Suzanne Rico, a past ABC7 Chicago anchor and reporter, has her podcast ‘The Man Who Calculated Death’ up for consideration at the Ambies awards.

CHICAGO (WLS) — Podcasts have exploded in popularity over the last several years.

And Monday night, Chicago is hosting the most prestigious award show for the best in the business.

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One of the nominees happens to be a former ABC7 Chicago colleague.

199 nominees are vying for the prestigious Ambies awards this year, competing in 28 different categories. Among these nominees is Suzanne Rico, whose journey into her family’s past uncovered a startling revelation.

Suzanne Rico is a familiar face to many who followed ABC7 in the mid-1990s, where she worked as a dedicated reporter and anchor. Little did she know at the time, the shocking discovery she would later make about her own familial ties to Adolf Hitler.

It was her mother’s dying wish that Rico and her sisters finish the family memoir she had begun. But Rico never realized where it would lead.

Reflecting on her investigative journey, Rico shared, “After three decades of sharing the stories of others, I stumbled upon a tale within my own family that I felt compelled to explore. The depth of darkness that unfolded took me by surprise.”

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Rico’s nine-episode podcast, “The Man Who Calculated Death,” has brought to light the story of Robert Lusser, who was one of Hitler’s top scientists. He is credited with creating the world’s first cruise missile.

Actor Jon Cryer is the executive producer.

“She confronted her grandfather’s complicity in all this,” Cryer said.

Their work is up for the best independent podcast in Chicago for the Ambie awards: the Podcast Academy’s annual celebration of the best in the format.

“If you are a new podcast listener or a longstanding listener, it’s a really good spot to get started. Because we’re all saying it’s the best podcast,” chairperson Christy Mirabal said.

Rico’s podcast has been well-received by audiences, including Holocaust survivors who appreciate the shocking truth of the atrocities for which her grandfather was partly responsible.

“I think it’s an important story. We have to look at our past so we can inform our future. It’s been a worthwhile endeavor,” Rico said.

This year’s awards are streaming live on Amazon Music’s Twitch channel. The show started at 6 p.m.