CBS 2 still stonewalling on Savini

Dave Savini (Naperville police photo)

Dave Savini (Naperville police photo)

It’s been more than a week since longtime Chicago investigative reporter Dave Savini was arrested and charged with driving under the influence, battery, child endangerment and leaving the scene of an accident in west suburban Naperville.

But CBS-owned WBBM-Channel 2, where Savini, 47, has been a prominent figure since 2004, hasn’t said a word about it on any of its newscasts or on its website. Nor has the station issued any statement since court documents showed Savini’s blood-alcohol level registered 0.134 after he failed field tests and admitting consuming alcohol in the early hours of Jan 4.

Marty Wilke

Marty Wilke

Over the weekend I reached out to Marty Wilke, president and general manager of CBS 2, to ask her to comment on the matter and to clarify Savini’s employment status while he awaits a Jan. 21 court date. I told her I believed the matter was serious enough to deserve a response from her personally. I’d always admired Wilke’s openness when she was general manager of Tribune Broadcasting WGN-Channel 9 before she joined CBS 2 in 2012 and totally clammed up.

I never heard back from her.

Instead I received the following email message from a spokeswoman for CBS 2: “At this time, we have declined all requests for comment and are referring all press inquiries to Dave's attorney.” (Never mind that when the Chicago Tribune called Savini’s attorney, Terry Ekl, he refused to comment.)

It strikes me as the height of hypocrisy for a station that demands answers from everyone else not to respond to legitimate inquiries about one of its own employees.

Remember that the next time you see Savini, in all his self-righteous arrogance, chasing after some unwitting target who doesn’t want to talk to him. Or the next time CBS 2 makes a big deal about a minor celebrity who gets in trouble.

“Original Reporting” my ass.