Alan Thompson, CBS Chicago writer and producer, dies at 63

CBS News

a day ago

Alan Thompson, a CBS Chicago newswriter and producer and a beloved colleague, has died.
Thompson died Sunday, July 20, after a year's battle with esophageal cancer. He was 63.
Thompson was born April 19, 1962, in Kansas City, Kansas, to teachers Max and Marjorie Thompson. He grew in Bonner Springs, Kansas and Davenport, Iowa, and graduated from Davenport Central High School in 1980.
A published obituary notes that growing up, Thompson was passionate about sports — becoming a fan early on of the Chicago Cubs, Bears, and Blackhawks, and the University of Iowa Hawkeyes. He also took up golf at an early age and played his whole life long, and took an early interest in broadcasting as he created at-home "radio shows" with his brother.
"[T]hey'd take turns playing DJ (with real records!), writing/delivering newscasts, and writing/reading commercials, recording their efforts on cassette tape," Thompson's obit read.
Thompson graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in journalism in 1984, after working at WSUI radio in Iowa City and KCRG-TV in Cedar Rapids in college, his obit noted. Early in his radio and TV news career, Thompson made stops around the country — with posts in Muscatine, West Virginia; the Quad Cities; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Columbus, Ohio; Tampa, Florida; Des Moines, Iowa; Huntington, West Virginia; and Greensboro, North Carolina.
Thompson joined CBS Chicago, known back then as Channel 2, as a morning newswriter and producer in 1998. He worked with many beloved morning anchor teams — including the husband-and-wife team of Jay Levine and Mary Ann Childers, and later the tight-knit team of Roseanne Tellez and the late Randy Salerno, meteorologist Ed Curran, traffic anchor Susan Carlson, and entertainment reporter Bill Zwecker.
In the newsroom, Thompson could win over anyone with his wit, his kindness, and his talent.
"Alan's work ethic was an inspiration to his coworkers and he shared his experience and wisdom with younger writers," his obit noted. "They especially appreciated his sense of humor and his ability to make them laugh with #GrandpaStories and 'All right everybody, let's look alive!'"
When he wanted to focus, or wanted his colleagues to focus, Thompson also had a favorite phrase he would utter: "Why am I here? What am I doing?"
Thompson was part of an Emmy Award-winning team in 2014 and 2021.
In 2023, marking the 25th anniversary of his arrival at CBS News Chicago, Thompson wrote: "As a kid, I wanted to get to type on one of Walter Cronkite's CBS typewriters. Now, I do!"
Thompson met his wife, Beth Mengel, on eHarmony in 2005, and they married the following year. They bonded in part over a shared love of cats.
Thompson also became a parent to his wife's two children, Bethany and Cody.
Thompson is survived by his wife, Beth; their children, Bethany Uriostegui (Joe Saltarelli) of Chicago, and Cody Uriostegui (Chanel Roche) of Los Angeles; his brother, Gary Thompson (Kris) of Urbandale, Iowa; a nephew, John Thompson of Des Moines, Iowa; nieces Grace Haney and Emma Haney of West Des Moines, Iowa.