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When the weather is hellish...where the hell is Mellish?

K

KOFU

Guest
Tornado watch was issued by the National Weather Service for practically all of metro Atlanta at 3:45pm EDT. It's 4:41pm and there's not been a single mention of this on WSB!! Checked WGST and Ken Cook had it in his 4:30 weathercast (hadn't checked GST before then).

What is up with that?!? "Depend on it"???
 
> Tornado watch was issued by the National Weather Service for
> practically all of metro Atlanta at 3:45pm EDT. It's 4:41pm
> and there's not been a single mention of this on WSB!!
> Checked WGST and Ken Cook had it in his 4:30 weathercast
> (hadn't checked GST before then).
>
> What is up with that?!? "Depend on it"???
>
I guess his pre-recorded weather bits didn't predict the warning. Their weather is a joke to me. I never trust it is live and not recorded 12 hrs ago.
 
> Tornado watch was issued by the National Weather Service for
> practically all of metro Atlanta at 3:45pm EDT. It's 4:41pm
> and there's not been a single mention of this on WSB!!
> Checked WGST and Ken Cook had it in his 4:30 weathercast
> (hadn't checked GST before then).
>
> What is up with that?!? "Depend on it"???
>
Depend on it!!
Kirk said the NWS WOULD probably issue a Tornado watch THIS MORNING! He also said it is pretty much standard protocol to issue a watch to the north and east of a tropical depression.These systems usually only produce small tornadoes and are not the super dangerous systems we see in the springtime.
Kirk Mellish and Ken Cook ARE the best at severe weather.....Kirk was first and accurate again!
 
> > Tornado watch was issued by the National Weather Service
> for
> > practically all of metro Atlanta at 3:45pm EDT. It's
> 4:41pm
> > and there's not been a single mention of this on WSB!!
> > Checked WGST and Ken Cook had it in his 4:30 weathercast
> > (hadn't checked GST before then).
> >
> > What is up with that?!? "Depend on it"???
> >
> Depend on it!!
> Kirk said the NWS WOULD probably issue a Tornado watch THIS
> MORNING! He also said it is pretty much standard protocol to
> issue a watch to the north and east of a tropical
> depression.These systems usually only produce small
> tornadoes and are not the super dangerous systems we see in
> the springtime.
> Kirk Mellish and Ken Cook ARE the best at severe
> weather.....Kirk was first and accurate again!
>

What a joke. The NWS issued the tornado watch at 3:45pm and WSB did not mention it until their 5:30pm newscast. That's inexcusable for the news/talk leader in the market. Predicting a watch during morning drive doesn't help the listener who's listening at 5pm and not hearing a watch that was issued over an hour earlier. They completely dropped the ball on that one. At least their anchors were reading the tornado WARNINGS on time... but no sign of Kirk Mellish until about the third or fourth tornado warning came out for west-central GA. I wonder where he was?
 
There really is no excuse for not having Kirk on the air. WSB has a dedicated line into Kirk's house so he can get on the air ASAP. A great idea, if they would ever actually use it. Maybe he was in the can.

I imagine the installation of that line was directly related to an outbreak of tornadoes in the middle of the night in April 1998. While the storms were wreaking their havoc, WSB was airing "Re-Boortz." During the top and bottom of the hour newscasts, listeners were treated to Kirk's pre-recorded cautions about the possibility of severe weather. In fact, they aired AFTER the tornadoes were gone, too.

Meanwhile, WSB-TV had David Chandley (and later Karen Minton) on live for the duration.

> > Tornado watch was issued by the National Weather Service
> for
> > practically all of metro Atlanta at 3:45pm EDT. It's
> 4:41pm
> > and there's not been a single mention of this on WSB!!
> > Checked WGST and Ken Cook had it in his 4:30 weathercast
> > (hadn't checked GST before then).
> >
> > What is up with that?!? "Depend on it"???
> >
> I guess his pre-recorded weather bits didn't predict the
> warning. Their weather is a joke to me. I never trust it is
> live and not recorded 12 hrs ago.
>
 
