Amy Jacobson

Amy Jacobson (born November 11, 1969) is a Chicago broadcaster who was a general assignment reporter for WMAQ-TV, the NBC television affiliate in Chicago, from 1996 to 2007, when she lost her job as part of a scandal involving a rival Chicago TV station's news cameras capturing footage of Jacobson clad in a two piece bathing suit with her children at the home of the husband of a missing woman.

Early life and education

A native of Mt. Prospect, Illinois, Jacobson graduated from John Hersey High School in 1987 and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Iowa with a bachelor's degree in broadcasting and film in 1991. She was the Sigma Chi sweetheart in 1989.

Professional career

Prior to joining WMAQ-TV, Jacobson worked at WJBK-TV in Detroit, KVIA-TV in El Paso, Texas, KOLD-TV in Tucson, Arizona, and, starting in 1992, KSAX-TV in Alexandria, Minnesota. She started out with an internship at KGAN-TV based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

She has also appeared on the Today show four times.

Stebic controversy

On July 6, 2007, a videotape of Jacobson (was on YouTube, but later removed), clad in a two piece bathing suit, and her children at the home of Craig Stebic, husband of Lisa Stebic, a missing woman, was made public by WBBM-TV, the local CBS affiliate. Jacobson had been covering the story of Lisa Stebic's unexplained disappearance.

On July 10, 2007, Jacobson and WMAQ-TV negotiated her exit, following an investigation by the station.

On July 7, 2008, the Chicago Sun-Times reported "On Monday, Jacobson filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against CBS-owned WBBM-TV-Channel 2 for airing the tape of her at the home of Craig Stebic, the southwest suburban Plainfield man whose estranged wife, Lisa, has been missing since April 2007." That lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice on July 5, 2013, after the court ruled Jacobson failed to show CBS fabricated unfavorable content about her, the judge finding that the critical comments and other material in the CBS piece were "constitutionally protected expressions of opinion," or based on facts. Jacobson's attorney indicated that she will appeal the dismissal of the lawsuit.

After WMAQ-TV

Jacobson made frequent guest appearances on "Livin' Large with Geoff Pinkus" on WIND (AM) and worked as a traffic and news reporter for WLS (AM) from 2008 to 2010, beginning on the Roe Conn Show, and then moving to The Mancow and Cassidy show. She became co-host with Big John Howell on WIND (AM) on March 24, 2010.

The season 18 episode of Law & Order entitled "Submission," which aired on March 12, 2008, creatively borrowed from events pertaining to the Jacobson story.

Personal

Jacobson and her husband, Jaime Anglada, married in 2002. They have two children. Her husband filed for divorce in November 2008, following the lawsuit filed against WBBM-TV.