WGN has named Akemi Harrison as director of news and multi-platform content, effective August 25.
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 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.”
Harrison was the news director at NBC Chicago and Telemundo Chicago. She joined the team as assistant news director in August 2021 and was named news director in 2023.
“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,” said 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.”
She has more than 20 years of media and newsroom experience, serving previously as assistant news director at 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.
