In my next life, I am going to be a meteorologist for a television station.
That way, I can make a lot of mistakes and still have a job.
Most of those good-looking television “meteorologists” have no academic background in the field that is the scientific study of the atmosphere.
But still many stations introduce these employees as meteorolgists.
Sam Champion? Give him credit for having a degree in broadcast journalism, but not in meteorology.
Those of us in the senior category might recall Tex Antoine, who started at NBC as a page and wound up as America’s beloved weathercaster/meteorologist. But an errant remark he made following a story related to rape did him in---and perhaps some broadcast journalism education would have helped him realize what one says and does on the air.
Remember Dr. Frank Field? He was an optometrist. Apparently he was able to SEE how the weather was going to be. Then he brought in his son, named Storm Field if you can believe any parent would do that to a child. Heck, Amy Freeze is handling the weather for WABC-TV in New York, and that is her real name---her married name in Arbuckle. But Freeze is the name she chose to pursue meteorology, and not only does she have a degree in the geosciences but she is a certified broadcast meteorologist. Go Amy!
Willard Scott studied religion and philosophy---probably a good preparation to deal with God’s part in storms, but he has made a name for himself as the one who salutes the centenarians on their natal days. Al Roker wins plaudits for his weight-losing ventures, and he has been doing weathercasting since he was an undergraduate, so he probably has a good read on what to say.
Let’s face it: most media buy their forecasting data from Doppler or mimic what it is being reported on The Weather Channel. And with the ability of everyone to take pictures on their phones, a lot of info comes from viewers. So it really is a matter of being able to cover the weather beat. Sounds like a good deal to me. You screw up, and you blame it on nature.
But I hesitate to call most of these people true “meteorologists.”
So if you want to get on TV and tell us that you are a meteorologist and you are forecasting a HUGE winter storm (that never materializes) in my New Jersey neighborhood, then go right ahead.
But don’t get upset when I laugh.