Jim Rose, sports director at WLS Chicago, announced his retirement, and will anchor his final sportscast September 15. Rose appears on the 5, 6 and 10 p.m. weekday newscasts at WLS, known as ABC7. He joined the station in 1982.
"The excellence Jim has shown as a reporter in the locker room and behind the anchor desk has been invaluable to us as a station,” WLS president and general manager John Idler said. “But even more important, Jim has served as a role model for countless young men in our community. Thank you, J.R., for these four remarkable decades.”
During his time at WLS, Rose has covered six Chicago Bulls championships, three Blackhawks Stanley Cups, a Bears Super Bowl win and World Series titles from the White Sox and Cubs.
“Jim has covered some of the biggest thrills in Chicago sports history with expertise and excitement,” WLS VP of news Jennifer Graves said. “Chicago sports fans will never forget when he got drenched in champagne, courtesy of Michael Jordan, as we will never forget Jim's contributions to ABC 7 Chicago.”
For close to three decades, he has co-hosted the Bud Billiken Parade, one of the largest African-American parades in the country. He also has hosted WLS coverage of the Chicago Auto Show. As president of the Swan Group, Rose helped build and finance the Swan House, a home donated to a single mother.
Rose began his career in sports broadcasting while serving in the U.S. Army, acting as sports director for AFN-TV in Berlin.
“When I started my career, it was ring announcer Michael Buffer's famous line, ‘Let’s get ready to rumble,‘ ” Rose said. “As I close out 50-plus years in broadcasting, I will quote ring announcer Jimmy Lennon, 'It's time.’ It has been my privilege to serve the citizens of Chicagoland for over 41 years. I've had a ball!"
