Feder: Life after 'Chicago Tonight' still busy for former reporter Eddie Arruza

Two years ago this week Eddie Arruza stepped down as a host and correspondent for WTTW-Channel 11's "Chicago Tonight," capping a distinguished 15-year run at the Window to the World Communications public television station, Robert Feder writes.

While co-workers and admirers were sad to see him go, the veteran Chicago newsman insists he's had no second thoughts about his move.

"I remain very proud of my long association with 'Chicago Tonight,' but I still feel I made the right decision at the time," Arruza, 60, told me the other day. "It's so good to see Brandis [Friedman] and Paris [Schutz] carrying the legacy of the show into a new era. I haven't ruled out returning to the airwaves, so to speak, if the right kind of forum presents itself."

Since becoming a free agent, Arruza has been writing and working on independent video projects and building his own production venture. He even obtained an FAA license to operate a drone.

"The lockdown delayed some projects I had hoped to start over the last year, but things are beginning to look good for 2021 - especially an initiative I'm developing to document the lasting impact COVID-19 has had on Chicago area organizations and people," he said. "I believe it's important to capture the history of this moment which has changed life as we knew it in many ways."

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