WMAQ Launches 11 a.m. Newscast, Shuffles Meteorologists

By Merrill Knox 

byron mirandaWMAQ, the NBC-owned station in Chicago, is making changes to its morning programming. Beginning September 8, the station will debut an hourlong 11 a.m. newscast that will replace the current half-hour noon newscast.

“A lot of news breaks during the day. Our expanded news at 11 am will allow us to even better serve our viewers with the latest news and weather information,” WMAQ vice president of news and station manager Frank Whittaker said in a statement.

Anchoring the 11 a.m. newscast will be Stefan Holt and Marion Brooks, alongside meteorologist Byron Miranda (pictured), who returns to WMAQ after more than a decade away. Most recently, he has worked as the weekend evening meteorologist at KNBC, the NBC-owned station in Los Angeles.

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In addition to Miranda’s hire, there are further changes to the station’s weather team: Robert Feder reports weekend meteorologist Cheryl Scott is leaving WMAQ when her contract is up next month. Scott is exploring options “to work as a meteorologist on a network or local level,” according to Feder.

Replacing Scott on the weekend morning newscasts will be Alicia Roman, who is currently the meteorologist on the noon newscast.

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