WBBM-TV Chicago last week named David Kerley and Tracy Townsend the new anchor team for its 5 and 10 p.m. newscasts, beginning Jan. 15. Kerley has been co-anchoring the late news since Carol Marin's newscast was discontinued in late October. His co-anchor, Linda MacLennan, who had been co-anchor of the late news before Marin, will now anchor at 11 a.m. as well as solo-anchor the 4:30 p.m. newscast she has been anchoring. Ratings for the temporary team were up over the previous sweeps periods. Townsend comes to Chicago from CBS' Kansas City affiliate KCTV(TV), where she anchored the 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. news.
There had been much speculation about who the station's anchors might be after Marin went back to reporting full time for CBS News and 60 Minutes II
following her highly praised but low-rated effort. That speculation included former Later Today
host Asha Blake and CBS News correspondent Randall Pinkston.
