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Published on Thursday, 12 January 2012 10:10
WGN-AM Program Director/News Director Bill White has promoted station news anchor/reporter Judy Pielach to News Room Coordinator as of this week. In addition to her weekday on-air duties, Judy Pielach will now oversee the scheduling and assignments of the WGN Radio newsroom, and assist Bill White on on the daily operations of the radio newsroom.
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.
Just a few months ago, 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 an 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 Associated Press award 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.
Bill White, who took over as Program Director for WGN-AM in February of last year, also assumed the duties of News Director in June of last year, after the exit of former News Director Charlie Meyerson. This week's promotion of Judy Pielach looks to reduce some of the time strain and pressure on White, while also rewarding a valued employee and strengthening the WGN News Department.
