Ryan Baker starts his day every morning as the news anchor at CBS 2 Chicago/WBBM-TV. He initially joined CBS 2 as the lead sports anchor on the weekday evening newscasts, before moving to the news desk in 2019. A University of Illinois alumnus, Ryan is also the host of the Fighting Illini Insider show. Ryan’s career highlights include covering historic World Series wins for both the Cubs and White Sox, and three Stanley Cup championships for the Chicago Blackhawks. He also reported from Athens during the 2004 Summer Olympics. Born in Chicago and raised in south suburban Phoenix, Ryan made his way back to the Windy City from Orlando, FL but not before being voted "Best Sportscaster" by Orlando Magazine twice.
Ryan received his B.S. in Journalism from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and while at U of I, Baker was a student basketball manager for the ‘Flyin' Illini’ Final Four team. He’s a member of the Chicago Athletic Advisory Board, the Illini Leadership Council, and was the 2013 Chicago Illini of the Year. He served as a board member with Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicago and Northwest Indiana and volunteers his time and talent with various local charities. He is also a member of the National Association of Black Journalists. Ryan and his beautiful wife Jessa, and daughters Grace and Rose, reside just outside the city of Chicago.