Pam Zekman (born October 22, 1944, in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

) is an American journalist who had been an investigative reporter at

WBBM-TV WBBM-TV (channel 2) is a television station in Chicago, Illinois, United States, airing programming from the CBS network. Owned and operated by the network's CBS News and Stations division, the station maintains studios on West Washington Stre ...

in Chicago from 1981 to 2020. A graduate of the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

, Zekman spent over a decade as a newspaper reporter before working in television. Zekman is known for her aggressive investigative work, including the purchase of the

Mirage Tavern The Mirage Tavern was a drinking establishment at 731 N. Wells St. in Chicago purchased by the watchdog group Better Government Association and the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' in 1977 to investigate widespread allegations of official corruption and sha ...

. She has shared two

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...

s for her reporting for the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'' (1971–76) and the ''

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago T ...

'' (1976–81). As a young woman, Zekman was also a competitive figure skater, finishing fifth in junior ladies singles at the

1961 United States Figure Skating Championships The 1961 U.S. Figure Skating Championships was held at the World Arena in Colorado Springs, Colorado, from January 25 to 29, 1961. Medals were awarded in three colors: gold (first), silver (second), and bronze (third) in four disciplines – ...

. Zekman, along with fellow WBBM personalities, police reporter John Drummond, chief correspondent Jay Levine, and then evening anchor/reporter Lester Holt appeared in the final scenes of the 1993 film '' The Fugitive'', playing themselves. She, along with Drummond, also appeared in the 1996 film '' Chain Reaction''. Zekman was sued for defamation and libel by the chief toxicologist of the Cook County medical examiner's office after reporting the office was mishandling cases. The case was dismissed on both counts. Zekman began working at WBBM in 1981, and in that time she has investigated Medicare fraud, dangerous cab and bus drivers, tax fraud, and government waste, among many other things. Zekman was laid off on May 27, 2020.

Personal life

Zekman has been married twice. Her first husband was U.S. district judge

James Zagel James Block Zagel (born March 4, 1941) is an inactive Senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and a novelist. Early life and education Born in Chicago, Illinois, to Jewish ...

. The couple divorced in 1975. Her second husband, former Chicago newspaperman Rick Soll, died on April 22, 2016. Zekman's father, Theodore N. Zekman, was a Chicago ophthalmologist.

References

External links

"Pam Zekman"
Bio from WBBM-TV, CBS2Chicago. {{DEFAULTSORT:Zekman, Pam 1944 births Living people Television anchors from Chicago Chicago Sun-Times people Chicago Tribune people American female single skaters American women television journalists 21st-century American women