> > > Tornado watch was issued by the National Weather Service
>
> > for
> > > practically all of metro Atlanta at 3:45pm EDT. It's
> > 4:41pm
> > > and there's not been a single mention of this on WSB!!
> > > Checked WGST and Ken Cook had it in his 4:30 weathercast
>
> > > (hadn't checked GST before then).
> > >
> > > What is up with that?!? "Depend on it"???
> > >
> > Depend on it!!
> > Kirk said the NWS WOULD probably issue a Tornado watch
> THIS
> > MORNING! He also said it is pretty much standard protocol
> to
> > issue a watch to the north and east of a tropical
> > depression.These systems usually only produce small
> > tornadoes and are not the super dangerous systems we see
> in
> > the springtime.
> > Kirk Mellish and Ken Cook ARE the best at severe
> > weather.....Kirk was first and accurate again!
> >
>
> What a joke. The NWS issued the tornado watch at 3:45pm and
> WSB did not mention it until their 5:30pm newscast. That's
> inexcusable for the news/talk leader in the market.
> Predicting a watch during morning drive doesn't help the
> listener who's listening at 5pm and not hearing a watch that
> was issued over an hour earlier. They completely dropped
> the ball on that one. At least their anchors were reading
> the tornado WARNINGS on time... but no sign of Kirk Mellish
> until about the third or fourth tornado warning came out for
> west-central GA. I wonder where he was?
>
The severe weather is just now approaching WSB's coverage area (8PM 7-6)So what were you and BClark going to do with the watch info at 3:45?? Go buy plywood from Home Depot?
If it means nothing to you to have severe weather PREDICTED....in advance.....then what does it take?? If Kirk came on every 30 minutes, live, to tell you there was a WATCH, how would you,and your family, be safer?
Kirk was absolutely correct on this one.....this is NOT an outbreak of severe weather....it is only a precautionary watch.
 
As KOFU said, if a tornado watch is issued at 3:45pm and it's not mentioned on the air until 5:30pm, that is inexcusable for a news/talk station.

I find Kirk's posturing and crowing tiresome. If you'll notice, sometimes he'll have two or three variations of his forecast running so when it's all over with, WSB can pull the right tape, play it back and say "Kirk was right again!"

And for the record, an actual tornado watch at 3:45 in the afternoon does a hell of a lot for me than some marginal prognosticator saying it *might* happen at 7am.

> The severe weather is just now approaching WSB's coverage
> area (8PM 7-6)So what were you and BClark going to do with
> the watch info at 3:45?? Go buy plywood from Home Depot?
> If it means nothing to you to have severe weather
> PREDICTED....in advance.....then what does it take?? If Kirk
> came on every 30 minutes, live, to tell you there was a
> WATCH, how would you,and your family, be safer?
> Kirk was absolutely correct on this one.....this is NOT an
> outbreak of severe weather....it is only a precautionary
> watch.
 
Re: What ever happened to local weather coverage?

> There really is no excuse for not having Kirk on the air.
> WSB has a dedicated line into Kirk's house so he can get on
> the air ASAP. A great idea, if they ever actually used it.
>
> I imagine the installation of that line was directly related
> to an outbreak of tornadoes in the middle of the night in
> April 1998. While the storms were wreaking their havoc, WSB
> was airing "Re-Boortz." During the top and bottom of the
> hour newscasts, listeners were treated to Kirk's
> pre-recorded cautions about the possibility of severe
> weather. In fact, they aired AFTER the tornadoes were gone,
> too.
>
> Meanwhile, WSB-TV had David Chandley (and later Karen
> Minton) on live for the duration.
>
> > > Tornado watch was issued by the National Weather Service
>
> > for
> > > practically all of metro Atlanta at 3:45pm EDT. It's
> > 4:41pm
> > > and there's not been a single mention of this on WSB!!
> > > Checked WGST and Ken Cook had it in his 4:30 weathercast
>
> > > (hadn't checked GST before then).
> > >
> > > What is up with that?!? "Depend on it"???
> > >
> > I guess his pre-recorded weather bits didn't predict the
> > warning. Their weather is a joke to me. I never trust it
> is
> > live and not recorded 12 hrs ago.
> >
>
WSB radio used to be the leader in staying on the air during any severe weather outbreak. They brought real announcers to the mike and covered the phones. They asked listeners in the coverage area to call in with reports of weather and conditions. Most weather/radio junkies tuned in to hear what was going on in their area/home town. This is what corporate radio has done to us - removing local info and the listener from radio. I saw on the internet somewhere a few weeks ago that Elmo Ellis before he died tried to tune to WSB and other stations to get weather coverage back earlier in the year during another outbreak. He could not find any station covering the way WSB used to do it when he ran things. They said he was very frustrated. I get more info from the internet than I do from WSB concerning weather.
 
Re: What ever happened to local weather coverage?

