Fired in Chicago

WMAQ, the NBC O&O in Chicago, has parted ways with sports anchor Mike Berman as the station aggressively reshapes its sports department. Sources tell FTVLive that Berman, a Chicago native who had been with the station since 2016, was let go on Wednesday. He declined to comment on his exit.

While the station creates a vacancy on one hand, they are locking in a high-profile replacement on the other. Reports indicate that longtime Chicago sports anchor Lou Canellis is making the jump from the market’s Fox affiliate to WMAQ. Canellis is expected to sign on next week, stepping into the role previously held by Leila Rahimi, who departed the station in 2024.

The timing of this shuffle is not coincidental. The NBC O&O is positioning itself to capitalize on a massive year for NBC Sports at the national level. With "Sunday Night Basketball" tipping off in February, followed immediately by the Winter Olympics and the arrival of "Sunday Night Baseball" this summer, WMAQ is looking to leverage these marquee national lead-ins to boost its local newscasts and "Sports Sunday" program.

While WMAQ may lack the volume of local rights held by the competition, the station is clearly pivoting its strategy to align with the network’s expanding sports portfolio. The strategy appears to have potential; the recent Rams-Bears divisional playoff game on the network drew a massive 34.7 household rating in the Chicago market alone.

With Canellis incoming and Berman out, WMAQ still lists an opening for a weekend sports anchor, a role currently being patched together by per-diem talent.