Will Bob Sirott drop anchor at Fox Chicago again?
Bob Sirott
Ever since Bob Sirott walked away from the main anchor job at WMAQ-Channel 5 last year, there’s been little doubt about whether he’d land at another station in town. The only real question has been where the Chicago broadcast veteran would turn up next.
While Sirott, 60, still may be the hottest free agent in town, signs are pointing to a return to WFLD-Channel 32, the Fox-owned station where he anchored its last worthwhile and relatively successful morning show, “Fox Thing in the Morning,” from 1993 to 2000 (and where he met and married his co-anchor, Marianne Murciano). This time, insiders say, Fox bosses may be looking for Sirott to anchor a revamped version of their 9 p.m. weekday newscast.
It’s not clear how the addition of Sirott would affect the show’s current anchors, Robin Robinson, Jeff Goldblatt and the recently-hired Anna Davlantes. But such a move would coincide neatly with previously disclosed plans by Mike Renda, vice president and general manager, and Carol Fowler, vice president and news director, to overhaul the format into one emphasizing a few stories examined in some depth. It’s also one that would allow Sirott to draw on his experience with “Chicago Tonight,” the newsmagazine he hosted from 2002 to 2005 on public television WTTW-Channel 11.
Despite efforts to refocus the newscast and recruit some high-profile reporters, Channel 32 continues dead last in the late-news ratings. Even with the benefit of such Fox hits as “American Idol” and “Glee,” the 9 p.m. newscast’s 2.6 Nielsen rating in April was down more than 20 percent from the previous year.
If the station has any hope of improving its fortunes and becoming competitive in the market, hiring Sirott and building a smart, alternative Chicago news show around him could be the key. (And just imagine how much fun it would be to see Sirott go up against Mark Suppelsa, the former Fox anchor who now fronts the 9 p.m. newscast on Tribune Co.-owned WGN-Channel 9.)
Although rumors of a deal have been going around for quite a while now, Sirott won’t contribute to the speculation. “Nobody has made any offers,” he said Thursday. “I’m just enjoying my summer and keeping my agent busy.”
Like so much of what’s happened throughout the industry, Sirott’s situation would have been hard to imagine a year ago.
His departure from Channel 5 last June caught many by surprise since he’d already settled into the NBC-owned station’s 10 p.m. anchor chair vacated by Warner Saunders, who retired. But when NBC insisted on rewriting the multiyear contract Sirott had signed the previous fall, he refused to settle for less than he’d bargained for. Instead, Sirott held his bosses to terms of their original deal, reportedly triggering a payout that continues to this day — with no strings attached.
Even after he left Channel 5, Sirott had a daily presence on the air as host of the hourlong noon show on Tribune-owned news/talk WGN-AM (720). But that ended in a round of cutbacks last January, leaving Sirott with only the Sunday night talk show he hosts with Murciano, occasional fill-ins as morning host, and some voice-over work.
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Anna & Bob had great chemistry when they anchored together at NBC5. This could be a great move for Fox if they were paired together. Wasn’t there some talk about an early evening newscast as well months ago?
I still miss FOX THING IN THE MORNING. It would be nice to see Bob return to Channel 32. Could FOX THING IN THE EVENING be in the works?
I’m fairly certain Bob sold his soul to the devil to keep his boyish looks. When Bob does “drop anchor” again I really hope it’s in a creative news environment. There just has to be something more interesting than the format everyone clings to out there. Bob could always bring back his plastic horn that he blew at 5PM on Fridays back at the Enormous 89.
Bob Sirott made a good financial move. Has anyone else been as much of a
fixture in Chicago ? He has worked everywhere and knows everyone of note.
. . . . .
He deserves to replace the dismal Monster Mash Mess on CBS Channel 2.
The possibilities… Bill & Walter back on CBS2, Sirott back on Fox… Now someone needs to get Carol Marin back in the anchor chair and Chicago News will exciting again.
The only persons FOX32 Chicago has not hired are you and me. Who’s next? Charles Gibson? Tom Brokaw? Jack Brickhouse? Paul Harvey? Master Carlson (WKRP)?
If they want Anna and Sirott do be re-united, then do it and be done with it. Either way, all of Chicago knows if (and I say if) you want news at 9, it’s WGN. If you want news at ten, it’s ABC7.
Simple.
Easy.
I’m not saying it should all be that way, but it just is.
Having your portrait taken with top button open and tie loosened is annoyingly affected.
This makes sense only if Jeff Goldblatt is done. Sirott would be an improvement over Goldblatt. Goldblatt is a far better reporter than he is an anchor. He has done some decent reporting on 32 and when he was at FNC. Sirott as the “in-depth conversations” interviewer makes alot of sense. Perhaps Davlantes and Robinson anchor the hard news while Sirott does the interviewing of guests and some feature reporting. A truly “Chicago” team.
