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Rob Elgas (American Journalist)
Rob Elgas age is a detail the veteran journalist has quietly kept out of the public record — yet his career speaks with the kind of authority that years alone cannot manufacture. Born in Arlington Heights, Illinois, and raised in Crystal Lake, Elgas has spent more than two decades earning his place among Chicago’s most recognized news anchors.
He is currently the anchor of ABC7 Chicago’s top-rated 10 PM newscast, a position he was promoted to in March 2023, while also anchoring the station’s 4 PM weekday news alongside Judy Hsu and the live digital 6:30 PM broadcast.
His path to Chicago’s most-watched television station was built from the ground up. Elgas began his broadcasting career not in front of a camera, but behind one — working as a photographer for WICD-TV in Champaign-Urbana. He later moved into on-air reporting, anchoring at ABC 7 in El Paso, Texas from 1998 before returning to Chicago in 2002. Years at NBC 5 followed, where he covered the city and its suburbs and began accumulating the awards that would define his reputation.
A multiple Emmy Award winner, Elgas has been recognized for breaking news coverage, including his reporting from Naplate, Illinois following a devastating tornado outbreak. He has also received the Associated Press Award and the Peter Lisagor Award for his live coverage of the 2014 protests in Chicago, and has reported from two Olympic Games — the 2006 Winter Games in Torino, Italy and the 2014 Games in Sochi, Russia.
| Full Name | Rob Elgas |
| Date of Birth | Not publicly available |
| Place of Birth | Arlington Heights, Illinois, United States |
| Raised In | Crystal Lake, Illinois |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | Not publicly confirmed |
| Profession | News Anchor and Reporter |
| Employer | WLS-TV / ABC7 Chicago |
| Education | University of Illinois — Agricultural Communication and Journalism |
| Career Start | WICD-TV, Champaign-Urbana, Illinois (photographer) |
| Current Role | News Anchor — 4 PM, 6:30 PM, and 10 PM newscasts, ABC7 Chicago (WLS-TV) |
| Co-anchor | Judy Hsu (4 PM weekday newscast) |
| Joined ABC7 | July 7, 2015 |
| Notable Coverage | 2016 Chicago Cubs World Series; 2014 Chicago Protests; Naplate Tornado Outbreak; 2006 Torino Winter Olympics; 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics |
| Marital Status | Married; wife’s first name widely reported as Lissa (not officially confirmed) |
| Children | Two (names not publicly available) |
| Awards | Multiple Chicago Midwest Emmy Awards; Associated Press Award (2014); Peter Lisagor Award (2014) |
| Estimated Net Worth | $1 million – $5 million (estimated; not officially confirmed) |
| Salary | Not publicly disclosed |
| Residence | Southwest suburbs of Chicago, Illinois |
Who is Rob Elgas?
Rob Elgas is an American award-winning journalist and news anchor at ABC7 Chicago (WLS-TV). Born in Arlington Heights, Illinois, he anchors the station’s 4 PM, 6:30 PM, and 10 PM newscasts. A University of Illinois graduate, he has earned multiple Emmy Awards, an Associated Press Award, and a Peter Lisagor Award.
Early Life and Education
Rob Elgas was born in Arlington Heights, Illinois, and grew up in Crystal Lake — a suburb northwest of Chicago. He is a Chicago area native in the truest sense, shaped early by the city and the communities that surround it. According to his official ABC7 Chicago biography, most of his extended family lives in South Texas, a few hours north of the Mexican border, though he has built his professional life firmly in the Chicago market.
Childhood and Family Background
Elgas has consistently kept his family background out of the public eye. No confirmed details about his parents or siblings have been made available, and he has not publicly addressed his heritage in interviews. He is a longstanding member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists — a professional affiliation that reflects his engagement with the Hispanic journalism community. Beyond that, no specific details about his ethnic background have been publicly confirmed.