Ironically, the last time I recall WSB bringing in warm bodies to cover a weather event was in December 2002, when a huge snow and ice storm was (according to Atlanta's most accurate and dependable) making a bulls-eye on Atlanta. Royal Marshall and Mark Arum manned the phones all night, and when the new day dawned, there was no snow, no ice. Just rain.

Kirk strikes again.

You and Elmo are right on, though. I just wonder if WSB is a little gun-shy in bringing in staffers based on Melhuish's latest Weather Prophecy.


> WSB radio used to be the leader in staying on the air during
> any severe weather outbreak. They brought real announcers
> to the mike and covered the phones. They asked listeners in
> the coverage area to call in with reports of weather and
> conditions. Most weather/radio junkies tuned in to hear
> what was going on in their area/home town. This is what
> corporate radio has done to us - removing local info and the
> listener from radio. I saw on the internet somewhere a few
> weeks ago that Elmo Ellis before he died tried to tune to
> WSB and other stations to get weather coverage back earlier
> in the year during another outbreak. He could not find any
> station covering the way WSB used to do it when he ran
> things. They said he was very frustrated. I get more info
> from the internet than I do from WSB concerning weather.
>
 
> As KOFU said, if a tornado watch is issued at 3:45pm and
> it's not mentioned on the air until 5:30pm, that is
> inexcusable for a news/talk station.
>
> I find Kirk's posturing and crowing tiresome. If you'll
> notice, sometimes he'll have two or three variations of his
> forecast running so when it's all over with, WSB can pull
> the right tape, play it back and say "Kirk was right again!"
>
>
> And for the record, an actual tornado watch at 3:45 in the
> afternoon does a hell of a lot for me than some marginal
> prognosticator saying it *might* happen at 7am.
>
> > The severe weather is just now approaching WSB's coverage
> > area (8PM 7-6)So what were you and BClark going to do with
>
> > the watch info at 3:45?? Go buy plywood from Home Depot?
> > If it means nothing to you to have severe weather
> > PREDICTED....in advance.....then what does it take?? If
> Kirk
> > came on every 30 minutes, live, to tell you there was a
> > WATCH, how would you,and your family, be safer?
> > Kirk was absolutely correct on this one.....this is NOT an
>
> > outbreak of severe weather....it is only a precautionary
> > watch.
>
Marginal prognosticator?? I believe Kirk has a degree in meteorology....I'm curious as to what your credentials would be.
How did delaying that information create any danger or inconvenience for you and your family, business etc.? The weather did not move in until 8PM. WERE YOU GOING TO GO AND BUY PLYWOOD??? How did mentioning a watch two hours after it's issuance effect your life? Please,sir,answer the question(s)!
OK.....granted....the more information, the better. WSB is expected to be on top of ANY news event and should be called on the carpet if it isn't. And I guess there are some folks who don't care for Kirk's style. But it is a real stretch to say WSB has several forecast running at the same time.....yes, the words are different, and the forecast changes in severe weather situations by the minute.Kirk knows how to read the charts, gets the updated modeling from all the sources, and changes the forecast as needed. Does that make him dishonest or incompetent? It makes him a valuable resource in serious weather situations!
No, I'm not related to Kirk....I have never met him.But I do know, after many, many years, that Kirk Mellish, along with Ken Cook, are the ONLY two weather weenies to trust in Atlanta!
 
I actually met Kirk.. and he does do some moderate recordings in the morning. I also know he has a ISDN line at his house so he can come live if he needs to. Yes, tornado watches should be heard early and often.. I do think he's the best out there in the severe weather field.. I have said it before and I'll say it again, it seems WSB is in a funk at the moment.. They need to get back on top, it's things like this (and the other assorted breaking news events) that sperate the contenders from the pretenders. WSB should thank their lucky stars that WGST is still trapped as a pretender or they be in serious trouble.
 
Re: What ever happened to local weather coverage?

For those of us on the southside (PTC) we are used to getting snubbed by WSB and weather coverage. We had tornado warnings around us at 6:30 last night and WSB has Sean Hannity on. As I posted last month, in the midst of a major storm all you get on AM radio is static.

Kudos to Magic 98.1 and AM720 who simulcasted last night on both stations with live coverage of the storms. They talked to law enforcement officials and listened to scanners and reported what was going on. I realize those stations don't mean anything to those of you in ATL but for us on the southside it was reassuring to really know what was going on.


