Micah Materre is an American broadcast journalist and Emmy-winning news anchor best known for anchoring the evening newscasts at WGN-TV in Chicago.
She joined WGN in 1998 and has become one of the station’s most familiar faces over more than two decades on air.
Micah Materre Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Micah Materre |
| Born | November 9, 1962, Chicago, Illinois |
| Age | 63 |
| Nationality | American |
| Profession | Broadcast journalist, news anchor |
| Station | WGN-TV (Chicago) |
| Education | Drake University, BA Journalism, 1983 |
| Years Active | Since 1983 |
| Spouse | Kelvin Jackson |
Who is Micah Materre?
Micah Materre is a longtime evening news anchor at WGN-TV in Chicago. She currently anchors the station’s 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. newscasts and joins the 6 p.m. news alongside Ben Bradley.
Beyond the anchor desk, she hosts WGN’s public affairs program People to People. She also reports and co-produces the station’s Chicago’s Very Own segments, which highlight local people and causes.
Her journalism career stretches back to 1983, spanning radio and television in three cities. Along the way, she has earned Emmy recognition for her work in both Detroit and Chicago.
Materre stays active in Chicago civic life through several boards and organizations.
Why Micah Materre Is Not on WGN
Micah Materre remains an active anchor at WGN-TV as of 2026, despite online claims that she has left the station. She continues to appear on WGN’s evening newscasts and public affairs programming.
Much of the confusion traces back to February 2026, when WGN-TV went through a major round of layoffs under parent company Nexstar. The station cut nine on-air staff members, including anchors Ray Cortopassi, Sean Lewis, and Judy Wang.
Materre was not among those let go. In fact, when Ray Cortopassi was laid off mid-shift, she stayed on to anchor the newscast solo that night.
The sudden disappearance of so many familiar WGN faces led some viewers to assume she had left too.
Her schedule also shifted after the layoffs reshaped the station’s lineup. Under the new format, Materre anchors solo from 9 to 10:30 p.m. and joins Ben Bradley at 6 p.m.
Those schedule changes, rather than any departure, explain why some viewers no longer see her in her old time slots.
Early Life of Micah Materre
Micah Materre was born on November 9, 1962, and raised in Chicago, Illinois. Her roots in the city have shaped both her identity and her reporting throughout her career.
She developed an early interest in journalism and pursued it through college. That focus led her to study radio and television production in depth.
After finishing her degree in 1983, she returned to Chicago to launch her broadcasting career. Her connection to the city has remained a defining feature of her work ever since.
Materre has covered Chicago’s institutions, neighborhoods, and civic life for decades.
Micah Materre Age / Birthday
Micah Materre is 63 years old as of 2026, born on November 9, 1962. Her zodiac sign is Scorpio, a sign often linked with determination, focus, and intensity.
She has worked in broadcast journalism for more than four decades since her start at WBEZ in 1983.
Micah Materre Ethnicity and Nationality
Micah Materre is American, born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. She is Black, and her career has included recognition for advancing diversity in Chicago broadcasting.
The law firm Barnes and Thornburg named her a diversity trailblazer for her contributions to the field.
Micah Materre Education
Micah Materre attended Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in journalism, concentrating on radio and television, and graduated in 1983.
That degree gave her the technical and editorial foundation for a career in broadcast news. Her training covered both the production and on-air sides of the business.
The same year she graduated, she began working in Chicago radio while teaching production courses. That early mix of practice and teaching sharpened her skills quickly.
Micah Materre Career
Micah Materre’s career moved from radio to television and from Chicago to Detroit and back again. Over four decades, she built a reputation as a steady, trusted presence on the anchor desk.
Early Career (1983–1998)
Materre began her broadcasting career in 1983 as a producer and reporter at WBEZ, Chicago’s NPR affiliate. She spent about four years there while also teaching radio production at Columbia College.
From radio, she moved into television news in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. There she worked as a general assignment reporter and weekend anchor, gaining her first on-camera experience.
Her next stop was WJBK-TV in Detroit, where she spent eight years as a main anchor and general assignment reporter. Her reporting in Detroit earned her an Emmy Award and an honor from the Michigan Association of Broadcasters.
Those Detroit years established her as a capable lead anchor ready for a major market.
Joining WGN-TV (1998–2009)
Materre joined Chicago’s WGN-TV in January 1998 as a co-anchor of WGN Morning News and as the station’s medical reporter. The move brought her back to her hometown.
