Buffalo News on an anti-tv Weather Tear?
The Buffalo News, coincidentally or not, seems to be on a tear against local tv weathercasters and meteorologists. Between Alan Pergaments ill-informed periodic rants against tv weather, and 2 new entries yesterday and today, it's hard for me to avoid that hypothesis.
Yesterday, Susan LoTempio started a blog thread on their webpage denouncing tv stations and weathercasters in general for overdoing the crawls during wintry weather outbreaks. When I reminded her and some posters that those crawls are generated by official National Weather Service Watches, Warnings, and Advisories--the communication of which is part of our defined obligation to use the public airwaves--it seemed to go in one ear and out the other with both her and some angry posters. Some of the latter went off on tangents about local tv hype in general, and forgot it is our RESPONSIBILITY to keep the public informed of weather threats issued by your tax supported NWS--the best government weather service in the world.
Then, in today's paper, I saw a series of short interview snippets conducted by reporter Anne Neville in which every person used in the article was anti tv weather.
We--meteorologists and non-meteorologists- certainly have our foibles and are not above criticism. But the tenor of some of what I'm seeing in the Buffalo News flies in the face of overwhelming audience research conducted by virtually every tv station in the U.S. That is, in terms of content, weather is the #1 reason people watch local news--even in "quiet" weather markets, let alone Buffalo and Oklahoma City. If we were as inept as portrayed by Pergament and these new entries, that would not be the case.
It's unfortunate that the News weather blog was originally to be led by Jay Bonfatti, a responsible and knowledgeable weather enthusiast, but now it's degenerated into something a little less responsible and useful.
My paranoid delusion: the Buffalo News knows weather is one element in which they're at a huge disadvantage with local tv. We are competitors, true. But in other cities, more enlightened policies have actually forged links between local professional tv meteorologists and the newspaper(s). I doubt that's going to happen here anytime soon.
Yesterday, Susan LoTempio started a blog thread on their webpage denouncing tv stations and weathercasters in general for overdoing the crawls during wintry weather outbreaks. When I reminded her and some posters that those crawls are generated by official National Weather Service Watches, Warnings, and Advisories--the communication of which is part of our defined obligation to use the public airwaves--it seemed to go in one ear and out the other with both her and some angry posters. Some of the latter went off on tangents about local tv hype in general, and forgot it is our RESPONSIBILITY to keep the public informed of weather threats issued by your tax supported NWS--the best government weather service in the world.
Then, in today's paper, I saw a series of short interview snippets conducted by reporter Anne Neville in which every person used in the article was anti tv weather.
We--meteorologists and non-meteorologists- certainly have our foibles and are not above criticism. But the tenor of some of what I'm seeing in the Buffalo News flies in the face of overwhelming audience research conducted by virtually every tv station in the U.S. That is, in terms of content, weather is the #1 reason people watch local news--even in "quiet" weather markets, let alone Buffalo and Oklahoma City. If we were as inept as portrayed by Pergament and these new entries, that would not be the case.
It's unfortunate that the News weather blog was originally to be led by Jay Bonfatti, a responsible and knowledgeable weather enthusiast, but now it's degenerated into something a little less responsible and useful.
My paranoid delusion: the Buffalo News knows weather is one element in which they're at a huge disadvantage with local tv. We are competitors, true. But in other cities, more enlightened policies have actually forged links between local professional tv meteorologists and the newspaper(s). I doubt that's going to happen here anytime soon.
posted by Don Paul at
7:24 PM
45 Comments:
Don,
I honestly couldn’t agree more with you on this topic! It is your job, along with many other people in the “meteorologist weather forecasting business” to “4 warn” the public of oncoming, or happening inclement weather. If a weather scroll is run on TV for a weather advisory/ warning… that more or less means that nasty weather is expected or happening. Now if for some reason the weather doesn’t turn out to be as bad as the scroll advisory or warning says it will be… then that would be a good thing, right? Its better to be safe than sorry… and in this “battle” of “overusing” the weather scrolls, I would have to say that The Buffalo News should probably think twice about publishing an article like that!
-Sean
Thanks, Sean.
I also noticed today that Susan, a nice person, also asked people to check a truly ignorant and nasty rant by a "colleague" named Dave Valenzuela (?)to reinforce her relatively calm but incorrect view of what it is we do. Compared to that guy--I never heard of him, frankly--her short piece read like a fluffy short entry in "Laughter, the Best Medicine" by comparison.
This guy Dave launched his assault way back in early November, but I missed it. His aim wasn't any better than Saddam's T-72 tank gunners in 1991. She just had to bring it up from the curb again, where it's been festering in anonymity on the Boulevard of Sloppy Thinking.
Don-
I have to admit that when I read the News this morning and saw the "man on the street" weather question and answers I was struck at how anti-TV weather forecaster they were.
