Veteran Chicago sportscaster Lou Canellis appears to be nearing a move to NBC 5 Chicago, a shift that would bring his long tenure at Fox 32 Chicago to a close.
According to The Chicago Sun-Times, Canellis likely hosted his final Bears postgame show for Fox 32 on Sunday night. While no deal has been finalized, industry sources indicate an announcement could come as soon as this week. His contract with Fox 32 is ending, and momentum continues to build around NBC 5 as his next destination.
If the move is completed, Fox 32’s on-air sports lineup would include Cassie Carlson and Tina Nguyen.
NBC 5 has not named a lead sports anchor since Leila Rahimi departed the station in October 2024 after nearly two and a half years in the role. Since then, Mike Berman, Jeff Blanzy, and Kacy Standohar have shared anchoring responsibilities.
Canellis joined Fox 32 in 2009 and became a central figure in the station’s sports identity. In addition to anchoring, he hosted Bears pregame and postgame coverage and fronted shows including 1st & North and Chicago Sports Tonight. With Fox 32 serving as the broadcast home of most Bears games, Canellis was widely viewed as the station’s on-air face of the franchise.
A move to NBC 5 would mark a change in emphasis. The station does not carry Bears games and maintains a smaller local sports footprint, focusing on programs such as Sports Sunday, Chicago Marathon coverage, and coverage of Olympic athletes.
The transition would reunite Canellis with John Schippman, who is returning to NBC 5 this week as executive producer. Schippman previously served as vice president of sports content at NBC 5 and oversaw NBC Sports Chicago before it shut down in 2024.
Canellis first gained prominence in the 1990s as a sideline reporter for Bulls broadcasts on SportsChannel, a predecessor to today’s Chicago Sports Network. Earlier in his career, he also worked behind the scenes as an executive producer at NBC 5, making the potential move a full-circle moment.
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