She later shifted to co-anchor WGN Midday News, a role she held from January 2003 to October 2009. That daytime slot broadened her audience across the Chicago area.
In 2009, the station appointed her anchor of the WGN News at Nine. The promotion marked her move into the evening newscasts that would define the rest of her career.
Current Role (2009–Present)
Since 2009, Materre has anchored WGN’s evening newscasts. Over the years she has covered major stories, including the 2009 inauguration of Barack Obama as the first Black president of the United States.
Through 2026, she continued reporting for WGN News, including coverage of the Obama Presidential Center on Chicago’s South Side. That story aired in May 2026.
After the station’s early-2026 restructuring, she took on a solo anchor role from 9 to 10:30 p.m. and a 6 p.m. slot with Ben Bradley. She also continues her work on People to People and Chicago’s Very Own.
Micah Materre Awards and Recognition
Micah Materre won a Chicago/Midwest Emmy Award in 2014 for her broadcast work. The honor recognized her contributions to Chicago television news.
Earlier in her career, she received an Emmy Award and a Michigan Association of Broadcasters honor for her work at WJBK-TV in Detroit. Those awards marked her rise as a lead anchor.
The law firm Barnes and Thornburg also named her a diversity trailblazer for her role in Chicago broadcasting. Her work has appeared in national and local publications, including The New York Times Magazine, Glamour, Ebony, and Good Housekeeping.
She belongs to the National Association of Black Journalists, along with Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and the civic organization Links, Incorporated.
Micah Materre Husband
Micah Materre is married to Kelvin Jackson, who has worked as a videographer at WGN. Their shared workplace reportedly brought them together.
The two reportedly married in 1995, before Materre joined WGN as an anchor. They have kept much of their private life out of the public eye.
Their relationship has lasted alongside Materre’s long run in Chicago television news.
Micah Materre Children
Micah Materre reportedly has two children, a son named Louis and a daughter named McKenzie. She has kept details about them largely private over the years.
Like many journalists, she has drawn a clear line between her public work and her family life. Her children have stayed out of the spotlight that follows her on-air career.
That privacy has remained consistent throughout her decades at WGN.
Micah Materre Net Worth
Micah Materre’s exact net worth is not publicly disclosed. Her income comes mainly from her long career as a news anchor at WGN-TV in Chicago.
Anchors at major-market stations like WGN typically earn solid salaries built on years of experience and audience trust. Materre’s more than two decades at the station, along with her earlier work in Detroit and Iowa, have formed the base of her earnings.
Her work on People to People and Chicago’s Very Own adds to her standing at the station. Across a career spanning more than 40 years, she has built a stable position in Chicago broadcasting.
Micah Materre Social Media
Micah Materre maintains a professional presence through WGN-TV and her LinkedIn profile, which lists her role at the station. Her public visibility comes mainly through her on-air work.
She tends to keep a lower personal social media profile than many broadcasters. Her connection with viewers runs primarily through WGN’s newscasts and programming.
Her station biography remains the main source for her current role and coverage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Micah Materre still on WGN?
Yes, Micah Materre remains an active anchor at WGN-TV as of 2026. She anchors the 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. newscasts and joins the 6 p.m. news with Ben Bradley.
Why do people think Micah Materre left WGN?
The confusion stems from WGN’s February 2026 layoffs, which removed nine on-air staff members. Materre kept her job and even anchored solo the night one colleague was cut, but the loss of many familiar faces led to rumors about her.
How old is Micah Materre?
Micah Materre is 63 years old as of 2026, born on November 9, 1962, in Chicago. She turns 64 that November.
Who is Micah Materre’s husband?
Micah Materre is married to Kelvin Jackson, a videographer who has worked at WGN. The two reportedly married in 1995.
Where did Micah Materre go to college?
Micah Materre graduated from Drake University in 1983 with a Bachelor of Arts in journalism, focused on radio and television. She started her broadcasting career that same year.
What awards has Micah Materre won?
Micah Materre won a Chicago/Midwest Emmy Award in 2014, along with an earlier Emmy for her work in Detroit. She was also named a diversity trailblazer by the law firm Barnes and Thornburg.
Conclusion
Micah Materre has anchored Chicago’s news for more than two decades at WGN-TV, staying on the air through the station’s 2026 layoffs that cut many of her colleagues.
Her steady presence on the evening newscasts, along with her work on People to People and Chicago’s Very Own, keeps her among Chicago’s most recognized broadcast journalists.