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Battle of the TV Weatherwomen

N

nascar_red

Guest
I found it interesting that the only two local Saturday morning news shows here in Phoenix both had their recently hired female weather personalities doing a remote from the same place today. April Warnecke of KTVK and Sarah Walters of KPNX both did their weather remotes from the Target at 77th and Bell Road highlighting the Peoria Police Department's "Shop With A Cop" program. Both agreed on a high of 71 today.
 
> I found it interesting that the only two local Saturday
> morning news shows here in Phoenix both had their recently
> hired female weather personalities doing a remote from the
> same place today. April Warnecke of KTVK and Sarah Walters
> of KPNX both did their weather remotes from the Target at
> 77th and Bell Road highlighting the Peoria Police
> Department's "Shop With A Cop" program. Both agreed on a
> high of 71 today.
>
But Sarah and April seem very pleasant and appropriate for the weekend am shows. However, I do not watch GMAZ weekend when Carey Pena is on. Her lisp and general inability to speak NATURALLY are too distracting.
 
> >Both agreed on a high of 71 today.

Why the surprise?...it's not that difficult to cut and paste the National Weather Service forecast high. Even with Sarah's experience and degree...vs April's minimal experience and one semester of Mississippi State on-line classes...I doubt either weather anchor is putting much effort into the forecast process. The forecast is secondary.

Please Stand By For A Rant...

All the consultants and the management types will say a station can "win" with weather...but that is only true to a certain extent in a market like Phoenix where the Summer heat can kill but Fall and Winter are made for bragging to friends and family who live out of town. Therefore you get a mix of qualified people and people that are nice to look at for three minutes...bonus if you get someone who is both qualified and nice looking.

In my opinion the viewer is underserved because those in management are too busy trying to own a "gimmick"...like "First Forecast" or "Weekend Getaway Forecast" or they are trying to get you to believe that their weather department is better because they are all flying around in a hot air balloon.

TV stations all across the country are losing viewership because they are all trying to "out cute" each other with slogans and animation and claims of exclusive stories and branding everything breaking news. What is lacking is a true understanding of the market, the viewer in that market and putting on a newscast that the viewer wants to invest a period of time into watching.

Look all I'm saying is...as a viewer try to take a closer look at what stations are trying to get you to buy into as a way to collect viewership.

TVGuru
 
> > >Both agreed on a high of 71 today.
>
> Why the surprise?...
My surprise is that for any given day in Phoenix, each station will have their own forecast, one says 71, another 70 and a third 72. On this day, with only two stations having a Saturday morning "news" program, they both agreed on 71.


> In my opinion the viewer is underserved because those in
> management are too busy trying to own a "gimmick"...like
> "First Forecast" or "Weekend Getaway Forecast"

Like KPHO who subscribes to a service called WeatherRate and would you believe it that WeatherRate claims that CBS-5 has the most accurate weather forecast in the Valley.
 
> > > >Both agreed on a high of 71 today.
> >
> > Why the surprise?...
> My surprise is that for any given day in Phoenix, each
> station will have their own forecast, one says 71, another
> 70 and a third 72. On this day, with only two stations
> having a Saturday morning "news" program, they both agreed
> on 71.
>
>
> > In my opinion the viewer is underserved because those in
> > management are too busy trying to own a "gimmick"...like
> > "First Forecast" or "Weekend Getaway Forecast"
>
> Like KPHO who subscribes to a service called WeatherRate and
> would you believe it that WeatherRate claims that CBS-5 has
> the most accurate weather forecast in the Valley.
>
I am always skeptical of these claims. Which forecast does WeatherRate claim is the most accurate -- the high for the day given on the NOON newscast???

As a statistician, the weather claims are rather ridiculous. "We are WAY below average -- the average temp for today is 69 -- we we're only at 66!", says the breathless weather anchor. What is the normal range of temperatures for the day??? It is statistically possible to have never had a high equal to the average high for the day. I would rather know that 80% of the time the high temperature is between 65 and 73. That would give much better information.

At least, in Phoenix, we don't have to endure the breathless forecasts of Seattle. They have to give marine forecasts and wind directions, tides, coastal forecasts, mountain forecasts, Eastern Washington forecasts as well as Seattle area forecasts. They flip through the graphics so fast that your head is spinning at the end of the "First Alert Storm Team" forecast.
 