WGN radio really blew it when they didn’t put Bob in the morning slot. Jarrett is as bad as one can get. I just turned the radio on to hear King John and Jarrett is still on and he’s speaking french. Time he fell off his high horse. He’s just creepy. Bob is warm and friendly and talks likes he’s sitting at your table. And he’s an expert on this city. I don’t think I’ve seen anything so successful as WGN get dismantled so quickly. BTW…Big O needs to put Jarrett in his place when he talks down to him. He thinks he knows everthing and corrected Orion regarding the stock market. IS JARRETT NUTS!!!!
I’m puzzled as to the appeal of broadcasters for Bob Sirott.
Although he may be a likable fellow, he is bland in demeanor, appearance and tenor; I might trust him to park my car, but if he got loaded on ether, methamphetamines and Wild Turkey and drove that car to Las Vegas, I couldn’t pick him out in a police lineup.
And I like my car.
Bob’s a talent-less hack. Why he continues to get jobs in Chicago I’ll never know.
Must be an old boys network thing…
I won’t be happy until someone brings back Fahey Flynn and P.J. Hoff.
I will like to see Phil Schwarz go to another station which is my favorite station in town NBC. I will like to see him to do the weather during the week. I hate abc 7 news they are too personal and too boring. ABC 7 does not make sense in their news. I like Phil Schwarz so let me go to NBC where he belongs.
Anna Davlantes is a class act. She distracts me from the dreck that is the Garry Meier radio show.
Don’t understand the appeal of Sirott. He is sycophantic and completely full of himself.
I fell in love with Bob as a young teenager, my transistor radio my constant companion as I did homework or just hung out in my room, away from parents. I watched West 57th simply because he was on. I loved Fox Thing, and even won a contest to be in the “studio audience” when Ray Rayner was on — one of the highlights of my life! Ray actually chatted with us during the broadcast when he was off-camera, and he was a riot! Ray signed a headshot for me and I cherish it to this day. Bob, Bruce Wolf, and Richard Roeper were all pleasant, though certainly not chatty… Marianne was very standoffish and did not acknowledge our presence so my husband was heartbroken.
I did watch Chicago Tonight and his news gigs occasionally, and always downloaded the podcasts of “One More Thing.”
I would love to see Bob get another TV gig — I would even watch Fox if he were on. :)
I’d be OK with Bob on WFLD as long as he doesn’t drag the talentless Marianne Murciano along with him as he’s done everywhere else – most recently at WGN Radio.
Really enjoyed his previous work on TV and especially on WTTW – but when Marianne gets involved things quickly go downhill and Bob’s performance sinks to her level. She’s comes across as not very intelligent and is definitely a poor interviewer.
This would be a good idea because I like Bob as a TV personality.
I would so much rather hear Bob on an oldies station. WLS-FM??? Wouldn’t it be cool if he could recreate the show with the B.S. horoscope and the B.S. love counsellor? This has been a lot of B.S.
I have no problem with Marianne Murciano. In fact, I’ve personally found her to be a congenial and lively conversationalist. As for Bob Sirott, it’s easy to underestimate his skill as a host and interviewer. He’s not a grandstander, and some folks misinterpret his low-key (not low-energy) professionalism for blandness. If you actually listen to what he has to say, he’s far from bland. Few working in Chicago television and/or radio today have the encompassing knowledge of local history that Bob has. He’s one of the few interviewers who listens to his guests, rather than merely reciting questions from a list. And he doesn’t allow anyone to sidestep his line of questioning, which often makes for thought-provoking discussions.
While admitting that I do watch American Idol and Glee, and if Sirott needs a job, who can blame him, but FOX–is akin to prostitution–ugh.
I think the gal who has been doing the lottery drawings on Channel 9 for several years needs a break for more TV presence in Chicago somewhere. Doesn’t anyone else recognize her talent. She would be excellent doing commercials if nothing else.
Also not helping WFLD’s newscasts is “American Idol’s” current ratings downturn. Those numbers for “Idol” are likely to worsen once Simon Cowell exits.
It’s easy to see Bob Sirott’s appeal. On every news show he’s worked on, he brings a strong knowledge of Chicago’s history and it’s culture. How many features was he responsible for on the morning programs and Chicago Tonight about an interesting, obscure shop owner, or a small business with an interesting product?
The class goof persona can sometimes be annoying, but that doesn’t happen much; and he more than compensates with his contributions as an editor/ group leader. He used many regular contributors, made room for colleagues to contribute, and made his co anchors shine. Allison Rosatti’s strongest work was done co anchoring with Sirott, and I can’t imagine Marianne Murciano without Bob. (Anybody remember the three anchor team that hosted Fox Morning news before Sirott’s arrival? Only Murcianno remained, and probably only she made a mark on this market.)
Anybody who lands Sirott will get a known commodity with a history of creating and fronting strong news programs. Sirott and Anna Davlantes and/or Robin Robinson would be intriguing, especially if Tribune Company is hellbent on bringing to WGN TV the same “magic” Pig Vomit and his minions inflict on WGN Radio.
