Will half a reporter make ‘Chicago Tonight’ whole?
Ash-har Quaraishi
Three months after WTTW-Channel 11 cut veteran correspondent Rich Samuels from the staff of “Chicago Tonight” because of a “seven-figure shortfall” in the public television station’s budget, there’s a new reporter coming on-board. But in this case, the newcomer’s duties (and presumably his salary) will be split between Channel 11 and the nonprofit Chicago News Cooperative.
Ash‐har Quraishi has been hired as a multimedia correspondent and content producer who will alternate working for Channel 11 and CNC each week, according to a joint announcement Tuesday. His duties will include reporting for “Chicago Tonight” and its website, writing for CNC’s Chicago news pages in the New York Times and CNC’s website, and helping other employees “broaden their talents for video‐based reporting.”
Quraishi, a former CNN correspondent and bureau chief in Islamabad, Pakistan, most recently was chief investigative reporter for KCTV-TV in Kansas City, Mo. He’s a Chicago native and a graduate of Von Steuben High School and the University of Illinois.
“Sharing a journalist is one of the initial steps in cementing a collaborative relationship between the excellent journalists at WTTW and the Chicago News Cooperative,” CNC editor Jim O’Shea said in a statement. Since its launch last fall, CNC has been sharing facilities and resources with the public television station. Dan Schmidt, president and CEO of parent Window to the World Communications, said:
“Ash‐har Quraishi brings to WTTW and the CNC an impressive depth of experience reporting both domestically and in strategically critical areas of the world. With his investigative reporting experience, his superior digital skills, and the fact that he was raised in Chicago and is a product of our public schools, we expect he will be a major asset to ‘Chicago Tonight,’ wttw.com and the Chicago News Cooperative. We hope to achieve our mutual goal of producing the finest public affairs journalism in Chicago — on television, on the Web, and in print.”
Ironically, the highly respected but now-unemployed Rich Samuels is spending much of his time these days teaching himself advanced video editing and Web-design techniques (which, he reports, “would be easier for my wife to take if they offered senior citizen discounts for the software upgrades”).
Whether the addition of a “shared journalist” will substantially improve “Chicago Tonight” is a fair question. Samuels’ ouster late last year (which followed the death of founding host and revered elder statesman John Callaway and the resignation of correspondent Christian Farr) left the Monday-through-Thursday news program severely understaffed. Even if you throw in part-timer Carol Marin with regulars Phil Ponce, Elizabeth Brackett and Eddie Arruza, there still aren’t enough bodies to go around anymore.
I want to love “Chicago Tonight.” I really do. But more often than not, what should be local television’s newscast of record misses the mark. Night after night, it’s same tired formula with the same talking heads. Roundtable discussions drag on interminably, turning even potentially interesting topics into snoozefests. Why does it have to be so dull?
And as charming and engaging a fellow as I know him to be off the air, Ponce plays it bland and robotic on the air as host. Just once I’d love to see him conduct an interview without appearing to read every single question off his note cards. Wing, it, Phil! The closest I’ve seen him come to showing his real personality was in his rollicking interview earlier this month with recently fired radio personality Mancow Muller. (Here is the link.)
Watching Ponce and Muller mix it up on the show that night reminded me of the energy, spontaneity and wit it had during Bob Sirott’s too-brief run as host from 2002 to 2005. That’s the “Chicago Tonight” I miss.
blogs.vocalo.org
One logical reporting solution for Chicago Tonight would be to start bringing some of its incredibly cheap (and presumably overworked) behind-the-camera talent in front of the camera on an occasional basis, and see if there’s a reporting gem or three in there.
I’m also a little surprised that Feder didn’t mention that Quraishi left KCTV in December 2009 as part of a layoff/shakeup. More details on that are here: http://bottomlinecom.com/kcnews/quraishioutatkctv5.html
And here’s a cached version of Quraishi’s KCTV bio: http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:pLC8fdU9xzwJ:www.kctv5.com/news/13440216/detail.html+%22Ash-har+Quraishi%22+%22Kansas+City%22&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a
Rich Samuels got a raw deal. And you’re right about Ponce. He seems like a nice guy. I really do think he’s trying, but it just is lackluster.