> > > > >Both agreed on a high of 71 today.
> > >
> > > Why the surprise?...
> > My surprise is that for any given day in Phoenix, each
> > station will have their own forecast, one says 71, another
>
> > 70 and a third 72. On this day, with only two stations
> > having a Saturday morning "news" program, they both agreed
>
> > on 71.
> >
> >
> > > In my opinion the viewer is underserved because those in
>
> > > management are too busy trying to own a "gimmick"...like
>
> > > "First Forecast" or "Weekend Getaway Forecast"
> >
> > Like KPHO who subscribes to a service called WeatherRate
> and
> > would you believe it that WeatherRate claims that CBS-5
> has
> > the most accurate weather forecast in the Valley.
> >
> I am always skeptical of these claims. Which forecast does
> WeatherRate claim is the most accurate -- the high for the
> day given on the NOON newscast???
>
> As a statistician, the weather claims are rather ridiculous.
> "We are WAY below average -- the average temp for today is
> 69 -- we we're only at 66!", says the breathless weather
> anchor. What is the normal range of temperatures for the
> day??? It is statistically possible to have never had a
> high equal to the average high for the day. I would rather
> know that 80% of the time the high temperature is between 65
> and 73. That would give much better information.
>
> At least, in Phoenix, we don't have to endure the breathless
> forecasts of Seattle. They have to give marine forecasts
> and wind directions, tides, coastal forecasts, mountain
> forecasts, Eastern Washington forecasts as well as Seattle
> area forecasts. They flip through the graphics so fast that
> your head is spinning at the end of the "First Alert Storm
> Team" forecast.
>
Let's face it..the only reason most people watch the weather forecast in PHX is to see how cold it is back where they came from!
 
>
> Let's face it..the only reason most people watch the weather
> forecast in PHX is to see how cold it is back where they
> came from!
>
Or to see if Ka-rree-bay can get through a forecast without mis-reading a temperature! But at least she always looks good!
 
> > My surprise is that for any given day in Phoenix, each
> > station will have their own forecast, one says 71, another
> > 70 and a third 72. On this day, with only two stations
> > having a Saturday morning "news" program, they both agreed
> > on 71.
> >


I see what you're saying...well...the degree or two difference in forecast high temperature is most likely an attempt to "be different" and not look like they are using the NWS forecast. Having said that...there are several forecast models that forecast temps...each use a different math formula to come to the conclusion. So, within the different formulas there will generally be a difference of a few degrees in the forecast temperature. So depending on the forecast model you buy into...then those are the numbers the weather person will go with. Therefore, you should know that generally an accurate forecast is a forecast temperature that is within three degrees (above or below)the actual high observed by the official NWS weather guage. I still maintain that beyond the main weather people at each station...the other people on the weather staff are generally just following the NWS numbers.



> >
> > Like KPHO who subscribes to a service called WeatherRate
> and would you believe it that WeatherRate claims that CBS-5
> has the most accurate weather forecast in the Valley.
> >


Weather Rate is a company that is based in Phoenix...they have applied for patents for the accuracy software and proceedures they claim they follow. The company is the brainchild of a former TV weather guy. The company claims in their sales pitch to statiions that they gather the data first and according to the data they have collected...they determine the most accurate station. Again according to the Weather Rate sales pitch...they only offer the "seal of approval" to the most accurate station...if the station declines to pay the fee for the use of the "seal" then Weather Rate says they do not approach the second place station.


>
> At least, in Phoenix, we don't have to endure the breathless
> forecasts of Seattle. They have to give marine forecasts
> and wind directions, tides, coastal forecasts, mountain
> forecasts, Eastern Washington forecasts as well as Seattle
> area forecasts. They flip through the graphics so fast that
> your head is spinning at the end of the "First Alert Storm
> Team" forecast.
>

Well at least the people in Seattle have a use for the Marine forecast, Tidal info, wind direction etc. Afterall, the city is on Puget Sound with a large number of small boats, fishing operations, ferry operations and so on...and the winds all play a part in wave size, fog development and blah blah blah. In places like Seattle, those bits of info are usually mandatory parts of the forecast but the fact that the weather people have to fly through the info is just a newcast management problem...the producers are not giving enough time to the weather segment. You would be surprised at the number of times the weather person is a few seconds away from being on the air when a producer will cut the total weather time by 30 seconds or a minute...sometimes the weather segment time will be cut in half.


