{"id":32732,"date":"2022-03-18T06:00:14","date_gmt":"2022-03-18T11:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.robertfeder.com\/?p=32732"},"modified":"2022-03-18T06:00:14","modified_gmt":"2022-03-18T11:00:14","slug":"top-rated-wgn-morning-news-lauren-jiggetts-enjoys-freedom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/2022\/03\/18\/top-rated-wgn-morning-news-lauren-jiggetts-enjoys-freedom\/","title":{"rendered":"At top-rated WGN Morning News, Lauren Jiggetts enjoys 'freedom to be myself'"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Lauren Jiggetts<\/p><\/div>\n

Long before Lauren Jiggetts joined WGN-Channel 9<\/a> to anchor its top-rated morning news show, she already qualified as one of \"Chicago's Very Own.\"<\/p>\n

As the daughter of Dan Jiggetts, former Chicago Bears offensive tackle and one of the founding fathers of sports\/talk WSCR 670-AM, she grew up in north suburban Long Grove and began making a name for herself at Stevenson High School.<\/p>\n

Even then she was one to watch.<\/p>\n

Jiggetts interned at Fox-owned WFLD-Channel 32 and the former CLTV before graduating cum laude<\/em> with a degree in sociology from Harvard University, her father's alma mater.<\/p>\n

TV news jobs in Los Angeles and Boston led her back home in 2007 when she joined NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5 as a general assignment reporter. She later moved up to weekend news anchor.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Lauren Jiggetts and Dan Jiggetts<\/p><\/div>\n

After 10 years at NBC 5, Tribune Broadcasting came calling with an offer to co-anchor the 4-to-6 a.m. hours of WGN Morning News<\/a> \u2014 the Monday-through-Friday ratings juggernaut that redefined local morning TV.<\/p>\n

Without missing a beat, Jiggetts joined co-anchor Dan Ponce, scion of another prominent Chicago media family.<\/p>\n

Jiggetts, 40, and her husband, Pat Donovan, a private investor, live with their two sons on the North Side.<\/p>\n

During a rare break in her day, Jiggetts shared a few thoughts on working with her WGN colleagues, a fateful decision at Stevenson High School, and the future of the Jiggetts media dynasty:<\/p>\n

Q.<\/strong> Another huge ratings victory for WGN Morning News, I see. Doesn\u2019t all that success ever get boring?<\/em><\/p>\n

A.<\/strong> My goodness, no! When you get up at\u00a02 a.m. every morning, it somewhat justifies the hours!\u00a0But there is the expectation\u00a0that we will do this in perpetuity.\u00a0The team knows I\u2019m obsessed with ratings and it feels good to know there are folks that like what we are doing.<\/p>\n

Q.<\/strong> I have to tell you, Lauren, that from the beginning, you fit in so well at WGN it seems like you\u2019ve been there a lot longer than five years<\/em>.<\/p>\n

A.<\/strong> I think I felt a certain freedom to be myself. [Former WGN news director] Jen Lyons sat me down early on and said she didn\u2019t want me imitating anyone else, just to be myself.\u00a0And that means embracing my eccentricities.\u00a0Dan [Ponce] and I joke that we are probably the most awkward team in town, but we embrace it. What you see on TV is who we really are.<\/p>\n

Q.<\/strong> Other than the terrible hours and lack of sleep, what\u2019s the toughest part of the job?<\/em><\/p>\n

A.<\/strong> Dealing with massive egos: Wink Winkle, Greg the Vampire and Sharkman.<\/p>\n

No, I think it\u2019s being an independent station. We don\u2019t have a massive network to rely on during national and international news.\u00a0I think that\u2019s made us more resourceful and put more pressure on the anchors to be informed on news around the world.<\/p>\n

Q.<\/strong> You and Dan Ponce are referred to as the \u201cB-Team\u201d \u2014 along with Marcus Leshock, Sarah Jindra and Morgan Kolkmeyer. Does that mean you guys have to try harder?<\/em><\/p>\n

