapolis, Phoenix and Orlando.

On a personal note, Patrick and his wife both gave an extraordinary amount of their own time to do this effort.  While many of our staff participated, raising money and even shaving their heads to draw attention to this, Patrick was the heart of this effort at Fox Chicago.  Thank you!

Andrew Finlayson