Fischer ends ‘fantastic run’ with Comcast SportsNet

Gail Fischer

If Gail Fischer didn’t hold the record for the longest run as a female sportscaster at one station in Chicago, then she came pretty close. Either way, it ended last week.

After 14 years as an anchor and reporter at Comcast SportsNet Chicago and its predecessor, Fischer has left the clubhouse.

“We have decided we will not be renewing our contract with Gail Fischer,” Comcast SportsNet said in a statement Thursday. “Her final day on our air was January 31. We appreciate everything Gail has provided our network over the years and we wish her nothing but the best in her future endeavors. Per company policy, we have no further comment on personnel matters.”

Asked to comment on her departure, Fischer singled out James Corno Sr., president of Comcast SportsNet Chicago, for special thanks. “I will forever be grateful to Jim Corno Sr. for hiring me and sticking with me for 14 years,” she told me. “It was a fantastic run. To borrow a term from the sports world, I'm a free agent now.”

A graduate of the University of Illinois, Fischer began as a news anchor and reporter at WREX-TV in her native Rockford before joining CLTV, the Tribune Co.-owned cable news channel, in 1998. Two years later, she signed on as an anchor/reporter for Fox Sports Net, a forerunner of Comcast SportsNet.

In addition to serving as beat reporter for the Bulls and the Cubs, and as a versatile reporter on breaking news and live events, Fischer was weekend anchor for SportsNet Central.