GIANGRECO STILL NO. 1
Sports anchor’s ouster from ABC 7 the top sports-media story of 2021
Mark Giangreco has been off Chicago TV since his last sportscast Jan. 28 on ABC 7. But he’ll reappear Friday night where he did his first Chicago sportscast, NBC 5.
He and longtime New Year’s Eve partner Janet Davies will help ring in the new year with “Chicago Today” hosts Cortney Hall and Matthew Rodrigues on “A Very Chicago New Year.” Giangreco and Davies co-hosted their countdown show on ABC 7 for 20 years before the station let both go this year.
“Janet mentioned it to NBC 5 VP of news Frank Whittaker about six months ago, and he jumped on it,” Giangreco said of the show’s conception. “Seeing it as a great chance to take a shot at [ABC] 7.”
Would you expect anything else from Giangreco? Of course, such flippant comments got Giangreco in trouble a few times during his career in Chicago, which began in 1982. But his last alleged transgression led to his ouster at ABC 7, capping a 27-year run as the station’s — and the city’s — lead sports anchor.
It also ranked first among our top 10 Chicago sports-media stories of 2021.
At the end of that fateful, final sportscast, Giangreco jokingly referred to news anchor Cheryl Burton as someone who could “play the ditzy, combative interior decorator” as part of a fictional DIY Network show. The remark didn’t sit well with Burton. She complained to the bosses, and they took Giangreco off the air.
Viewers didn’t know what had happened to Giangreco until five weeks later, when the story finally leaked. On March 12, ABC 7 and Giangreco — who had 18 months left on his contract — reached a separation agreement. It was a sad and undeserved ending for one of the best sports personalities Chicago has ever had.
Giangreco has made the most of his time since then, spending it largely with family and friends. But on New Year’s Eve, he’d be happy to spend it with you, too.