Feder: NBC 5's Dick Johnson riding it out in northern Michigan

There's no telling the next time viewers will see veteran Chicago newsman Dick Johnson, who's been holed up on short-term disability from NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5 for nearly two months, Robert Feder writes.

"Ironically, in early March I was covering the advent of COVID-19. That's when my doctors strongly suggested I retreat to a less populated area because of a respiratory condition and my age," Johnson, 66, told me over the weekend.

"We're fortunate to have a house in northern Michigan. Thankfully, the incidence of coronavirus has been in the single digits here. It was the right call. Despite NBC 5 implementing extraordinary safety protocols, I'm not sure when my doctors will give me the all clear. I'm very much looking forward to returning to work and whatever the new normal might be."

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