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Will it Rain on Friday?

I am surprised at how much time is dedicated to the weather in a short 30-minute newscast. Granted, during a time like Hurricane Katrina, weather is a fascinating segment, but in most cases, the Seven Day Forecast being broadcast and re-broadcast every few minutes is very exhausting. Even radio programs have to tell us about traffic and weather together every 10 minutes. I can see traffic conditions changing frequently, but how often do I need to know it is likely to be sunny? I usually lick my finger and stick it in the air, and I can get a pretty good idea.

I also find it interesting that years ago, the weatherman would only predict the weather two to three days out. It then increased to 5 days, and then 7 and finally, they're telling us what will happen 14 days from now.

Come on! Who can really tell you what the weather will be like after tomorrow? They have all kinds of fancy satellites and Doppler and Storm Tracker and things that would be really cool on a Corvette, but being broadcast in Hi-Definition isn't really any better than watching somebody play an old Atari game. "What is that green splotchy thing all over Utah? Are they playing Missile Command?"

The crazy thing is how the news anchor will try and segue into the weather portion of the broadcast, "speaking of pigeons flying over State Street, what can I expect as I'm crusin' and lookin' for babes? Can I drive with the top down?"

When the weatherman finishes his report and the information is unfavorable, the news anchor gets snippy and blames him for what Mother Nature ultimately will decide. "Thanks a lot Bob! I was going to go golfing tomorrow, but I guess I can't do that now. Sheesh!"

What also blows me away is how a weatherman has any job security. I dare say he predicts the weather and is wrong 90 percent of the time, yet he comes to work the next day with a smile on his face and no apologies for not getting it right. How many of us can bat a hundred and still be on the roster?

Comments

  1. CurtisAugust 30, 2005 at 1:59 PM

    Strangely the weathermen are some of the more popular news personalities. While most tv news anchors have the personality of a wet blanket, the weatherman is more like wet cardboard.

    ReplyDelete

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