Btw – I can share the misery with Samuels on the cost of those software upgrades. OUCH!
This looks like a more up to date bio: http://www.saja.org/user/140
My understanding is that WTTW has been in talks with him for a while – as a replacement for Christian Farr who left in August – not Rich Samuels who was not renewed in December.
Especially during pledge when the program is only a half hour – the constant
moving from set to set should be eliminated. Visually tedious and wastes time.
. . . . .
I would like to see more Geoffrey Baer. I know he is busy working on those popular
specials – but he is truly refreshing and always has something new and colorful
to add to whatever topic he is covering. Can he recommend a new inventive face ?
. . . . .
Bring in more outspoken reporters like Mike Flannery and John Kass or Rick Kogan.
I want to see reporters that dig in deep and force city hall to respond.
Are we going to discover a new younger and undiscovered version of the city beat
reporter ? Try VOCALO and NPR for resources – some are ready for their close-up.
I will stay tuned to find out. Chicago Tonight is missing electric sparks !!!
I appreciate Phil. I liked Bob. Chicago Tonight was better when they worked together. Bob is the more natural host. Phil always seemed better suited to the role of reporter. My favorite Phil Moment happened when he interviewed Andy Rooney a few years ago. Rooney was in a foul mood. Phil asked a question Rooney took issue with. Rooney flipped the question back on Phil–who attempted to side-step the issue. I wish I could recall the question. It was loaded. If Phil had answered either way–he would have gotten into hot water. Rooney kept hammering him. Phil stood his ground. That was excellent TV.
It is hard to watch Phil on the show. I don’t know if they want him to be the total anti-Sirott, but the show needs something. You are right, he should just wing it.
Phil Ponce is an engaging guy, but he does not convey it on air. The energy in the Mancow interview comes entirely from Mancow. When he is serious, there is no one in radio or television better than Muller.
Playing it safe is what WTTW is all about these days.
Chicago Tonight, in its present format and with its present lineup, is really no longer needed. We can get all the behind the scenes info on Chicago from the internet.
You’re right, Robert, there is absolutely no reason to watch the show.
If WTTW needs half a reporter to fill out its roster, it would be wise to hire the semi-lovely Melissa Forman. Ms. Forman would bring her skills and knowledge to the Chicago Tonight team, and fill the role of half a person very nicely. Just watch her recent work on TV or listen to her volumes of radio memories and you’ll see how Ms. Forman is the one choice for the half person they need at WTTW.
Chicago Tonight was great for the first few years because Mike Leiderman was the Executive Producer. The show was sharp, quick and innovative. When they dropped him, the show went downhill immediately.
The guests they have are incredibly boring. They need more people with character.
I’m still trying to get over one Chicago Tonight from last week where the show was cut in half so TTW could bring us an hour infomercial about a new diet plan. During the hour long infomercial there were infomercials for CH-11.
I think Chicago Tonight could use Mike North as a panelist. As we know from viewing his morning show on WBBM-TV that he is a very educated person that thinks things through before he opines on a subject. And if a co-panelist differs with his opinion, Mike will set him/her straight with his well thought out rebuttal. As we all know, North is going to save sports at the Chicago Public Schools because he is going to print a list of those that don’t contribute! The man is a genius! I think WBBM is purposely letting him make a jackass out of himself.
“With his … superior digital skills….”
This really makes me imagine the guy doing chisenbop.
Yes, Mancow Muller brings a tremendous amount of energy — the energy for me to pick up the remote and the energy used by the batteries to quickly flip the channel.
Mancow, Johnny B., Bruce Wolf, Mike North, Steve Rosenbloom — you guys had your day but it’s over, guys. You keep coming back like a “Color Me Badd” reunion album that nobody wants to hear.
Can you maybe do something different with your lives?
Best program is Friday night with Joel Wiseman. Good panels and he keeps it moving. The main problem with the other nights is content. Boring guests and topics.
