The Firm Swings the Ax in Chicago
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The revolving door in the nation’s third-largest market has claimed one of its most recognizable fixtures. Roseanne Tellez, a seasoned journalist with a career spanning over three decades in Chicago, is the latest departure from WFLD, the Fox Television owned-and-operated station.
A Fox spokesperson confirmed that Tellez’s contract was not renewed, marking the end of her tenure that began in 2019. Tellez represents the "gold standard" of Chicago news; she rose to prominence during the superstation era of WGN in the 90s before a 15-year run as a reporter and morning anchor at CBS 2. Her exit signals a significant loss of institutional knowledge for the Fox O&O.
The timing of Tellez’s departure underscores a period of intense volatility at the station. Her exit follows the high-profile dismissals of:
Scott Schneider: Evening anchor (5 p.m. and 9 p.m.) and a 10-year veteran of the station.
Marissa Rubino: Executive Producer with nearly seven years at WFLD, described by colleagues as a "dedicated newsroom backbone."
These moves appear to be part of a broader strategic pivot by Sean O’Heir, Vice President of News Content and Programming. Since taking the helm in September, O’Heir has been aggressively remaking the newsroom to combat sluggish local ratings. While the station recently added four reporters and a producer, it remains without a lead sports anchor following the departure of Lou Canellis to NBC 5.
The bloodletting at WFLD isn’t happening in a vacuum. The Chicago market is currently a microcosm of the industry’s wider instability:
Nexstar/WGN: Just last month, WGN saw the departure of nine on-air talents due to Nexstar’s nationwide cuts.
NBC 5: The station saw its own sports department shakeup with the firing of Mike Berman.
