It seems hard to believe that 5 years have passed since Mark Giangreco was fired by ABC 7 as lead sports anchor. Along the way, Giangreco was a regular contributor to ESPN 1000 AM's "Waddle & Silvy" afternoon show in studio and on the phone. That was until Giangreco was relieved of his duties in January, 2021.
When Giangreco was fired from ABC 7, his frequent stops at ESPN 1000's studios also disappeared along with it. Keep in mind that until this year, ESPN 1000 shared office & studio space with ABC 7 at the stations' famous 190 N. State Street address.
It wasn't until recently when Giangreco joined "Waddle & Silvy" at ESPN 1000's new home at the Chicago Board of Trade Building for an in studio conversation that aired on WMVP's YouTube channel due to a White Sox afternoon game.
Giangreco covered a lot of ground with the guys in their new radio studio. As he also told the Sun-Times' Jeff Agrest, he wasn't allowed in the ABC 7 building upon his dismissal.
In this link, if you can get through the paywall, Giangreco also discussed his dismissal from ABC 7, NBC 5 as well as why he hasn't resurfaced anywhere else over the last 5 years. Check out the link here:
Not hard to believe. If ESPN was not at 190 N State, he still would not guest there. He landed nowhere. For a reason. Broadcasting career is over. No one will risk it.
Re: Catching Up w/Mark Giangreco...5 Years Later (on Cheryl Burton)
Mark on ABC 7 news anchor Cheryl Burton, who took offense to a joke by Giangreco on the air and complained to management, thus putting the plank in place:
“It’s been more than five years that I was run out by a hyper-sensitive, super-insecure, untouchable diva and enabled by a cowardice news director and general manager — but I’m way over it.”
ABC 7 management declined to comment.
Re: Catching Up w/Mark Giangreco...5 Years Later (on Cheryl Burton)
I think it's safe to say Mark Giangreco & Cheryl Burton aren't exactly exchanging holiday cards 5 years after his controversial dismissal from ABC 7.
One of the things I remember about Giangreco, regardless if it was at ABC 7 or at NBC 5 before that was Mark's ability to push the creative envelope.
There were times when he was at NBC 5 in the '80s when he made Carol Marin, Joan Esposito or whoever Ron Magers was sitting next to blush when Giangreco ended his sportscast at 10P on Thursday night briefly standing up and showing his shorts at the anchor desk finishing up his weekly collection of bloopers known as "Sports Shorts".
Who could ever forget all the slapstick when Giangreco & the late, great Steve McMichael shared the anchor desk following Bears' games on an old incarnation of "Sports Sunday".
I think as a sports fan as well as a big news consumer, that's part of what I miss since Giangreco left.
The personality & humor from our sportscasts are long gone since Giangreco left and also to a certain degree when Tim Weigel passed away.
on July 30, 2026, 5:28 pm