Ravi Baichwal out as evening anchor at ABC 7 Chicago after 20 years at station

Longtime anchor/reporter Ravi Baichwal is out after 20 years at WLS-Ch. 7 Chicago.

A spokesperson for the station confirmed his exit in an emailed statement Wednesday.

“After 20 years with ABC 7, Ravi Baichwal has moved on following the conclusion of his contract,” the station’s spokesperson said. “We wish him well in his next chapter.”

A Toronto native, Baichwal was an anchor for CTV News in Canada before joining ABC 7 in 2006 as a reporter and weekend anchor. In 2023, Baichwal was promoted to weekday co-anchor of the station’s top-rated 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. newscasts, making him one of the most prominent TV journalists on the Chicago airwaves.

Baichwal did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

An Emmy Award-winning TV journalist, Baichwal has been off the air in recent weeks. His absence followed a social media post describing an alleged altercation involving Baichwal at a River North restaurant in October.

A station spokesperson declined to discuss the social media post or the reason for his departure for this story.

Before arriving in Chicago, Baichwal hosted CTV’s national morning show in Canada and also reported for CTV National News. At ABC 7, Baichwal established himself as a versatile reporter and anchor, winning numerous awards for his coverage of major stories.

In December 2007, Baichwal even managed to maintain relative composure when a car crashed through the window of the ABC 7 State Street studios at the start of the 10 p.m. newscast he was anchoring.

The station has yet to name Baichwal’s successor, but Mark Rivera will be filling in for him on an interim basis with regular co-anchors Cheryl Burton at 5 p.m. and Judy Hsu at 6 p.m.

rchannick@chicagotribune.com