> Ironically, the last time I recall WSB bringing in warm
> bodies to cover a weather event was in December 2002, when a
> huge snow and ice storm was (according to Atlanta's most
> accurate and dependable) making a bulls-eye on Atlanta.
> Royal Marshall and Mark Arum manned the phones all night,
> and when the new day dawned, there was no snow, no ice.
> Just rain.
>
> Kirk strikes again.
>
> You and Elmo are right on, though. I just wonder if WSB is
> a little gun-shy in bringing in staffers based on Melhuish's
> latest Weather Prophecy.
>
>
> > WSB radio used to be the leader in staying on the air
> during
> > any severe weather outbreak. They brought real announcers
>
> > to the mike and covered the phones. They asked listeners
> in
> > the coverage area to call in with reports of weather and
> > conditions. Most weather/radio junkies tuned in to hear
> > what was going on in their area/home town. This is what
> > corporate radio has done to us - removing local info and
> the
> > listener from radio. I saw on the internet somewhere a
> few
> > weeks ago that Elmo Ellis before he died tried to tune to
> > WSB and other stations to get weather coverage back
> earlier
> > in the year during another outbreak. He could not find
> any
> > station covering the way WSB used to do it when he ran
> > things. They said he was very frustrated. I get more
> info
> > from the internet than I do from WSB concerning weather.
> >
>
 
Re: What ever happened to local weather coverage?

It means something to people like me, who can remember what real radio coverage was like. Sadly, those days are over in the big cities. I'm glad you had a source that you could turn to!

> Kudos to Magic 98.1 and AM720 who simulcasted last night on
> both stations with live coverage of the storms. They talked
> to law enforcement officials and listened to scanners and
> reported what was going on. I realize those stations don't
> mean anything to those of you in ATL but for us on the
> southside it was reassuring to really know what was going
> on.
 
> Marginal prognosticator?? I believe Kirk has a degree in
> meteorology....I'm curious as to what your credentials would
> be.

I am of the belief that since Kirk relies so much on computer models, anyone with a modicum of training could regurgitate a weather forecast from the resources he has available. You know, if he was anywhere to be found.

> How did delaying that information create any danger or
> inconvenience for you and your family, business etc.? The
> weather did not move in until 8PM. WERE YOU GOING TO GO AND
> BUY PLYWOOD??? How did mentioning a watch two hours after
> it's issuance effect your life?

If you really must know, I work a second shift and leave my office at 10pm. On my dinner break at 5:00, it sure would have been swell to know there was a watch in effect so I could be prepared for what turned out to be a dangerous drive home. The fact is, WSB dropped the ball. Period. And good luck trying to get any information on WGST between their putrid signal (even at my office in Decatur) and Kim Peterson rattling off.

It also took WSB down a couple of notches in my "station to turn to when severe weather strikes" book.

> OK.....granted....the more information, the better. WSB is
> expected to be on top of ANY news event and should be called
> on the carpet if it isn't.

Exactly.

> And I guess there are some folks
> who don't care for Kirk's style. But it is a real stretch to
> say WSB has several forecast running at the same
> time.

Listen carefully and you might hear forecast 1 with one range of temperatures and chance of rain, then forecast 2....And THEN back to forecast 1. It's not that he changed his forecast (which is perfectly legit), it's that he's hedging.

> I do
> know, after many, many years, that Kirk Mellish, along with
> Ken Cook, are the ONLY two weather weenies to trust in
> Atlanta!

I'll go with Ken Cook and the Channel 2 team. You can have Melhuish.
 
I heard hellish on with Slade that morning say expect a tornado watch late this afternoon or tonight, that gave ME 8 hours advanced notice, sorry you missed the heads up.
 
Re: What ever happened to local weather coverage?

I heard Kirk and Scott talking about a tornado watch for Atlanta later that day or night, didnt get that from any other station util 8 hours later, I love the ADVANCE notice, not the after the fact.
 
Re: When the weather is hellish...WGKA IS ON THE AIR LIVE WITH A METEOROLOGIST.

920 WGKA was on the air live with the Tornado Watch when the NWS issued it and throughout the afternoon when conditions changed. They position their weather as "Fast, First and Acuurate" and actually live up to. <P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by radioworld on 07/10/05 12:41 AM.</FONT></P>
 
Re: When the weather is hellish...WGKA IS ON THE AIR LIVE WITH A METEOROLOGIST.

Always good to hear from the program director and DJs on this board. Mellish said tornadoes were possible hours before the watch, not after. A watch ust means they are possible SB told us that 24 hours ago.
 
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