Susan Carlson

Carlson was raised in Dolton, Illinois and attended Seton Academy in South Holland, Illinois.[1] She graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in journalism from Loyola University in Chicago[1] in 1991[2] and later received a M.A. in journalism from Roosevelt University[3] in 2009.[2]

After school, Carlson worked in radio as a news reporter and morning show co-host at north suburban Chicago WXLC-FM and WKRS-AM and then joined Shadow Traffic radio as its news director where she also delivered news and traffic reports on WTMX-FM, WNND-FM (now WILV-FM), WJMK, and WSCR-AM.[2] In 1995, she accepted a position as traffic reporter on WGN-TV-Channel 9.[2] In 1998, she replaced Jim Johnson as news anchor on Roe Conn and Richard Roeper's afternoon radio show at WLS (AM)[4][3][2] and filled in at various rolls at WLS-TV-Channel 7.[3][2] In December 2002, she joined WBBM-TV-Channel 2 as morning news traffic reporter and then as general assignment reporter and later as morning news co-anchor.[3][2] In July 2013, after 11 years WBBM, she accepted a position with WMAQ-TV-Channel 5 in Chicago and was appointed news anchor in July 2014.[5][3]

On September 25, 2020, Carlson announced on Twitter that she is leaving WMAQ next month to focus on as a voice-over artist and a audio book narrator.[6]

She also serves as an adjunct professor at Loyola University's School of Communication.[5]

Carlson has received five local Emmy Awards (two for her work as a traffic reporter and three for her coverage of the Chicago Marathon), an Edward R. Murrow Award for "Best News Feature," and the Chicagoland Achievement in Radio Award for "Best News Reporter."[2] In 2001, she was a media witness at the execution of Timothy McVeigh.[2]

Carlson has lived in various neighborhoods in Chicago including Lincoln Park, Rogers Park, Old Town, and Streeterville.[1] She is divorced.[7] In 2015, she adopted a 4-year-old girl from India.[8]