“Bob is warm and friendly and talks likes he’s sitting at your table.”
.
Sitting *on* your table is more like it. The man seems to be under the impression that all topics ultimately devolve into one of his own tediously provincial interests.
How does Carol Fowler still get jobs in this market? She has failed in every newsroom she’s run.
Bob Sirott can come off as the “I’m on TV…I know everything” type.
That’s an unfortunate side to him because he is talented and occasionally appealing.
Sirott could help 32 again but don’t bring in Murcianno. Goldblatt needs to be re-assigned to the reporting beat and pair him up with Davlantes and maybe they might have something cooking here…it’s worth a shot. It can’t get any owrse over at the Fowler-news-ladened 32.
TOP TEN IMPROVEMENTS TO THE BOB SIROTT PHOTO
#10…Give him eyebrows
#9….Replace “air microphone” with real microphone
#8….Bobby-pin an orangey orchid behind right ear
#7….Paint his left lateral incisor black. Always funny!
#6….Pierce lower lip to take attention away from his enormous schnoz
#5….no #5, writer taking a break to laugh at Robert Feder photo
#4….Any facial tatoo, just to break the boredom for Chrissakes
#3….How about an eye patch and puffy shirt?
#2….OK, one word…BURKA
And The #1 Improvement To The Bob Sirott Photo….
……Just delete the friggin’ thing!
md
FOX will never distinguish itself as a serious news outlet because they’re not news, they’re entertainment. To my point…do I really care about the latest developments on American Idol? Of course not but that’s what I get on FOX “news.”
They’re not interested in informing me, they’re interested in entertaining me and they use that “show” to hype their own entertainment programming!
Until that changes, they will probably remain dead last in the “news” ratings! Wow…this one is a no brainer!
He is so out of date -Listen to the way he talks, he sounds older than my 84 year old dad when it comes to technology (I swear he has a copyright on the phrase “new fangled”). His one more thing can remind you of a rant from the crusty ol’ neighbor down the street and if you ask anyone who worked with him (like me) he is a light weight when it comes to reporting – see Ron Burgundy. I think he still has the 70′s DJ, satin jacket wearin, “I here” mentality. Marianne, is my limo to the station here??
Easily the biggest story in town that Feder and Rosenthal only are at most peripherally touching on is: how many other on-air people in town have faced the same salary pressures that Sirott did? Some of them? All of them? Give us some definition on how much broadcast salaries really are down in the last two years, Rob. Are those who are staying being forced to take 50 percent pay cuts? More? Or are stations instead just keeping salaries largely flat (I doubt this) and shrinking their staffs?
Fox News 32 presents itself as fluff. How can that be taken seriously as news in this town? It’s like the Entertainment Tonight to NYT/BBC/the old CBS News. Sirott would fit right in.
And, from his stint at WTTW, I gather he’s got an incredible ego or just a bit of a control freak. Maybe it’s just me, but I do like that PBS – the Newshour and Chicago Tonight emphasizes the competence of their on-air talent – as reporters, interviewers, even anchors. They may not yet be at the level of John Callaway or Joel Weisman in their own format, but they are more than competent.
Sirott works if you want “feel good” attitude.
HOLY CRAP!!!!!…this guy is SIXTY YEARS OLD?????
I need to get in and see a doctor fast.
Anybody remember the three anchor team that hosted Fox Morning news before Sirott’s arrival?
————
In addition to Marianne, there was Daryl Dennard (now in PR in Chicago) and David Rose (who is now anchoring in Seattle). For extra points, the sports guy was Joe Zone (I think in CT) and weather was Lisa Argen (I think in CA).
If Dennis Swanson is involved in the decision it will be the wrong one. He brought Fowler to BBM and FLD and they’re still waiting for results. Goldblatt was his call too. He hasn’t made a good pick since Oprah. (How many years ago was that?) The grumpy old Marine must have pictures on Roger. Talk about not knowing when to retire.
I’m still lost on the appeal of Bob Sirott. Although he left Channel 5 by choice the last time, he has been fired from so many gigs it’s hard to keep up. If he’s so talented and in-demand, wouldn’t the stations do everything they could to keep him? I just don’t get it.
First I am troubled that Robin Robinson is apparently being replaced by Anna D. Robinson is the best of the best, a very knowledgeable and classy woman. Also take Jeff Goldblatt off as anchor – so bad and if Bob Sirott joins Fox again put Bob with Robin Robinson. We will be hitting that remote for other stations unless some changes are made at Fox.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE bring Bob back.
I loves me some Sirott!
After just 3 weeks on the air at Fox Bob is missing in action again this week
(8/9/10). Is he on another vacation already? He has a voracious appetite for vacations, seemingly taking 10-12 weeks a year. Why do his bosses let him take so much time off? Maybe that’s why he never stays at a media outlet very long.