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wgn weather - ivory replaces skilling - who got passed over?

Posted by Mike Ruffone <iframe src='https://members.boardhost.com/chicagomediachat/info/user=Mike+Ruffone' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on February 4, 2024, 11:43 am

i feel like demetrius ivory is the 'new guy' in the wgn weather department - so who got passed over?
who else was in the running?

Link: wgn tv - ivory replaces skilling

Re: wgn weather - ivory replaces skilling - who got passed over?

Posted by Bilbo <iframe src='https://members.boardhost.com/chicagomediachat/info/user=Bilbo' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on February 4, 2024, 12:21 pm, in reply to "wgn weather - ivory replaces skilling - who got passed over?"

Demetrius has been at WGN since 2013, so I'm not sure how that would make him the 'new guy.'

The only meteorologist on staff who's been at WGN longer than Demetrius is Mike Janssen (joined WGN in 2010).

Mike handles the weekend evening newscasts, Demetrius was on WGN's noon and weekday early evening newscasts, which, nothing against Janssen, is a more senior role at the station than weekend evenings.

I have no idea who else was in the running, but doesn't seem like anyone at WGN was "passed over" for the role. Maybe they just gave the job to the most qualified person already on staff?

-B

Re: wgn weather - ivory replaces skilling - who got passed over?

Posted by WYTZZ95FM <iframe src='https://members.boardhost.com/chicagomediachat/info/user=WYTZZ95FM' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on February 4, 2024, 12:43 pm, in reply to "Re: wgn weather - ivory replaces skilling - who got passed over?"

Mike handles the weekend evening newscasts, Demetrius was on WGN's noon and weekday early evening newscasts, which, nothing against Janssen, is a more senior role at the station than weekend evenings.

Ummmm, do you watch the AM drive newscasts on WGN-TV 9? Last time I checked, AM Drive is king to noon and weekday shifts, in any capacity. Just saying....

Z

Re: wgn weather - ivory replaces skilling - who got passed over?

Posted by Bilbo <iframe src='https://members.boardhost.com/chicagomediachat/info/user=Bilbo' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on February 4, 2024, 12:57 pm, in reply to "Re: wgn weather - ivory replaces skilling - who got passed over?"

No, I admittedly don't watch WGN's morning newscasts. Sorry I forgot about Paul Konrad, the WGN morning news meteorologist (who joined WGN in 1996). My mistake.

I still wouldn't go straight to "who'd they pass over" to give the job to Demetrius, as it implies he's not qualified or less qualified than some other hypothetical candidate, but I guess that's just me. 🤷

-B

Re: wgn weather - ivory replaces skilling - who got passed over?

Posted by WYTZZ95FM <iframe src='https://members.boardhost.com/chicagomediachat/info/user=WYTZZ95FM' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on February 4, 2024, 1:35 pm, in reply to "Re: wgn weather - ivory replaces skilling - who got passed over?"

Bilbo,

No shade on Demetrius, I wish him the best on his new path. No shade on you either! There was some serious competition going on, let alone who knows which applicants from NewsNation, Nexstar and even outside of the ecosystem were running for it.

Z

Re: wgn weather - ivory replaces skilling - who got passed over?

Posted by ABRockNJock <iframe src='https://members.boardhost.com/chicagomediachat/info/user=ABRockNJock' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on February 5, 2024, 3:44 pm, in reply to "Re: wgn weather - ivory replaces skilling - who got passed over?"

Truth be told, I don't know who else was in the running to fill Tom Skilling's big shoes at WGN 9 on the weather front when he announced his retirement late last year.

Mike Janssen took over weekend weather duties at Channel 9 in 2018, coinciding with Jim Ramsey's own retirement after 30 years. Ramsey died in 2022 at age 69 of natural causes.

Another WGN weekend weatherman, Mike Hamernik, who had handled weekend morning weather duties starting in 2005, died of lung cancer at age 60 in 2021.

If it wasn't Demetrius Ivory, I'm not sure who else WGN would've considered as the heir apparent to Skilling on the weather front.

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