WGN-TV Names Akemi Harrison as Director of News and Multiplatform Content
CHICAGO, August 12, 2025 – WGN-TV today announced the appointment of Akemi Harrison as Director of News and Multiplatform Content, effective August 25. Ms. Harrison will lead all newsgathering and production across all local, national, political and digital platforms associated with WGN-TV, WGN+, wgntv.com, and the WGN-TV mobile app.
“As media consumption continues to evolve into a multiplatform experience, we are thrilled to have Akemi Harrison join and lead our WGN content team,” said WGN-TV Vice President and General Manager Ric Harris. “Akemi is a highly accomplished news and media executive who understands the importance of compelling storytelling and engaging audiences across all platforms.”
Ms. Harrison most recently served as News Director for NBC Chicago and Telemundo Chicago. She joined the team as Assistant News Director in August 2021 and was named News Director in 2023. She has more than 20 years of media and newsroom experience, serving previously as Assistant News Director at WVIT/NBC Connecticut, Executive Producer for WPXI-TV in Pittsburgh, and in a variety of news editorial and management roles for television stations in the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento, California.
“I’m thrilled to join such an incredible team of journalists who have led the market in both ratings and community engagement for decades. Growing up in Mississippi, I watched WGN and never imagined I’d one day be in a leadership role there,” commented Ms. Harrison. “My leadership philosophy is simple: support our incredible talent and dare to innovate. It’s an honor to build on WGN’s powerful legacy, and I’m excited to weave in a future-forward approach to ensure we continue to dominate the market.”
Ms. Harrison began her media career in her hometown of Jackson, Mississippi, after graduating from Tougaloo College in 2005 with a B.A. in English and an emphasis on Journalism. After more than five years as a radio personality, she transitioned to television news as a producer for Jackson’s WAPT-TV in 2008. Ms. Harrison has received several professional honors, most recently earning a National Emmy Award for her collaborative work on NBC Chicago’s “The Lost Story of Emmett Till” series and a National Emmy nomination for “Desde Cero: The Migrant Journey In Chicago.”
WGN-TV is Chicago’s Very Own source for news, entertainment and The CW Network. WGN-TV is owned and operated by Nexstar Media Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Nexstar Media Group, Inc. WGN News programs more local news than any other Chicago TV station and can be seen on WGN-TV; the WGN+ TV streaming app on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and Samsung Smart TVs; online at WGNTV.com/Live and on the WGN News mobile app. In-depth local weather coverage is available on all newscasts, WGNTV.com/Weather and the WGN Weather mobile app. WGN Films, part of WGN-TV, presents compelling and in-depth cinematic journalism that goes beyond the headlines to explore the stories and issues that affect Chicago area communities. WGN 9.2 is the Chicago affiliate for Nexstar Media Inc.’s classic TV network Antenna TV, WGN 9.3 is the Chicago affiliate for Grit, WGN 9.4 is the Chicago affiliate for Nexstar Media Inc.’s retro TV network Rewind TV and WGN 9.5 is the Chicago affiliate for The Nest. For more information on Chicago’s Very Own WGN-TV, go to WGNTV.com
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