Cindy Patrasso

Cindy Patrasso, the longtime Chicago television executive who co-created “Windy City Live,” has resigned after almost five years as supervising producer of the talk-and-entertainment show on ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7.

"Cindy Patrasso contributed greatly to the success of ‘Windy City Live,’” an ABC 7 spokeswoman said in a statement Tuesday. “We thank her for her efforts and wish her nothing but the best.” Patrasso declined to comment on her departure.

Together with founding executive producer Marlaine Selip, Patrasso devised the format and launched “Windy City Live” in 2011 as the local replacement for “The Oprah Winfrey Show” at 9 a.m. weekdays. Hosted by Val Warner and Ryan Chiaverini before a studio audience, the hourlong program now airs at 11 a.m. weekdays (with a rebroadcast at midnight).

When Selip stepped down from the show in April, Patrasso took over as interim executive producer. ABC 7 bosses identified Patrasso as a strong candidate for the job permanently, but subsequently passed her over in favor of line producer Matt Knutson. “She felt it was just time to move on to her next chapter,” a colleague said.

A 40-year industry veteran, Patrasso was president of Orbis Broadcast Group, and vice president and executive producer of Intersport Television and Dillon Smith Communications. She also was a supervising producer of NBC/Universal's “In the Loop with iVillage” and creative marketing director of “Donahue,” the syndicated talk show hosted by Phil Donahue.

Earlier in her career, she was promotion manager at Tribune Media WGN-Channel 9 and promotion coordinator at Fox-owned WFLD-Channel 32.