From White House to Chicago: NBC's Peter Alexander to host Emmy Awards Saturday

Peter Alexander and President Donald Trump (Photo: NBC News)

Fresh from his contentious exchange with President Donald Trump at a White House press conference Wednesday, NBC News correspondent Peter Alexander will be in Chicago Saturday to host the 60th annual regional Emmy Awards ceremony.

Alexander, White House correspondent and co-anchor of “Weekend Today,” will emcee the event, sponsored by the Chicago/Midwest chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, at the Chicago Marriott Magnificent Mile, 540 North Michigan Avenue.

Alexander drew Trump’s ire when he stood up for a colleague, CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta, whom the president had just called a “rude, terrible person” for asking questions at the press conference. “In Jim’s defense, I’ve traveled with him and watched him. He’s a diligent reporter who busts his butt like the rest of us,” Alexander said. Replied Trump: “Well, I’m not a big fan of yours either.”

Emmy Award

It will be a homecoming of sorts for Alexander, who graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism in 1998 and endowed the Peter Alexander Medill Cherub Scholarship and Undergraduate Scholarship for international students. He is a former recipient of a NATAS Chicago Foundation scholarship.

Emmy Awards will be presented in 67 categories Saturday. The academy also will announce the latest recipients of Silver Circle Awards, recognizing individuals who have devoted 25 years or more to the television industry and have made significant contributions to Chicago broadcasting. They will be inducted May 3.

Live streaming of Saturday's event on the academy's Facebook page and YouTube page will begin with red carpet interviews at 4:30 p.m., followed by the student awards show at 6:30 p.m. and the formal ceremony at 7 p.m. The ceremony also will stream live at chicagoemmyonline.org.

Under the leadership of founding president Irv Kupcinet, the first Chicago Emmy Awards event was broadcast live in September 1958. "The Chicago chapter of this great organization foretells the future of our industry in [this] great city," Mayor Richard J. Daley told the group.

Wednesday's comment of the day: Mickey Gee: When Lite FM goes to "Christmas" music I think one has to step back and really examine what exactly they are playing. Their music rarely reflects the true meaning of the season, when Christians like myself celebrate the birth of Jesus. Lite FM continues every year to play the same generic playlist as you can hear "Happy Holiday" by Andy Williams countless times throughout the day, while never hearing a song like "Go Tell It On A Mountain," and if they do, it will probably be the instrumental version so one never hears the line, "That Jesus Christ is Born." While getting people into the holiday spirit is great, Lite FM continually falls way short in truly reflecting the "reason for the season."