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ATL meteorologist on the move
- Thread starter Junk Junk
- Start date
Maybe it's Chris Smith (WGCL) I know he was recently let go by the station...
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Rick Rose 2.0
Guest
I am trying to figure this one out myself. I do know that Raycom is starting up a tv station in Myrtle Beach which will begin with the Olympic opening ceremonies but according to their website they already have 3 meterologists hired and none of them worked here. So Im trying to find out if Raycom is starting up any other new stations or new news operations.
The headline is a little misleading (or written incorrectly): The story says WXIA's Staff Meteorologist (though I'm guessing that means he is/was a weather producer and occasional fill-in) Josh Johnson is moving to Raycom's WSFA-Montgomery, to replace their morning guy who is moving to sister-station start-up WMBF, Myrtle Beach, SC.
jal41 said:
Huh? Your logic is pretty flawed...Josh leaves, because Steve was afraid he would lose his job? That makes no sense. Josh is leaving because he wanted more on air time and it was not going to happen at WXIA, so he is headed to market 116 to get that opportunity. He will do well. Josh is a great guy and a very good meteorologist. No one knew that Josh was leaving until he gave his notice on Monday, he did not have a contract, so he was free to leave at will. In this day and age of shrinking tv budgets and staffs, more and more people are being asked to perform multiple roles. It is the future of this business and if you are in it, you better get used to it. Steve is very versatile and well-liked by the mgmt at WXIA. Last Friday, Steve forecasted the weather for the morning news, the 6pm. 7pm, 10pm and 11pm. Then came back and did the Saturday evening shows, and has done the morning and noon shows all this week. Steve is that kind of person. Willing to do what it takes and also very, very nice and approachable. He has time for everyone and will talk and share his thoughts with anyone, interns, producers, managers, etc. WXIA is down to 3 full-time meteorologists, even with Gannett's budget cuts, they are going to have to hire another full-timer. I can assure you it won't be Orelon Sidney. She does not want it.
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Rick Rose 2.0
Guest
Channel 11 will have 2 meterologists and weatherman Paul Ossman on their staff when Josh leaves. Paul is not a meterologist even though wikipedia has numerous atlanta weather people past and present listed as meterologist it will be corrected.
Thanks for the information, folks. I had never even heard of Josh Johnson, so I don't imagine his loss will make a huge impact on the weather landscape in Atlanta.
Rick Rose - are you sure that Paul Ossmann doesn't have a degree in meteorology? He is listed as WXIA's chief meteorologist on their website...
Rick Rose - are you sure that Paul Ossmann doesn't have a degree in meteorology? He is listed as WXIA's chief meteorologist on their website...
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Rick Rose 2.0
Guest
They never refer to him that way on the air or on his bumper while he is on the air. The website is just wrong. He does not have an AMS seal becasue he is not a meterologist.
Rick Rose 2.0 said:
http://www.nwas.org/seal/seal-holders.php
http://www.11alive.com/life/communi...2&plckUserId=aaa3b93bba5149fb8e2c383cd83bd812
He does have an NWA seal (National Weather Association), which like AMS accredits broadcast meterologists. WXIA doesn't refer to him as a "chief meterologist" on-air because the station handles the toss to weather in a very informal fashion, but is cited so on the website. He is WXIA's chief meterologist, and is fully qualified and knowledgeable (he has a weatherradio installed in his car, and runs a backyard weather station for the National Weather Service).
WGCL's Dagmap Midcap, on the other hand....
This is heading down a slippery slope. What is a meteorologist and what qualifies one to carry that title? There is no standard definition. It not like having an MD or passing the bar. There is no clear cut definition. In general people who have a degree in meteorology from an accredited meteorology program are considered to be a meteorologist. Besides the tests and work experience, the AMS seal requires a degree in meteorology. The NWA seal program does not. It requires less work experience and no degree, but the test and the continuing education/testing requirements are fairly tough. Good meteorology programs include Florida State, Mississipi State, Penn State, Cornell, Lyndon State in Vermont, Oswego State in New York, Umass-Lowell, Mit, Colorado. There is not all that many to be honest. The degrees are tough programs to get through. Lots of physics, chemistry, and calculus. That is why the people with the degrees tend to look down at those who call themselves meteorologists, but don't have the degrees. In the end it comes down to are you a good forecaster, not the degree you have, not the seals you have, not your title. How you interpret model data, how you apply that data to current atmospheric conditions, your sense of weather history and trends in your forecast area, it all converges to help make you a good forecaster.
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Rick Rose 2.0
Guest
I'm not betting everything I have pretty good belief that Paul is not a meterologist. Where did Paul get his meterology degree?
jal41 said:
Nope, you're wrong. Check their (the AMS) wording: It was established "to promote quality weather broadcasting" and they award "NWA Weathercaster Seals of Approval". This means one can receive a seal for weathercasts and not necessarily be a meteorologist. I do weather forecasts for fifteen radio stations throughout the country, but I'm not a certified meteorologist.