Hal (comment #1), we like your idea about bringing behind-the-scenes producers out in front of the camera. In fact, producers Jay Shefsky and Paris Schutz have been doing this for the past couple of years. I think they both do a great job with a variety of stories. And Karen (comment #4), we like Geoffrey a lot as well and he appears every Thursday for his “Ask Geoffrey” segment as well as additional appearances like his recent feature on the Cuneo mansion.
Your writing is good whether Im aware of the subject matter or not, and that’s how it should be!! Good article, although I’ve never watched Chicago Tonite, maybe I’ll start. Im also a Von Steuben Alum.
Phil Ponce is duuuuuuuuuuuuuuul. And you know he is out of it based on his son’s insipid retro doo wop stuff that will surely be a fixture of PBS for decades. Yuck!
Eddie Arruza is a class act.
When did Fez from That 70’s show chage his name to Ash‐har Quraishi and get into journalism?
I see that Katie has escaped from her strait jacket to inflict he Mellisa worship on us once again!
I agree with those who say Ponce is a better reporter than host. Like the guy personally but…he’s dry as unbuttered toast on the air. He didn’t drive the Mancow interview, he reacted and it was stiff and uncomfortable to watch. Mancow snatched the segment away from him.
I’ll offer my suggestion again…look to the interns available from the various colleges. There are surely some talented men and women out there, whether they be from Northwestern/Medill or Columbia College or somewhere in-between. Work it out with the union, put them on the air and let’s see where it goes. It might be edgy for awhile but, maybe that’s what’s needed. Bottom line…HEY MANAGEMENT…it would be cheap. Interns…they aren’t just for getting coffee or showing cleavage any more, you know? Give them real work to do and I bet some of them surprise your socks off.
Another suggestion…you have competent photojournalists (at least one?)on staff, correct? Let them shine for a couple of segments a week. Offer them a long form opportunity.
Whatever you do, get something going that’s visual and quick and nabs our attention or Chicago Tonight will wind up like Monsters in the Morning.
This town really misses John Callaway.
Hey, Mel!!! What’s wrong with doo wop? I love me some doo wop.
All together now: “shoo do shoo be do in the still of the night… i held i held you tight”
Maybe the lyrics could be updated a bit… “Why must I be a senior citizen in looove”. Nah. Doesn’t have the same feel, does it?
How about some Who? “People try to put us down. Just because our dentures are brown.”
Lots of slopy spellng today poeple.
Getting an early start?
Week in Review on Friday is the only night I never want to miss Chicago Tonight. Other than Joel Weismans incessant interruption of panelists answers, it’s the most lively and informative 30 minutes anywhere in Chicago.
Ponce needs to work more with deadly and invasive sea lampreys.
http://www.wttw.com/main.taf?p=42,8,80&player=Chicago-Tonight&pid=Rv9oLb3WLSGw11TOiWGSFUbxpeZp7yws
If WTTW is seeking to discover a star, Paris Schutz is the answer. Quick-witted, inventive, playful, thoroughly professional on air, he’ll make some station a winner…as soon as he buys an adult wardrobe.
Has anyone else noticed that today’s Contestant Number Eight seems to have more names than a hooker’s rap sheet?
I thought only the FBI identified people by including their middle name. It’s something I’ve always feared. Not so much being on a wanted poster but having my middle name revealed to the world.
James Dvorak, what are you referring to? I’m just a little confused and need some late afternoon coffee here. Please explain.
Quraishi seems to have very impressive credentials and a wealth of experience at the international and local level. It seems like he will be a great addition to the Chicago news scene. And he is a CPS graduate with a Chicago background. I welcome him most certainly. Too bad Rich Samuels lost his gig but lots of us older folks are having to make career changes by choice or by force. Maybe he should have considered moving to radio like Dick Kay did. Or what about a blog like Mr. Feder has? But television is a visual media, right? And this Ash-har will appeal to an under-served segment of the Chicagoland viewing audience and potentially draw a younger audience to WTTW as well, much like “Check Please” has.
I’m late getting here, and it appears all the good ideas are taken.
