Background
Born in Toronto, MacLennan is the daughter of a Canadian father and an American mother.
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Linda MacLennan
Edit ProfileEducation
Carleton University.
Career
She earned a degree from Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario. MacLennan originally had planned to pursue a career in print journalism but switched to broadcasting after a college internship at CJOH-television in Ottawa, Ontario. MacLennan co-anchored Canada Department of Administration and Management on CTV from 1985 to 1987.
In 1986, MacLennan was struck by a policeman on a motorcycle in Toronto and developed a blood clot on the brain.
After doctors failed in their efforts to dissolve the blood clot with drugs, they operated on her at substantial risk to her. She eventually made a full recovery.
In March 1987, MacLennan left CTV to join WBBM-TV-television in Chicago as a reporter and late afternoon co-anchor. In April 1989, MacLennan became WBBM-TV-television"s 10 p.m. co-anchor, replacing Walter Jacobson in the anchor chair alongside Bill Kurtis.
Jacobson had been the station"s 10 p.m. co-anchor since 1973.
In 1995, Kurtis stepped down as WBBM-TV"s 10 p.m. co-anchor, and Lester Holt was promoted to replace Kurtis alongside MacLennan. In 1996, MacLennan appeared on the pilot episode of Early Edition as a newscaster. In February 2000, MacLennan was demoted as WBBM-TV"s 10 p.m. co-anchor as both she and Holt were demoted in favor of a solo anchor experiment involving Carol Marin.
After station bosses pulled the plug on Marin as solo anchor in October 2000, WBBM-TV then made MacLennan an interim 10 p.m. co-anchor, alongside David Kerley.
However, in December 2000, WBBM-TV hired Tracy Townsend as a 10 p.m. co-anchor alongside Kerley, and MacLennan shifted to being a solo 11 a.m. news anchor (replacing Jay Levine and Mary Ann Childers) and a 4:30 p.m. co-anchor alongside Vince Gerasole. In 2001, MacLennan got a co-anchor for the 11 a.m. newscast, Michael Ayala.
In April 2002, MacLennan again returned to co-anchoring the 10 p.m. news, this time supplanting Townsend alongside the newly hired Antonio Mora. With a new general manager, Joe Ahern, on board, MacLennan abruptly took a contract buyout from WBBM-TV in February 2003.
In October 2008, MacLennan was knocked to the ground after confronting a man suspected of breaking into cars in the parking lot of a Skokie, Illinois shopping mall, including her own vehicle.
In August 1992, MacLennan married Chicago attorney David Rammelt. They have three children: Taylor Albert, Carson Charles and Charlotte Grace Nelson Rammelt. They live in Wilmette, Illinois.
MacLennan is a naturalized United States. citizen.
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Born
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Nationality
United States