Chicago’s TV & Film Studios
“Hollywood” in Chicago. Chicago was home to one of Charlie Chaplin’s first movie studios, Essanay Studios, at the dawn of the 20th Century, and as the 20th Century closed and the 21st Century began, it was home to Oprah Winfrey’s powerhouse talk show and her Harpo Studios. ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox own their Chicago affiliates. And Chicago is also home to “Superstation” WGN-TV.
Essanay Studios
One of the first studios where Charlie Chaplin made movies in the early 20th Century, the Essanay Studios building in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood is now part of St. Augustine’s College.
September 2, 2012
Harpo Studios
The “Queen of Talk,” Oprah Winfrey, broadcast her daily talk show from her westside Harpo Studios for many of her show’s 25 year run and until the conclusion of her final season in May 2011. During 2012, Rosie O’Donnell also broadcast her short-lived talk show from Harpo Studios on OWN (the Oprah Winfrey Network). Harpo Studios continued to play some role in Oprah’s media holdings until the lot was sold, torn down and became the new corporate headquarters of McDonald’s (which relocated from its suburban location in Oak Brook, IL).
Harpo Studios – March 31, 2011
Page created: August 31, 2013
Last Updated on August 2, 2026