Don Schwenneker Now Self-Described "Traffic Boy"

[cbs2worksforyou 35]

Chicago Public Radio blogger Robert Feder reports that Don Schwenneker, WBBM weekend meteorologist, weekday afternoon weatherman, morning news anchor, and again weekday/weekend meterologist has a drastically new role at the station come next week.

 

He will now be handling traffic for the new unnamed morning show. Feder cited Schwenneker's Facebook page, in which he describes himself as the new "traffic boy" and solicited nicknames for the new role.

 

I have come to enjoy Don and feel bad for him in a way. I hope he is successful in his new role but I'd like to see him continue to do the weather...if anything, at a different station that appreciates him more.

[lazynetjunkie 34]

Chicago Public Radio blogger Robert Feder reports that Don Schwenneker, WBBM weekend meteorologist, weekday afternoon weatherman, morning news anchor, and again weekday/weekend meterologist has a drastically new role at the station come next week.

 

He will now be handling traffic for the new unnamed morning show. Feder cited Schwenneker's Facebook page, in which he describes himself as the new "traffic boy" and solicited nicknames for the new role.

 

I have come to enjoy Don and feel bad for him in a way. I hope he is successful in his new role but I'd like to see him continue to do the weather...if anything, at a different station that appreciates him more.

 

 

Dustin beat you to the report in the Bartelstein thread..

 

He is appreciated at WBBM and I think that's why they found some way to keep him at the station. He's appreciated much more than alot of talent in this market that I've seen just get the door. Unfortunately, circumstances beyond station's own management is kind of what pushed for this. Mary Kay or Don could have easily been slid into weekday morning meteorologist but some higher ups wanted to slide their own in. Everyone really thought that one of the Meteorologists (either Don or Mary Kay) was going to get the boot with the bringing in of a new meteorologist.. That probably would have been the "most economical thing to do". However, I'm sure Don will be successful in his traffic role. He won't be anything like Bruce Wolf doing traffic. I'm also sure he'll still be used as fill-in meteorologist on the morning show too.

 

 

Like I said in the other thread, he's very versatile. If he chooses to go elsewhere, I'm sure there would be plenty of stations to quickly pick him up just due to the fact of his versatility (weather, main news anchor, traffic). But he knows the situation out there. He's happy to have a job and he'll take what the station gives him. Unlike many Chicago TV news personalities (or most people that just work in this business in general), he actually has a family to take care of and isn't just going to "walk out" because he's not doing weather anymore. I know there are a few meteorologists in town that are really like that and would walk right out if they were going to be doing traffic or even be demoted to weekends or weekday mornings.

[Jase 818]

I wouldn't say this is a good thing for him. Sure station management may like him, but they're doing him a disservice by changing his role every couple of months/years. It makes it appear that he's decent at everything, but great at nothing (if that makes sense). What's next for him if this doesn't pan out? Sports?

 

Despite tough economic times we all face these days, if I was him, I would have asked to keep my role as a weatherman full-time rather than move to traffic. He could have become the "Pete Sack" of WBBM if they wanted to move Mary Kay back to weekends. If no agreement could be reached, he should have moved on.

 

Sometimes you have to make tough choices/take a risk to better yourself and the situation you're in.

[lazynetjunkie 34]

I wouldn't say this is a good thing for him. Sure station management may like him, but they're doing him a disservice by changing his role every couple of months/years. It makes it appear that he's decent at everything, but great at nothing (if that makes sense). What's next for him if this doesn't pan out? Sports?

 

Despite tough economic times we all face these days, if I was him, I would have asked to keep my role as a weatherman full-time rather than move to traffic. He could have become the "Pete Sack" of WBBM if they wanted to move Mary Kay back to weekends. If no agreement could be reached, he should have moved on.

 

Sometimes you have to make tough choices/take a risk to better yourself and the situation you're in.

 

 

 

I can say for a fact that an additional full-time weather person at the station (like a Pete Sack position) at on-air talent pay was out of the question. Management made that clear a couple weeks back when news came that they were getting that meteorologist from WCBS. With what WCBS just handed to WBBM, someone at WBBM had to go and it came pretty damn close to happening too. The station could have easily just gone back to using a Shadow Traffic "Corey Morris-type" for traffic..

 

 

I know Don is a family guy and family is his priority. He doesn't have his head up his ass or make love to the job like many talent out there I've come across do. He isn't just going to storm out of the station because things don't work out exactly as planned. This is really something many people (especially younger people, people around here, and even people in the business) just don't understand nowadays until they have kids of their own and then they realize their priorities in life. Walking out is something much easier for someone that doesn't have kids yet or someone whose kids are grown and moved out. But there's a point in your life when you put yourself and your dreams on hold just so you have a house to live in and food on the table.

 

 

I'm sure while he's doing traffic for the time being, he'll be looking to see what's out there for him. But while you have something, you should hang on to it until you find something new. I'm sure he doesn't like changing jobs so many times in one year's time. However, like I've told many, management is management and you can't control them or what they do. Plus, most of his colleges agree he made the right choice.

 

 

 

Funny you mention sports because someone told me that was something that was brought up with him.. lol.

 

 

 

Don't think the station isn't worried about what happens if their new morning show doesn't work out. There are people there that don't feel very optimistic about it because of how the new show came to be the new people just "forced" into there. There's been no attempt to promote the new morning show. It's just going to have a silent debut.

[Jase 818]

I hope he is looking for something else. This is just an odd situation all around. Rarely do you see a person hold three different jobs in less than 3 yrs.. That may be the case if we're talking Market # 200, but this is Market #3.

 

As far as management is concern, like I have said before, who knows just how much control they have these days. While it may have been their decision to bring back Bill and Walter, move Don to traffic, etc...chances are they had to make concessions with their bosses (like having to take in WCBS rejects) in order to get what they want. I could be wrong, but that what it seems like.

 

Regardless, hopefully things will work out for Don and WBBM.