Mark Giangreco
Encyclopedia
Mark Giangreco is the sports director and lead sports anchor for WLS-TV
in Chicago
, Illinois
. Giangreco currently anchors the sports segment on ABC7 during the 5pm and 10pm newscasts.
, where he attended Canisius High School
and graduated in 1970. After graduating, he attended the University of Dayton
in Dayton
, Ohio
. In college, he began his broadcasting career on radio. He graduated in 1974. The university considers him to be an honorary alumnus.
His first news job was at a local NBC station in Dayton, Ohio. Giangreco was employed there for less than a year when in 1978, he moved to Louisville
, Kentucky
. After only four years in Louisville, he moved to Chicago to work for WMAQ-TV
. There he stayed from 1982 to 1994 when he joined ABC7
, also in Chicago. He has been with ABC7 ever since. In addition to anchoring the sports segments on the weekly newscasts, Giangreco hosts ABC7's New Years Eve special segment, "Countdown Chicago", along side Janet Davies
.
In 2004, Giangreco was suspended one week without pay for a joke on the city of Detroit, Michigan
after the Detroit Pistons
won the NBA championship. The joke consisted of a black-and-white
movie clip of a city burning and said it was a "typical night for Detroit." Immediately following the clip, Giangreco said he was just kidding. Many who were deeply offended said his actions were racist, but he is known for his sarcasm
and humor and some believe the joke was made in good jest.
political consultant who has worked on seven presidential campaigns, including the 2008 presidential campaign
for then-Senator Barack Obama
. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-0701140389jan14,0,4371173.story Mark Giangreco himself donated $1,500 to the Obama campaign. http://newsmeat.com/fec/bystate_detail.php?city=Chicago&st=IL&last=Giangreco&first=Mark
WLS-TV
WLS-TV, virtual channel 7, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company, located in Chicago, Illinois, USA. The station operates their full power digital operations on UHF channel 44, with their digital fill-in translator on VHF channel...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. Giangreco currently anchors the sports segment on ABC7 during the 5pm and 10pm newscasts.
Education and career
Giangreco was born in Buffalo, New YorkBuffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, where he attended Canisius High School
Canisius High School
Canisius High School is a Roman Catholic Jesuit private high school for young men. Canisius located at 1180 Delaware Avenue in Buffalo, New York, United States, just north of the Delaware Avenue Historic District. Founded in 1870, the school has historical ties to Canisius College...
and graduated in 1970. After graduating, he attended the University of Dayton
University of Dayton
The University of Dayton is a private Roman Catholic university operated by the Society of Mary located in Dayton, Ohio...
in Dayton
Dayton
Dayton is a city in Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, Ohio, United States.Dayton may also refer to:-United States:*Dayton, Alabama*Dayton, California, in Butte County*Dayton, Lassen County, California*Dayton, Idaho*Dayton, Indiana...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. In college, he began his broadcasting career on radio. He graduated in 1974. The university considers him to be an honorary alumnus.
His first news job was at a local NBC station in Dayton, Ohio. Giangreco was employed there for less than a year when in 1978, he moved to Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. After only four years in Louisville, he moved to Chicago to work for WMAQ-TV
WMAQ-TV
WMAQ-TV, channel 5, is an owned-and-operated television station of the NBC Television Network, located in Chicago, Illinois. WMAQ-TV's main studios and offices are located within the NBC Tower in the Streeterville neighborhood, with an auxiliary street-level studio on the Magnificent Mile at 401...
. There he stayed from 1982 to 1994 when he joined ABC7
WLS-TV
WLS-TV, virtual channel 7, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company, located in Chicago, Illinois, USA. The station operates their full power digital operations on UHF channel 44, with their digital fill-in translator on VHF channel...
, also in Chicago. He has been with ABC7 ever since. In addition to anchoring the sports segments on the weekly newscasts, Giangreco hosts ABC7's New Years Eve special segment, "Countdown Chicago", along side Janet Davies
Janet Davies
Janet Kathleen Davies was an English actress.Davies's father, a solicitor, died in his early thirties, and as a result she was sent to boarding school. She started training as a solicitor but left and qualified as a shorthand typist instead...
.
Awards and suspension
Giangreco has won three Emmy's. He has also been honored with the prestigious Iris Award from the National Association of Television Program Executives. He has won two Peter Lisagor Awards and two Associated Press Awards for "Best Sportscast." In 1996, the Chicago Father's Day Council named Giangreco "Father of the Year," and in 1995, he won the Dante Award from the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans and the Justinian Society of Italian Lawyers Award for journalism. Giangreco was also honored in 1982 with the Louisville Journalism Award for his excellence in sports reporting.In 2004, Giangreco was suspended one week without pay for a joke on the city of Detroit, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
after the Detroit Pistons
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
won the NBA championship. The joke consisted of a black-and-white
Black-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
movie clip of a city burning and said it was a "typical night for Detroit." Immediately following the clip, Giangreco said he was just kidding. Many who were deeply offended said his actions were racist, but he is known for his sarcasm
Sarcasm
Sarcasm is “a sharp, bitter, or cutting expression or remark; a bitter jibe or taunt.” Though irony and understatement is usually the immediate context, most authorities distinguish sarcasm from irony; however, others argue that sarcasm may or often does involve irony or employs...
and humor and some believe the joke was made in good jest.
Family
Giangreco’s brother, Pete Giangreco, is a Democratic PartyDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
political consultant who has worked on seven presidential campaigns, including the 2008 presidential campaign
United States presidential election, 2008
The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
for then-Senator Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-0701140389jan14,0,4371173.story Mark Giangreco himself donated $1,500 to the Obama campaign. http://newsmeat.com/fec/bystate_detail.php?city=Chicago&st=IL&last=Giangreco&first=Mark