CHICAGO —BobZaguy A local Chicago weather forecaster was arrested by the FBI Drug Unit during WFMT’s Friday 10:00 AM local news broadcast. The charge was transmitting drug messages over the public air waves, a federal crime punishable by 5 to 10 years in prison.
WFMT, an FM station, is the classical music station for the city. The news and advertising policy for the station has long been that the on-air person reads everything. This is not a “jingles and jokes” type of broadcast operation. They are serious here.
The weather man, Carl Grapentine, said to the judge in his bench trial defense that he was just reading the weather report that was sent over the Associated Press weather wire into the studio.
“I was in a hurry, as the live music feed just before the news was running a bit long,” said Grapentine,” and I had to have the forecast ready. So I just ripped the paper out of the printer and read it as it was sent.” he seemed befuddled. “Everyone is going to say I ‘pulled a Patner’ and it just isn’t fair.”
Track Marxman, the spokesperson for the FBI drug unit said that “based on certified tips in the region, the FBI has been monitoring this station’s weather forecasts for the past 2 years. We have logged quite a list of broadcast drug codes from this station and this particular on-air announcer. We’re sure we have a case here.”
When asked to present an example, he said “because this is going to court, I can only report in the widest and most unspecific way possible. There was, however, one report that stood out because of its continued code usage beginning in December, increasing thru January, and diminishing in February through March. That report was usually something like “Snow, sometimes blowing snow, beginning in the west-northwest suburbs and continuing to blow across the Chicagoland area and into northwest Indiana. Each time this report would be broadcast, the sales of cocaine throughout the area would skyrocket.”
He continued, “sometimes these reports would alter into something which we have never heard in other parts of the continental drug trade. And that would be the peculiar reference to ‘lake effect snow’, which is a code phrase that we have been unable to break. In these instances, sales throughout the area would double previous levels.”
Tom Skilling, an attendee at the trial, raised a friend-of-the-court question, “I am also a local weatherman, and I use this phrase “blowing snow” frequently in my winter weather forecasts for Chicago in the winter months. Because that is exactly what it is — a wildly blowing snow fall that builds up in drifts and blocks the streets and sidewalks of the city. My question is this: ‘What is the problem?’ ”
Marxman replied, “Yes, Mr Skilling, we are aware of your reports as well as Mr. Grapentine’s. But your reports don’t have the backup of increased cocaine sales in the region after your reports that his do. It’s probably that more drug buyers listen to WFMT than to your TV station. You only do 2 forecasts a day, where WFMT does 25 to 30.”
The presiding bench judge said, “I find that WFMT is responsible for promoting this drug dealing dissemination in the city of Chicago. I fine them an unbelievable amount of money, which will cause them to mount yet another fund-raising drive. Sorry to the public, but that is my ruling. Mr. Skilling, may get an autograph?”