For a generation of television viewers, whether in Chicago or across the U.S. thanks to its “Superstation” status, WGN-9 — once the flagship station of Tribune Broadcasting — was enjoyed not only for its coverage of the Chicago Cubs and Bulls but also for its 9 O’Clock News. Anchors including Rick Rosenthal, Pat Harvey and the late Allison Payne became household names. So did sportscaster Dan Roan.
However, when it came to weather, Tom Skilling has had perhaps an even bigger stature at the station today owned by Nexstar Media Group. On February 28, 2024, Skilling’s time at WGN-9 will conclude, as he’s now announced his retirement.
“You know, I’ve watched people do this before, and there’s no formula for this,” Skilling said during Thursday night’s broadcast of the 9 O’Clock News. “I’m going to retire at the end of February after a marvelous 45 years at this incredible television station.”
Skilling revealed that he’s going on 72 years of age, and noted, “we all get to the point where we have to make a decision on if it is time to retire.”
For Skilling, it is. “It is the toughest decision,” he admitted as vintage footage of him at WGN-9 appeared to viewers in a split-screen format. “That was back in 1978,” he said; Skilling was clad in what at the time was WGN’s signature yellow suit jacket and white-on-black “9” logo. The news anchor then? The late Jack Taylor.
Skilling started his career at age 14 at WKKD-AM 1580 in Aurora, Ill., while still in high
school. He arrived at WGN-9 in August 1978. That’s when Skilling’s reputation for his in-depth and highly detailed weather segments began; it would later expand beyond Chicago thanks to WGN’s presence on cable television systems from Phoenix to Fort Lauderdale.
“There was a time when weather forecasting was seen as a not-serious profession,” WGN-TV News Director Dominick Stasi said. “Tom has taken it to a much higher level. He carefully explains complex meteorological concepts in layman’s terms, support by graphics often featuring isobars and upper-airs charts. Nobody was doing that when he started. Bottom line, he has always treated the audience with respect.”
WGN-TV VP/GM Paul Rennie added, “Tom Skilling is a Chicago institution. There isn’t another meteorologist in history of the city, or the country for that matter, who has been more impactful doing what he does. His enthusiasm for the weather, backed by the constantly evolving technology, is simply unmatched. And above all else, he cares about people, from our viewers to his colleagues, he truly cares about the well-being of others. I’m not alone in saying we’ll really miss him.”
