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Worst TV weather brands?

burnedout guy said:
any news department that brags about PINPOINT DOPPLAR RADAR. Why do they think the weather is going to change from block to block? I am in New England and the weather is nuts on a biblical level but not that nuts!
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It IS that nuts in the Gulf Coast area, Ga. & S.C. coasts and all of Florida during the Summer. Down here, a radar's ability to zoom in on neighborhoods is quite important. Summertime thunderstorms are vicious - I dare say lightning bolts are more numerous than the raindrops! But it can be raging in one part of town, and the sun is out in another. Beachgoers, golfers and boaters like to know just where these little pop-up storms are, and which direction they're headed!

Now as for New England and the Pacific northwest, yeah it's a bit overkill.

--Russell
 
"It IS that nuts in the Gulf Coast area, Ga. & S.C. coasts and all of Florida during the Summer. Down here, a radar's ability to zoom in on neighborhoods is quite important."

In the temperate Bay Area, it's good to have that information too. Unlike the South, it's never a matter of life and death (at least not until meteorologists learn how to predict earthquakes). But on a summer day, there can be a 30 or more degree difference between San Francisco and other coastal areas (low 60s and foggy) and just a dozen miles inland, where it can be in the upper 90s.

In the winter, there can be significant differences in the severity of storms and rainfall in the Bay Area. Parts of Marin County have yearly rainfall totals closer to the Pacific Northwest, while the San Jose's total yearly rainfall is closer to Los Angeles
 
Here in Colorado it can often change from block to block. I know there have been many a summer night when the Rockies are in a rain delay and at my house less than 3 miles away from Coors Field it is dry or vise versa. As for the branding here in Denver we have "Live Matrix Doplar" on KWGN (CW), "Dopplar 4000" on KCNC (CBS), "24/7 Weather and the 24/7 Weather Team" on KMGH (ABC7), "HD Dopplar Nine" on KUSA (NBC) and KTVD (MY), and "Fox 31 ON TARGET WEATHER" on KDVR (Fox).
 
Hi everyone:
sack said:
The names they come up with are the best part of the local weather. Its the weather segment that should be changed.
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[snip...]
tell me what to expect. Or better yet, give the weather one minute and fill the other 2 minutes with actual news. No, not Anna Nicole or Brittney, but actual news.
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I've got a novel idea.

How 'bout devoting a decent amount of time to sports?

Seriously, has anyone noticed just how many times local stations do the weather during a 30-35 minute period? I mean WHY do they feel they need to go to the weather TWICE in the same 30-35 minute newscast? I can see them doing it during a 60-90 minute newscast like the evening newscast is on many stations (Including here in Denver), but the 30-35 minute late newscasts as well???

You've got to be kidding.

And all the while, sports is more often than not crammed & stuffed in at the end, thus resulting in A LOT of highlights and other stuff you're lucky to find even on FSN because of all the stuff they have to cover and all the fluff they put into their shows not even making it to air anywhere at all.

And this is assuming that something doesn't come along to prevent the sportscast from even airing in the first place.

Bottom line, I say unless there's really a pressing need for time for news or an extended weathercast on a given newscast, the extra time should be devoted to that. Otherwise it should be BY DEFAULT and as matter of rule devoted to the sportscast IMO.

As for the branding itself....It doesn't stop with the weather. Has anyone noticed how some stations also brand other things like their helicopter, investigative reporter teams, team coverage of a particular story, etc....etc....etc.?

It's ridiculous.

And don't even get me started on the branding of the newscast itself. I'm just thankful that KWGN 2 (CW), KMGH 7 (ABC) & KUSA 9/KTVD 20 (NBC & MyNetwork respectively) DO NOT follow this trend, although KWGN does call their newscast Denver's 2NEWS sometimes (I can live with that). KMGH does the same thing by calling it Denver's 7NEWS, though I don't think they've used this moniker recently, but they have been known to do so on occasion.

But it's KCNC 4 using CBS 4 NEWS and KDVR 31 using FOX 31 NEWS that annoys the heck out of me. Why can't they just do what KUSA 9 does and simply call themselves NEWS4 (Like the old days for KCNC 31) and NEWS31 or some other catchy, yet simple name for KDVR 31?

