HR0202 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0202 LRB096 12007 KXB 23767 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans will present its annual "Dante Award" on May 21, 2009 to Greg Caputo, News Director for WGN-TV in Chicago; and

WHEREAS, Greg Caputo joined WGN-TV as News Director in December 2002; he leads the news operation of consistently top-ranked local newscasts: WGN Morning News, WGN Midday News, WGN Evening News, and WGN News at Nine; during his time as News Director, the WGN Morning News, WGN Midday News, and WGN Evening News broadcasts have all expanded; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Caputo joined WGN-TV from Tribune station WLVI-TV in Boston, Massachusetts, where he served as news director for seven years; during his time at WLVI News, the news program remained a consistent market leader at 10pm, earning multiple local Emmys, as well as Associated Press and RTNDA Awards; and

WHEREAS, Prior to WLVI, Mr. Caputo spent three years as corporate director of news for Malrite Communications group in Ohio; while there, he launched a news operation at their Fox affiliate WXIX, Cincinnati, Ohio, and assumed news leadership at the new two station cluster of CBS affiliate WOIO and independent station WUAB in Cleveland, Ohio; and

WHEREAS, As Vice President and News Director at WFLD in Chicago in 1985 and from 1987 to 1993, Mr. Caputo developed and launched news broadcasts on the station; he held the same position at WNYW, New York and WTTG, Washington, D.C. from 1986 to 1987; and

WHEREAS, Starting in 1972 and into 1985, Mr. Caputo held a variety of positions at WBBM-TV, a CBS affiliate, leading to the news director position in 1983; he also worked for Group W Television KDKA-TV as their assignment manager in the mid-1970s; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Caputo started in the industry as a reporter, writer, producer, photographer, and editor at WNDU-TV and Radio in South Bend, Indiana in 1968; he graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Arts and received his MS-J from Northwestern University's prestigious Medill School of Journalism; and

WHEREAS, He has been President of the Board of Governors of the Boston-New England Chapter of NATAS, a Governor of the Chicago Chapter of NATAS, and a member of the RTNDA; he has also been a guest lecturer at many prestigious universities including Northwestern University, Columbia University in New York, Boston University, Emerson College in Boston, and others; and

WHEREAS, The Dante Award is given by the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans annually; the Joint Civic Committee on Italian Americans is an independent non-profit association dedicated to preserving Italian-American heritage and providing a unified voice for metropolitan Chicago's Italian-American community; the Dante Award is given to a member of the local news media who has answered Dante Alighieri's call to be no timid friend to truth; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Greg Caputo on being named the recipient of the 2009 Dante Award, presented by the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans, for his dedication, service, and inspiration in the field of news; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Greg Caputo with our respect and esteem.