Hi, I'm Tom Mahoney chief meteorologist at WFRV-TV. I was born and raised in Joliet, Illinois. I attended Northern Illinois University. I received my Bachelor of Science degree in 1970 and a Master's degree in 1972.
I taught high school in Palatine, Illinois from the fall of 1970 through the spring of 1972. While teaching high school in Palatine, I made the acquaintance of Harry Volkman and Bob Thomas. I was asked to be a meteorological intern at WMAQ-TV, Chicago, in cooperation with Northwestern University. As a result of that internship, I presented a paper at a national conference of broadcast meteorologists of the American Meteorological Society. At that conference I met Fred Wagner, from WFRV-TV and he asked me to work at Channel 5 on the weekends. My first time on television was July 1972. It was then that I taught 8th grade science in Oconto.
It was WFRV-TV that gave me the taste of television and I knew I had to follow that as a career. Full-time work in television was not available at WFRV, so it was off to Oklahoma City at KWTV. I was the meteorologist there from December 1973 through February 1980.
Wisconsin called. WISN-TV in Milwaukee hired me as their first meteorologist. I replaced a legend, The late Howard Gernette. I left in the spring of 1981.
Now it was off to the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) in Virginia Beach, VA. I was the chief meteorologist on a nationally syndicated show called USam. It was a show designed to proceed the Today Show or Good Morning America. A former Wisconsinite, Terry Meuwsen (Miss Wisconsin and Miss America 1973) was one of the hosts. USam was too successful. Both NBC and ABC saw what we were doing and started their own early morning shows within the next year. USam got cancelled in July of 1982.
Fate brought me back to Wisconsin for the third time. Channel 5 was looking for a chief meteorologist. Despite the possibility of working for the Weather Channel or at Cable News Network, I chose to come back to the dairy state.
I have been chief meteorologist at Channel 5 since July of 1982. You can find me weekdays on Channel 5 News at Noon, Five, and Six. I can also be heard on the Woodward Radio Group, AM 980 WCUB in Manitowoc, and you can read my forecast in the Gannett Wisconsin Newspapers. I was granted the AMS Seal for Television in October 1973. I have served on the AMS Board of Broadcast Meteorologists and the Board of Popula Meteorological and Oceanic Education. Since 1994, I have served as an instructor in meteorology at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.
Email Tom