His roots in Crystal Lake gave him a foundation close to the city he would spend decades covering. That local connection has been noted professionally — on his arrival at ABC7, the station’s former Vice President of News described him as a journalist who had built a genuine bond with Chicago viewers.
Educational Journey
Rob Elgas attended the University of Illinois, where he studied Agricultural Communication and Journalism. That combination — one grounded in practical communication, the other in news reporting — proved to be a direct route into broadcasting. His first television role came immediately after graduation, beginning behind the camera rather than in front of it.
His degree from the University of Illinois provided both the technical foundation and the editorial instincts that would carry him through more than two decades in the industry. The agricultural communication program, offered through the university’s College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, has a long history of producing working journalists, particularly in broadcast media.
Elgas is also a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, a professional organization that supports Hispanic journalists across the United States. His membership reflects a career-long commitment to professional development and community within the journalism industry — one that has continued alongside his anchoring duties at ABC7 Chicago.
Liz Collin's Career in Journalism
Rob Elgas did not begin his broadcasting career in front of a camera. He started behind one. His first television role was as a photographer for WICD-TV in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois — a grounding in the technical and visual side of broadcast journalism that would inform his reporting throughout his career.
In 1998, he made the transition to on-air work, joining ABC 7 in El Paso, Texas as a weekend anchor. He proved himself quickly. By 2000, he had been promoted to co-anchor of the station’s morning show, a role he held through 2002. That same year, he returned to Chicago — the city where he had grown up — and joined NBC 5 (WMAQ-TV).
At NBC 5, Elgas anchored the early afternoon news and reported for the late evening newscast. He spent approximately 13 years covering Chicago and its surrounding suburbs, building the local credibility that would become one of his most recognized professional qualities. It was during this tenure that he earned several Emmy Awards, including one for his breaking news coverage of a tornado that devastated the small town of Naplate, Illinois.
Joining ABC7 Chicago — Current Role
On July 7, 2015, Rob Elgas joined the ABC 7 Eyewitness News team at WLS-TV as a reporter and fill-in anchor. His arrival was marked by a formal statement from the station’s then-Vice President of News, Jennifer Graves, who said: “Rob Elgas is an experienced journalist who has established a strong connection with Chicago viewers during his 13 years covering Chicago and suburbs.”
In May 2016, he was promoted to co-anchor of ABC7’s top-rated 4 PM weekday newscast, joining Judy Hsu at the desk — a pairing that became one of the most watched afternoon newscasts in the Chicago market. He also took on anchor duties for the station’s live digital 6:30 PM newscast.
In March 2023, Elgas was promoted again — this time to anchor ABC7 Chicago’s top-rated 10 PM newscast, the station’s flagship evening broadcast. Beyond the Chicago studio, his reporting footprint has been national. He has traveled to Washington, D.C. to cover the State of the Union and reported on breaking news stories in California and Texas. One of the most high-profile assignments of his ABC7 career came in 2016, when he joined Mark Giangreco and Jim Rose in Cleveland for live coverage of Game 7 of the World Series — the historic night the Chicago Cubs ended a 108-year championship drought.
Major Achievements and Awards
Elgas is among the most decorated journalists in the Chicago market. He has received multiple Chicago Midwest Emmy Awards across a range of categories. His Emmy for breaking news coverage of the tornado outbreak in Naplate, Illinois remains one of the most cited recognitions of his career. He also co-hosted the Emmy Award-winning broadcast of the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival parade alongside Cheryl Burton, Janet Davies, and Judy Hsu — a production that was nationally syndicated and broadcast in major markets across the country.
Additional Emmy honors came for co-hosting specials, including the Winter Olympic feature “Hometown Hopeful,” which spotlighted Chicago athletes competing in the Games. In 2014, his live breaking news coverage of protests in Chicago earned him both the Associated Press Award and the Peter Lisagor Award — two of the most respected honors in Illinois journalism.
His international reporting credentials are equally notable. Elgas has covered two Olympic Games: the 2006 Winter Games in Torino, Italy, and the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. He is also a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, maintaining an active professional affiliation with the organization throughout his career.
