Larry Wert joined NBC 5 Chicago as President/General Manager in January '98.
A native Chicagoan, Larry has been in broadcasting over 30 years. He got his start in the industry at Leo Burnett Advertising in Chicago in 1978. He went on to spend 10 years with ABC-TV in National TV Sales in Los Angeles, New York and Chicago, and then to WLS-TV as Local Sales Manager.
In 1989, he was named President and General Manager of Evergreen's "The Loop" and AM 1000. In 1996, he was named President of Evergreen Media Corporation when it merged with Chancellor Broadcasting. He then went on to Senior Vice-President, overseeing Chancellor's 13 radio properties in Chicago and Detroit before coming to NBC5 in 1998.
At NBC5, Wert leads the NBC5/Telemundo Chicago duopoly. Under his leadership the country's first bi-lingual co-located newsroom was unveiled in 2002. In addition, in December 2003 he led the launch of Chicago's first television broadcast street side studio at 401 N. Michigan Avenue, now known as Studio 5
Wert is a member of several charities and organizations. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Children's Brittle Bone Foundation, the Catholic Charities, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce and the 100 Club. He is a member of the Governing Board of Gilda's Club of Chicago and a member of the Advisory Council for the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation Greater Chicago Division. He is an Honorary Board and Nominating Committee Member of RAINBOWS, an organization that helps children cope with loss. Wert also sits on the IBA Board of Directors and the Board of Trustees for Fenwick High School in Oak Park, Illinois
In June 2006, Mayor Richard M. Daley named Wert to a panel of corporate leaders to lead Chicago's potential bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics.
In 2005, he received the Leonardo Da Vinci Award of Excellence from the Order Sons of Italy and was awarded the "Visionary Leadership Award" by the Chicago Chapter of the Anti-Defamation League. He was also inducted into the Fenwick High School Hall of Fame.
Previously, Wert was named the Broadcast Advertising Club of Chicago's 2002 Person of the Year. He also received the prestigious Dante Award from the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans in 2000.
He was chairman of the 11th Annual "Have a Heart for Sickle Cell Anemia" benefit and was the recipient of the organization's 1998 "Gift of Life" Award. Wert was honored with the 1998 Cosmopolitan Chamber of Commerce Award for "Responding to Community Standards of Broadcasting."
NBC5 was named the 2002 IBA station of the year and received the "Outstanding Participation and Support of Clean Air Programs" award from the EPA.
Wert holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin Madison. He and his wife Julie have four children and reside in his hometown of Riverside, IL.
There is some basic criterion for this nomination: NBC5’ commitment of serving the educational and informational needs of children of Chicago through Homework Hotline program.
For these reasons, I am honored to present this evening’s “Media Award” to Mr. Larry Wert, in Grateful Appreciation and Recognition for his dedication to Media, Education and Diversity.
