Windbag
by Scott Hardie on July 3, 2007
I don't know what Polaroids he has of whom, but somehow Tom Skilling has elevated himself to some kind of all-important weather-broadcasting god. When I grew up in Chicago, I watched him gradually get a bigger and bigger budget for his animated graphics, and gradually get a larger and larger timeframe to deliver his dull reports. By the time I left town, he had a whole 20 minutes of the hour-long midday newscast for the fucking weather, and boy did he find trivia to fill it: Average dew points across Cook County on this day in 1854, theta-e temperature predictions for every Cubs home game next season, you name it. Minutes would drag on while he blathered about a topic that is the very definition of "small talk," apparenty self-convinced of his critical importance to Chicagoans.
That said, imagine my reaction today while scanning the concise, no-nonsense, three-paragraph bios of the rest of the WGN news staff when I came upon Skilling's bio. Can you imagine being trapped in an elevator with this asshole?
Six Replies to Windbag
Aaron Shurtleff | July 3, 2007
I don't know nothin' about nothin' when it comes to this man, but I would not parade around that I had worked on a "special" which was called "Ten Inches of Partly Sunny".
That's not right!
But seriously, yeah, that's horrible!
Anna Gregoline | July 3, 2007
I couldn't even get through half of it without wanting to puke. Yeah. I turn to him to figure out the mysteries of freaking nature. What a blow-hard.
Scott Hardie | July 3, 2007
Hehe, well put.
Lori, forgive my hazy memory on this, but didn't you once meet Skilling and like him? I remember a female friend telling me about it, but that was many years ago and the details escape me now.
Anyway, to Lori or anyone else, sorry if I've caused offense. The guy gets on my nerves but I know he has a fan base across Chicagoland.
Anna Gregoline | July 4, 2007
My favorite news name? Dane Placko! That's a real name!!!!
I don't watch the news though, if I can possibly help it - I like to read the news.
Amy Austin | July 5, 2007
Ditto on what Aaron said, but *skimming* the bio gave me a chuckle on the phrase "weatherman's weatherman" -- ha!
Logical Operator
The creator of Funeratic, Scott Hardie, blogs about running this site, losing weight, and other passions including his wife Kelly, his friends, movies, gaming, and Florida. Read more »
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Ten highlights of my just-concluded road trip to northern Illinois with Kelly, in chronological order: - Seeing lots of friends and family at our engagement party in St. Charles, our old hometown. I was glad to be able to talk to everyone there, and also glad that I now recognize almost everyone in Kelly's large family on sight. Go »Logic Rules
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Russian reporter murdered by the state. When I observed to a Bulgarian friend that Russia seems to be sinking back into its old fascist state by breaking one inviolable law at a time, he remarked that it always was that way and always will be that way. Whatever things we may dislike about our Congress or President, thank goodness they don't murder us for saying so. Go »New Dog Upstairs
Third in a series? I don't think I need to spell this one out. Needless to say, the dog seems to live in a cage directly over my kitchen, and its only hobby is barking nonstop, 24 hours a day. Go »
Scott Hardie | July 3, 2007
Footnote: Way to go, Robin Baumgarten. I got ready for school every morning listening to her brief traffic reports and thinking that this woman was way too charismatic and savvy to keep cooped up in a helicopter. Sure enough, today she anchors the entire morning broadcast.
And Paul Konrad is a very funny man.