Steve Grzanich

Steve Grzanich co-anchors the afternoon news on Newsradio 780 WBBM along with Keith Johnson from 3-to-8 pm each weekday. 

The veteran WBBM newsman joined Newsradio 780 WBBM in 1994 as a news writer and general assignment reporter.  During his tenure at WBBM, Steve has reported some of Chicago's biggest news stories, including the 1995 Heat Disaster, the death of Cardinal Bernadin, the Cook County Administration Building Fire, the Judge Lefkow Family Murders and the White Sox World Series to name a few.

A graduate of Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Steve has been honored with numerous journalism awards from The Society of Professional Journalists, Radio-Television News Directors Association, Associated Press, United Press International and Chicago Press Veterans.  He is a five time recipient of the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism for investigative and breaking news reporting.

Steve's current reporting, on the special series Mission to ISS and Beyond highlights the 50th Anniversary of NASA and focuses on Chicago's connection to the space program.  The year-long project began airing in October 2007 with the space shuttle mission of astronaut Dan Tani of suburban Lombard and documented Tani's five month tour of duty aboard the International Space Station.  The ongoing series has already been honored with an Edward R. Murrow award for "Best Continuing Coverage" and in 2008 will focus on life aboard the space station, the Hubble Telescope Servicing Mission and preparation by NASA to return astronauts to the Moon.

In 2007, Steve and Keith's afternoon newscasts won Associated Press and Edward R. Murrow Awards for "Best Newscast" and the pair led Newsradio 780's team coverage of the August 23 Severe Weather Outbreak which was honored by the Society of Professional Journalists with the national Sigma Delta Chi Award for "Best Breaking News Coverage." 

In 2006, Steve and Keith's afternoon newscasts, including coverage of the Ogilvie Center Shootings, won Associated Press and Edward R. Murrow Awards for "Best Newscast" and "Best Spot News Coverage."  Steve was also honored with the Peter Lisagor Award for Exemplary Journalism for arts reporting and criticism.  

Steve began his journalism career at the age of 15 as a weekend reporter at his hometown radio station, WFRX in West Frankfort, Illinois.  Prior to joining Newsradio 780 WBBM, he worked as a reporter at WLRW-FM in Champaign, Illinois, WCIL-AM/FM in Carbondale, Illinois, WSIL-TV in Marion, Illinois and KSTP-TV in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  Steve also spent a year covering politics in Springfield, Illlinois.  Steve is a member of the Illinois News Broadcasters Association, Radio-Television News Directors Association, The Society of Professional Journalists and Investigative Reporters and Editors Association.  

The question Steve is asked most is, "What nationality is Grzanich?"  He says it's Croatian but he is actually half Croatian and half Irish. 

Steve lives on the north side of Chicago with his labrador retriever "Murrow."

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