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Channel 2 patting themselves on back for severe weather coverage 2/18/09
- Thread starter tlyle
- Start date
E
ExNuYawker
Guest
They deserve it. They do an incredible job. The best TV Radar in Atlanta. When bad storms come in, I go to Glenn Burns and nobody else.
who cares they letterboxed Lost and dumped all the spots that would have made them money.
they need to get over themselves and their nintendo radar system. it is just weather and if they are talking about it or not it is going to happen and there will still be problems.
how long till weather gets put after the sportscast where it needs to be?
they need to get over themselves and their nintendo radar system. it is just weather and if they are talking about it or not it is going to happen and there will still be problems.
how long till weather gets put after the sportscast where it needs to be?
the_widows_son said:
It is attitudes like this that helps people get themselves killed during tornadoes. Yes, the weather will happen whether or not forecasters tell people about it... the difference is that when media is on the air during the event warning people about what is happening and where it is heading next, people have time to REACT. A tornado will still strike a house regardless of whether we in the media warn people about it or not. However, our warnings can make the difference between a person not knowing about the storm and being upstairs and getting killed... or them being in the basement and surviving despite a tree falling through the roof and into the bedroom. Nonetheless, there are STILL people who complain that the media is doing a disservice by pre-empting programming when severe weather comes through. I agree that a squeezeback and crawl is sufficient for severe storm warnings... but a tornado warning is such a potentially dangerous situation that longform coverage is most certainly warranted.
Here at our radio station, we were on the air for about five hours Wednesday night with longform coverage, interrupted only for about a half-hour when there were no active warnings. During the span of that time that we were on the air, the National Weather Service reported that there was damage to dozens of homes along a 20-mile long, one-mile wide path of destruction (EF2 tornado - 120mph winds). A handful of people had minor injuries, but there were thankfully no deaths. You cannot honestly tell me that the people in that area would have rather been listening to music on our station, than being warned that a tornado might be headed straight for them.
As for WSB's "Nintendo" radar system, I presume you are referring to "StormTracker2 3D." That's the marketing name they use -- the actual product is called "GRLevel2 Analyst Edition"... and to liken it to a video game is laughable. It is a sophisticated radar viewing product that, although privately developed by a weather enthusiast who lives in the Atlanta area, has still gained such scientific acceptance that it has become commonplace in many National Weather Service forecast offices around the country. The NWS typically isn't big on "eye candy" software, so it must be truly impressive to gain acceptance outside the television world. Contrast that to how many WFO's have Baron's TV-targeted products (not counting of course the upcoming contract for Dual-Pol), and you'll see the amount of respect from "legit" forecasters that GR2AE receives. It has already spawned a new term in weather circles known as a "DRC" (descending reflectivity cone) that, when seen in the radar's 3D mode (oficially called the Volume mode) can often be an indicator of tornadic activity. The product is also pretty reliable in terms of predicting hail. Simply put, the software allows forecasters to see radar data in a more true-to-life form... real weather doesn't happen in flat discs.
Of course that's just my opinion... I could be wrong.
E
ExNuYawker
Guest
the_widows_son said:
WOW!! Definately someone who is ignorant about severe weather. Did you grow up in a cave?
I'll put my two cents in with the people who
support Channel 2's decision. Absolutely, people
in the path of a tornado want information so they
can take precautions and, hopefully, live longer.
About four years ago we had a brouhaha when a
tornado struck central North Carolina on the Saturday
of the Kentucky Derby. WXII, the NBC affiliate for
Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point, pre-empted NBC's
Derby coverage (showing only the race itself around 7:45
that evening), even though the tornado had apparently
moved on (as it turned out, it had). Still, Channel 12 wasn't
taking any chances, lest the tornado hit again. People complained
about not being able to see the race live, but 12 erred (if at all)
on the side of caution.
As for weather following the sports, the weather is probably
the most popular segment of a local newscast, and some stations
have eliminated their sports segments altogether.
support Channel 2's decision. Absolutely, people
in the path of a tornado want information so they
can take precautions and, hopefully, live longer.
About four years ago we had a brouhaha when a
tornado struck central North Carolina on the Saturday
of the Kentucky Derby. WXII, the NBC affiliate for
Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point, pre-empted NBC's
Derby coverage (showing only the race itself around 7:45
that evening), even though the tornado had apparently
moved on (as it turned out, it had). Still, Channel 12 wasn't
taking any chances, lest the tornado hit again. People complained
about not being able to see the race live, but 12 erred (if at all)
on the side of caution.
As for weather following the sports, the weather is probably
the most popular segment of a local newscast, and some stations
have eliminated their sports segments altogether.
I have no problem with any of the tv stations airing warnings as we need them. The question though is why does channel 2 have to hype that they were the ones to turn to during the weather crisis. I can understand driving the point to have viewers watch their coverage, but WSB is really bad about over hyping the "At a Boys". Sometimes, we just need the news and information. We don't want you to toot your horn about how you did. If you are good with your product, you don't have to toot your horn. Your product should sell itself.
bpatrick said:
As much as I hate statistics, I do stand by this: Research has proved that the #1 reason people watch the news is for the weather, #2 is Sports. Actual news comes a distant third. Unfortunately, the higher ups see this research and overkill weather in an ordinary day. I hate the "first forecast" and segments highlighting weather in nearly every segment. This has caused the public perception that, when severe weather does strike, they can't believe what the meteorologists/forecasters are saying because they've been shoved "the sky is falling" down their throats regularly.
News Directors rely too much on the fact that tragedy brings ratings. The problem is that they try to hype tragedy when there is nothing going on. They need to also know that, if you cry wolf too many times, nobody will believe you anymore.
K
kenglish
Guest
Wasn't it Charlie "DISH Network" Ergen that said, "If they wanna know the weather, just look out the window", when talking about the lack of Emergency Alert System cut-ins on satellite TV?
Covering severe weather outbreaks is good because weather is unpredictable. Although for people who know about weather and the software used by television stations, it really is "eye candy." I commend all the television stations, but not when YOU, YES, YOU, can buy the same 3D sofware from the company for personal use, which is based in Suwanee. Also, it's really not "Stormtracker2HD", when they are using data from the NWS's ol' NEXRAD in Peachtree City. MOST everybody has valid points. It is a very well put together part of the news cast and station.
WSB has money to burn, and they have done it well. It's that simple. Just like anything else, it's up to us to deciede on the value of what we are paying attention too. I like weather and am glad WSB does cover it like they do, I just "omit" the graphics most of the time and listen for cold, hard information.
Remember, the information will save you, not the graphics.
WSB has money to burn, and they have done it well. It's that simple. Just like anything else, it's up to us to deciede on the value of what we are paying attention too. I like weather and am glad WSB does cover it like they do, I just "omit" the graphics most of the time and listen for cold, hard information.
Remember, the information will save you, not the graphics.
FloydB said:
While you may be right, I have heard reports of stations dropping sports
(WTKR Norfolk comes immediately to mind), and I think that, since weather
is the most popular part of the newscast, it should precede sports. However,
I do think there is a perception (started in many cases by the weathercasters
themselves) that the forecasters are omniscient, and who gets the blame when
the weather turns out differently than predicted? When I hear a weathercaster
say something like, "I'm going to do my best to get you a nice day on (such-
and-such-a-day)," it sounds as if someone's ego has gone overboard.
But it should come as no surprise that WSB would toot its own horn about
its tornado coverage; I haven't seen a station yet that didn't pat itself on
the back for its coverage of tornados, snowstorms, etc.
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