Chicago, IL (August 27, 2026) – NBC 5 Chicago (WMAQ-TV) today announced Emmy Award-winning journalist Natalie Spala will join the NBC 5 News team as weekend sports anchor/reporter beginning Monday, August 31. Spala will also contribute to NBC 5 Chicago’s weekly sports highlights and features program, Sports Sunday, hosted by Lou Canellis. The announcement was made by Vince Lattanzio, News Director, NBC 5 Chicago.
“Natalie is an exceptional journalist whose energy, knowledge and passion will be tremendous assets to our team,” said Lattanzio. “From breaking news to championship moments, Natalie has demonstrated an ability to connect with audiences through thoughtful reporting and engaging storytelling. We’re excited to welcome Natalie to NBC 5 and look forward to introducing her to sports fans across the Chicago area.”
Prior to joining NBC 5 Chicago, Spala served as a sports anchor/reporter at WJLA-TV, the ABC affiliate in Washington, D.C., from 2023 to 2026. During her tenure, she anchored weekday and weekend sportscasts and extensively covered the region’s professional sports teams with an emphasis on the NFL’s Washington Commanders. In addition, Spala recently earned an Emmy Award for her coverage of the tragic 2025 Potomac River mid-air collision.
From 2021 to 2023, Spala was a weekend news-sports anchor/reporter and sideline reporter at WCIV-TV, the ABC affiliate in Charleston, S.C. In that role, she anchored weekend sportscasts and newscasts, delivered live reports, and produced numerous sports and news feature stories. Spala also co-anchored the station’s popular high school football program, Friday Night Rivals, served as a color analyst for live high school basketball broadcasts and South Carolina High School League (SCHSL) state championship games, and worked as a sideline reporter for the state’s high school football championship coverage.
Spala started her television career at WPBN-TV, the NBC affiliate in Traverse City, Mich., where she worked as a news anchor/reporter and sports reporter from 2019 to 2021. In that role, she reported for evening newscasts, spot anchored broadcasts, and wrote, edited, and co-anchored the station’s Friday night football and basketball highlights programs.
A native of Livonia, Mich., Spala earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism and screen studies from the University of Michigan-Dearborn, where she was a four-year scholar-athlete and standout member of the Wolverines women’s basketball team.
ABOUT NBCUNIVERSAL LOCAL
NBCUniversal Local Chicago, a part of NBCUniversal Local, is the home of NBC 5 (WMAQ-TV) and Telemundo Chicago (WSNS-TV). Together, the duopoly serves diverse English- and Spanish-speaking audiences in the third largest U.S. television market. The NBC and Telemundo-owned stations deliver the latest local news, consumer, and investigative reports across multiple platforms, including linear TV, streaming, and digital. Their coverage includes Chicago’s most accurate forecast, extensive local sports coverage, original documentaries and series, and lifestyle and entertainment programming through “Chicago Today.” All original content is available on-air, digitally via NBCChicago.com and TelemundoChicago.com ,and via the stations’ mobile apps. Viewers can also access the NBC 5 Chicago News 24/7 live streaming channel on Peacock, Roku, Samsung TV, Amazon Fire TV, and other supported platforms.
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MEDIA CONTACT
Jeff Nuich
jeff.nuich@nbcuni.com
NBC 5 Chicago Adds Emmy Award-winning Journalist Natalie Spala as Weekend Sports Anchor/Reporter
