WCCO, Channel 4, has named a homegrown talent, morning meteorologist Chris Shaffer, to replace Paul Douglas as the TV station's permanent evening weatherman.
Staffers gave the Stillwater native a "resounding round of applause" when the promotion was announced Tuesday morning, said a spokesperson. The staff has been shaken by recent cost-cutting moves, including the April layoff of Douglas, one of the Twin Cities' best-known media personalities.
Shaffer, 38, has been WCCO's morning weatherman since October 2006. Reached by phone minutes before the 5 p.m. newscast Tuesday, he said the biggest change will be his sleeping pattern. Shaffer has been waking up at 2:30 a.m. and leaving work just after lunchtime. Starting Tuesday, however, he'll appear every weeknight at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.
"It's almost like a bizarro world I'm entering," he said.
He acknowledged he has big shoes to fill: "Paul was a wonderful co-worker and he remains a wonderful friend."
TOM HORGEN
