Wayne Shannon (born January 16, 1948) is a veteran news commentator and humorist. Shannon became popular with San Francisco viewers from 1982 through 1988 for his nightly "Just 4 You" segments on KRON-TV, where his name received billing in newscast introductions along with the anchors and weather and sports presenters. Many of his commentaries, which frequently discussed local and global topics alike, were published in the 1986 essay collection What's It All Mean?, which took its title from the catch phrase Shannon used to end many of his segments.
Shannon was born in Spokane, Washington but moved soon after to San Francisco where he remained until age 12. Shannon attended junior high and high school in the small community of Moses Lake, where he first performed as an amateur/professional comedian. Following high school, he went to the American Academy of Dramatic Art in New York City, appeared off-Broadway as an actor and directed children's theater off-off Broadway. Back in Washington, he graduated from Highline Community College in Des Moines, near Seattle and would eventually graduate college from the University of Washington.
Shannon began his career as a stand-up comedian and entertained the troops in Vietnam in the early 1970s, while serving with the Special Services of the U.S. Army. Upon his return to the Pacific Northwest, he worked as a typist for Boeing and eventually landed his first television job as a movie host. From there Shannon moved to Channel 2 in Detroit, where he reported on consumer issues.
After moving from Detroit, he moved to Philadelphia's KYW-TV where he was the station's feature reporter and essayist from 1980-82.[1]
After Shannon's KRON-TV contract was not renewed,[2] he moved to CNBC in April 1989[3] as one of the network's originating commentators, delivering two humorous on-air pieces a night. Shannon and CNBC parted ways in the early 1990s, at which point he returned to the Pacific Northwest, where he currently lives.