Rafer Weigel was born on May 5,1969 and is an American broadcast journalist who most recently was an early morning weekday news anchor and general assignment reporter at WFLD-Channel 32 in Chicago.
24 Facts About Rafer Weigel
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Rafer Weigel is the grandson of Weigel Broadcasting founder and former Lawrence Welk radio announcer John Jacob Weigel.
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Rafer Weigel has two sisters, Jenniffer Rafer Weigel, a former Chicago television news anchor and published author, and Teddi, who began high school in 2008.
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Rafer Weigel later divorced Tiffany and is engaged to Fox 2, St Louis morning news anchor, Margie Ellisor.
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Rafer Weigel died of cancer at the age of 55 in 2001.
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Rafer Weigel decided to follow in his father's footsteps after his death.
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Rafer Weigel graduated in 1987 from Evanston Township High School, where he performed on stage with the Piven Theatre Workshop's Young People's company, which featured such notables as John Cusack, Joan Cusack and Jeremy Piven.
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Rafer Weigel worked summers as an intern for his father at WLS-TV.
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Rafer Weigel continued his education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, graduating with a degree in theatre in 1992 after finishing his studies in London.
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Rafer Weigel's first acting job was with Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre as the title role in "Master Harold".
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Rafer Weigel's first television role was a small part on the locally filmed TV show The Untouchables.
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In 1993, Rafer Weigel was hired for a news magazine show featuring younger journalists and brought out to Hollywood.
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In 1995, Rafer Weigel returned to Hollywood, landing small speaking roles on ER and Party of Five, and guest starring on JAG, Charmed, and the former Vengeance Unlimited.
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In 1997, Rafer Weigel was hired as a series regular on the NBC sitcom Jenny, starring former fellow Chicagoan Jenny McCarthy.
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Rafer Weigel wrote an essay after his father's death that ran in the Chicago Sun-Times that opened the door for him as a freelance writer covering high school sports.
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Rafer Weigel covered games all over the Chicago area and wrote regular features on local high school athletes.
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Rafer Weigel began writing articles for The Times on a freelance basis and a year later was hired full-time as a high school sports staff writer.
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In February 2008, Rafer Weigel joined the cast of the already-successful morning show Morning Express with Robin Meade.
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In March 2011, Rafer Weigel became the new weekend sports anchor and reporter at WLS Channel 7 in Chicago, a station where his father spent 17 years as an anchor.
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Rafer Weigel replaced Ryan Chiaverini, who became co-host of Channel 7's morning show "Windy City Live," a role Weigel himself had been under consideration for.
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Rafer Weigel decided to go back to his "news" roots and in October 2014 accepted the anchor role for the 6pm and 10pm shows Monday-Friday in St Louis at the Fox affiliate KTVI, Channel 2.
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On September 1,2017, Rafer Weigel joined WFLD-TV in Chicago as a weekend evening news anchor and general assignment reporter.
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Rafer Weigel was promoted to weekday morning news anchor in August of 2018.
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Rafer Weigel left Fox 32 in February of 2020 to start his own Media, Public Relations and Marketing Company, The Rafer Weigel Media Group.