NBCUniversal Local Chicago’s trio of properties — NBC 5 Chicago (WMAQ-TV), Telemundo Chicago (WSNS-TV) and NBC Sports Chicago — will commemorate Women’s History Month with dedicated, month-long feature content highlighting the achievements of local leaders and organizations who are already inspiring the next generation of future trailblazers.
“In conjunction with NBCUniversal’s ‘Women’s Herstory’ campaign, we are proud to share new stories celebrating the achievements and impact of Chicago’s female leadership across our three local properties,” said Kevin Cross, President & General Manager, NBCUniversal Local Chicago. “Chicago has been home to many of the nation’s greatest female leaders, including Ida B. Wells, Gwendolyn Brooks and Jane Addams, among others. It is important to us that we also spotlight the leaders of today and highlight their life-changing contributions to our viewers.”
In commemoration of Women’s History month, please note NBCUniversal Local Chicago’s “Women’s Herstory” featured content details below:
NBC 5 CHICAGO
Friday, March 1 – BoricuaTalks / Ponce Restaurant
Chicago Today co-hosts Cortney Hall & Matt Rodrigues chat with a mother/daughter power duo who are owners of the popular Puerto Rican cuisine restaurant, Ponce. In addition to conversation about the restaurant’s history and offerings, the mother/daughter team also discuss of their nonprofit, Boricua Talks, whose mission is to provide a platform for Puerto Ricans, and other Latinx women, to come together and inspire positive change with education, empowerment and action. They will also headline at the upcoming BoricuaTalks Conference on March 8. NOTE: Chicago Today airs Friday mornings on NBC 5 Chicago at 11:30 AM.
Friday, March 1 – Nobody’s Darling Bar – James Beard Award finalist
NBC 5 News reporter Lexi Sutter visits Nobody’s Darling, a one-of-a-kind cocktail bar in Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood started up by two women and established to be an LGBTQ+ inclusive space. Within months of its opening, Nobody’s Darling was nominated for a prestigious James Beard Foundation Award with a festive drink menu being a nod to well-known women and people of color.
Monday, March 4 – International Women’s Day Market
Cortney Hall & Matt Rodrigues highlight the Lincoln Square/ Ravenswood International Women’s Day Market, a two-day event that spotlights over fifty women-owned businesses in the area. NOTE: Chicago Today airs Monday mornings on NBC 5 Chicago at 11:45 AM.
Tuesday, March 5 – Wine Tasting at Lakeview’s Bottles Up!
Cortney Hall & Matt Rodrigues visit Lakeview’s Bottles Up!, a female-owned wine shop for a tasting of some of the most acclaimed female-owned wines in the country. In addition, Cortney and Matt chat with the shop owners about their upcoming International Women’s Day Party. NOTE: Chicago Today airs Tuesday mornings on NBC 5 Chicago at 11:45 AM.
Tuesday, March 5 – Chicago Women in Trade
NBC 5 News reporter Vi Nguyen delivers a special profile on a local organization called “Chicago Women in Trade,” who provide free training and programs with the goal of getting more women involved in skilled trade employment such as welding and manufacturing.
Thursday, March 7 – Brenda Palms, founder, North Lawndale Employment Network
NBC 5’s LeeAnn Trotter profiles Brenda Palms, the trailblazing founder of the North Lawndale Employment Network (NLEN) which is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2024. Most recently, Palms also started up a beekeeping operation which provides jobs for formerly incarcerated individuals.
Friday, March 8 – Le Femme Dance Festival
Cortney Hall & Matt Rodrigues highlight the “Le Femme Dance Festival, a three-day celebration of women in dance that brings together choreographic works of art created by women of the Black/African Diaspora to Chicago. Matt & Cortney chat with festival organizers and viewers will also be treated to an exclusive pre-event dance performance. NOTE: Chicago Today airs Friday mornings on NBC 5 Chicago at 11:30 AM.
Friday, March 8 – International Women’s Day Celebration
NBC 5 News will provide city-wide highlights surrounding numerous “International Women’s Day” celebratory events.
Thursday, March 14 – DNC Leadership team
Lexi Sutter provides an insightful discussion with several key members of DNC leadership team who are women and minorities as well. The group are at the forefront of this summer’s highly-anticipated DNC Convention, which will be held at the United Center.
