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<\/a> Walter Jacobson<\/p><\/div>\n

On the eve of a milestone birthday, legendary Chicago anchorman and commentator Walter Jacobson sounds happier than ever that he\u2019s still in the game.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel great,\u201d said Jacobson, who turns 80 on Friday. \u201cI feel perfectly wonderfully physically. I go through my same old Walter mishegas<\/em> about what I\u2019m doing. But I love what I\u2019m doing. I\u2019m exercising my brain every day, following this craziness in Washington. I\u2019m free to write about it. So I\u2019m feeling great!\u201d<\/p>\n

Jacobson\u2019s amazing run in Chicago television news \u2014 including his iconic partnership with Bill Kurtis at CBS-owned WBBM-Channel 2<\/a> \u2014 made him one of the city\u2019s most recognizable stars. These days he does his work mainly off camera, delivering weekly radio commentaries for Tribune Broadcasting news\/talk WGN AM 720.<\/a> He also makes commercial endorsements.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been a challenging year for the beloved newsman affectionately known as Skippy, who bounced back quickly from surgery for lung cancer and radiation treatment for prostate cancer. The prognosis for both is excellent.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe tumor on the lung was huge, but they said one of the reasons I\u2019m doing so well at my age is because I\u2019m so healthy,\u201d he said. \u201cI work out five days a week. I always have and I haven\u2019t stopped. And I eat good foods. I\u2019m very careful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jacobson also just got good news from Southern Illinois University Press, which plans to release a new paperback edition this fall of his highly acclaimed 2012 autobiography Walter\u2019s Perspective: A Memoir of Fifty Years in Chicago TV News.<\/a><\/em> The hardcover version is still in print.<\/p>\n

Earlier this week, he celebrated his 80th at a quiet dinner with his wife, Susie, and four close friends. In addition to making a few media rounds, he plans to spend this weekend doing what he enjoys most \u2014 watching people at neighborhood street festivals. This time it\u2019ll be the annual Fiesta del Sol in the heart of the Pilsen neighborhood.<\/p>\n

Says Skippy: \u201cI just love the tacos.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"