Amber Sullins made her debut this morning on KNXV ABC-15 as the weekday morning meteorologist. She comes to Phoenix from KVIA (ABC) in El Paso and replaces Kayley O' Kelley.
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ABC-15 New Weatherguesser Debuts
- Thread starter ihEARDtHAT
- Start date
I've said it before and I'll say it again......I don't understand in these economic times why stations continue to pop for the salaries of weather heads - especially imported heads.
I've noticed that channel 3 now lists their weatherguesser as a "forecaster" rather than a meteorologist and I've never figured out why stations need (a) more than one and (b) a "head" meteorologist.
For a number of years the "weather guy/girl" tended to deliver the standard weather report then spend most of their additional air time on fluffy stories (on site at the local high school, charity, food court etc.).
This is Arizona. If you want to see the weather just look outside your window. And we don't need to be reminded of how hot it is today or will be tomorrow.
I've noticed that channel 3 now lists their weatherguesser as a "forecaster" rather than a meteorologist and I've never figured out why stations need (a) more than one and (b) a "head" meteorologist.
For a number of years the "weather guy/girl" tended to deliver the standard weather report then spend most of their additional air time on fluffy stories (on site at the local high school, charity, food court etc.).
This is Arizona. If you want to see the weather just look outside your window. And we don't need to be reminded of how hot it is today or will be tomorrow.
3TV uses the term "Forecasters" collectively for the weather team. The term meteorologist is only used for those who have advanced training (i.e. college training, military weather training, etc.) which for a time was only Royal Norman. April Warnecke, when she was hired by KTVK in 2005, was not referred to as meteorologist until just a few months ago when she completed her training at ASU. Even though he is the lead person in the weather department, Royal does not usually go by the Chief Meteorologist title (Patti is the one to occasionally call him that while stumbling through the intro.).landtuna said:
Guys:
I don't usually comment on local TV or radio when I'm working in it (the exception being AZ-TV, where my job included getting the word out), and that's not going to change, but I thought someone really needed to put this on the record:
Amber Sullins is an "import" only in the sense of her last job. She's actually the only native on Daybreak, having been born and raised in Tempe, and graduated from the U of A. Her only time away from Arizona was the past four years spent honing her craft so she could come home to market #12 (and she did that well enough to be able to make it a in a single jump from market #98).
Rebecca, Jenn, Brian and I (and Kayley for that matter) are imports. Some of us have just been here longer (23 years in my case), is all. And we all love it enough to stay.
Thanks for listening.
---Michael Hagerty
I don't usually comment on local TV or radio when I'm working in it (the exception being AZ-TV, where my job included getting the word out), and that's not going to change, but I thought someone really needed to put this on the record:
Amber Sullins is an "import" only in the sense of her last job. She's actually the only native on Daybreak, having been born and raised in Tempe, and graduated from the U of A. Her only time away from Arizona was the past four years spent honing her craft so she could come home to market #12 (and she did that well enough to be able to make it a in a single jump from market #98).
Rebecca, Jenn, Brian and I (and Kayley for that matter) are imports. Some of us have just been here longer (23 years in my case), is all. And we all love it enough to stay.
Thanks for listening.
---Michael Hagerty
Michael,
Thanks for the inside info.....but my comment wasn't directed at non-natives nearly as much as the stations spending money they don't appear to have in the current recession.
I don't personally care if a talking head originated outside Arizona so long as, when they get here on-air, they know how to pronounce our landmarks.
But next time you see Amber ask her just how someone from ASU Country could go to that other university down yonder in TOO-sahn.
Thanks for the inside info.....but my comment wasn't directed at non-natives nearly as much as the stations spending money they don't appear to have in the current recession.
I don't personally care if a talking head originated outside Arizona so long as, when they get here on-air, they know how to pronounce our landmarks.
But next time you see Amber ask her just how someone from ASU Country could go to that other university down yonder in TOO-sahn.