Argh....Looks as though I've gotten myself started on the branding of newscasts :D Ohh well. I'd better stop while I'm ahead *LOL!*

Cheers ;D
 
Hi everyone:
Alexander said:
"24/7 Weather and the 24/7 Weather Team" on KMGH (ABC7)
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Hey at least they keep the catchiness of the name to a mellow level, yet still simple and basic, unlike the other stations (Especially KCNC 4 and KDVR 31, both of whom just tow the network and corporate line ::)).

Just my opinion :D

Cheers :D
 
Pat Cook; you spoke your opinion, now here's mine;

Sports for 2 minutes, that's all...just before the end of the 'cast. YOU have espn and 39 other sports sources. Use 'em. All sports stink.

Weather "on the ones" is what I want. Tell me so I can shut off the crap that passes for news now adays and shut off the tv.

I HATE sports and don't care what the millionaires score agaiinst each other or which one got caught on dope. I'd NEVER go to a professional game because I don't want beer dumped on me by some idiot(as happened to me at Wrigley Field, Chicago) or get some moron yelling in my ear when a millionaire screws up a play or pay half of some dummy's salary with my admission, or pay $5.00 for a not-kosher not hot, hot dog.
 
hammondo said:
Pat Cook; you spoke your opinion, now here's mine;

Sports for 2 minutes, that's all...just before the end of the 'cast. YOU have espn and 39 other sports sources. Use 'em. All sports stink.

Weather "on the ones" is what I want. Tell me so I can shut off the crap that passes for news now adays and shut off the tv.

I HATE sports and don't care what the millionaires score agaiinst each other or which one got caught on dope. I'd NEVER go to a professional game because I don't want beer dumped on me by some idiot(as happened to me at Wrigley Field, Chicago) or get some moron yelling in my ear when a millionaire screws up a play or pay half of some dummy's salary with my admission, or pay $5.00 for a not-kosher not hot, hot dog.
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I agree with you 100%!

Give me weather, right after the anchors say "Hi." I don't want a preview weather, I want the whole forecast!

News now adays are boring, if it bleeds it leads, and just down right depressing. Give me a very detailed forecast, and I will be happy. Less sports in my opinion.

Here in NEPA we have: No Wait Weather (weather in the first 2 minutes of the program...these guys are actually the most accuate in the area), WBRE(insert NBC peacocks)AccuWeather (just a rip and read forecast from Accuweather, so our met. don't have to do anything,) and Stormtracker 16 (a extremely boring (and very inaccuate) weather forecast)
 
Pat Cook said:
As for the branding itself....It doesn't stop with the weather. Has anyone noticed how some stations also brand other things like their helicopter, investigative reporter teams, team coverage of a particular story, etc....etc....etc.?

It's ridiculous.
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The aforementioned WBAL-11, in its finite wisdom, applied its "team" concept to its aerial coverage. Their copter supposedly carries "Captain Roy Taylor and Sky Team 11". I suppose the "team" concept here refers to Taylor's on-board cameraperson, if he has one? And maybe the chopper mechanic(s)?

At least WBAL's "11 Investigates I-Team" actually has more than one reporter (six, in fact).

ixnay
 
hammondo said:
Sports for 2 minutes, that's all...just before the end of the 'cast. YOU have espn and 39 other sports sources. Use 'em. All sports stink.

Weather "on the ones" is what I want. Tell me so I can shut off the crap that passes for news now adays and shut off the tv.

I HATE sports and don't care what the millionaires score agaiinst each other or which one got caught on dope.......
Click to expand...

As someone who doesn't give a Taco Bell rat's hemorrhoid about most sports, I DO feel there's a place for sports on local TV, but not anything except for local and regional teams. ESPN, et al covers the pro teams and everything else nicely. WEATHER, on the other hand, is all local. It affects everyone.

One thing I've noticed some stations doing is time-delaying Leno/Letterman/Nightline on Friday nights to accommodate an expanded sports segment -- sometimes as a different program altogether, such as "Highlight Zone" -- giving ample coverage to high school football. Again, I don't care much for sports, but HS football is of extreme importance in this region. I respect that. And these aren't spoiled bloated-salary millionaire jocks, either ... and if you attend a game, at least your biggest worry is whether you brought the Tagamet to take before eating the nachos.

