Chicago Journalist John Callaway dies

Ominous predictions by the late journalist at the Chicago Journalism Town Hall (posted February 24, 2009)...

Founder of the local broadcasting institution "Chicago Tonight" and long time public television veteran, Callaway sure knew how to cap off a pledge drive...

John Callaway is the Host and Senior Editor of Friday Night, and the Chicago Stories anthology series. The Chicago Tribune described Callaway as "Chicago Television's No. 1 interviewer" and "the best in the business." The Atlanta Constitution said, "He is hands down, the best on-air interviewer in the land."

John Callaway's work has won more than sixty awards, including the coveted Peabody award and seven Emmys. Several of his program series and specials have aired nationally on public television including John Callaway Interviews, Campaigning on Cue, Inside Television, and Dilemmas of Disarmament. Callaway came to public broadcasting after spending seventeen years with CBS in various capacities in Chicago and New York. At the CBS-owned radio station in Chicago, WBBM, he was host of the nationally broadcast Nightline program in the mid-1960s. He served as News Director at WBBM and helped transform it into an all-news station in 1968. Later that year, he was appointed Vice President of CBS Radio in New York for the development of CBS all-news stations around the nation. After serving as National Group Correspondent for CBS Radio in the early 1970s, Callaway returned to Chicago where he was a general assignment reporter for WBBM-TV as that station pioneered its newsroom-minicam format. In 1974, Callaway joined WTTW as News Director and in 1975, hosted the station's first venture into nightly news analysis, The Public Newscenter. He later was host of WTTW's Chicago Feedback town meeting series.

From WTTW Chicago Tonight Web site

In the 1990's, I was fortunate to be invited to one of his town hall meetings on alternative health. Hearing and seeing him in action in a live format was something I'll never forget.

I just started this week as an intern for Chicago Tonight, and after having watched John for years, I'm deeply saddened to not have a chance to work with John. He was the epitome of an interviewer and journalist, and a role model from afar. We at WTTW want to let members of the Windy Citizen community know that we will be devoting our 7-8 pm time block on Channel 11 to John's life and work today, Wednesday June 24 and Friday June 26. We also encourage you to post your memories of John at our message board on our website at http://www.wttw.com.

Indeed, John Callaway wasn't afraid of using strong words or expressing an unpopular opinion.

Here he is again at the Chicago Journalism Town Hall with a strong word or two to say about news aggregation websites --