Rob Stafford
Encyclopedia
Rob Stafford is a Chicago television anchor and a former correspondent for NBC's Dateline NBC
newsmagazine.
, Robert R. Stafford earned a degree in political science and journalism at Macalester College
in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1981.
in Duluth, Minnesota
and WFRV-TV
in Green Bay, Wisconsin
. He then became a morning news anchor and an investigative reporter at WFTV-TV in Orlando, Florida
. While at WFTV, Stafford founded the station's investigative unit and launched a two-year investigation into hotel security in Orlando, which because of Disney World is a popular tourist destination. Stafford's work exposed significant security breaches for tourists and ultimately resulted in a grand jury investigation.
In September 1992, Stafford joined WBBM-TV
in Chicago as a general assignment reporter. During his four years at the station, he also worked as a fill-in anchor.
Stafford left WBBM in 1996 to join NBC's Dateline NBC
newsmagazine show, where he worked as a Chicago-based correspondent for the newsmagazine program for almost 11 years. He was fired from Dateline NBC in 2006 in a cost-cutting move.
On September 23, 2007, Stafford joined WMAQ-TV in Chicago as a weekend anchor and general assignment reporter. "I wanted this job and asked for it," Stafford told the Chicago Sun-Times after being hired by WMAQ.
He moved to the main anchor position in July 2009 and currently anchors the station's 5 p.m., 6 p.m., and 10 p.m. newscasts.
Dateline NBC
Dateline NBC, or Dateline, is a U.S. weekly television newsmagazine broadcast by NBC. It previously was NBC's flagship news magazine, but now focuses on true crime stories. It airs Friday at 9 p.m. EST and after football season on Sunday at 7 p.m. EST.-History:Dateline is historically notable for...
newsmagazine.
Early life and education
A native of New HampshireNew Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, Robert R. Stafford earned a degree in political science and journalism at Macalester College
Macalester College
Macalester College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It was founded in 1874 as a Presbyterian-affiliated but nonsectarian college. Its first class entered September 15, 1885. The college is located on a campus in a historic residential neighborhood...
in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1981.
Professional career
Stafford began his career as a reporter and anchor for KBJR-TVKBJR-TV
KBJR-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for Northeastern Minnesota and Northwestern Wisconsin that is licensed to Superior, Wisconsin. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 19 from a transmitter west of Downtown Duluth in Hilltop Park...
in Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Saint Louis County. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,265 in the 2010 census. Duluth is also the second largest city that is located on Lake Superior after Thunder Bay, Ontario,...
and WFRV-TV
WFRV-TV
WFRV-TV is a CBS-affiliated television station licensed to Green Bay, Wisconsin, and serving Green Bay, the Fox Valley, and Northeastern Wisconsin. The station broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 39 from a transmitter north of the Brown County town of Morrison...
in Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of above sea level and is located north of Milwaukee. As of the 2010 United States Census,...
. He then became a morning news anchor and an investigative reporter at WFTV-TV in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
. While at WFTV, Stafford founded the station's investigative unit and launched a two-year investigation into hotel security in Orlando, which because of Disney World is a popular tourist destination. Stafford's work exposed significant security breaches for tourists and ultimately resulted in a grand jury investigation.
In September 1992, Stafford joined WBBM-TV
WBBM-TV
WBBM-TV, virtual channel 2 , is the CBS owned-and-operated television station in Chicago, Illinois. WBBM-TV's main studios and offices are located in The Loop section of Chicago, as part of the development at Block 37, and its transmitter is atop the Willis Tower.-History:WBBM-TV traces its history...
in Chicago as a general assignment reporter. During his four years at the station, he also worked as a fill-in anchor.
Stafford left WBBM in 1996 to join NBC's Dateline NBC
Dateline NBC
Dateline NBC, or Dateline, is a U.S. weekly television newsmagazine broadcast by NBC. It previously was NBC's flagship news magazine, but now focuses on true crime stories. It airs Friday at 9 p.m. EST and after football season on Sunday at 7 p.m. EST.-History:Dateline is historically notable for...
newsmagazine show, where he worked as a Chicago-based correspondent for the newsmagazine program for almost 11 years. He was fired from Dateline NBC in 2006 in a cost-cutting move.
On September 23, 2007, Stafford joined WMAQ-TV in Chicago as a weekend anchor and general assignment reporter. "I wanted this job and asked for it," Stafford told the Chicago Sun-Times after being hired by WMAQ.
He moved to the main anchor position in July 2009 and currently anchors the station's 5 p.m., 6 p.m., and 10 p.m. newscasts.
Awards
While at Dateline, Stafford won two national news Emmy awards. He also won the Edward R. Murrow award in 2000 for his Dateline investigation into racial profiling.External links
- http://www.nbcchicago.com/on-air/about-us/Rob_Stafford.html