Tuesday, March 19 – ‘EmpowerHer’
NBC 5 News reporter Natalie Martinez profiles “EmpowerHer,” a community-driven organization dedicated to promoting gender equality, girls’ education and empowering women of all backgrounds. One of the nonprofit’s current campaigns aims to provide female hygiene products to migrants, empowering them to lead healthy lifestyles, no matter their circumstances.
PLEASE NOTE: Unless noted otherwise, all NBC 5 Chicago “Women’s Herstory” feature stories will air during NBC 5 News at 6:00 PM CT. In addition, viewers can also watch NBC 5 News on the NBC Chicago News 24/7 live streaming channel on Peacock, Roku, Samsung TV Plus, Amazon Fire TV, Xumo Play, Google Play, Freevee, TCLtv+ and Local Now. Link on how to find each here: nbcchi.com/SCIhuKM. Fans can also watch NBC 5 News on NBCChicago.com and the NBC Chicago app.
TELEMUNDO CHICAGO
Telemundo Chicago’s nightly news program, Noticiero Telemundo Chicago, will also deliver dedicated “Celebrando el Mes de la Mujer” content over the next month including the following upcoming feature story:
Latinas in County Music (airdate TBA) – Noticiero Telemundo Chicago’s Anabel Monge spotlights the underrepresentation of Latinas in country music. The statistics are alarming per Jada Watson of SongData: “Just 0.5% of songs that charted on the Hot Country Songs between 1944 and 2016 were recorded by a Latino artist…the statistic is even worse for women.” Monge speaks with industry experts for insight on this issue and advice for aspiring artists.
“SPORTS SUNDAY” / NBC SPORTS CHICAGO
Every week throughout Women’s History Month, NBC 5 Chicago’s weekly sports roundup program, Sports Sunday (10:30 PM), will profile local athletes, coaches and front offices executives. Upcoming featured spotlights include:
Sunday, March 3 – Mallory Swanson, Chicago Red Stars
Mike Berman profiles Chicago Red Stars forward Mallory Swanson who discusses her comeback from a devasting knee injury last April that caused her to miss the entire NWSL season and the Women’s World Cup in Australia/New Zealand. Earlier this year, Swanson signed a historic long-term contract with the Red Stars, the most lucrative agreement in NWSL history, through 2028. Swanson also discusses how she hopes to inspire young women with dreams of playing on soccer’s biggest stage. NOTE: NBC 5 News will re-air this feature on Mon, Mar. 4 at 6pm.
Sunday, March 10 – Caitlin Clark, University of Iowa
Caitlin Clark, the NCAA’s all-time women’s scoring leader, who is on the brink of surpassing Pete Maravich’s all-time NCAA men’s scoring record, has already cemented herself as one greatest basketball players in the game’s history. Ruthie Polinsky sits down with Clark for a detailed interview about her astounding accomplishments and future goals. Additional interviews include chats with coaches and even a special member of the Chicago Bulls who marvels at Clark’s impact on and off the court. NOTE: NBC 5 News will re-air this feature on Mon, Mar. 11 at 6pm.
Sunday, March 17 – Meghan Jones, Chicago Cubs Vice President/Baseball Strategy
Mike Berman profiles Chicago Cubs Vice President/Baseball Strategy Meghan Jones, who earns the distinction of being the very first woman in Cubs franchise history to hold a VP/Baseball Ops title. Jones discusses her critical role in helping the team recruit free agents, along with how her achievements in the big leagues will play a hopeful role to have more women work in MLB in the years to come. NOTE: NBC 5 News will re-air this feature on Mon, Mar. 18 at 6pm.
In addition, NBC Sports Chicago will also highlight “Women’s Herstory” content and conversation on a number of its live programs, including Coors Light Bulls Pregame Live (feat. Jason Goff, Kendall Gill and Will Perdue), Blackhawks Pregame Live presented by Toyota (feat. Pat Boyle and Tony Granato) and Football Night in Chicago (feat. Laurence Holmes, David Haugh and Ruthie Polinsky).
NOTE: NBCU Local Chicago will also provide expanded digital coverage celebrating Women’s History Month, which will include videos of all feature stories that can be viewed 24/7 on any device at NBCChicago.com, TelemundoChicago.com, NBCSportsChicago.com, along with their respective mobile apps.
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