Joan Esposito says: "Show Me The Money!"
UNCHARTED1
BY ROBERT FEDER SUN-TIMES TELEVISION/RADIO COLUMNIST
Faced with the prospect of a drastic pay cut, Joan Esposito is calling
it quits after 10 years as a top news anchor at WMAQ-Channel 5.
The NBC-owned station is expected to announce today that Friday will be
Esposito's last day on the air as anchor of the 4:30 p.m. and 6 p.m.
weekday newscasts. In recent years, she has doubled as Channel 5's
medical reporter.
The surprising move suddenly puts one of Chicago television's most
popular and glamorous news stars on the market.
Insiders said contract negotiations collapsed Friday over Channel 5's
demand that Esposito accept a salary reduction of more than 50 percent.
Her current contract, which expires next week, reportedly exceeds
$500,000 a year.
A proposed pay cut of similar proportions prompted weatherman Andy
Avalos to leave Channel 5 last December.
Despite the station's recovery from the Jerry Springer commentary fiasco
(which led to the resignations of news anchors Carol Marin and Ron
Magers) and a recent upturn in the ratings, Channel 5 remains under
intense pressure from NBC to reduce costs and increase profits.
Esposito and her agent, Richard Leibner, could not be reached for
comment Sunday. Larry Wert, president and general manager of Channel 5,
declined repeated requests to discuss Esposito's contract status.
No word on who will succeed Esposito alongside co-anchor Mark Suppelsa
at 4:30 p.m. and co-anchor Warner Saunders at 6 p.m.
Esposito, 45, has been a familiar figure on the local television news
scene since 1981, when she joined WGN-Channel 9. She jumped to
WLS-Channel 7 the same year.
In 1989, she was lured to Channel 5 under a four-year, $2.5 million deal
that made her then Chicago's highest paid female news anchor.
Esposito made headlines in 1993 when she sued CBS-owned WBBM-FM (96.3)
and morning host Joe Bohannon for airing false rumors about the
paternity of her son. CBS settled the case for $1 million and a public
apology.
Michael
"You'll never be a writer Mr. Sherman, no matter how hard you try
to pretend, because, God dammit, the sun does not spit!"
Doris: The Owl And The Pussycat
Greg Whitman
>April 19, 1999
>
>BY ROBERT FEDER SUN-TIMES TELEVISION/RADIO COLUMNIST
>
>Faced with the prospect of a drastic pay cut, Joan Esposito is calling
>it quits after 10 years as a top news anchor at WMAQ-Channel 5.
I heard she wanted to devote herself full time to promoting "Mr Smughead --
it's a TOY, not a DOLL, dumbass!@!!!"
--
"I scowl at your runny eggs!" --m00shie
pete in chicago
> On 19 Apr 1999 13:17:34 GMT, uncha...@aol.com (UNCHARTED1) wrote:
>
> >April 19, 1999
> >
> >BY ROBERT FEDER SUN-TIMES TELEVISION/RADIO COLUMNIST
> >
> >Faced with the prospect of a drastic pay cut, Joan Esposito is calling
> >it quits after 10 years as a top news anchor at WMAQ-Channel 5.
>
> >The surprising move suddenly puts one of Chicago television's most
> >popular and glamorous news stars on the market.
> >
> >Esposito, 45, has been a familiar figure on the local television news
> >scene since 1981, when she joined WGN-Channel 9. She jumped to
> >WLS-Channel 7 the same year.
>
> [I failed to follow the Joan Esposito thread of a week or so ago, so if
> some of this was said before, I apologize.]
>
> I can shed no tears...<edit>
well - Joan's my cousin and i love her...
there are several inaccuracies relevant to the above-referenced story...she
is under contract so the pay-cut innuendo is bullshit and her contract is
being bought out - not expiring...beyond that all i can say is her salary is
much more than 500K - and it's really nobody's business - much less mine or
yours (referring to the oringinal poster)
maybe she'll co-anchor chi.* - i'm getting too old for this bullshit
--
who won the triple crown in 1948? [the horse & jockey]
tjmc
>April 19, 1999
>
>BY ROBERT FEDER SUN-TIMES TELEVISION/RADIO COLUMNIST
>
>Faced with the prospect of a drastic pay cut, Joan Esposito is calling
>it quits after 10 years as a top news anchor at WMAQ-Channel 5.
>The surprising move suddenly puts one of Chicago television's most
>popular and glamorous news stars on the market.
