By Barbara Williams Perry, 2005 Silver Circle Production Chair 

On April 29, 2005, the Chicago/Midwest Chapter of the Television Academy inducted five news members into the SilverCircle. And, just  like the previous 13 induction ceremonies — this year’s ceremony was  the best.

To see photos of the event go to: 

http://www.chicagoemmyonline.org/component/option,com_gallery2/Itemid,70/?g2_itemId=1641

The Silver Circle honors our colleagues who have worked in television for 25 years or more. But it takes more than longevity. Each year we  honor people whose work has had an impact on our industry and changed  it for the better. Members of the Silver Circle are our peers, our  mentors, and our pioneers. They are also our friends. Bring them 
together, and you have a great celebration of the Chicago television industry.

This year the Silver Circle got five new members:Roger Ebert: ABC7 film critic and host of “Ebert & Roeper” Bill Jackson: children’s television puppeteer and pioneer Mike Torchia: cameraman, now freelance; Linda Yu: ABC7 anchor Linda Mancuso: posthumous award given for work in network programming Chicago’s historic Drake Hotel was the site of our celebration. As friends and colleagues gathered for cocktails, it became a reunion  for people who may not have seen each other for years, but remembered working together like it was yesterday. Dinner followed in the Grand Ballroom, and then our program got underway. 

Our host for the evening was Jim Tilmon of CBS2. Tilmon has  helped the academy with the Silver Circle dinner in the past, when he  prepared a presentation for Miss Francis in 2001. He gave a gracious and moving acceptance when he was honored with the Silver Circle in  2000. As host of this evening, he was extraordinary. Tilmon told our new inductees and their guests how important this award has been in his life, because it is these particular colleagues  — those who work in Chicago — who recognize his and all the inductees’ contributions. Tilmon repeated that he believes Chicago is without question the best market to work in.

Each of our honorees had chosen someone to present them for the Silver Circle, and these presenters each gave a full picture of their  friend and colleague. Prior to accepting their honors, our new inductees each enjoyed a video showcasing their work. This was the  fun part.

The fun started when Jim Engel presented Bill Jackson for the Silver Circle. Engel, a cartoonist and curator at the Museum of  Broadcasting, talked about the zaniness of Jackson’s programs, like  “B.J. Gigglesnort Hotel,” that inspired Engel to have fun in life.  Engel’s video caught that silly, playful fun. And in his acceptance, Jackson talked about the perfect professionalism of the producers and crews he worked with over the years at WBBM, WFLD, WGN, and WLS.

Janet Davies presented her friend and cameraman Mike Torchia for induction into the Silver Circle and told the audience their  friendship is the bond that made their work so good. Torchia worked for WSNS, ESPN, and On-TV and spent most of his  career at ABC7. Torchia is now a respected freelance cameraman and director. In his acceptance speech, Torchia thanked his friends with whom he  has had the privilege to work over the years. He said he shares the honor with all of them.

Peter Engel, president of Peter Engel Productions, joined us from Los Angeles to present the late Linda Mancuso for the Silver Circle. Members of Mancuso’s family and many of her Chicago-area friends  joined Engel in celebrating her career as a producer and programmer  for WMAQ and NBC, and remembered Mancuso’s work as programming chief  at the ABC Family Channel. In accepting the award on behalf of his  late sister, who died in 2003, Rob Mancuso thanked the academy for  recognizing Mancuso’s high professional standards and her love for her work.

Thea Flaum, who joined the Silver Circle in 2001 and is president of  Thea Flaum Productions, created “Sneak Previews” with the late Gene  Siskel and Roger Ebert. She presented Ebert for the Silver Circle, citing his love of the movies and the honesty of his criticism. Ebert’s video reviewed his career, and his acceptance stories reminded the guests that movies take us to  people and worlds and real life we might not see anywhere else.  That’s why he wants them to be so good.

Silver Circle member Joel Daly, who was inducted in 2002, presented his ABC7 co-anchor Linda Yu for her honors. He told the audience Yu has been a  colleague and friend to him, and added that her professionalism and  support for colleagues at NBC5 and ABC7 have made her a great anchor in television news. In her acceptance, Yu said that as a young  immigrant from China, she wanted to see people who looked like her on  American television. Yu is proud to be a member of the community of Asian-American journalists, and proud to work in Chicago, where high  standards make great journalism.

Tilmon ended the evening by repeating congratulations to the new  members of the Silver Circle and closed with a pilot’s story. He said  that when two jets fly at high altitudes on late-night flights, they  acknowledge and honor each other by blinking their landing lights. It  is a special salute, Tilmon said, and it is what we did that evening  with the Silver Circle.

2005 HONOREE BIOS

For the past 25 years *Roger Ebert has been host of the most influential program on film aired on American TV. He created the format with the late Gene Siskel when they co-hosted "Siskel & Ebert" for 23 years. His current program, "Ebert & Roeper," is syndicated on more than 2000 stations nationwide. The native of Urbana, Ill., won the  Pulitzer Prize for his film criticism in the Chicago Sun-Times. Ebert's column is syndicated in more than 200 newspapers, and he is the film critic for  ABC7.

The credits of *Bill Jackson, children’s show host and puppeteer include “Cartoontown,” “Here Comes Freckles,” and “Gigglesnort Hotel.” He has worked with WBBM-Channel 2, WGN-Channel 9, and WFLD-Channel 32 and, in syndication, on Channel 7.

*Linda Mancuso, inducted posthumously, was senior vice president and head of programming for ABC Family Channel. Before that, she was President of Peter Engel Productions and also spent more than 20 years at NBC in prime-time series production, series development, and executive roles.

*Michael Torchia was a director, camera operator, and production engineer at WLS Channel 7, WSNS-Channel 44, ESPN, and the former ON-TV.

*Linda Yu, a veteran news anchor, joined WLS in 1984 after five years at WMAQ. She currently anchors the WLS 11 a.m. and  4 p.m. weekday newscasts. Yu has been honored with three local Emmy Awards.