Ryan Chiaverini (born 1987)[1] is an American television personality, and Midwest Emmy Award winning co-host of Windy City Live (now Windy City Weekend) on ABC Chicago (WLS-TV). He is also the Lead Sports Anchor at ABC7 Chicago replacing Jim Rose who retired in September 2023.
Chiaverini is from Corona, California.[2] His father, Eddie Chiaverini, is a professional guitarist and singer who was a member of the surf band The Lively Ones. Their most popular song, “Surf Rider” is featured in the 1994 film “Pulp Fiction” earning the band a platinum album. Ryan has four half-brothers[3] and is the twin brother of former NFL receiver Darrin Chiaverini (Ryan is 8 minutes older). They both attended the University of Colorado Boulder. Ryan was a “walk on” for the football team eventually earning a full athletic scholarship. Ryan earned a degree in broadcast journalism and has had a successful career in sports journalism and television hosting. Darrin was drafted by the Cleveland Browns (5th round) in 1999. He holds the Browns franchise record for catches in a single game by a rookie (11). He went onto play 4 seasons in the NFL (Browns/Cowboys/Falcons) and played professionally in the AFL for several years before becoming a college football coach.[4]
Chiaverini began his career as a weekend sports anchor at KFBB in Great Falls, Montana,[1] then at KTVQ in Billings. In 2002, he became a sports reporter at KUSA in Denver, Colorado.[4] He spent four seasons covering the Denver Broncos and served as a fill-in host for the Mike Shanahan Show and John Elway's Crush Zone. In 2006, he moved to WLS-TV, where he was promoted to sports anchor for the weekend news broadcasts and hosted the station's pre-game coverage of the Chicago Bears, the Chicago Huddle.[2] [5]
In 2011, WLS-TV launched a 9:00 am weekday talk show with the working title ”Morning Rush” to replace the iconic and coveted Oprah Winfrey Show. After several rounds and months of auditions, Chiaverini was named co-host alongside Val Warner; more than 500 people had applied.[2] [6] Ryan is credited with naming the show Windy City Live.
In September 2021, after a successful 10 year daily run Windy City Live became a weekly program, Windy City Weekend; starting in 2022, Chiaverini also became a fill-in weekday sports anchor on ABC 7.[7]
In November 2023, Chiaverini was promoted to ABC 7 Lead Sports Anchor. He currently anchors sports on ABC 7's top rated newscasts weekdays at 5pm, 6pm and 10 p.m. [8]
In 2021, Chiaverini played a lawyer in the Lifetime TV movie Switched Before Birth.[9] He has also had small roles on Showtime’s “Shameless” & ABC’s “General Hospital” along with other TV series and independent films.
In 2013, Chiaverini shared the Chicago/Midwest regional Emmy Award for Program Host/Moderator; he won the award outright in 2017.[10] [11] Also in 2013, he shared in the regional Emmy for Interview/Discussion Programming awarded to Windy City Live for a special on violence,[12] and in 2020-2023 he was one of the recipients of the Chicago/Midwest regional Emmy for Special Event Coverage, for ABC7’s popular New Years Eve show Countdown Chicago. [13]
In 2011, New City named Chiaverini "best-looking male local TV personality",[14] and in 2012, Modern Luxury magazine named him among Chicago's most eligible bachelors.[15]
Chiaverini is a hobby singer/guitarist. Having lost his younger brother to suicide, in 2014 he wrote and recorded a song called "Chicago" to benefit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.[3] [16] In 2019, after his mother's death from cancer, he released "This Is Country" with a link for donations to cancer research.[17] He has also performed at a media charity event known as "Newsapalooza", in 2008 with Richard Marx[18]
He has continued to work for suicide awareness and cancer research, speaking at the annual Out of the Darkness Walk[3] and emceeing cancer fundraising events.