WGN-AM Promotes Judy Pielach To Managing Editor Of News

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Published on Thursday, 05 July 2012 17:59

WGN-AM announced this afternoon that Judy Pielach, who had been promoted to News Room Coordinator at the start of this year, has been named as the Managing Editor of WGN Radio News. The promotion is effective immediately.

In this new position, Pielach will lead the day-to-day operations of the WGN Radio news department. Working under Bill White, WGN-AM's Director of Programming & News, Pielach's duties will include the handling of news assignments, coordinating coverage, and the implementing of newsroom policy and procedures.

Even with the new title, neither the WGN Newsroom, nor the listeners should experience any sudden changes. As News Room Coordinator (which was essentially an Assistant News Director position) Pielach was already doing these duties and closely assisting Bill White.

Fans of Judy Pielach's on-air work need not worry, either. She will continue to be heard as WGN-AM's midday news anchor.

In a statement today, Bill White said: "I'm very pleased to announce Judy's promotion to managing editor of WGN Radio news. Judy is an accomplished news professional, and her leadership and excellent news judgment makes this a natural transition."

Judy Pielach is a veteran of news reporting. Immediately after graduating from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale in 1982, where she earned degrees in both Radio & Television and Political Science, she began working at WGN-TV as a promotions intern, and for over a year, worked her way up to other departments, especially in to the news department. In 1983, she worked temporarily as a news writer for WGN-AM. From there, she moved on to work for the news department of WIVS-AM/WXET-FM in suburban Crystal Lake, becoming the stations' News Director in 1985. In 1986, she got the opportunity to come back to the radio station she loved most of all: WGN-AM.

Last year, Judy Pielach celebrated her 25th anniversary with WGN-AM and was awarded a gold watch for her years of service. She has been awarded much more than that in her time there. Pielach, a breast cancer survivor, won an Edward R. Murrow awards from the Radio and Television News Directors Association in 2008 for her three-part series on her struggle with the cancer, called "Why Not Me." In 2007, she won another Edward R. Murrow award for her radio series on suburban teen heroin addiction, entitled "Smack in the Suburbs." She has won many other awards for excellence, including an Illinois Associated Press award in 2007 for Best Reporter, and helped WGN Radio's News Department also win numerous awards.

Judy Pielach is a Chicago native, born and raised in the Bucktown neighborhood, who now lives in the western suburbs with her family.

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