Chicago Radio: Longtime Traffic Reporter Leslie Keiling OFF WGN

Leslie Keiling

WGN 720 AM has told its vendor for traffic reports, Radiate Media, that it no longer wants the services of longtime Chicago reporter Leslie Keiling.  She has 30-years experience reporting traffic in Chicagoland, the last 10 for WGN.

Keiling has worked with such iconic personalities as Larry, Lujack, Steve Dahl, Gary Meier, John Landecker, John Williams, Steve Cochran, Jonathan Brandmeier and others.

Like most traffic reporters in Chicago radio, she was not actually an employee of the station she was heard on. In Keiling's case, she was an employee of Shadow/Metro/Total Traffic until 2013, until WGN Radio switched to Radiate Media to save some money. Keiling then switched over to Radiate to remain on WGN-AM. She was an employee of the traffic service, exclusively used for WGN-AM as part of the traffic company's contract with the radio station.

This weekend, according to Chicagoland Radio&Media, WGN-AM management informed Radiate Media they no longer wished to use Keiling's services, effectively killing her position with the traffic service and releasing her.

On her Twitter account over the weekend, Keiling said the following: "Looks like I'm going to have some free time. Will miss my WGN family."

Soon after, Todd Manley, WGN Radio Vice President of Content and Programming, sent out a station-wide email announcing the forced exit of Keiling, saying the following:

"Leslie Keiling has been a fixture in WGN Traffic Central for well over a decade and will long be remembered for going above and beyond to prep her day with intelligent conversation and an amazing respect for those who preceded her in the WGN PM drive traffic chair. As of Friday, Leslie is on to the next chapter in her illustrious career. Leslie was a Radiate Media employee, but she's always been family at WGN. It is hard not to be in awe of how she deftly bounced traffic, laughter, and debate among our town's most gifted and challenging personalities. Thank you Leslie, for your always tenacious talents." 

Esmeralda Leon

According to Chicago Media writer Robert Feder, Esmeralda Leon will replace Keiling as the voice of afternoon traffic.

A Joliet native who studied communications at DePaul University, Leon began her career as an intern and program assistant for Jonathon Brandmeier’s former morning show at WLUP 97.9 FM.

She joined Radiate Media as a traffic editor and reporter in 2013.