Bradley Zimmerman is a digital reporter for WCIA. He joined the WCIA team in September 2021 only a few months after graduating from college. 

Bradley was raised in Lockport, IL in the southwest suburbs of Chicago. He found a passion for journalism when he learned about the concept of school newspapers, and when he questioned why his school didn’t have one. His school started a paper while he was in junior high and he joined the staff on a part-time basis. 

Bradley became more active with journalism while attending Lockport Township High School. He wrote for The Porter Press all four years, writing about a plethora of topics that included school news, lifestyle and sports, as well as taking photos as an amateur photographer. 

Bradley’s high school journalism experience led him to declare journalism as his major in college. He attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he also double-minored in business and communication. While attending U of I, Bradley was a staff writer for The Daily Illini Sports, serving as the men’s gymnastics beat writer. He was also a multimedia reporter for the student-run news channel UI7, contributing to UI7 Live, Good Morning Illini and Illini Sports Night.