Chicago Tonight co-anchor Brandis Friedman said she was talking to WTTW News news director Hugo Balta recently about expanding her role at Channel 11.
I said something about, You know, Im really interested in having a little more ownership of something. Not that I dont love the show that I do every night, but something that Im steering a little bit more, Friedman recalled to the Tribune. She was mulling a journey to parenthood podcast inspired by her own experience as a mother of two boys but Balta had a different proposal, and Friedman jumped on board.
Baltas idea was the Chicago Tonight: Voices series, which is scheduled to premiere this weekend. Friedman hosts Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, while Balta helms the Latino edition. The weekly half-hour programs are slated to include panel discussions on topics pertinent to Black and Latino Chicagoans; one-on-one interviews with community leaders; and stories that highlight Black and Latino arts and culture.
Consider these news magazine shows to be an extension of the conversations and coverage featured weeknights on Chicago Tonight, Balta said. Black Voices which is set to premiere at 6 p.m. Sunday on WTTW and stream on wttw.com/news, Facebook and YouTube will explore the challenges of going back to school amid the coronavirus pandemic and various issues heading into the November elections, Friedman said. Other topics she would like to delve into include the impact of opioids on the Black community; and South Side healthcare in the age of COVID-19, especially with Mercy Hospital & Medical Center in Bronzeville planning to close next year. Spotlighting Chicago Black history is also top of mind.
I always like to explore Chicagos Black history, just because I think it is so rich, said Friedman, a Mississippi native who has worked for WTTW for nearly seven years. And so I would like to do sort of a throwback segment where we just take a piece of Chicago history, and we find a clip of whatever it is, so maybe its (writer and civil rights activist) James Baldwin talking to (Chicago Tonight founder) John Callaway, which I think we have a clip of that from somewhere. Or it could be on this day in history.
While Friedman is a familiar face on Channel 11, Balta said Latino Voices which is scheduled to premiere at 6 p.m. Saturday will be the first time he hosts a TV show on a permanent basis. The New Jersey native and son of immigrants from Peru started at WTTW in February. He said his 30-year career, which includes stops at ESPN, MSNBC and Telemundo, and his work as president of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists prepared him for this role.
Now is the right time for the Voices programs, Balta said, as the pandemic has brought to light disparities Black and Latino Chicagoans have endured such as limited access to healthcare, affordable housing, education and employment.
The focus will of course be on these two communities, but the voices that well be seeing, both from the perspective of journalists, as well as members of the community, wont just be Latinos and members of the Black community, he said. Weve seen in the coverage of COVID-19, certainly in the aftermath of George Floyd, that in regards to solutions in designing a path for equality, it is fruitful to be inclusive of all members of the Chicago community.
Sandra Cordova Micek the president and CEO of Window to the World Communications, the parent organization of WTTW said the Voices series fits well into the stations strategic plan unveiled last year.
These two shows are prime examples of what we mean when we say that we want to enrich lives, engage communities and inspire exploration, she said.read more
New ‘Chicago Tonight’ programs elevating Black, Latino voices to premiere this weekend