Landtuna- it's marketing. In many markets, weather is all-important and viewers rely on those forecasts. Researchers say that more people move to Arizona every year than to any other state (of course people leave, too-- it's considered a "transient state"). Lots of TV bosses go with that thinking and therefore market themselves for what these new residents expect. It may or may not reflect actual life. Who can say for sure? Of course there are many of us who look out the window and decide what to wear or when to mow the grass.. but there are lots of people who expect a heavy-duty weather team and those folks will be swayed by the station that so promotes itself.
Then there is research that says people want more hard news with less fluff. Then there is the research that says people want more positive news. You can find research that goes in 100 different directions. It's up to the station bigwigs to determine which way they want to go and where to spend their dollars.
And who knows- if you tell them directly what you're thinking, you might just sway them (or at least get an explanation for your concern).
Then there is research that says people want more hard news with less fluff. Then there is the research that says people want more positive news. You can find research that goes in 100 different directions. It's up to the station bigwigs to determine which way they want to go and where to spend their dollars.
And who knows- if you tell them directly what you're thinking, you might just sway them (or at least get an explanation for your concern).
MrHajji said:
I understand marketing. I also understand that virtually every FP station in the Phoenix market has pretty much an identical lineup of weather guessers.
My comments were directed at the Phoenix market only as I realize weather concerns for other cities across the country differs greatly from ours. And considering that the stations have been cutting back (as is everyone these days) it seems like a waste of money to have an entire staff of weather people when the job could be done nicely by the anchor/reporter. You don't have to be a meteorologist to read the NWS forecast.
And, incidentally, it seems that for decades now the weather person is also the go-to person for fluff and human interest pieces. This would seem to take something away from focusing on hard news or weather.
Having grown in Seattle, I totally understand Landtuna's thoughts. For many years, Seattle stations only had 1 weather person for the weekday evening newscasts. My family always joked that they could actually pre-record the weather (after all, there are only two seasons in Seattle -- rainy and July).
For all intents and purposes, the Phoenix market is the same way. There really is no need for a plethora of weather persons, particularly in the current economy.
I do point out that 3 and 12 use a single person for both their weekend am and pm newscasts and the weekend am shows usually involve a live shot at an event. In addition, 12 has been cross-utilizing their weather department to do weekday am traffic, presumably to save money. Very few stations here have regular back-up/fill-in people. They just use existing staff or reporters for vacation or illness fill-in work.
Just some thoughts...
For all intents and purposes, the Phoenix market is the same way. There really is no need for a plethora of weather persons, particularly in the current economy.
I do point out that 3 and 12 use a single person for both their weekend am and pm newscasts and the weekend am shows usually involve a live shot at an event. In addition, 12 has been cross-utilizing their weather department to do weekday am traffic, presumably to save money. Very few stations here have regular back-up/fill-in people. They just use existing staff or reporters for vacation or illness fill-in work.
Just some thoughts...
sunspot51 said:
But, all they do is read tomorrow's temperature in Flagstaff. They very rarely tell you what the weather is going to be, except for maybe a "chance of snow showers around Flagstaff". If I were actually going to Flagstaff, I would be on-line checking the forecast.
In contrast, the Seattle stations tend to give you more detailed marine forecasts, mountain forecasts, tidal information, and even Eastern Washington state forecasts.
sunspot51 said:
And with the advent of DTV and the weather sub-channels the talking weather heads become even less relevant.
If I want to check out the thunderstorms south of Phoenix I can dial up one of three subs, wait a few minutes and viola, I have the weather at my in-state destination. Or, and I do this much more often, I dial up weatherunderground.com on my PC and get a detailed weather picture for my destination and all points in between.
I'm guessing the main channel weather guessers are another Aunt Edna leftover from the old days. Auntie always wanted to know what the temp was in Sioux Falls.
But, of course, the point is that we DO have mountains to the North and to the East... SE Arizona DOES get quite a few t-storms... But, then again, who really cares around here, except those of us on this board???
Maybe they could spend time discussing important issues like why it's taken so long for the state legislature and the governor to agree on budget, etc. But, then, that would be real, in-depth news. Instead, we will hear about Kanye, Serena, etc.
Maybe they could spend time discussing important issues like why it's taken so long for the state legislature and the governor to agree on budget, etc. But, then, that would be real, in-depth news. Instead, we will hear about Kanye, Serena, etc.
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