Some of Chicago's favorite WGN broadcast personalities got together to have a laugh and show solidarity after one of their own, reporter Marcella Raymond, received a particularly unpleasant letter from a viewer that accused her of being overweight, saying she was "not able to discipline herself in a visual medium."
If you've ever seen Jimmy Kimmel's "Celebrities Read Mean Tweets," the effect is very much the same, but with faces a little more familiar, and a lot more local.
One viewer told Amy Rutledge to smile more, then compared her to Chewbacca. Reporter Randi Belisomo was called a "stupid, blonde sorority chick." Dina Bair was compared to a witch. Dean Richards was pointed out as being "smug." Lourdes Duarte was told, "think before you open your mouth."
The worst was reserved for WGN Morning News co-anchor Robin Baumgarten and weathercaster Paul Konrad. "Keep shoving food down that pie hole of yours," a viewer told Baumgarten. "It shuts up that annoying, donkey-braying noise you make when you talk." After reading the quote, Baumgarten, a three-time Emmy Award winner, smiled.
The attacks on Konrad didn't stop there. One viewer told him to commit suicide. "Paul, you are a stupid asshole," the viewer said. "You should do Chicagoland a favor and jump off the Willis Tower and land on [Tom] Skilling. Go fuck yourself. Love, Robin."
Though funny when coming from the other end, let's hope our fellow Chicagoans use their time more constructively. Being nice might be a good start.