Ron Magers
{{short description|American former news anchor (born 1944)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Ron Magers
| image= ABC7StateStreet.JPG
| caption = Magers (left) and Cheryl Burton (right) broadcasting the ABC 7 Chicago's 5 p.m. weekday news, circa 2011.
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1944|08|27}}
| birth_place = San Bernardino, California, U.S.
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| education =
| occupation = News Anchor – ABC 7 Chicago (1998–2016)
WMAQ-TV (1981–1998)
| alias =
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| children =
| relatives = Paul Magers
| nationality = American
| years_active= 1965–2016
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}}
Ron Magers (born August 27, 1944) is a former American news anchor. Magers worked for WLS-TV, the ABC owned-and-operated station in Chicago, Illinois, where he co-anchored the top-rated 5:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. broadcasts with Cheryl Burton and Kathy Brock, respectively. Magers is the brother of Paul Magers, a former television anchor and reporter for KCBS-TV, the CBS owned-and-operated station in Los Angeles.
Early life and career
Born in San Bernardino, California,{{Cite web |date=2016-04-14 |title=Channel 7 anchor Ron Magers retiring in May |url=https://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20160414/NEWS07/160419877/chicago-abc-channel-7-anchor-ron-magers-retiring-in-may |access-date=2025-03-24 |website=Crain's Chicago Business |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Feder |first=Robert |date=April 14, 2016 |title=It’s official: Anchorman Ron Magers to retire from ABC 7 {{!}} Robert Feder |url=https://robertfeder.dailyherald.com/2016/04/14/its-official-ron-magers-to-retire-from-abc-7/ |access-date=2025-03-24 |website=robertfeder.dailyherald.com}} Magers grew up in Cordova, Alaska and Ellensburg, Washington. Magers gained early broadcasting experience as a high school student in Toppenish, Washington, when he began to host radio shows as a part-time job. He began his professional career in television in 1965, when he joined KEZI-TV in Eugene, Oregon as a reporter and news contributor. He later produced and anchored the 11 p.m. newscast at KGW-TV in Portland, Ore. (1967–68). From 1968-74, Magers worked as a reporter and anchor at KPIX-TV in San Francisco, Calif. In 1971, he hosted a weekly Group W 30-minute nationally{{cite web|url=http://www.newspapers.com/newspage/74400346/|title=Daily Independent Journal from San Rafael, California on October 30, 1971 · Page 39|website=Newspapers.com|date=30 October 1971 }} syndicated program, titled, "Ron Magers Electric Impressions".{{cite web|url=https://abc7chicago.com/1350962/|title=A look at ABC7 Ron Magers' early, wacky years in TV|first=Paul|last=Meincke|date=May 23, 2016|website=ABC7 Chicago}}https://thesanfranciscosound.blogspot.com/2010/02/quicksilver-messenger-service_7244.html October 4–5, 1970: Winterland, Post Street At Steiner Street, San Francisco, CA. QUICKSILVER MESSENGER SERVICE with The Grateful Dead, New Riders Of The Purple Sage, Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna "San Francisco Sound Meeting - Three Bands for Three Dollars" Both shows were broadcast on October 20, 1970 (and rebroadcast on December 2, 1970) by KQED-TV San Francisco with a quadraphonic simulcast by KQED-FM San Francisco and KSAN-FM San Francisco.*http://jpllweb.sfsu.edu/about/collections/sfbatv/moreinfo.php?vid=65242 {{dead link|date=May 2020}}
- https://diva.sfsu.edu/collections/sfbatv/bundles/239295
- https://diva.sfsu.edu/collections/sfbatv/bundles/239245
- https://www.nytimes.com/1971/09/12/archives/will-it-pay-to-be-different-will-it-pay-off-to-be-just-a-little.html
- https://books.google.com/books?id=vwgEAAAAMBAJ&dq=Ron+Magers+Electric+Impressions&pg=PA22
- http://www.fivecentsplease.org/dpb/VinceGuaralditimeline.html
- https://abc7chicago.com/ron-magers-electric-impressions-retirement-barry-tompkins/1351790/
- https://web.archive.org/web/20120820012425/https://www.fivecentsplease.org/dpb/VinceGuaralditimeline.html
{{cite web|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/70s/1971/Billboard%201971-08-21.pdf |title=Ratings |publisher=americanradiohistory.com |date= |accessdate=2020-05-08}}{{cite web|url=http://americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1975/1975-12-08-BC.pdf |title=Ratings |publisher=americanradiohistory.com |date= |accessdate=2020-05-08}}
Minneapolis – Saint Paul
After moving to Minnesota, Magers was hired as the principal anchor for KSTP-TV, the ABC (formerly NBC) affiliate in Minneapolis – Saint Paul from 1974 to 1981.{{cite web |url=http://www.twincities.com/ci_8478662?nclick_check=1 |title=Remember Ron Magers? Jim Guy? Here are more updates on folks from local newscasts |author=Amy Carlson Gustafson |publisher=TwinCities.com |date=March 10, 2008 |accessdate=January 3, 2011}}
Chicago
From 1981 to 1997, Magers co-anchored the 5, 6, and 10 p.m. newscasts of WMAQ-TV. Magers and then co-anchor Carol Marin made national headlines in early May 1997 when they left Channel 5. The decision to leave was in protest of the station's hiring of Jerry Springer as commentator for the 10:00 p.m. newscasts.{{cite web |url=http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/era.html |title=The End of an Era at WMAQ-TV...
