Mark Schanowski joins ABC 7 in wake of Mark Giangreco’s ouster

Longtime Chicago sportscaster Mark Schanowski will join ABC 7 as an anchor/reporter, helping to fill the void created when the station pulled Mark Giangreco off the air in January and fired him in March. His first day on the air will be May 29.

Schanowski worked at ABC 7 from 1990 to 1998, when he was replaced by current NBC 5 anchor Jeff Blanzy. Schanowski went on to join NBC 5 and NBC Sports Chicago, where he hosted Bulls pregame and postgame shows.

He joins Jim Rose and Dionne Miller at ABC 7, which clearly chose a personality diametrically different from that of Giangreco to fill out its lineup. Schanowski is straight-laced and solid on the air. He’s also widely respected and well-liked.

Schanowski has been co-hosting a podcast with Bulls TV analyst Stacey King called ‘‘Gimme the Hot Sauce.’’ He also has been a part-time contributor for Stadium as a Bulls insider.