Feder: Ex-anchor recalls earlier era when WGN made news at 10 o'clock

A note here the other day about the ratings success of WGN-Channel 9's 10 p.m. newscast prompted a gentle correction from Jack Taylor, the legendary Chicago broadcaster who anchored “Chicago's Very Own” throughout the 1970s, Robert Feder writes.

It seems this isn't the first time the station finished second at that hour.

Taylor, 91, recalled: “In the early '70s, [WGN station boss] Sheldon Cooper called me to congratulate me. He said: 'Our 10 o'clock news has beaten Channel 2 and Channel 5 in the ratings. This is the first time an independent station has topped stations owned and operated by CBS and NBC. We went head to head with them and beat them in the ratings.' We were, however, unable to get a larger audience than Fahey Flynn and his 'Happy Talk' gang at Channel 7.

"Harry Volkman, Rick Talley and Len O'Connor joined me each night in our effort to present a telecast that had wide appeal and integrity. They are gone now, as is Jack Brickhouse and the other sports people who were on the air when Rick Talley was not available. It is only fair to recognize that WGN News was outstanding in attracting a large audience in the past as well as the present.”

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