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Why does Channel 2 not do weather for WSB?

W

wpb1999

Most Cox Media news/talk stations have their Television counterpart handle weather for them. I was wondering why this wasn't the case at WSB Radio....
All I hear is Kirk Mellish, wouldn't it be better if David Chandley (who already fills in for Kirk) and Glenn Burns did weather durning times out of the morning and early afternoons.

IMHO- WDBO uses WFTV weather
WHIO used WHIO-TV
 
One reason is that the TV meterologists are standing there for hours on end covering tornado outbreaks - just when the radio outlet needs help. I'm glad Kirk is there. He's the only one covering bad weather live on the radio and he doesn't exaggerate like the TV guys do. And he's funny as hell when he's not on the air.
 
Kirk Mellish is, by far, the best weather source in the Atlanta area. Ken Cook on Channel 5 would actually rank up at the top, too.
Glenn and David are nice folks but.........if there is a weather emergency.....if your life, and your kid's lives depend on it.....then you should go to the source you can depend on - WSB AM. And on TV - Ken Cook.
 
Ken Cook is a pretty amazing story. Back in the days of WAGA being the CBS affiliate here, Paul Raymond refused to get caught up in high priced bidding wars for tv talent. Ken Cook worked for the National Weather Service with little or no tv experience. But he sure knew weather. Guy Sharp was a folksy weather guy who got it right a lot but Ken seemed to have a lot of charm and knowledge.

At the end of the day, and before a lot of tv weather guys learned the craft, Ken knew more about weather than everybody put together. And now, all these years later, he's lasted longer than anybody.
 
onetake said:
Ken Cook is a pretty amazing story. Back in the days of WAGA being the CBS affiliate here, Paul Raymond refused to get caught up in high priced bidding wars for tv talent. Ken Cook worked for the National Weather Service with little or no tv experience. But he sure knew weather. Guy Sharp was a folksy weather guy who got it right a lot but Ken seemed to have a lot of charm and knowledge.

At the end of the day, and before a lot of tv weather guys learned the craft, Ken knew more about weather than everybody put together. And now, all these years later, he's lasted longer than anybody.
Click to expand...

Guy Sharpe was a great guy and an excellent television personality but was terrible as a weather forecaster. Might as well ask your grandmother what to expect - her big toe was just as accurate.
Back in those days Johnny Beckman was the guy to turn to when weather news was breaking. Johnny had this amazing presence on TV and he had really good pipes. He sounded great when he did radio - his voice would rattle the speakers - it was very deep and authoritative.
He was the first Atlanta weather guy to use radar pictures - they were black and white stills from the NWS. He would circle cloud tops and get that "real worried" look when the cloud tops were over 50,000 feet.(Those were mother of all storm clouds with tops that high.) And Johnny knew when it was the correct time to show that "worried" look.
I think Beckman was probably the best weather media person ever. Great delivery on TV and radio with real substance.
WSB Radio did use Johnny live on the air in weather emergencies - I think they just read the NWS forecast otherwise.
 
I think Kirk Mellish adds a tremendous amount to WSB's product. It comes across like the station has a real expert on staff for the weather. Kirk is more a weather guy than a radio guy, but I think his delivery complements others on the station, including Scott Slade, exceptionally well.
 
taylorengineer said:
onetake said:
Ken Cook is a pretty amazing story. Back in the days of WAGA being the CBS affiliate here, Paul Raymond refused to get caught up in high priced bidding wars for tv talent. Ken Cook worked for the National Weather Service with little or no tv experience. But he sure knew weather. Guy Sharp was a folksy weather guy who got it right a lot but Ken seemed to have a lot of charm and knowledge.

At the end of the day, and before a lot of tv weather guys learned the craft, Ken knew more about weather than everybody put together. And now, all these years later, he's lasted longer than anybody.
Click to expand...

Guy Sharpe was a great guy and an excellent television personality but was terrible as a weather forecaster. Might as well ask your grandmother what to expect - her big toe was just as accurate.
Back in those days Johnny Beckman was the guy to turn to when weather news was breaking. Johnny had this amazing presence on TV and he had really good pipes. He sounded great when he did radio - his voice would rattle the speakers - it was very deep and authoritative.
He was the first Atlanta weather guy to use radar pictures - they were black and white stills from the NWS. He would circle cloud tops and get that "real worried" look when the cloud tops were over 50,000 feet.(Those were mother of all storm clouds with tops that high.) And Johnny knew when it was the correct time to show that "worried" look.
I think Beckman was probably the best weather media person ever. Great delivery on TV and radio with real substance.
WSB Radio did use Johnny live on the air in weather emergencies - I think they just read the NWS forecast otherwise.
Click to expand...
Guy Sharpe was probably the last weatherman (vs. AMS meteorologist) on ATL TV.
 
