A pedestrian threw a rock at one of the windows of a Chicago TV station just after the station went on the air, causing damage to the glass.
The incident happened Aug. 29, 2024, just after the 4 p.m. newscast had started on WLS, which is known on-air as ABC 7 Eyewitness News.
The station has security cameras trained on the sidewalk areas outside the studio and captured the entire incident on tape.
The clip shows an unidentified man removing a large rock from a bag and throwing it at the window. It appears to bounce off the glass and he can be seen picking it up and throwing it again.
Later images released by the station showed two large shatter marks on the exterior of the glass, which the station said was partially broken.
Rob Elgas and Judy Hsu were co-anchoring the 4 p.m. newscast at the time. Hsu was reading a VO when the first hit occurred, which was loud enough to pick up quite distinctly on the open mics on the set.
At the end of her next read, Hsu informed viewers that the sound was a light fixture presumably exploding, though that assertion turned out to be untrue. She then read another story when another loud sound could be heard. The station cut to a two-shot of the anchor desk where Hsu appeared to be a bit shaken, while Elgas requested that security be called.
Like most windowed TV studios, WLS’s streetside space has reinforced glass windows for security reasons. No one was hurt in the incident and the station did not sustain any interior damage to its facility, though the glass will need to be repaired or replaced.
The station and police have released the surveillance video in hopes of identifying the alleged culprit.
WLS first opened its State Street Studio, as it’s known, April 10, 2006. It underwent a major interior update in 2015.
In December 2007, a man drove a vehicle into the studio’s windows, breaking the glass and causing cold air to blow into the studio.
WLS’s is studio is somewhat unique in that its glass walls essentially reach from floor to ceiling. There is a series of low stanchions running in front of the windows, but they are easy to climb over and obviously would not stop a rock or other object from being thrown at the windows.
In July 2024, CBS-owned WBBM in Chicago re-opened its streetside studio just a few blocks from WLS.
Security around media outlet’s buildings and, especially, high-profile spaces such as streetside studios can be attractive to both pranksters and people with more nefarious motives.
Many TV stations have significant security our their perimeters and inside.
In June 2020, NBC’s famous “Today” studio had a protective wall erected around its windows as a precaution due to civil unrest involving the death of George Floyd and subsequent legal proceedings.