Bios
John Idler is the general manager of WLS-TV, overseeing Chicago’s top-rated station in the nation’s third-largest television market. Under his leadership, ABC7 has extended its more than 40-year dominance in local news ratings while building Chicago’s largest streaming audience and ranking among the nation’s leading local streamers. Idler also oversees additional businesses, including the Localish Network on 7.2 and abc7chicago.com, as well as its streaming, mobile and other new media businesses.
Before leading ABC7, Idler served as general manager of ABC11/WTVD-TV in Raleigh-Durham.
He has held local TV management posts in Chicago and Raleigh-Durham since joining the ABC Owned Television Stations as a WLS-TV sales account executive in 1998. He moved to WTVD-TV as a sales manager in 2000 and subsequently returned to WLS-TV as a sales manager in 2002. Idler was named WLS-TV vice president and general sales manager in 2004 before his promotion to president and general manager at WTVD-TV in 2007.
Idler began his broadcast career in Chicago in 1991. He has been active in various industry associations and community groups. Idler is the immediate past chairman of the board of directors of the Illinois Broadcasters Association. In that role, he initiated the ILLINOIS BROADCASTERS UNITING AGAINST HUNGER campaign, which raised more than $1.5 million for Illinois food banks during the COVID-19 crisis.
He has co-chaired the American Cancer Society’s Real Men Wear Pink of Greater Chicagoland campaign to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer research. Idler also serves on the boards of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, USO of Illinois, 100 Club of Chicago, Greater Chicago Food Depository and the Executive Club of Chicago. He received a mayoral appointment to serve on the State Street Commission. Additionally, he is active with the American Red Cross and spearheaded a partnership that has resulted in the collection of more than 1,800 units of blood, making it the largest single-day Red Cross Blood drive in the country.
Idler earned his Bachelor of Science degree in history from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and his Master of Business Administration from the University of New Haven. He and his wife have two children.