ABC 7 Chicago Names Doug Whitmire and Nneka Nwosu Faison to Assistant News Director Positions, ABC 7 Eyewitness News

News veterans Doug Whitmire and Nneka Nwosu Faison will serve in the positions of assistant news director for ABC 7 Eyewitness News, it was announced today by Jennifer Graves, vice president of News, ABC 7 Chicago.

In their new assistant news director roles, Whitmire will oversee news gathering, day-of newscasts and operations. Faison will oversee digital, including ABC 7’s new streaming newscasts, specials and storytelling.

ABC 7 President and General Manager John Idler said, “The collaboration of two outstanding individuals sharing insight and experience will extend ABC 7’s legacy of excellence and continue to set the standard for great journalism in Chicago.”

According to Graves, “I’m thrilled to welcome Doug and Nneka to these critical news management positions. The combination of their leadership skills, news acumen, dedication to storytelling and commitment to the community make them the perfect choices to help lead Eyewitness News.”

Emmy® Award-winning producer Doug Whitmire has been an essential part of the ABC 7 Eyewitness News team for 18 years, joining the station in 2003. Since then he has risen through the ranks, serving each role with distinction, from news writer/producer and executive producer/morning news to his current position as executive producer of the 10 p.m. newscast. Under his leadership, ABC 7 Eyewitness News at 10 p.m. has been honored with four regional Emmy Awards for Best Newscast in the past five years.

During his tenure as executive producer, Whitmire has been at the helm of the station’s election night coverage, Chicago Cubs World Series Championship coverage and coverage of multiple tornado outbreaks that included open-ended coverage of breaking weather.

Whitmire started his career in broadcasting as a radio anchor/host and moved to television as a reporter/producer at WTVG-TV in Toledo, Ohio. He is a graduate of Bowling Green State University.

Nneka Nwosu Faison, a Harvard University Nieman Foundation for Journalism Fellow and Emmy Award-winning producer, joins ABC 7 from WCVB-TV in Boston. In her role as executive producer at WCVB-TV, Faison led the award-winning newsmagazine program “Chronicle” to double-digit growth in key demographics. During the pandemic, she also created several interactive show franchises including “History Quiz,” “Cooking at Home,” and “Viewer’s Choice.” She joined WCVB-TV in 2013 as a producer for “Chronicle” and was promoted to managing editor before taking over leadership of the show as executive producer.

Prior to WCVB-TV, Faison was a reporter/multimedia journalist for WTNH-TV in New Haven, Connecticut.

She has also taught a course called Video Storytelling for Social Media as an adjunct professor at Harvard University Extension School.

Faison was recently named one of Boston’s Most Influential Women in 2021 and was chosen as a “40 under 40” business leader in the Boston Business Journal. She graduated from Princeton University and received a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism in New York City.

Whitmire will begin his assistant news director duties on Dec. 27, and Faison will begin her new role at ABC 7 on Jan. 24 after relocating from Boston.

About ABC7/WLS-TV Chicago
ABC7/WLS-TV Chicago is the No. 1 local news source and most-watched television station in Chicago. With top-rated daily newscasts spanning decades and the largest social media presence in the market with more than 2.6 million Facebook followers, ABC7 Eyewitness News provides breaking news, investigative reporting, weather, politics, traffic and sports in the multiplatform space to Chicago, the suburbs and northwest Indiana. Named Best News Operation by the Associated Press for four consecutive years, ABC 7 Eyewitness News produces “Chicago Proud,” a series of features that spotlights everyday heroes in and around Chicago. The station also produces the highest-rated New Year’s Eve special in Chicago, holiday kickoff special “The Magnificent Mile Lights Festival,” syndicated to a national audience, as well as the award-winning program series “Our Chicago,” which showcases the city’s diversity and highlights contributions in the Black, Hispanic, Asian, LGBTQ+ communities, among others. Every Friday, Windy City Weekend, entertains while giving Chicagoans everything they need to know about what’s happening in the city. ABC 7 is the only Chicago station producing and broadcasting parades representing Chicago’s rich cultural history. In addition to producing town halls focused on current social issues, the station has a long and proud tradition of broadcasting political candidate debates keeping Chicago’s electorate informed. ABC7’s outreach efforts include annual partnerships with the Red Cross for life-saving blood drives, one of the biggest one-day drives in the country and, most recently, spearheading an effort to raise more than $1.5 million for area food pantries.

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Media Contacts:
Jayme Nicholas
(312) 750-7254
jayme.a.nicholas@abc.com

Elita Fielder Adjei
Director, Communications & Publicity, ABC Owned Television Stations
(424) 247-3517
elita.adjei@disney.com