{"id":22215,"date":"2019-06-28T06:00:35","date_gmt":"2019-06-28T11:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.robertfeder.com\/?p=22215"},"modified":"2019-06-28T06:00:35","modified_gmt":"2019-06-28T11:00:35","slug":"wttw-promotes-geoffrey-baer-lead-program-production","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/2019\/06\/28\/wttw-promotes-geoffrey-baer-lead-program-production\/","title":{"rendered":"WTTW promotes Geoffrey Baer to lead program production"},"content":{"rendered":"
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<\/a> Geoffrey Baer (Photo: WTTW)<\/p><\/div>\n

Geoffrey Baer, who's been Chicago's genial tour guide and unofficial historian at WTTW-Channel 11<\/a> for more than 25 years, is taking on a major new role at the public television station.<\/p>\n

Baer has been named vice president of original content production\u00a0for television, effective Monday. In his new position, he'll oversee creation of programming in such areas as local history, documentary and lifestyle.<\/p>\n

His promotion was part of an organizational and operational realignment unveiled Thursday to the board of Window to the World Communications, the nonprofit parent company of WTTW and classical music WFMT 98.7-FM. It follows the departure <\/a>of Dan Soles as senior vice president and chief television content officer.<\/p>\n

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WTTW<\/p><\/div>\n

In an email to employees outlining the new management structure, Sandra Cordova Micek, president and CEO of the company, wrote: \"Each and every day, we continue to reimagine and evolve what we do and how we do it to achieve our ambitious goal to be a best-in-class content company essential to Chicago and beyond.<\/p>\n

\"We will put content first: trusted, local news and public affairs; content genres that entertain, cultivate curiosity and open doors and minds; and kids content that nurtures and educates. We will focus relentlessly on our audience and leverage technology to meet them where and when they want us.\"<\/p>\n

Baer, who grew up in Highland Park and Deerfield, and earned degrees from Miami University and Northwestern University, was working as a guide for the Chicago Architecture Foundation's boat tours when he joined WTTW as associate producer in 1989. Since then he has written, produced and hosted dozens of feature-length specials about Chicago architecture and history including \"Chicago on Vacation,\" \"The Chicago River Tour,\" \"Chicago\u2019s Lakefront,\" \"Chicago\u2019s Loop: A Walking Tour,\" and many others.<\/p>\n

He also has hosted the \"10 That Changed America\" series for distribution on PBS stations nationwide, and has appeared regularly on WTTW\u2019s \"Chicago Tonight\" in a popular segment called \"Ask Geoffrey.\"<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always felt incredibly lucky to work at WTTW, which has a singular voice in Chicago\u2019s public conversation,\u201d Baer said. \u201cI\u2019m looking forward to working with a truly gifted team of storytellers to create new content for years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

Among other moves announced Thursday:<\/p>\n

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Jitin Garg<\/p><\/div>\n