Emily Barr ’80, president and general manager of WLS-TV (ABC) in Chicago, will give the Carleton College opening convocation address on Monday, September 10 at 3 p.m. in the Skinner Memorial Chapel. Entitled “Oh, The Places You’ll Go! (With Apologies to Dr. Seuss)," Barr’s address is free and open to the public.
Under Barr's leadership since 1997, ABC Channel 7 in Chicago now dominates the local market with its number one rated news lineup. Barr’s vision to create a street-level studio that would provide viewers with a window into the world of television was realized in 2006, when the state-of-the-art State Street Studio debuted and became ABC 7’s new broadcast home.
Under Barr’s guidance, WLS-TV is the most technologically advanced television station in Chicago. In January 2007, it became the first and only Chicago station to offer a complete schedule of local news and programming in High Definition (HD) television. Among other “firsts” spearheaded by Barr are the station’s acquisition of the city’s only HD helicopter, video podcasting and extensive distribution of news, weather, traffic and information via handheld and wireless devices. ABC 7 also hosts a 24-hour digital news and weather channel.
A Carleton Alumni Trustee from 2002 to 2006, Barr is actively involved in the Chicago community where she currently serves on multiple boards including the Chicago Central Area Committee, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, Children’s Memorial Hospital Foundation and the Greater Chicago Food Depository. She is the current President of the Board of the United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Chicago as well as the Vice Chair-TV for the Illinois Broadcasters Association (IBA), having previously served as Chairman of the Board of the IBA.
Barr has received multiple honors for her civic involvement and is currently Vice Chair of the State Street Commission, appointed by Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley. The Chicago Urban League recognized Barr as their 2006 Spirit Award winner, the same year that the Niagara Foundation, promoting diversity, tolerance and global fellowship, honored her with their 2006 Communications Award. In 2004, Barr was awarded the Luminary Award from the Girl Scouts of Chicago, in recognition of her community involvement and visionary leadership.
After receiving her BA in film studies from Carleton, Barr began her career in broadcasting in 1980 as a news editor at KSTP-TV in St. Paul, Minn. A native of Haverhill, Mass., Barr holds an MBA from George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
Carleton’s opening convocation is an annual all-college assembly celebrating the beginning of the academic year and recognizing academic achievement. For more information and disability accommodations, contact the Carleton college relations office at (507) 646-4308.
