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Published on Thursday, 20 September 2012 12:26
Beloved Chicago television weatherman and media icon Tom Skilling, will continue his long-term relationship with Tribune Broadcasting for another decade.
This week, WGN-TV and Tom Skilling finalized a renewal deal which will keep him as the station's Chief Meteorologist for ten more years. Skilling came in from a vacation to sign the new contract on Wednesday.
WGN-TV's policy is typically to not discuss exact terms of new employee contracts or contract renewals. Steve Farber, the Acting General Manager for WGN-TV and VP/Programming Operations for Tribune Broadcasting, gave a statement to CRM regarding the re-signing of the legendary meteorologist, saying: "Tom is an integral part of Chicago's Very Own. If you want to know the weather in Chicago, there's one guy to watch, Tom Skilling. We are absolutely thrilled to have Tom here at this TV home, WGN-TV."
In an
interview with the Chicago Tribune today, Tom Skilling said: "I never in my wildest dreams imagined that this would ever come to pass. I'm so delighted. I've worked going on 35 years at Tribune and I've enjoyed every moment of it." Skilling added: "Now I have a ten year deal and to know that I'll finish my career at a station I worked at and I loved so for the last 35 years is such a thrill."
Born Thomas Ethelbert Skilling III in far west suburban Aurora, IL, he has always been fascinated with weather. Tom Skilling, 60, has been working in the weather forecasting business for 46 years -- ever since he was just 14 years old, when he started working at an Aurora television station while still a high school student. As an adult, Skilling has work in TV weather in Jacksonville, FL, Madison, WI, and Milwaukee, WI. He has been with Chicago's WGN-TV since 1978.
While he is rumored to be the highest paid meteorologists in America, he is also one of the hardest working meteorologists in America, if not
the hardest working. Skilling puts together and delivers the weather reports for the "WGN Midday News," "WGN Evening News" and "WGN News at Nine." He also manages the weather page for the Chicago Tribune, appears each day on WGN Radio, and does daily weather blogs. He does live weather events for the public, including doing his annual Tornado and Severe Weather Seminar at Fermilab each spring for 32 straight years.
Skilling is not only a beloved media icon in Chicago, but continues to be one of the most well-respected meteorologists in the United States.
Al Roker, famed weatherman for NBC-TV and The Weather Channel, said on his
Twitter account today: "Tom Skilling, king of Chicago weather, will continue at WGN-TV/Chicago Tribune for 10 more years. Good for him and Chicago. One of the best!"
