Following a nearly 30-year tenure at WGLT, and more than four decades in journalism, Charlie Schlenker will retire Sept. 30.
Charlie’s impact on WGLT and the community has been immense. He served the newsroom as assistant news director, news director, and senior reporter. Charlie is the most award-winning journalist in the station’s history and won WGLT’s first national Murrow award in 2005. That story, “Skateboard Freedom,” depicted the free-spirited world view of many skateboarders, their occasional clashes with community leaders, and their countercultural allegiance to the non-commercial purity of their sport.
Appropriately, Charlie, along with two WGLT colleagues, also won the station’s most recent national Murrow award in 2025, which brings his current national Murrow tally to four. Charlie’s national Murrow awards include two for writing and two for audio demonstrating the depth and breadth of Charlie’s talent for storytelling. Last fall, Charlie was celebrated by his peers at the national Murrow awards ceremony in New York. Many, many awards (more than 100, but who’s counting) from the Public Media Journalism Association, Illinois Associated Press, and others fill the overflowing shelves at WGLT.
Charlie’s career is full of quieter, impactful moments, as well. From mentoring colleagues and students to fund drive songs and haikus, he’s been a sizeable and steady presence at the station.
“Charlie’s skill as an interviewer and writer is unsurpassed,” said Executive Director R.C. McBride. “But much of what makes Charlie great happens out of public view: his patience, his counsel, his ability to take a beat to think through knotty journalism issues, and his mentorship. We’re proud WGLT has evolved into our community’s primary local news source and an industry leader, and we couldn’t have done it without Charlie Schlenker."
A newsroom series honoring Charlie will debut on-air and online in late September. WGLT invites community members to celebrate Charlie at an open house Sept. 24 from 4–6 p.m. at the station.