Yes, and no. They do have an open for Paul, as they do the others. If you listen carefully, the VO guy will say "meteorologist Steve Adamson" and "meteorologist Chris Holcolmb", but for Paul it's just "11 Alive Weather, here's Paul Ossmann". Lots of occasions the producer cuts the open for time, or they'll scratch it because the jib cam is not working, or they'll use the actually animation. I'm not sure if it applies for the website, but they can't legally call him a meteorologist on the air, simply because he isn't one. With that being said...
Although he's not WXIA's chief meteorologist, he is 11 Alive's chief weather personality, and he has earned the right to be. Certification or not, with over 25 years experience, he's got the street cred (and knowledge) to forecast weather accurately. He's a great guy with a fantastic personality.
Yeah. You're right about that!
The "National Weather Association" seal does not imply that the holder is a Meteorologist. The NWA was originally a company which sold weather maps to TV stations. In order to promote their sales of maps, they started the seal thing which is worthless. To classify as a Meteorologist one must either have a degree from an accredited school, or have completed 20 hours of study in the atmospheric sciences.
The only degreed Meteorologist on Atlanta TV is Ken Koch at Channel 5. Paul Ossman is not now, nor will he ever be a Meteorologist. He is a "weather reporter" as are most of the people presenting weather on Atlanta television.
The AMS (American Meteorological Society) instituted their Seal of Approval sometime in the 1960s when it became apparent that some distinction should be made as to who was, and who wasn't capable of developing and delivering a reasonably accurate forecast. In order to qualify for the seal, one must meet the above requirements, plus be reviewed and approved by a panel of judges who viewed a forecaster's on-air presentation. In about 1974, the AMS Board changed the rules to allow some of their old buddies to qualify for the Seal, even if they didn't meet the educational requirements - and there followed a flood of applications, many of which were honored with the Seal. It was a bad mistake, and the latest AMS board is trying to remedy that bad judgement call by just recently instituting a new test of on-air weather presenters and one must pass that test to retain the Seal. Paul Ossman has not taken that test.
The AMS seal was of some significance in the 70s when TV management discovered that surveys showed more people would get up from their chairs (the days before remotes) and change a channel to view an AMS approved forecaster. As the bean counters took over, the Seal was dropped primarily to make room for another commercial.
I know whereof I speak because I hold AMS Seal of Approval #100, of which there are now thousands.
The only degreed Meteorologist on Atlanta TV is Ken Koch at Channel 5. Paul Ossman is not now, nor will he ever be a Meteorologist. He is a "weather reporter" as are most of the people presenting weather on Atlanta television.
The AMS (American Meteorological Society) instituted their Seal of Approval sometime in the 1960s when it became apparent that some distinction should be made as to who was, and who wasn't capable of developing and delivering a reasonably accurate forecast. In order to qualify for the seal, one must meet the above requirements, plus be reviewed and approved by a panel of judges who viewed a forecaster's on-air presentation. In about 1974, the AMS Board changed the rules to allow some of their old buddies to qualify for the Seal, even if they didn't meet the educational requirements - and there followed a flood of applications, many of which were honored with the Seal. It was a bad mistake, and the latest AMS board is trying to remedy that bad judgement call by just recently instituting a new test of on-air weather presenters and one must pass that test to retain the Seal. Paul Ossman has not taken that test.
The AMS seal was of some significance in the 70s when TV management discovered that surveys showed more people would get up from their chairs (the days before remotes) and change a channel to view an AMS approved forecaster. As the bean counters took over, the Seal was dropped primarily to make room for another commercial.
I know whereof I speak because I hold AMS Seal of Approval #100, of which there are now thousands.
Old Wx Woman: A few corrections: It is Ken Cook and Paul Ossmann. Also Brad Nitz at WSB, Steve Adamson at WXIA,and Jeff Hill at WAGA all hold meteorology degrees. Their degrees are not post-graduate MSU correspondence degrees. Also the CBM is not a remedy in my opinion. It is just another test that allows people without degrees to have and keep their seal. Though back to my previous post, a degree does not make you a good forecaster. It is the convergence of a lot of factors including, but not limited too education, experience, instinct, & allowing yourself to be humbled by the weather at times.
I used to work where Ken Cook had an account and his legal name is Ken Koch, it is still pronounced Cook but he thought his on air name should have the more traditional spelling of Cook. I later met his daughter Kim Koch when we ended up in a wedding together. Glen Burns, if I remember correctly, uses Burns as his on air name but his legal name is entirely different.
Mr11WXIA said:
I think Glenn Burn's real last name is Burns. He is member of a board of directors at Northside Bank in Cartersville, and they have him listed as Glenn N Burns on their website.
http://www.northsidebankga.com/a_off_dir.htm
BTW: Glenn's degree is in Communications, with post-graduate work in astrophyics (astronomy - why you see segments about astronomical activity during WSB's weather segments).
Hey Old: Thanks so much for clearing up that WX mystery. All these years and I always wondered what that meant. Tough being as dumb as I am.....From the tone of your two responses it seems you are the one who takes this all too seriously. Keep smilin'.....Also be sure to send me along definitions to any other abbreviations that I might have missed along the way.
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