Why Pritzker wants Chicagoans to stop watching "Chicago's Very Own"
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
The sign outside the WGN facilities in 2017. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images
Editor's note: Since this story was published, ABC has announced it is reinstating host Jimmy Kimmel. He is scheduled to return on Tuesday.
In an effort to push back at media companies he says are stifling free speech, Gov. JB Pritzker has encouraged Chicago viewers to boycott select local stations, including "Chicago's Very Own" WGN-TV.
Why it matters: It's the first time a sitting Illinois governor has suggested boycotting Chicago media channels.
Zoom in: Pritzker thrust himself into the debate over free speech after ABC indefinitely suspended late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel for comments about slain podcaster Charlie Kirk.
What they're saying: "An attack on the First Amendment of this magnitude is a five-alarm fire and we should all be treating it as such," Pritzker said recently on MSNBC.
- In addition to boycotting the stations, Pritzker has suggested people write letters, write emails, post online, speak up, and protest.
Context: Nexstar Media and Sinclair Broadcasting had preemptively threatened to cut Kimmel broadcasts across their nationwide television station network, prompting ABC's decision.
State of play: In Chicago, ABC's affiliate is WLS-TV (channel 7), while Nexstar owns and operates WGN-TV and WGN Radio.
- In 2018, Nexstar purchased WGN and continues to call it "Chicago's Very Own," even though the media giant is headquartered in Texas.
- Sinclair Broadcasting also has Chicago ties. It has a partnership stake with the Cubs for its Marquee Network, which could also see backlash from sports fans.
Between the lines: While media boycotts aren't unprecedented, it's a little trickier in Chicago. Viewers have helped make shows like "WGN Morning News" and the ABC-7 10pm newscast the highest-viewed news programs in their respective time slots.
- Also, since both stations' local output is primarily news programming, the suggestion to boycott them could have ramifications on how the upcoming gubernatorial race is covered.
Flashback: This wouldn't be the first time a political boycott touched Chicago television. In the 1980s, the Rev. Jesse Jackson led a boycott over the lack of Black anchors at WBBM-TV (CBS-2).
- And ABC and WGN have seen political upheaval in the past. Former ABC 7 sports anchor Mark Giangreco was suspended in 2017 after anti-Trump social media posts.
- In 2019 and 2020, WGN Radio abruptly fired morning show host Steve Cochran and later dropped Roe Conn, both of whom were critical of the president's first term.
The other side: Nexstar and ABC declined to comment for this story.
The latest: Protest organizers are urging people to picket outside ABC affiliates around the country and to cancel their Disney+ streaming subscriptions.
The bottom line: While boycotts have worked in the past, it may be hard to get Chicagoans to change their habits with two of the biggest media brands in town.
Full disclosure: Justin Kaufmann worked for Nexstar Media at WGN Radio between 2018 and 2020.