ABC 7 Reporter Charles Thomas Named Political Reporter for Chicago's Top News Station; ABC 7 Political Reporter Andy Shaw to Retire at End of January

ABC 7 Reporter Charles Thomas Named Political Reporter for Chicago's Top News Station; ABC 7 Political Reporter Andy Shaw to Retire at End of January

CHICAGO, Dec. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Charles Thomas, ABC 7's general assignment reporter, has been named to the position of Political Reporter for the top news station in Chicago, after veteran Political Reporter Andy Shaw retires at the end of January, 2009, it was announced today by Jennifer Graves, Vice President and New Director, ABC 7 Chicago.

According to Graves, "Charles Thomas has covered it all during his 17 years at ABC 7 -- from breaking election night stories to accompanying then Senator Barack Obama to Africa. He has a keen knowledge for the ins and outs of Chicago politics, understands the city and how it works and is the perfect choice for this key role in our newsroom."

Thomas joined ABC 7 News in 1991 as a general assignment reporter after working for several years as a Midwest Correspondent for ABC News in the Chicago and St. Louis bureaus. He also worked at KGO-TV in San Francisco and WCAU-TV in Philadelphia. Thomas has traveled to all 50 states and to five continents during his journalism career, always bringing a Chicago perspective to the stories he covers. He has worked as a professional journalist since 1973, shortly after his graduation from the University of Missouri's School of Journalism.

Shaw has been an important fixture in Chicago's broadcast journalism community for more than three decades. He has been covering city, county, suburban, state and national politics for ABC 7 since 1983. His experience covering political campaigns, elections and conventions has given him an in- depth knowledge of all things political. Prior to joining ABC 7, he was an education reporter and editorial director at NBC 5 in Chicago from 1976-1982. Before working in television, Shaw had been the education editor at the Chicago Sun-Times. Shaw has won many awards for his work including a prestigious Chicago Journalist of the Year Award in 2007 from the Chicago Journalists Association. Shaw was born in Chicago and grew up in Evanston, Illinois.

"When Andy Shaw came to ABC 7 in 1983 he pursued the political beat with unparalleled passion, intelligence and commitment. Twenty-five years later, those same qualities are still in place and have made him one of the best, most respected political reporters in the city. We thank Andy for the award winning body of work that is his legacy," Graves said.

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Source: ABC 7

CONTACT: Jayme Nicholas of ABC 7, +1-312-750-7254

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