Floyd Brown, trailblazing Chicago broadcaster, dies at 92

Floyd Brown joined WMAQ-AM in 1965, becoming the first African American to be hired by a major network. From 1971 until 1999 he worked for WGN on television and radio. (ARCHIVE)

Legendary Chicago broadcaster Floyd Brown, a trailblazer whose 54-year career encompassed radio and television, died Friday. He was 92.

Smart and personable with “the gift of gab,” Brown worked for WGN-TV and WGN radio from 1971 to 1999. On TV, he served as newscaster, sports anchor and host of a show called “Nightbeat.” On the radio, he was host of the long-running, jazz-centered “Floyd Brown Show,” interviewing legends such as Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton.