The Rundown

Lou Canellis has been hired by NBC 5 Chicago (WMAQ-TV) as its main sports anchor.

The announcement was made by Sally Ramirez, Senior Vice President of News, NBC 5 Chicago / Telemundo Chicago.

The move comes shortly after the NBC opened station let sports anchor Mike Berman go after nine years.

Canellis will anchor NBC 5 News sports segments Monday-Thursday at 5, 6 and 10pm, along with Sundays at 5 and 10pm, In addition, Canellis will host NBC 5 Chicago’s weekly sports highlights and features stories program, Sports Sunday, at 10:30pm.

“Lou has established himself as one of the most respected and beloved voices in Chicago sports media history,” said Ramirez. “His knowledge, passion, and enthusiasm are second to none, and we couldn’t be happier to have him join our team of all‑stars at NBC 5.”

Canellis joins the station’s primary NBC 5 News team featuring anchors Allison Rosati,Stefan Holt and chief meteorologist Brant Miller.

“As a Chicago kid who grew up in Oak Lawn, I told my dad my dream was to be a household name in my hometown — to be the next Mark Giangreco, Tim Weigel, or Johnny Morris,” said Canellis. “Joining the NBC 5 Chicago team is simply a dream come true for me. The chance to work with Chicago TV legends such as Allison Rosati, Stefan Holt, Brant Miller and Chuck Goudie, local news leaders like (President & GM) Kevin Cross and Sally Ramirez, and so many others is like joining the best All-Star team in any sport. I can’t wait to bring my loyalty to our local teams and my passion for the work I love to NBC 5 Chicago.”

In addition to his primary sports anchor responsibilities, Canellis and Rosati will co-anchor NBC 5 Chicago’s half-hour, primetime lead-in Olympics highlights and features program, Olympic Zone, throughout the upcoming 2026 Milan Cortina Olympic Winter Games. The show will air Monday-Saturday at 6:30 PM beginning Sat, Feb. 7. 

Canellis, one of Chicago’s most popular local media personalities throughout his 40-plus-year career, most recently spent the past 16 years as primary sports anchor at FOX 32 Chicago (WFLD-TV). Canellis also hosted the station’s nightly sports program, Chicago Sports Tonight, along with its Chicago Bears game day coverage.

Canellis also spent seven years as a sports talk host at WMVP AM 1000 (1996–2003) and eight years (2000-2008) as an entertainment reporter on ABC 7 Chicago’s (WLS-TV) 190 North. He additionally handled college basketball play‑by‑play for ESPN for 13 seasons (1998-2011) and anchored Summer Olympics programming for Westwood One (Atlanta 1996) and ABC Radio (Sydney 2000).