RoddyFreeman said:
I think Kirk Mellish adds a tremendous amount to WSB's product. It comes across like the station has a real expert on staff for the weather. Kirk is more a weather guy than a radio guy, but I think his delivery complements others on the station, including Scott Slade, exceptionally well.
Click to expand...


I agree, Roddy. And his forecasting is very accurate. He's not always right - he's only human and has no "direct line" to mother nature. But he reads the charts and crunches the numbers and does the best one can expect considering the state of the art. He also shares my disdain for hyped television weather "readers" and is not shy about calling them out. Some of the TV guys are actually dangerous at times.....and we won't mention names.....because they mislead the public with their new radar gadgets and other "TV toys." Channel 5, with Ken Cook on air, and WSB Radio,with Kirk Mellish on air, are the only safe places for information in a weather emergency.
 
I wonder why Ken Cook has not gone for the Certified Broadcast Meteorologist (CBM) certification that replaces the AMS seal.
 
Rick Rose 2.0 said:
I wonder why Ken Cook has not gone for the Certified Broadcast Meteorologist (CBM) certification that replaces the AMS seal.
Click to expand...

Because it's a gimmick & when it becomes an on air "requirement" for Atlanta TV mets, he'll get one.

G
 
taylorengineer said:
RoddyFreeman said:
I think Kirk Mellish adds a tremendous amount to WSB's product. It comes across like the station has a real expert on staff for the weather. Kirk is more a weather guy than a radio guy, but I think his delivery complements others on the station, including Scott Slade, exceptionally well.
Click to expand...


I agree, Roddy. And his forecasting is very accurate. He's not always right - he's only human and has no "direct line" to mother nature. But he reads the charts and crunches the numbers and does the best one can expect considering the state of the art. He also shares my disdain for hyped television weather "readers" and is not shy about calling them out. Some of the TV guys are actually dangerous at times.....and we won't mention names.....because they mislead the public with their new radar gadgets and other "TV toys." Channel 5, with Ken Cook on air, and WSB Radio,with Kirk Mellish on air, are the only safe places for information in a weather emergency.
Click to expand...
Have you ever read Kirk Melhuish's* weather blog? Probably the most insightful, intelligent forecast you will ever read. The ONLY thing I don't like about his forecasts is his claim that he doesn't sensationalize...IMO he does it just as much as everyone else (although he does caveat it when required).

*I can't stand typing the version of his name he uses for public consumption.
 
Actually David Channley fills in for Kirk Mellish during the week if he is on vacation,and Brad Nitz,fills in on the weekends. Guy Sharpe was a wonderful man and a good forecaster,when he died Ken Cook said that Guy Sharpe taught him everything he knows.
 
I just wonder when will the time come for the consultants to stop telling the TV mets to take off their coats, roll up their sleeves and loosen their ties when "severe weather" rolls through?
 
FloydB said:
I just wonder when will the time come for the consultants to stop telling the TV mets to take off their coats, roll up their sleeves and loosen their ties when "severe weather" rolls through?
Click to expand...

I figure it is the lighting (which is most likely is even hotter now with HD). I does take a little more energy to stand up and walk around, than to sit behind a desk. The last thing you want is a sweaty weather guy. I will tee up for the board's resident comedians: I do not know how the weather ladies can "cool", without going "Hooters".
 
There is only one meter and its the Mellish Meter! Wizometer - GO AWAY!!!
 
[/quote]
Have you ever read Kirk Melhuish's* weather blog? Probably the most insightful, intelligent forecast you will ever read. The ONLY thing I don't like about his forecasts is his claim that he doesn't sensationalize...IMO he does it just as much as everyone else (although he does caveat it when required).

*I can't stand typing the version of his name he uses for public consumption.
[/quote]

I can't remember an example of him seriously overhyping a weather event. I can certainly remember times when his prediction didn't pan out or the weather event was not as serious as he predicted. He bends over backwards in his blogs to point out the primitive state of weather prognostication.....it seems he always puts wiggle room in his forecasts because he knows it is not an exact science. To compare Kirk or Ken Cook to our other television friends is blatantly unfair and plain wrong.
And I agree about the TV guys getting "comfy" on air. Come on! Those TV studios are kept at 60 degrees - they can keep their jackets on without "undue stress." I might give Dagmar a chance during severe weather if she goes "Hooters" on air though......
Can you actually understand Mellish's blogs? It's like reading Latin to me.....I don't understand anything except hot,cold,ice,snow,rain,drizzle,godless tornadoes,no school,no work.
Usually he summarizes for the unwashed somewhere near the end.
 
I listen to him every day and he definitely underplays the chance for severe weather and especially snow. The didn't underestimate the snow in late 2010 and he was right about that.
 
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