Weathermen vs. Meteorologists

[Stanislav]

Nowadays most, if not all local TV weather talent are professional, accredited meteorologists. This, of course, was not always the case. Way "back in the day," a local weather person was often just a staff person who presented "rip and read" copy from the Weather Bureau (now the NWS). Oh, they might have been able to plot temperatures and fronts on a map (probably just recreating a Weather Bureau map), and had enough passing knowledge of basic weather terminology to have passed a school science class and sound knowledgeable, but they were yards away from being professionals. Some local weathermen were quirky personalities -- almost "comic relief." Other stations used a "weather girl" (sexist term an artifact of that era) who was likely hired not so much for her knowledge of weather fronts as for what was in the front of her sweater.

Was this a case of stations not having the budget to hire a true meteorologist? Or established meteorologists at that time viewing TV weathercasting as beneath their dignity? Or just a matter of TV not taking weather very seriously in the first place? Was there a particular era or turning point at which local TV began to establish a more authoritative and professional standard for their weathercasters?

 

[ricksegers]

I feel that today having a Meteorologist is more of a marketing tool. Most stations just spout what their private weather information provider or the NWS says. They then put it together with some fancy graphics and stick a cool sounding name to it all.

 

[landtuna]

I've never understood a station paying a "weather person" (whether that person is a meteorologist or not). Seems a waste of a salary. There is noting wrong with having the Talking Head report the weather just as he/she does for all the other stories. After all, they aren't experts in the story material anyway.

Having a "funny" weather person demeans the news program much the same as the "yuk yuk" talking heads.

 

[easttxtv]

This kind of debate was pretty apparent in the DFW market. WBAP (now KXAS)/5 hired Harold Taft in 1949, a year after the station and their newscasts started. Previously Taft had been degreed as a meterologist and had worked in that capacity for American Airlines. Taft was insistent on having only meterologists working at Ch.5 and used hand-drawn maps long after the other stations went to magnetic maps or on-screen graphics. His maps not only used what we see now on air, but also isobars and actual weather symbols. When other stations had spread to a 5-day forecast, Taft would not budge from a 2-day one (he felt like weather couldn't be predicted accurately past a 2-day timeline). Taft had a way of translating complicated weather patterns and terms into something most any viewer could understand. Meanwhile, in Dallas, WFAA/8 had Troy Dungan since the mid-1970s (and just retired from newscasts in recent years) and he somehow had lots of weather knowledge without being a meterologist. AFAIK, Dungan was the only long-running weather presenter in DFW that was not a meterologist. There were a couple of times here and there that a station would have a non-meterologic stand-in. Jocelyn White, who had been at KDFW/4 for a little while as a weather presenter to supplement the 2 main meterologists, Wayne Shattuck and Ron Jackson, was unexpectedly thrust into the 6&10 spotlight. Word had come that Shattuck had been badly injured in a car accident in Arizona; it would take Shattuck several months to recover, and in the meantime, White did several of the weather segments. This created some buzz as White was, well, let's just say easy on the eyes and she had to stand farther to the side if you wanted to see all of the Texas map ;-) . For much of the late 1970s on, WFAA/8's newscasts topped the ratings, so many were watching Dungan. Taft, though, had his own popularity during his and Dungan's overlap, particularly when it was made known that the then-higher-ups at KXAS were trying to reduce Taft's airtime. Viewers were upset, there were boycotts, and even bumper stickers made. KXAS management ended up relenting. When Harold Taft died, it was considered such an event that Ch.5 aired his funeral live--one of the attendees was Troy Dungan.

In the DFW radio board right now, there is a stink about CBS Radio cutting a long-running meterologist from KRLD's staff, Brad Barton, who has been with the station for 31 years. *Lots* of comments on that board, as well as after articles done and posted online by the Dallas Morning News. Many have referenced Harold Taft in their comments, even though Taft has been gone for 18 years. He is very much missed around north Texas.

So even though there is the Weather Channel now, and online sources as well, it has seemingly been important to most stations here, and their viewers, to have meterologists around.

