Cortopassi Named Co-Anchor WGN Evening and Late News

Ray Cortopassi (Image credit: WGN)

WGN-TV, Nexstar Broadcasting’s station in Chicago, named Ray Cortopassi as co-anchor of its evening and late newscasts.

Cortopassi, who had been a morning anchor at Nexstar’s station in Indianapolis, will co anchor with Micah Materre, starting Sept. 28.

He replaces Joe Donlon, who will be an anchor of News Nation, the new national newscast Nexstar’s WGN America plans to launch on Sept.1 

“We’re excited to welcome Ray back home to Chicago,” said Dominick Stasi, WGN-TV news director. “Ray has a passion for this city and knows the stories that shape it. He is an accomplished and talented journalist and will be a great addition to our team.”

Cortopassi grew up in the Chicago suburbs watching WGN. He went to Chicago’s Columbia College and he started his career in Chicago as a reporter for City News Bureau.

“I am honored to join Micah and the WGN family,” Ray said. “It’s been my dream and our family’s wish to come back since leaving my hometown in the mid-1990s. I’m humbled and thrilled by the chance to work in the best newsroom in America and grateful to join a team of journalists who know the value of telling Chicago’s story.” 

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.