Net Worth and Salary
Rob Elgas has not publicly disclosed his salary, and ABC7 Chicago does not release compensation figures for its on-air staff. Third-party websites have circulated a wide range of estimates, but none of these figures are sourced from official statements and should not be treated as fact.
Rob Elgas’s salary has not been publicly confirmed. Any figures cited elsewhere are third-party estimates and should not be treated as verified fact.
Salary Details
What can be reasonably noted is context. Chicago is consistently ranked among the top three television markets in the United States. Senior anchors at major network affiliates in markets of that scale command compensation that significantly exceeds the broad estimates commonly found on celebrity biography websites. Elgas, who anchors three newscasts at the city’s most-watched station after more than two decades in the market, falls squarely into that senior category.
Net Worth Estimate
Rob Elgas has built his career across multiple major market television stations — from ABC 7 in El Paso to NBC 5 Chicago and, ultimately, to his long-running role at ABC7 Chicago. That sustained, multi-decade career across prominent platforms forms the basis of his estimated net worth.
Third-party sources estimate his net worth at between $1 million and $5 million. That range reflects his standing as a senior broadcast journalist with over two decades of experience in major markets.
Personal Life and Family
Rob Elgas is married. His wife’s first name is widely reported across multiple sources as Lissa, though this has not been confirmed by Elgas himself or through his official ABC7 Chicago biography. It should be read as a commonly referenced detail rather than a verified fact.
What is confirmed — by his official station biography — is that Elgas lives in the southwest suburbs of Chicago with his wife and their two children. Beyond that, he has been deliberately guarded about his personal life throughout his career. No details about when or where the couple married have been made public, and Elgas has consistently kept his relationship out of media coverage. For a journalist who regularly appears on one of the country’s largest local news platforms, that level of privacy is both intentional and well maintained.
Rob Elgas Children
According to his official ABC7 Chicago biography, Rob Elgas and his wife have two children. The names and ages of both children have not been made public. Elgas has chosen to keep his family — particularly his children — away from the spotlight, a boundary he has held firmly throughout his time as a public figure in Chicago media.
That choice reflects a broader pattern in how he approaches his personal life. Despite decades of visibility as a television journalist, very little verified information about his family has entered the public record. The confirmed detail — two children, residing with their parents in the southwest suburbs of Chicago — comes directly from ABC7 and stands as the only reliable reference point available.
FAQ: Everything You Need to Know About Rob Elgas
Key questions answered about the ABC7 Chicago anchor and his public life
Based on his career timeline — beginning as a television photographer in the early 1990s and moving into on-air work in 1998 — he is estimated to be in his early-to-mid 50s. No official confirmation of his age has been made available by Elgas or ABC7 Chicago.
He is a Chicago area native who has spent the majority of his professional career covering the city and its surrounding suburbs. According to his official ABC7 Chicago biography, most of his extended family lives in South Texas, a few hours north of the Mexican border.
This detail is referenced across multiple third-party sources but has not been confirmed by Elgas himself or through his official ABC7 Chicago biography. He is known to keep his personal life strictly private. According to his official station biography, the couple lives in the southwest suburbs of Chicago with their two children. Wedding details are not publicly available.
He joined the station as a reporter and fill-in anchor before being promoted to co-anchor of the top-rated 4 PM weekday newscast alongside Judy Hsu in May 2016. He also anchors the live digital 6:30 PM newscast. His March 2023 promotion to the 10 PM flagship broadcast marked the most significant step in his ABC7 career to date.
His Emmy Awards include recognition for breaking news coverage of the tornado outbreak in Naplate, Illinois; co-hosting the nationally syndicated Magnificent Mile Lights Festival parade alongside Cheryl Burton, Janet Davies, and Judy Hsu; and the Winter Olympic special "Hometown Hopeful" featuring Chicago athletes. His Associated Press and Peter Lisagor Awards were earned for his live breaking news coverage of the 2014 protests in Chicago.
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