Ji Suk Yi (Photo: ABC 7)
Ji Suk Yi, who signed off earlier this month as a contributor to “Windy City Live,” has been hired as a feature reporter for the Sun-Times.
Starting today she will create local content for the Sun-Times, including its online entertainment platform and WeekendPlus entertainment section on Fridays, according to an announcement by Carol Fowler, senior vice president of digital news products. “Ji is quick on her feet and versatile,” Fowler wrote in an email to staff Sunday.
Until her position was eliminated in a cost-saving move at ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7, Yi had had a prominent role on "Windy City Live" since the talk and entertainment show began in 2011. She first joined ABC 7 as a newsroom desk assistant in 2006.
Sun-Times
Her sudden departure prompted an outpouring of complaints from viewers, including more than 200 comments on this blog and more than twice as many responses on my Facebook page.
Yi, who emigrated from South Korea as a child and grew up in rural North Carolina, attended Salem College in Winston-Salem, and earned a law degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
At the Sun-Times, Fowler said, Yi's first assignment will be hosting a new video series reporting on Chicago's neighborhoods. She also will cover the opening this week of "Pretty Woman: The Musical" at the Oriental Theatre.
Here is the text of Fowler’s email to staff:
Everyone -
Please welcome to our staff Ji Suk Yi as a feature reporter. She will report, write and/or record local content for all of our products - especially digital entertainment and WeekendPlus.
You may recognize Ji from Windy City Live on ABC7 where (since 2011) she has reported extensively on Chicago's neighborhoods and food/culture scene. Ji is quick on her feet and versatile.
Born in South Korea, she immigrated to the U.S. when she was four years old. Ji’s childhood, growing up in rural North Carolina, eating southern soul food alongside kimchi, was only the beginning of many adventures in cultural fusion that have contributed to her unique perspective.
Ji attended Salem College (Winston-Salem, NC) and received her law degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After receiving her J.D. she discovered her heart was in journalism and decided Chicago was the best city in the country to learn about news. She’s proud to call Chicago home for almost 12 years.
Ji starts Monday and will report to Jennifer Schulze. Her first assignment is 'The Grid,' our new video series devoted to showcasing Chicago's neighborhoods. She joined the team on location a couple of weeks ago to produce our first story on Andersonville. This week, she’ll cover opening night of ‘Pretty Woman’ under direction of Miriam.
Please give Ji a warm hello when you see her this week.
Friday’s comment of the day: Michael Buckley: Congratulations, WGN-TV. Taking the politics out of it – remember the slant of Colonel McCormick – Channel 9 is a Chicago treasure. I remember once at Columbia in a conversation with TV folk that WGN could program all day long with just 4 talents – Jack Brickhouse, Bob Bell, Wally Phillips and Ray Rayner. Now with their morning show talent and the legendary Tom Skilling, then they can still do it today.