Cheryl Burton is a news anchor at
WLS-TVWLS-TV, virtual channel 7, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company, located in Chicago, Illinois, USA. The station operates their full power digital operations on UHF channel 44, with their digital fill-in translator on VHF channel...
in
ChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. She anchors the station's 5 p.m. newscast alongside
Ron MagersRon Magers is a weeknight anchor for WLS-TV, the ABC owned-and-operated station in Chicago, the city's number one station. He currently co-anchors the top-rated 5:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. broadcasts with Cheryl Burton and Kathy Brock, respectively...
and is a contributor on the 10 p.m. newscast.
Education and Personal Life
Burton graduated from Chicago's Lindblom Technical High School in 1980. She graduated from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana where she received her B.S. in Psychology and Biology. She is a member of
Delta Sigma ThetaDelta Sigma Theta is a non-profit Greek-lettered sorority of college-educated women who perform public service and place emphasis on the African American community. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority was founded on January 13, 1913 by twenty-two collegiate women at Howard University...
Sorority. In 2007, she was the first alumnus inducted into the school's hall of fame.
http://www.lindblomalumni.org/Alumni/
At one time, Burton was married to ABC 7 sports reporter
Jim RoseJim Rose may refer to:* Jim Rose, founder of the Jim Rose Circus* Jim Rose , publisher and founder director of the International Press Institute* Jim Rose , sports anchor who currently works for WLS-TV...
. They have since divorced.
On April 23, 2008, Burton, along with 4 others (5 separate attacks), was injured after a man punched them in the head or face. The 28 year old Gregory Perdue went on a fist-throwing rampage down a sidewalk in downtown Chicago. Burton was hit while on her dinner break. She was walking near Washington St. and
State StreetState Street may refer to:*State Street , Massachusetts*State Street , Illinois*State Street , Wisconsin- See also :*State Street Corporation, a holding company servicing institutional investment clients*State Street Bank v...
when she was hit in the head by what she thought was a bullet. She was however, hit by a punch in the head from Perdue which knocked her to the ground. An X-Ray and CAT Scan revealed no severe damage, but she said she suffered from headaches for months following the attack. At the trial, Perdue's attorney said Perdue was schizophrenic. Perdue was found not guilty on five counts of
aggravated batteryAggravated battery in criminal law is a more serious form of battery, and is considered a felony. Aggravated battery can be punished by a fine or more than a year in prison in some countries...
. The judge instead remanded Perdue to the state Department of Mental Health until April 2015.
Professional career
Prior to Burton beginning her career in broadcasting, she was on television on
Romper RoomRomper Room is a children's television series that ran in the United States from 1953 to 1994 as well as at various times in Australia, Canada, Japan, Puerto Rico, New Zealand and the United Kingdom...
, as a contestant on
Star SearchStar Search is a television show that was produced from 1983-95, hosted by Ed McMahon, and created by Alfred Masini. A relaunch was produced in 2003-04. The show was originally filmed at the old Earl Carroll Theatre at 6230 Sunset Blvd...
, and hosted an hour long cable TV show Simply Elegant. Burton's broadcasting career began in 1989 at
WGN-TVWGN-TV, virtual channel 9 , is the CW-affiliated television station in Chicago, Illinois built, signed on, and owned by the Tribune Company. WGN-TV's studios and offices are located at 2501 W...
in Chicago where she co-anchored "MBR: The Minority Business Report", a nationally syndicated weekly series. In 1990, she moved to
Peoria, IllinoisPeoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...
where she worked as a reporter at
WMBD-TVWMBD-TV is the CBS-affiliated television station for Central Illinois licensed to Peoria. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 30 from a transmitter on Pinecrest Drive in Groveland Township's East Peoria section. The station can also be seen on Comcast channel 7 and in...
. From 1990 to 1992, she was an anchor at KWCH-DT in
Wichita, KansasWichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
. Burton joined WLS-TV in 1992 as weekend co-anchor/reporter. In 2003, she was promoted to 5 p.m. weekday co-anchor and 10 p.m. contributing anchor with
Ron MagersRon Magers is a weeknight anchor for WLS-TV, the ABC owned-and-operated station in Chicago, the city's number one station. He currently co-anchors the top-rated 5:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. broadcasts with Cheryl Burton and Kathy Brock, respectively...
and
Kathy BrockKathy Brock is a news anchor at WLS-TV, Chicago's ABC affiliate. She is a co-anchor of the station's 6 pm and 10 pm news broadcasts alongside Alan Krashesky and Ron Magers, respectively.-Personal Life and Education:...
.
In addition to being on television, Burton was a cheerleader. She was part of the Honey Bear cheerleading team for the
Chicago BearsThe Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
for three seasons from 1983-1986.
Accomplishments
Burton was the first recipient of the 2005 "Sisters in the Spirit" Award; a religious award. She was also the recipient of the 2009
Procter & GambleProcter & Gamble is a Fortune 500 American multinational corporation headquartered in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio and manufactures a wide range of consumer goods....
Award for her outstanding community service. In 2008, Burton won the NABJ (National Association of Black Journalist) Salute to Excellence International. In the year of 2004 and 2005, she was honored with the Thurgood Marshall Award. Also in 2004, the Chicago Association of Black Journalist (CABJ) honored Burton with the Russ Ewing Award for her coverage on the E2 nightclub tragedy. In 1998, she was honored for her profession with the Kizzy Image and Achievement Award. Burton received the Phenomenal Woman Award in 1997, and she was also awarded CABJ for coverage on the Million Man March.
Volunteer Work
Burton volunteer for the Boys and Girls Club of America. She is also public speaker for the students of the
Chicago Public SchoolsChicago Public Schools, commonly abbreviated as CPS by local residents and politicians and officially classified as City of Chicago School District #299 for funding and districting reasons, is a large school district that manages over 600 public elementary and high schools in Chicago, Illinois...
. She is a participant in the Rush-Presbyteriain/St. Luke's fashion show. Burton is also a board member of the Life with Lupus Guild.
External links