Station hopes iconic fowl will instill "sky is falling" panic in viewersPITTSBURGH - WTAE-TV news director Bob Longo announced that Chicken Little, 58, has been named the station's chief meteorologist at evenings and at night. The iconic fowl, known the world over for creating a massive panic throughout the Midwestern United States in 1977 when an acorn landed atop his head and he repeatedly shouted "the sky is falling," will become the station's highest paid on-air personality, surpassing Sally Wiggin.
"Mr. Little brings exactly the right temperament to Pittsburgh's official winter weather station!" Longo explained in an email. "Our viewers overwhelmingly want solid reporting of severe weather, and they also want panic! Mr. Little is synonymous with unnecessary, overblown alarm, and we have every reason to think he'll bring that kind of excitement to our winter newscasts!"
Little reportedly insisted that his paramour, Henny Penny, 26, be named a reporter for the station. Penny created controversy last week when she told this news source that the she refuses to do outdoor reporting in inclement weather. "They can get the crows from Dumbo for that," she said. Some interpreted Penny's remarks as having racial overtones.
KDKA-TV is looking to match WTAE's bold move in hiring Little, and is reportedly in discussions with The Boy Who Cried Wolf to serve as its chief meteorologist.
