"Rockin' Eve" names Chance the Rapper as its Chicago host
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Chance the Rapper will ring in the new year on TV stations across the country. Photo: Erika Goldring/WireImage
ABC 7 is partnering with "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" to have the famous countdown show include Chicago in its celebrations for the first time in 50 years.
The big picture: The move is being heralded as an opportunity for Chicago to take center stage on a national level, featuring live performances, guest appearances, and a live countdown broadcast.
The latest: The production has tapped Chicago hip hop star Chance the Rapper as its host.
Between the lines: The move leaves the city without a locally produced New Year's Eve countdown show for the first time in modern history.
- Last year, NBC Chicago didn't renew its countdown show, leaving ABC 7 as the last station to have one.
- ABC 7's "Countdown Chicago," starring its own talent, Cheryl Scott and Terrell Brown, featured parties across town, a buzzy, viral dance number and a countdown to midnight.
Flashback: Before Scott and Brown, the show was hosted by Janet Davies and Mark Giangreco, who ushered in a golden age of live countdown shows that excited audiences with unpredictable and chaotic live segments.
- Davies and Giangreco were replaced in 2021.
What they're saying: "How exciting for the city to have this national exposure," Davies tells Axios. "How sad that viewers will no longer have their own local show, which for decades brought Chicagoland together to celebrate in a fun communal way."
The other side: "We could not be more excited to welcome in the new year with fireworks, music, and Chicago pride," Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a press release.
- "Partnering with Dick Clark Productions brings national attention to our city," Choose Chicago President and CEO Kristen Reynolds said in a release.
What's next: An ABC 7 spokesperson promises that "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2026" will have cutaway segments to local talent, and yes, the opening dance number will remain.
The bottom line: While the city and ABC 7's parent company laud this as a huge win for Chicago, it's hard not to recognize the end of an era in a town known for its broadcast history.