|author=Rich Samuels |accessdate=January 3, 2011}} WMAQ management allowed both anchors an early release from their contracts.{{cite web |url=http://www.wolverton-mountain.com/interviews/people/magers.htm |title=Interview with Ron Magers |accessdate=January 3, 2011}} Both thought that the addition of Springer would have given the broadcast an unnecessary tabloid feel. Springer only made two commentaries before he too left his position as contributor.
Magers joined WLS in 1998 as a 5:00 p.m. anchor alongside Diann Burns. He became co-anchor of the 10:00 p.m. newscasts in 2002, after the retirement of long-time anchor John Drury. Magers has appeared in a feature segment and was a commentator on The Roe Conn Show on WLS (AM) since 1997, with a gap of several months in 2009/10 because of the bankruptcy of WLS's parent company.{{cite web |url=http://www.wbez.org/feder/2009/12/woe-is-roe-no-room-for-ron-magers-at-wls-radio/10661 |title=Woe is Roe: No room for Ron Magers at WLS Radio |author=Robert Feder |author-link=Robert Feder |publisher=WBEZ |date=December 21, 2009 |accessdate =January 3, 2011}} He was rehired following the station's sale.{{cite web |url=http://www.wbez.org/feder/2010/02/back-to-you-ron-wls-radio-restores-magers/14413 |title=Back to you, Ron: WLS Radio restores Magers' role |author=Robert Feder |publisher=WBEZ |date=February 8, 2010 |accessdate=January 3, 2011 }}{{dead link|date=April 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} On May 25, 2016 Magers retired from ABC with a final late evening newscast with tributes from staff and colleagues. ABC7 anchor Alan Krashesky succeeded Magers at 5:00 p.m. alongside Cheryl Burton and alongside Kathy Brock at 6:00 and 10:00 p.m.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8hevc8lkws |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/h8hevc8lkws |archive-date=2021-12-22 |url-status=live|title=#ThanksRon - Ron Magers' Final 10pm Newscast (WLS) |publisher=YouTube |date=2016-05-26 |accessdate=2020-05-08}}{{cbignore}}{{cite web|last1=Feder|first1=Robert|title=It's official: Anchorman Ron Magers to retire from ABC 7|url=http://www.robertfeder.com/2016/04/14/its-official-ron-magers-to-retire-from-abc-7/|website=Robert Feder}}
Awards
Magers has won numerous awards including six Chicago Emmy Awards, a Peter Lisagor Award and a National Press Club citation. In addition, he has won an Associated Press award, an Illinois Broadcasters Association award, the Ohio State Award, and an Ethics Award from the Society of Professional Journalists.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20060214051301/http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=bios&id=3397294 Bio at abc7chicago.com] at wayback.archive.org/web
- http://abc7chicago.com/tag/ron-magers/
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Category:American television journalists
Category:Television anchors from Chicago
Category:Television anchors from San Francisco
Category:American male journalists
Category:Television anchors from Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Minnesota
Category:People from San Bernardino, California