>
>Esposito, 45, has been a familiar figure on the local television news
>scene since 1981, when she joined WGN-Channel 9. She jumped to
>WLS-Channel 7 the same year.
[I failed to follow the Joan Esposito thread of a week or so ago, so if
some of this was said before, I apologize.]
I can shed no tears.
I don't mean for this to be a slap at Joan, I really have no feelings
for her one way or another. But when these TV anchor women are hired
there are primarily two qualifications. One, they be able to read news
well and naturally (normally off a teleprompter) in front of a camera.
The other is they appear good looking and, if possible, sexually
appealing.
The first skill normally improves with time and age. The second is
exactly the opposite. And as their looks degrade they become less and
less marketable. While it was never stated outright during the Springer
fiasco, I always believed Channel 5 felt it could stand up to Carol
Marin because they saw her time coming quickly anyway.
If these women believed they were originally hired for any other reason,
such as their superb journalistic skills, they were kidding only
themselves. As their career paths ran roughshod over the old guard they
were replacing so is that now happening to them. As Royko so aptly
described them--they are media creatures.
I also have this nagging feeling the reason we don't see Monica Lewinski
anchoring somewhere is because she decided to intern at the White House
rather than NBC, CNN or elsewhere.
Dan Hartung
>it's a TOY, not a DOLL, dumbass!@!!!"
Good gravy. The group has gotten this bad?
*plonk*
--
Dan Hartung | "I believe we can fly
dhartung (at) wwa (dot) com | on the wings that we create"
http://www.wwa.com/~dhartung/ | -- M. E.
Greg Whitman
>>I heard she wanted to devote herself full time to promoting "Mr Smughead --
>>it's a TOY, not a DOLL, dumbass!@!!!"
>
>Good gravy. The group has gotten this bad?
>*plonk*
i think i'll shoot the moon...
Tushar Samant
>well - Joan's my cousin and i love her...
...woah...pete's cousin is Joan Esposito...this means like i am
almost on tv...cool...i am going to score...huh huh huhuhuh....
>maybe she'll co-anchor chi.* - i'm getting too old for this bullshit
...another quintuple gold star idea from pete...with which i
agree 100%...no dont thank me...i said what had to be said...
duty calls...fact is we need to usher in some fuckin class to
these sad ass forii...hard to accept...but about fuckin time
someone said it...send out the invitation pete...
-- Schlemiels who prate in this newsgroup are not respected
on any account.
pete in chicago
> jo...@xnet.com writes:
> >well - Joan's my cousin and i love her...
>
> ...woah...pete's cousin is Joan Esposito...this means like i am
> almost on tv...cool...i am going to score...huh huh huhuhuh....
>
> >maybe she'll co-anchor chi.* - i'm getting too old for this bullshit
you wise little shit...i oughta' come down there and whoop all of your
young asses - but first...i'm gonna finish this Big Fish Sandwich
--
Burger King had to change the name of the "Whaler" to the "Big
Fish"...that's because no one knew what the fuck a "Whaler"
was...[generation x]
Tushar Samant
>Burger King had to change the name of the "Whaler" to the "Big
>Fish"...that's because no one knew what the fuck a "Whaler"
>was...[generation x]
Whatever "whaler" means...it sure the fuck doesn't mean big fish...
pete in chicago
> jo...@xnet.com writes:
> >Burger King had to change the name of the "Whaler" to the "Big
> >Fish"...that's because no one knew what the fuck a "Whaler"
> >was...[generation x]
>
> Whatever "whaler" means...it sure the fuck doesn't mean big fish...
my point exactly
--
this is a black-tie newsgroup
Tushar Samant
>Tushar Samant wrote:
>> jo...@xnet.com writes:
>
>> >Burger King had to change the name of the "Whaler" to the "Big
>> >Fish"...that's because no one knew what the fuck a "Whaler"
>> >was...[generation x]
>>
>> Whatever "whaler" means...it sure the fuck doesn't mean big fish...
>
>my point exactly
Did I end up making a proBoomerScum statement? Now I'm WHALER pissed...
Dan Hartung
wrote:
>Burger King had to change the name of the "Whaler" to the "Big
>Fish"...that's because no one knew what the fuck a "Whaler"
>was...[generation x]
Actually, it had more to do with certain whale species being
endangered and the possible perception that a 'Whaler' contained
actual whale. (Funny, I always thought they made them from Yankee
fishermen, but that's just me.)
Just kidding, but it was about the idea that it was no longer
considered PC to be a whaler, the US having signed a treaty and all.