I like the IDEA of Chicago Tonight, and when it’s time to interview Scott Lee Cohen, there’s a place for a Carol Marin or Phil Ponce to do the job. But night to night, it’s pretty dull. That might be because reporters like Phil Ponce & Elizabeth Brackett are miscast as interviewers (where John Callaway shined). Callaway is gone; maybe it’s time to change the program that showcased his gifts into what taps the resources today’s regulars bring. And it’s a great idea tapping into the Medill journalism school at Northwestern, and into Columbia College.
Bob Sirott had a knack for finding Chicago centered features which nicely complimented the news of the day. He did in segments what Geoffrey Baer brings in his long form programs. I never understood why management thought his salary was the right cost to cut. Chicago Tonight is still suffering from that blunder.
It’s unfortunate that this isn’t the first time Mancow was cut despite excellent ratings- anybody remember when Q101 was a major force in Chicago radio? I know, I was there at the time….
Enough about Melissa Forman already, Katie- we get the point!
WTTW should bring back Marty Robinson. :-)
Wow, who knew Rich Samuels was pulling down seven figures??? Just kidding. I always found Rich very erudite. Tho perhaps not as full time host, I wonder what Ben Hollis of “Wild Chicago” is doing these days? I thought Ben had a lot of heart–it would have been very easy to mock some of the Wild Chicagoans, but I always thought Ben had a nice touch–never mean, very good natured.
Boris, have not thought of chisenbop since I was nine and Fred MacMurray was doing the commercials…..
Jay Smith, that’s great about Jay Shefsky and Paris Schutz coming in from behind the scenes to report occasionally — I didn’t know that. I’d love to see one of them groomed to fill the role that Rich Samuels occupied so well.
Unlike some of the naysayers on this board, I’m actually still a fan of Chicago Tonight — and, I like Phil more than most of the folks here (and, a lot more than I liked Sirott). I think overall, it’s a really good team. But I also long have thought (particularly when Callaway and Samuels were around — to say nothing of Elizabeth Brackett, who’s in her late 60s, and Ponce and Marin, who are both over 60) that the show needed some more young blood. Bringing Ash-har in will help to achieve that.
Oh Vic, how I’ve missed you. Why don’t you come around anymore? I must say I love me some VD almost as much as I love me some MF. And I will not rest until the semi-lovely Melissa Forman returns to the ranks of radio stars who can be heard every day. Restoring her to the Chicagoland airwaves is my life’s work. Once she is back, life will be more pleasant, crime will drop while she is attempting to entertain the masses, and bus service will increase. Life with Melissa Forman on the radio will be so much better. Trust me, I believe.
Oh, Katie… I didn’t get you before. But you’ve started to get under my skin with your humor… so I’m chuckling a bit about your MF “faux obsession”. So if others don’t get that you’re just goofing on MF, they soon will. But MF seriously needs to get the cow-catcher overbite taken soon.
The whole Melissa Foreman thing reminds me of the Flight Of The Conchords tune “The Most Beautiful Girl In The Room”. Those guys are hilarious.
You’re so beautiful.
You could be a waitress.
You’re so beautiful.
You could be a air hostess in the 60s.
You’re so beautiful.
You could be a part-time model.
I am a 36-year-old single woman, and I am amazed that anyone thinks Phil Ponce is dull. He and Carol Marin are the most prepared and best interviewers in the city. “reading his questions off his note cards?” Are you joking Bob? Phil is engaging night after night and does a great job on every segment – not just the hard news topics. Good riddance Sirott! He was cocky and brutal to watch – get him back on Fox. Chicago Tonight is the best source for local news. Period. Also, I miss Rich Samuels. Why didn’t the station do or say anything when he left? He deserved some kind of tribute.
I’ll miss Samuels and Farr but I think the Chicago Tonight formula, as is, works great. I love the round tables and the fact that they go on for a long time is all the better for really delving into the nuance of issues. I wouldn’t mind if they tinkered around the edges of things, just to keep them fresh, but a major format change would severely disappoint this viewer.