What happened to Roz Varon on ‘ABC 7 Eyewitness News’?

ABC 7 Eyewitness News traffic anchor and reporter Roz Varon retired from the Chicago station April 5, 2024.

That day was also her last day on the air and she will no longer appear on the station’s morning newscasts.

Varon did not indicate if she might return to the station from time to time.

Varon, who has worked at ABC-owned WLS in Chicago for 35 years, announced her retirement on-air Feb. 21, 2024.

“Roz’s expertise and connection to our viewers are the reasons she has been our top traffic and transportation reporter for more than three decades,” said President and General Manager John Idler in a statement at the time. “Chicagoans know they can count on Roz to avoid a jam. We applaud Roz as she puts an exclamation point on an outstanding career.”

Varon joined ABC 7 in 1989 at morning traffic reporter and later began covering transportation and special events for the station.

Her entry into the traffic beat made her one of the first traffic reporters in the country — and much of her work influenced how the beat evolved into what it is today.

A multiple-Emmy award winner, Varon was also an advocate for both animals and breast cancer prevention and survivors, being a Stage 4 survivor herself.

Advertisement

WLS did not announce who would replace Varon. 

Reporter and anchor Diane Pathieu would typically fill in when Varon was out, so she it could make her the natural choice for a replacement, having already been seen covering traffic and possessing knowledge of the city’s roadways and traffic reporting style.

ABC 7 has been investing heavily in its morning newscasts, having transitioned former “Windy City Live” hosts Val Warner and Ryan Chiaverini into a part of the team in recent years. The station also assigned Samantha Chatman to the show as a consumer reporter with regular appearances, but she is now a weekend anchor.