> >
> > Let's face it..the only reason most people watch the
> weather forecast in PHX is to see how cold it is back where they
> > came from!


Sure...you are totally correct...one of the main reasons people watch the weather in Phoenix is to see the weather from other parts of the country. However, most management types want the main focus of the weather segment to be local, local, local. The happy medium in most newsrooms is an 80 /20 split...80% local, 20% national.


> >
> Or to see if Ka-rree-bay can get through a forecast without
> mis-reading a temperature! But at least she always looks
> good!
>


What do you expect from person who is a former beauty queen who went from being a receptionist at a TV station in El Paso Texas(market 99)...to an on air weather person in El Paso to weather anchor in Phoenix? She is very nice looking...maybe the next time Channel 12 has a few openings they will hire her hot sisters.

TVGuru
 
> looking...maybe the next time Channel 12 has a few openings
> they will hire her hot sisters.
>
> TVGuru
>

Hmmm hot eh? Depends...are their IQ's low enough to be anchors?

Speaking of searching for weather angles at stations let's not forget ABC 15's "my Doppler is bigger than your Doppler." Pleeeeze. Local weather predicting in Phoenix for most of the year is about the easiest job anywhere other than in the Gobi Desert. You could hire a monkey to do it and compensate them in bananas. Wait...I may have given management an idea. (I know -- you're going to tell me it's already being done.)
 
> > looking...maybe the next time Channel 12 has a few
> openings
> > they will hire her hot sisters.
> >
> > TVGuru
> >
>
> Hmmm hot eh? Depends...are their IQ's low enough to be
> anchors?
>
> Speaking of searching for weather angles at stations let's
> not forget ABC 15's "my Doppler is bigger than your
> Doppler." Pleeeeze. Local weather predicting in Phoenix for
> most of the year is about the easiest job anywhere other
> than in the Gobi Desert. You could hire a monkey to do it
> and compensate them in bananas. Wait...I may have given
> management an idea. (I know -- you're going to tell me it's
> already being done.)
>
I loved the Dopplers when it rained so much last winter/spring. The mets didn't seem to know how to really use them and certainly didn't use them to warn us in ADVANCE of impending t-storms heading in our direction (unless they happened DURING the newscasts).

It's Phoenix, for heaven's sake! Just do a credible job of telling us what temperature that it will be tomorrow.
 
>
> Well at least the people in Seattle have a use for the
> Marine forecast, Tidal info, wind direction etc. Afterall,
> the city is on Puget Sound with a large number of small
> boats, fishing operations, ferry operations and so on...and
> the winds all play a part in wave size, fog development and
> blah blah blah. In places like Seattle, those bits of info
> are usually mandatory parts of the forecast but the fact
> that the weather people have to fly through the info is just
> a newcast management problem...the producers are not giving
> enough time to the weather segment. You would be surprised
> at the number of times the weather person is a few seconds
> away from being on the air when a producer will cut the
> total weather time by 30 seconds or a minute...sometimes the
> weather segment time will be cut in half.
>
>

I completely understand. Being relatively new to Arizona, I understand that there are television stations in Phoenix and Tucson. What about the Northern portion of the state? Does Northern Arizona (where there is considerably colder weather/snow/etc.) have their own affliates? How does that work?

One of the reasons that Seattle has so much weather to do is that the stations serve ALL of the western half of Washington state. Honestly, Seattle's metro weather is not usually very interesting. In the winter, the forecast is chance of fog and drizzle with a high in the low 40's. In the summer, it is chance of fog and drizzle with a high in the mid 60's. Spring and Fall would be in the 50's. In fact, the precise temperature is notoriously hard to forecast in Seattle.


> > >
> > Or to see if Ka-rree-bay can get through a forecast
> without
> > mis-reading a temperature! But at least she always looks
> > good!
> >
>
>
> What do you expect from person who is a former beauty queen
> who went from being a receptionist at a TV station in El
> Paso Texas(market 99)...to an on air weather person in El
> Paso to weather anchor in Phoenix? She is very nice
> looking...maybe the next time Channel 12 has a few openings
> they will hire her hot sisters.
>
> TVGuru
>
She has sisters?!? KPNX needs a weekend am anchor now that Nicole is taking some time off to raise children.
 
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