Article: A New Perspective // After 25 Years at Channel 2, Jacobson Skips to Fox

It's Friday afternoon, and Walter Jacobson has commandeered a park bench in a Michigan Avenue plaza. He's on his way to his brand new job, but there's still time for a two-minute panic attack.

"Oh God," he moans. "I've made a mistake."

Jacobson has a lot on his mind. After 25 years at the once-proud WBBM-Channel 2, the scrappy newsman is leaving home for a flashy young Fox, WFLD-Channel 32. No more $1 million-plus-a-year; no more neck-and-neck 10 p.m. ratings wars with WLS-Channel 7 and WMAQ-Channel 5; no more "Back to you, Bill and Linda."

Instead, Jacobson is becoming a big fish in a smaller fishbowl. Starting tonight, his $700,000-a-year job is to pull viewers to a low-rated 9 p.m. ...

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