 

[Tim L]

Wally Kinnan, who did Weather forecasting at WKY Oklahoma City (1953-58) WRCV Philadelphia (1958-65) WKYC Cleveland (1965-77) and WTSP Tampa (1978-80), tells the story of how he became AMS Seal #3..He drew straws with Francis K. Davis and Kenneth H. Jenn for numbers 1, 2 and 3..

Wikipedia on Wally Kinnan, who led a full and interesting life..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wally_Kinnan

List of AMS Seal Holders-Alphaetically by full official name..Exampleick Goddard (No. 45) is listed under Richard D. Goddard

http://www.ametsoc.org/memdir/seallist/get_listoftv.cfm

 

[dhett]

I remember a story that Fannie Flagg once told about when she did the weather at WBRC in Birmingham - Wikipedia has her doing the weather in the 1970s, but I'll bet it was part of the morning show she used to do in 1964-65. The station used a map during the newscasts that showed the high-pressure systems, low-pressure systems and fronts. Flagg didn't know anything about the weather, except for an instinct that weather moved from west to east. So every morning, before the newscast, she would move each of the symbols 2" to the right. When the symbol reached the right edge, she would remove it and place it on the left edge to start another journey across the map. I wonder how her accuracy compared to that of professional weather guessers?

 

[bpatrick]

I have serious doubts that any female doing weather
on a Birmingham station in the 1960s and early '70s
was a meteorologist. If Pat Gray on WBRC or Rosemary
Lucas on WAPI (now WVTM) were meteorologists then
I'm a monkey's uncle, since neither seemed all that
knowledgeable about weather. For that matter, I also
have my doubts about Charley Weidman's (WBMG, now
WIAT) AMS credentials.

The first meteorologist I remember was David Grant on
WXIA's "Pro News" (1972-76), although I think Johnny
Beckman on WSB had the AMS seal as well. I also recall
Roy Leep on WTVT Tampa having the AMS seal; he was
there when my parents lived in the Bay Area in the mid-'70s.

Question about Dallas: did Warren Culbertson on KDFW have
the AMS seal? I keep thinking he did.

 

[Tim L]

.

Question about Dallas: did Warren Culbertson on KDFW have
the AMS seal? I keep thinking he did.

bpatrick:
According to the AMS seal list referenced above, he did (No.5)

Johnny Beckman had No. 100..

Roy Leep had No. 10..

David Grant appears not to have had the AMS seal if the list is totally accurate as it appears to be..

 

[Robnoxious]

KCAL-9 Los Angeles' Jackie Johnson isn't accredited by any meteorology department I don't frankly care. =)

 

[Ultimajock]

...as http://www.toontracker.com/milwaukee/dublon.htm displays, WITI/6 Milwaukee had meteorologist Ward Allen do the weather alongside Albert the Alley Cat, a puppet (created and operated by Jack DuBlon) that was brought onto the newscast from the station's early morning cartoon shows. The WITI brass figured it might get kids interested in watching the news, or at least get the kids to pester Mom and Dad into watching Channel 6 instead of WTMJ-TV/4 or WISN-TV/12 for their news; the bit worked so phenomenally well that when Allen left WITI to concentrate on his greenhouse businesses, they tried to keep Albert the Alley Cat on the weather alongside Tom Skilling, who'd brought his AMS seal of approval over from WKOW-TV/27 Madison. When the AMS heard Skilling was doing his weathercasts with a puppet sidekick, they stripped that seal from Skilling, who didn't get it back until he left WITI for WGN-TV/9 Chicago in '78...

 

[dhett]

I have serious doubts that any female doing weather
on a Birmingham station in the 1960s and early '70s
was a meteorologist.

Fair enough, but just for the record, that was never claimed.

 

[rwells2265]

If Pat Gray on WBRC or Rosemary
Lucas on WAPI (now WVTM) were meteorologists then
I'm a monkey's uncle, since neither seemed all that
knowledgeable about weather. For that matter, I also
have my doubts about Charley Weidman's (WBMG, now
WIAT) AMS credentials.

