Feder: New WGN news director hopes to uphold 'great journalism tradition'

Following a legend in any job is never easy - especially when that legend will still be working down the hall from you, Robert Feder writes.

On Wednesday Dominick Stasi was named to succeed Jennifer Lyons as news director of WGN-Channel 9 following Nexstar Media Group's promotion of Lyons to vice president of news for WGN America. Lyons will oversee "News Nation," a three-hour nightly newscast to premiere this summer on the Chicago-based cable network.

Except for a brief interlude in 2018, Lyons held the top job since 2014 and has been credited with much of the station's success as a broadcast news leader. In May she'll be inducted in the Silver Circle of the Chicago/Midwest chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

"Never in my wildest dreams," Lyons told Facebook friends at the end of a life-changing day. "Super excited for this new project. Love my WGN family and happy to be doing this at Bradley Place!"

For Stasi, 40, the elevation from executive producer to news director comes just as WGN increased its output of news to a prodigious 72½ hours each week. No other local station comes close to that.

"It's an honor and a privilege to be at the helm of WGN News," Stasi said. "I learned from the best in Jen and I look forward to continuing the great journalism tradition of 'Chicago's Very Own.'"

Get the full report, and more Chicago media news, at robertfeder.com.