A.<\/strong> I think we have to work harder for viewers . . . ha!\u00a0The A-Team [led by Larry Potash and Robin Baumgarten] has worked so hard to establish an incredibly loyal audience \u2014 and that doesn\u2019t happen overnight.\u00a0We had to find a footing and develop chemistry and think we have found\u00a0that.\u00a0Also, we work holidays . . . ha!<\/p>\n

Q.<\/strong> What\u2019s the most embarrassing thing you\u2019ve had to do on the show?<\/em><\/p>\n

A.<\/strong> It was all my fault.\u00a0I did an imitation of a dolphin<\/a> and it comes up almost every time we talk about marine life.\u00a0In the grand scheme of WGN Morning News, I suppose it could be a lot worse.<\/p>\n

Q.<\/strong> What\u2019s the best advice your father gave you about the business?<\/em><\/p>\n

A.<\/strong> I watched my dad go through a lot at The Score.\u00a0He has always been true to who he is.\u00a0He\u2019s taught me to know my worth and never underestimate myself.\u00a0I think I had doubts as to whether I would succeed at a weekday anchoring job, but my family never did.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Lauren Jiggetts<\/p><\/div>\n

Q.\u00a0<\/strong>How important was the broadcast journalism program at Stevenson High School in shaping your career?<\/em><\/p>\n

A.<\/strong> It became pretty clear early on that I was not destined to play college basketball.\u00a0I quit my senior year so that I could\u00a0be a news anchor for \u201cAlive on Stevenson Drive.\u201d One of the best decisions.\u00a0I was very shy and was the type that tried to fake a sickness on public speaking days. It helped\u00a0me come out of my shell.<\/p>\n

Q.<\/strong> Wouldn\u2019t you love your kids to see Long Grove the way it was when you were growing up?<\/em><\/p>\n

A.<\/strong> I loved growing\u00a0up in Long Grove.\u00a0Obviously, the pandemic has hurt so many local businesses and Long Grove wasn\u2019t immune to that.\u00a0I've taken my kids to Chatterbox and Enzo & Lucia for meals and\u00a0they've really enjoyed it.\u00a0They also attempted to tear down the lovely holiday decorations, but we didn\u2019t hit the Covered Bridge so I call it a success.\u00a0We will be back!<\/p>\n

Q.<\/strong> What do you think you\u2019d be doing now if you hadn\u2019t pursued journalism?<\/em><\/p>\n

A.<\/strong> I'm fascinated by diplomatic\u00a0relations. I could\u00a0see myself working for the\u00a0State Department in some capacity.\u00a0I wouldn\u2019t be Antony Blinken. I\u2019d want to be the one doing the research for him.<\/p>\n

Q.<\/strong> Can we expect a third generation to continue the Jiggetts media dynasty in Chicago?<\/em><\/p>\n

A.<\/strong> I'm going to work my hardest to ensure it ends with me.\u00a0Just kidding.\u00a0It\u2019s an honor to do this job, to tell people\u2019s stories and work in this city.\u00a0I want to raise children who are informed and curious about the world around them.\u00a0If that curiosity leads them to journalism, I\u2019ll be the first one to read their articles or watch their first live shots.<\/p>\n

Thursday\u2019s comment of the day:<\/a> Bob Jordan:<\/strong> I am deeply saddened by the death of Merri Dee. She was a vibrant, strong, determined, loving spirit who spread felicity and cheerfulness wherever she went. In the 50 years that I knew her I never saw a sour word come out of her mouth. After being shot twice in the head and crawling to safety, barely alive, she refused to whine or grumble. Instead, for the rest of her life she committed herself to helping others: An amazing woman!<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"

Dan Ponce and Lauren Jiggetts<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Long before Lauren Jiggetts joined WGN-Channel 9 to anchor its top-rated morning news show, she already qualified as one of \"Chicago's Very Own.\" As the daughter of Dan Jiggetts, former Chicago Bears offensive tackle and one of the founding fathers of sports\/talk WSCR 670-AM, she grew up in north suburban Long Grove and began making... Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32732"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32732"}],"version-history":[{"count":25,"href":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32732\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32762,"href":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32732\/revisions\/32762"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32732"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}