I too would love to see weather at :01 into the cast, but the TV stations know what we do: it's the most important segment, so they want to keep you tethered to the set with all their bleeds-n-leads crap, and other pseudo-news. It doesn't bother me too much, as we have two DVRs, and long as I put it on the station by 11:10 and walk away, I can rewind later to catch what I need and disregard the rest.

--Russell
 
searadiofreak said:
Yes, indeed, Seattle's KIRO did have the weatherwomen! Interesting that as women became more accepted in the local news business, both Sandy Hill and Ann Martin started doing more important work, eventually joining the guys at the anchor desk at times. Then, seemingly within a few years both of them were stars in L.A. (Sandy went to KNXT, Ann originally to KABC where she stayed for many years.)
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Well, KIRO was extremely conservative in those days (being owned by Bonneville). It took them a long time to let a woman actually "co-anchor" the news. Ann Bush was probably the first "co-anchor" of the noon news. Sandy Hill was actually called an "assistant anchor" before she left.

At the same time, KING's Jean Enersen was already the co-anchor of the King 5 Evening News (didn't they call it "The King 5 NewsService"?). Over on KOMO, I believe Ruth Walsh was already co-anchoring as well.
 
I realize that weather forecasting is just that, a forecast. But when they call their weather casting, ACCU-Weather, Storm Tracker, Triple Doppler, Hi-Def doppler, Real Time Weather, Neighborhood Weather, well now they have raised the bar. Now my expectaions are much higher in their forecasts. Here in the San Fancisco Bay Area, no one has gotten a rain or storm forecast correct in nearly two years!

This past week, everyone was calling for Thunder storm on Tuesday night with possible snow at the 2500 ft level. On the Monday night news, only 24 hours out, they were saying how the morning commute was going to be a mess due the the rainfall. With more rain coming down hard at around 5pm. Then overnight thunderstorms. Expect 1/2 inch - 3 inches by the time the storm moves through.

RESULT? No Morning rain, it did pour at around 1:30pm and tappered off till 4:30pm. Then the sky broke open and here comes the sun!!! We had sunshine and in the high 60's to low 70's the rest of the week.

If I was a news director, I'd highly consider dropping the weather segment. With the time to fill I'd expand sports, add an entertainment minute and a business report.
 
"Well, KIRO was extremely conservative in those days (being owned by Bonneville). It took them a long time to let a woman actually "co-anchor" the news. Ann Bush was probably the first "co-anchor" of the noon news. Sandy Hill was actually called an "assistant anchor" before she left.

At the same time, KING's Jean Enersen was already the co-anchor of the King 5 Evening News (didn't they call it "The King 5 NewsService"?). Over on KOMO, I believe Ruth Walsh was already co-anchoring as well."

If memory serves, it was just "KING Newservice", KNBC in LA also used the "newservice"" name for awhile, but not for long. Ruth Walsh I believe came along much later in the 70's as a co-anchor. But you're right, Jean Enerson and KING were the trendsetters.
 
"Where the weather comes first" is always a dumb on.
Anything where they take the channel number and add a thousand to it is very hokey.
 
...Hence, KABC's Mega Doppler 7000+ HD

In fact, one of their digital subchannels is dedicated to weather information, using AccuWeather.com (much like many NBC stations who use their WeatherPlus service). AccuWeather is also used on the TV monitors on many of local buses here in the city, through a service called TransitTV.
 
One thing's for sure - you DON'T go without weather!

When WLUK Green Bay re-started newscasts in 1971, they went without a weatherman, just having the anchor read a forecast. That was one of the biggest complaints. By the time a year had gone by, they had hired a weatherman who had worked in Chicago TV and built a new set with lotsa maps. You don't mess with weather.
 
WOW, no one has mentioned WCBS (New York) Doppler 2 Million!!! Talking about putting some zeroes behind your channel number! This is off the hook.
 
With all of these sophisicated dopplers, where they can zoom right down to a specific neighborhood. It is funny when a station gets that technology. On the first day, there they are showing it off. But then that's it. I have not seen them zooming in on anything since the first day. I don't think there is enough time in their segment to use that stuff.

(Although I am here in the SF Bay Area. So other stations across the nation may utilize the zoom in feature.)
 
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