WLS Reporter Charles Thomas Retiring

Veteran broadcast journalist Charles Thomas, whose career has spanned four decades, is set to retire from ABC O&O WLS Chicago (DMA 3) on March 3.

Thomas made his mark as a broadcaster in both local and national arenas, for nearly 26 years as a general assignment reporter and then, political reporter for WLS and prior to that, as a Midwest correspondent for ABC News.

Thomas joined WLS News in September of 1991 as a general assignment reporter.   After his promotion to political reporter in 2009, Thomas recalled that his first full day on the job coincided with Barack Obama’s first full day in office. Prior to that, he worked for several years as a Midwest Correspondent for ABC News in Chicago and St. Louis. He has worked at stations in various cities across the country including Kansas City, San Francisco and Philadelphia. 

Thomas has worked as a professional journalist since 1973, shortly after his graduation from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism.  He began his career as a radio newscaster at KCMO-AM in Kansas City, Mo. 

After his final day at WLS, Thomas said he plans to use his skills on a soon-to-be-announced digital platform “with the goal of helping the African-American community take control of its own message and change the narrative to a positive one.”