Rafer Weigel Named Weekend Sports Anchor/Reporter for ABC 7 Chicago

CHICAGO, March 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Rafer Weigel will join ABC 7 Chicago as the weekend Sports Anchor/Reporter. It was announced today by Jennifer Graves, Vice President and News Director, ABC 7.  Weigel will start on Monday, March 21.  He replaces Ryan Chiaverini who was recently named co-host of ABC 7's new morning show, WINDY CITY LIVE.

Weigel is the son of the late Tim Weigel, who was a popular Chicago sportscaster at ABC 7 for 17 years.

According to Graves, "Rafer Weigel is a talented broadcaster who has worked hard to earn his stripes.  He loves this city and has never lost his passion for following Chicago sports teams.  His father is an important part of ABC 7's sports legacy and we are thrilled that another Weigel will again be working the sports beat at our station."

Previously, Weigel served as a sports anchor for HLN's morning news program.  He has been handling sports duties for the cable network since 2008.

Prior to that, he worked as a general assignment reporter at KOVR-TV, the CBS station in Sacramento, California from 2006 to 2008.  He was a general assignment and feature reporter at KUSI-TV, an independent station in San Diego from 2005-2006.

Prior to his work in broadcast and cable television, Weigel honed his sports reporting skill at two major newspapers.  He was a reporter and copy editor at the Los Angeles Times where he covered high school sports for four years. He also reported on high school sports for the Chicago Sun-Times.

Before pursuing a career in journalism, Weigel worked as an actor appearing in various Chicago theatre productions.  He later moved to Hollywood where he landed several TV and movie roles.

Weigel was raised in Evanston, Illinois. He is a graduate of Evanston Township High School and the University of Illinois at Champaign.

SOURCE ABC 7 Chicago