Breaking The Glass Ceiling in Chicago

It feels a bit sad that it is taking until 2022 for me to write this story, but at least we’re finally writing it.

Leila Rahimi is about to become the first woman to be named main Sports Anchor at a Chicago TV station.

NBC O&O WMAQ announced that Rahimi will move up to full-time at the station, starting April 4.

“Chicago is a huge sports town and we’re dedicated to delivering the best sports coverage to our viewers,” Frank Whittaker, station manager and vice president of news at NBC 5, said in a statement. “Leila adds great experience and unique perspective to our newsroom.”

There is an interesting twist to all of this.

Robert Feder reports that Rahimi was laid off from NBC Sports Chicago as part of company-wide cutbacks in 2020 by Kevin Cross, then senior vice president and general manager of NBC Sports Chicago. Now as president and general manager of WMAQ, Cross is responsible for bringing her back into NBC family.

Which is proof of why you don’t burn bridges when you leave.