I don't believe Birmingham had its first meteorologist until Mike Royer on WBRC in 1979, and then - in reaction - WAPI brought one James Spann aboard. As for Pat Gray and Rosemary Lucas -- both of whom I've met, and they're kind and sweet as the day is long -- their 'knowledge about the weather' was indeed secondary to the 'optical confectionery' factor.

90 miles to the north in Huntsville, on the other hand, WHNT-19 (CBS) signed on Thanksgiving Day 1963, and from the start their main weatherman had a degree in meteorology: H.D. Bagley. He'd stay in that capacity until retiring in 1979.

--Russell

 

[bpatrick]

.

Question about Dallas: did Warren Culbertson on KDFW have
the AMS seal? I keep thinking he did.

bpatrick:
According to the AMS seal list referenced above, he did (No.5)

Johnny Beckman had No. 100..

Roy Leep had No. 10..

David Grant appears not to have had the AMS seal if the list is totally accurate as it appears to be..

I must be getting old; you're right, David Grant isn't on the list yet I remember WXIA referring
to him as a meteorologist. After the format change to "11 Alive Newsroom" in 1976 they brought in Gail Janus, who never claimed to be a meteorologist, then in 1978 Russ Minshew, whose name I saw on the AMS list.

 

[bpatrick]

Tim L, we both missed it. David Grant is the on-air
name of David C. Guild, AMS seal no. 53. He worked
for many years at WFLA Tampa after leaving Atlanta,
but is now retired.

 

[Tim L]

Tim L, we both missed it. David Grant is the on-air
name of David C. Guild, AMS seal no. 53. He worked
for many years at WFLA Tampa after leaving Atlanta,
but is now retired.

bpatrick:
That would make sense..The way that list is organized, you could go over it several times and miss a name you are looking for..

Interesting story about a "Weathergirl"

Barbara Plummer, who was "Miss Barbara" on Romper Room on WEWS-5 Cleveland from 1957-1972, was a fill-in Weather Forecaster on occasion..She says that her Husband had been a meterologist during WWII, and would call the Weather Bureau, then fashion weather maps, which Ms. Plummer would take to the station..and would use those maps to do her forecast..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ot_Cy01ByQE

A part of the Morning Exchange on WEWS' 50th anniversaey..At The 6 minute mark, Ms. Plummer does the weather for Susan Davies, which is when she tells the above story..

 

[bpatrick]

Harold Taft had a most competent replacement in David Finfrock, who I believe is still on KXAS and used to do weather on WBAP radio. He, too, is quite knowledgeable about weather and may have even picked up some of Troy's audience when he retired.

Another notable (to me, anyway) weathergirl was Ange Humphrey on WLKY Louisville in the mid-'70s. When general manager Jeff Davidson was transferred to sister station WXIA, he wanted her to move to Atlanta but she had a burgeoning career as a country singer with a band called Ange Humphrey and the Cumberlands. She later moved to WHAS, where she co-hosted "PM Magazine," married Jeff Davidson after he retired and moved back to Kentucky; since he passed away she has spent several years as a minister in a Baptist church in the Evansville area.

 

[ShawnHill1]

KCAL-9 Los Angeles' Jackie Johnson isn't accredited by any meteorology department I don't frankly care. =)

Her colleague, Evelyn Taft, definitely holds her own too

 

[Corky Marlowe]

Sandy Thompson, who did the weather on Channel 15 in Fort Wayne for many years, was always billed as a Certified Weather Specialist. Has anyone else ever heard that term?

 

[daryll]

Obit: Meteorologist David Grant

WFLA Tampa is reporting on their website that Mr. Grant has passed away.
http://www.tampabay.com/features/me...ch-of-former-wfla-meteorologist-david/1264372

 

[LKellerIII]

For many TV stations in the early decades, weather reports were a bit of an after-thought, so they often chose station veterans to present the weather, and these guys (occasionally women, or weather "girls" as they were known in that more sexist era) were usually not meteorologists.

In the SF Bay Area, KTVU's weather man for years was Pat McCormick, one of those jacks-of-all trades on-air people who also hosted the "Dialing for Dollars" Movie and a few afternoon kids' shows.

IIRC- sometime in the 70s, he did become a meteorologist, but that was years after he started reporting the weather.