Amy Jacobson
Encyclopedia
Amy Jacobson is a Chicago broadcaster who was a general assignment reporter for WMAQ-TV
, the NBC
television
affiliate in Chicago, from 1996 to 2007, when she lost her job as part of a scandal involving a rival Chicago TV station's news cameras capturing footage of Jacobson clad in a bikini with her children at the home of the husband of a missing woman.
in 1987 and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Iowa
with a bachelor's degree
in broadcasting and film in 1991. She was the Sigma Chi
sweetheart in 1989.
, KVIA-TV
in El Paso
, Texas
, KOLD-TV
in Tucson, Arizona
, and, starting in 1992, KSAX-TV in Alexandria, Minnesota
. She started out with an internship at KGAN-TV based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
She has also appeared on the Today show four times.
, and her children at the home of Craig Stebic, husband of Lisa Stebic
, a missing woman, was made public by WBBM-TV
, the local CBS
affiliate. Jacobson had been covering the story of Lisa Stebic's unexplained disappearance.
On July 10, 2007, Jacobson and WMAQ-TV negotiated her exit, following an investigation by the station.
On Monday, July 7, 2008, the Chicago Sun-Times reported "On Monday, Jacobson filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against CBS-owned WBBM-TV-Channel 2 for airing the tape of her at the home of Craig Stebic, the southwest suburban Plainfield man whose estranged wife, Lisa, has been missing since April 2007."
and worked as a traffic and news reporter for WLS (AM)
from 2008 to 2010, beginning on the Roe Conn
Show, and then moving to The Mancow and Cassidy show. She became co-host with Big John Howell on WIND (AM) on March 24, 2010.
The season 18 episode of Law & Order
entitled "Submission," which aired on March 12, 2008, creatively borrowed from events pertaining to the Jacobson story.
WMAQ-TV
WMAQ-TV, channel 5, is an owned-and-operated television station of the NBC Television Network, located in Chicago, Illinois. WMAQ-TV's main studios and offices are located within the NBC Tower in the Streeterville neighborhood, with an auxiliary street-level studio on the Magnificent Mile at 401...
, the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
affiliate in Chicago, from 1996 to 2007, when she lost her job as part of a scandal involving a rival Chicago TV station's news cameras capturing footage of Jacobson clad in a bikini with her children at the home of the husband of a missing woman.
Early life and education
A native of Mt. Prospect, Illinois, Jacobson graduated from John Hersey High SchoolJohn Hersey High School
John Hersey High School, , is a four-year public high school located in Arlington Heights, Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago, Illinois in the United States, it has its students from Arlington Heights and also takes some students from Prospect Heights, Mount Prospect and a small part of Des...
in 1987 and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
with a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in broadcasting and film in 1991. She was the Sigma Chi
Sigma Chi
Sigma Chi is the largest and one of the oldest college Greek-letter secret and social fraternities in North America with 244 active chapters and more than . Sigma Chi was founded on June 28, 1855 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio when members split from Delta Kappa Epsilon...
sweetheart in 1989.
Professional career
Prior to joining WMAQ-TV, Jacobson worked at WJBK-TV in DetroitDetroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, KVIA-TV
KVIA-TV
KVIA-TV is an ABC affiliate television station in El Paso, Texas. It broadcasts its digital signal on channel 7 and channel 17. It is owned by and was the flagship television station of the News-Press & Gazette Company of St. Joseph, Missouri before the company acquired KRDO-TV. Its transmitter is...
in El Paso
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, KOLD-TV
KOLD-TV
KOLD-TV is a full-service television station in Tucson, Arizona. It is the CBS affiliate in Tucson, Arizona, and is owned by Raycom Media. The station broadcasts in digital on UHF channel 32; it also carries Me-TV on digital subchannel 13.2...
in Tucson, Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
, and, starting in 1992, KSAX-TV in Alexandria, Minnesota
Alexandria, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 8,820 people, however the most recent count suggests a population upwards of 10,000, which is displayed on Alexandria's city limits signs. The census lists 4,047 households, and 2,011 families residing in the city. The population density was 992.5 people per...
. She started out with an internship at KGAN-TV based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
She has also appeared on the Today show four times.
Stebic controversy
On July 6, 2007, a videotape of Jacobson (was on YouTube, but later removed), clad in a bikiniBikini
The bikini is typically a women's two-piece swimsuit. One part of the attire covers the breasts and the other part covers the crotch and part of or the entire buttocks, leaving an uncovered area between the two. Merriam–Webster describes the bikini as "a woman's scanty two-piece bathing suit" or "a...
, and her children at the home of Craig Stebic, husband of Lisa Stebic
Lisa Stebic
Lisa Michelle Stebic, née Ruttenberg is an American missing person. The mother of two has been missing from her home in Plainfield, Illinois since April 30, 2007. Stebic, 37, is five-feet, two-inches tall, 120 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes...
, a missing woman, was made public by WBBM-TV
WBBM-TV
WBBM-TV, virtual channel 2 , is the CBS owned-and-operated television station in Chicago, Illinois. WBBM-TV's main studios and offices are located in The Loop section of Chicago, as part of the development at Block 37, and its transmitter is atop the Willis Tower.-History:WBBM-TV traces its history...
, the local CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
affiliate. Jacobson had been covering the story of Lisa Stebic's unexplained disappearance.
On July 10, 2007, Jacobson and WMAQ-TV negotiated her exit, following an investigation by the station.
On Monday, July 7, 2008, the Chicago Sun-Times reported "On Monday, Jacobson filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against CBS-owned WBBM-TV-Channel 2 for airing the tape of her at the home of Craig Stebic, the southwest suburban Plainfield man whose estranged wife, Lisa, has been missing since April 2007."
After WMAQ-TV
Jacobson made frequent guest appearances on "Livin' Large with Geoff Pinkus" on WIND (AM)WIND (AM)
WIND "AM 560" is a radio station based in Chicago, Illinois, broadcasting its talk radio format on 560 kHz.Its current owner is Salem Media, a company specializing primarily in Christian radio...
and worked as a traffic and news reporter for WLS (AM)
WLS (AM)
WLS is a Chicago clear-channel AM station on 890 kHz. It uses C-QUAM AM stereo and transmits with 50,000 watts from transmitter and towers on the south edge of Tinley Park, Illinois....
from 2008 to 2010, beginning on the Roe Conn
Roe Conn
Roe B. Conn is an American talk radio host of The Roe Conn Show with Richard Roeper, which airs on WLS-AM 890 in Chicago live from 2 to 6 p.m. , Monday through Friday. Three hours of the radio show are also simulcast on NBC Chicago Digital 5.2 television between 3 and 6 p.m. weekdays...
Show, and then moving to The Mancow and Cassidy show. She became co-host with Big John Howell on WIND (AM) on March 24, 2010.
The season 18 episode of Law & Order
Law & Order
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
entitled "Submission," which aired on March 12, 2008, creatively borrowed from events pertaining to the Jacobson story.