Richard Maginn has joined Chicago’s NBC owned station WMAQ as managing editor.
Maginn was executive producer of Chicago ABC owned station WLS’ 10:00 p.m. for 14 years before leaving last year.
Chicago Business Journal reports Maginn is a “new weapon” in WMAQ’s battle to beat WLS in the late news ratings.
Channel 5 has bested Channel 7 at 10 p.m. before in the ratings, but only occasionally when the NBC outlet was airing a major primetime event such as the Stanley Cup Finals or the Olympics.
After those big events ended, the station typically has fallen back to No. 2, its usual spot in the Chicago late-news rankings in recent years.
One of those big events, however, is upon us.
Indeed Channel 5 News Department management has been smiling more than usual in recent weeks as the Chicago Blackhawks have eked out win after win in the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs and now could be within two games of hoisting the Cup for a third time in five years.