Former WGN anchor Sean Lewis to keynote INBA fall event; tickets on sale now

The Illinois News Broadcasters Association is honored to announce former WGN-TV anchor Sean Lewis as our keynote speaker for a one-day INBA event in East Peoria on Sept. 26.

The event, titled “Local News at a Crossroads: Power, Pressure & Possibility,” will feature a series of discussions with industry veterans about changes we’re seeing in local media and how today’s journalists can do their best work amid them.

The event, at East Peoria’s Holiday Inn, 101 Holiday St., includes lunch.

Tickets are on sale now. And for a limited time, INBA professional members can get one free ticket for their newsroom for every ticket they purchase. Act quickly!

Lewis, who served as the main weekend anchor at WGN-TV in Chicago, will speak about how TV has changed over the course of his career, memorable stories he’s covered, storytelling strategies, and his insight into the future for local news. 

Lewis’ journalism career has spanned across two decades with stops in Madison, WI; Rockford, IL; and Richmond, VA. In 2007, Lewis made his way back to Illinois, becoming an Anchor and Reporter at CLTV in 2007 and then moving to WGN in 2008 while still continuing his role at CLTV.  

While in Chicago, Lewis covered several breaking news stories from the anchor desk including the 2008 Presidential Election of Barack Obama and a mass shooting at Northern Illinois University in 2008. Lewis followed up his coverage with an award-winning special focusing on the victims’ recovery and the student journalists first on the scene of the NIU shooting.

In 2026, Lewis was one of the eight anchors to be laid off by Nexstar amid a corporate-wide downsizing. He is now the public information officer for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

This is a new format for our fall convention. Historically, we’ve spread the event over three days. This time around: One day (morning through late afternoon), fewer sessions, high impact. Drive in for the day. Or, arrive the night before, Sept. 25, when we’ll host an optional informal get-together. (Details to come.) 

If you do need to spend a night in East Peoria, the Holiday is offering a special rate for INBA attendees. Reserve by Sept. 11 to take advantage.

In addition to hearing from industry veterans, we’ll also offer student critiques (**students: bring samples of your recent work; INBA members will give you feedback!**), career advice and networking opportunities.

Local News at a Crossroads: Power, Pressure & Possibility

All sessions at Holiday Inn East Peoria, 101 Holiday St.

• 9 a.m.: Welcome
• 9:05 a.m.: Changes to the print industry (Speakers TBA)
• 10:05 a.m. — Midterm Elections Panel: Mike Miletich, WAND-TV; Brenden Moore, Capitol News Illinois
• 10:55 a.m. — Radio: Are Podcasts Killing the Radio Star? (Speakers TBD)
• 11:40 a.m. — What’s next for the Future of TV: Ray Cortopassi, formerly WGN-TV
• 12:30 p.m. — Lunch
• 1 p.m. — Student/Young Journalist Meetup
• 1:50 p.m. — Newsmaker Keynote, Q&A: Sean Lewis, formerly WGN-TV
• 2:25 p.m. —The Crossroads Conversation
• 3 p.m. — General Membership Meeting (announcement of election winners and other business)
• 4 p.m. — Adjourn