Samantha Chatman
Chatman, who grew up in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood on the South Side, joined Chicago's #1 news station in September 2019. Chatman says she is thrilled to work at the station she grew up watching, and that ABC 7 inspired her to pursue a career in broadcast journalism.
Prior to joining ABC 7, Chatman was an Emmy award-winning Consumer Investigative Reporter for KXAS-TV, the NBC-owned station in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas. She reported for the "NBC 5 Responds franchise." Chatman helped consumers throughout the DFW area get back more than $500,000 of their hard-earned money.
Before moving to Dallas/Fort Worth, Chatman was the Business Reporter at WDRB-TV in Louisville, Kentucky. She started her career at WEEK/WHOI-TV in Peoria, Illinois, where she worked as a Multimedia Journalist, Fill-in Anchor and Weather Anchor.
According to ABC 7's Vice President of News, Jennifer Graves, "We're thrilled that Samantha Chatman, a Chicago original who grew up watching ABC7 Eyewitness News and later became an ABC7 intern, has been promoted to an important role on the weekend anchor desk. Since joining the station, Samantha has connected with our viewers, in part because of how her stories have helped consumers here but also because of her commitment to our diverse community."
Chatman says she's humbled by the opportunity to help people in the hometown that made her who she is today. "These are my people. It's my duty to make sure they're abreast of what's going on around them. I owe it to the people watching to have their backs."
In 2022, Chatman published her first children's book, "Mia Gets Sick, But Doesn't Quit," a story that was developed during the pandemic to help inspire and remind kids to never give up.
She attended Kenwood Academy's Academic Center for middle school, Lincoln Park High School and received her Bachelor of Science degree in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a minor in African-American studies.
Chatman is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated and the National Association of Black Journalists. Chatman also serves as an Associate Board member for Make-A-Wish Illinois and After School Matters, respectively. Chatman is an avowed foodie and can't get enough of Chicago pizza, tacos, Italian beef and hot dogs. She's also a proud puppy mom to her dog Nugget, who has been featured on ABC 7 for his work-from-home antics. In her spare time, Chatman loves to sing, dance and travel with friends and family.
Follow Samathan Chatman on social media:
Instagram: @samantha.chatman
Facebook: @samantha.chatman
Twitter: @SamChatmanABC7
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