Personally, I think you TV weather people do a darn good job, especially when the weather up here in Niagara County is so different from what it is in the Southtowns. I haven't noticed an overuse of weather scrolls, but then again I moved back to the Buffalo area last year after 15 years in Little Rock, Arkansas, and weather scrolls were a lifesaver there during tornado season - we had the scrolls running a lot down there.
Your job is to keep us informed and you do it well. Of course, I may be a bit biased - I'm a weather junkie. Besides the local weather I love to watch the Weather Channel and I have two weather radios - one in the living room that has SAME technology and one in the bedroom that I usually fall asleep listening to at night :-)
The Buffalo News is just steamed because they obviously can't give timely weather warnings.
Carol
Hey Don,
I for one am very thankful for the level of time, resources, and sincere dedication your weather team puts into the job!
Please know that on those sultry summer nights when severe thunderstorms are looming on the horizon " those so called overused weather crawls" SAVE LIVES !
Who is this Pergament person anyway?
Regards,
Jack
Hang in there Don, so many people in WNY depend on you and your reliable forecasts that it's unimaginable that the Buff News would start a "war of word" on the subject. I know that I trust and depend on your expertise, and many others do as well. A little knowledge is indeed a dangerous thing, the News should have known better.
str
Don, don't worry about it your the weather dude !!! Your the reason we watch channel 4
Don:
My husband and I watch the news at least 3 times a day and basically live by the weather. If a person enjoys the outdoors then they depend on the weather like we do. Being warned by a storm or the weather to come certainly has it's advantages or the fact that it will be beautiful out for 4 or 5 days. I do have to admit there have been some very costly mistakes. Like the summer you said it wasn't going to rain for a week and we bought shingles and decided to put on a new roof over our kitchen. The new ceiling was beautiful. We look at it know and laugh every container in my cupboards was collecting the water and there was a lot of swearing by my husband. We know it wasn't your fault or the "NWS". It still makes for a funny story once in awhile, the kids certainly have never forgotten getting out every bowl, those bad words or redoing the ceiling. We "THANK YOU" for the job you do, don't let that paper get your nerves up. How many people read it anyways? Not as many as watch you! While I am hiding in the basement and my husbands laughs I am glad to be safe rather than sorry!
Weather forecasting is much improved compared to 10 or 20 years ago. Thw whole idea of forcasting is to predict the future weather conditions so individuals can plan accordingly. I suppose one can just look outside, see what the current conditions are, and make a decision on the days clothing and outdoor activities. That individual does not realize that the weather patter does change. Also, foreasters are correct a very large percnetage of the time. Regarding crawls on the TV. I don't like them either, but it does provide a warning for the viewing audience. The severe weather may not effect an individual living in NT, but could have a major impact on someone in Orchard Park.
Don
Wow! I just read the "weather vein" blog at buffalonews.com... just remember that the comments made on there are BY NO MEANS what the majority of people think! These people obviously don't know what they are talking about. In my opinion, they honestly don't know enough in "the weather department" to be making the comments that they are! This Susan girl who seems to be picking a loosing battle gets paid to do this kind of stuff... as funny as it may seem! Look at it this way... if people did in fact agree and feel the same way susan and her buddy feel, than WIVB wouldn't be #1 for weather, and WIVB wouldn't have the overwhalming weather audience that you in fact have!
-Sean
I've read the the post's on the Buffalo news web site, and frankly I wouldn't worry about these people you guys have a task to report on upcomeing weather if it is good or bad weather take it from a person that my income depends on weather I grow forage crops for local dairy farmers advisory/ warmings or crawls are very helpful keep up the awesome work that the channel 4 weather crew does Petie
You shouldn't listen to them. Weather is very unpredictable. For example, I think in 2002 or 2003, there was a line of severe thunderstorms from Canada. It rolled right through Niagara county and other northern counties and caught everyone off guard. That's one storm that I remember, the 80 mph winds uprooted a tree in my grandparents yard.
The National Weather, also makes mistakes. Like, last monday, the National Weather service issued a Special Weather Statement, saying that a lake snow band from western lake ontario will be stationary for two hours. It stated that it was over GI, Buffalo and into Wyoming county. But, it moved up and didn't stay at all and weakened.
Don, let me be the first to tell you that… if you were the meteorologist at a news station that didn’t run weather scrolls enough… the total opposite would be happening right now in terms of the buffalo news argument. Just keep doing what you’ve been doing! DON’T CHANGE A THING!! There is NOTHING wrong with weather scrolls, and how often their scrolled across the TV. There is a reason their scrolled on the TV, and I believe you do a great job in making those decisions… there is another local station that uses the “weather scroll” even more, which is not a bad thing (WGRZ), and there is a local station that doesn’t use it enough (WKBW). So keep up the good work, stuff like this is expected to happen every now and then… it comes with the job title haha : )
AMEN! If you folks weren't running the crawls and updating us all with the latest information you would be crucified for that! Thankfully you folks seem to be "thick-skinned" and more worried about getting the latest information than worrying about a very small bunch of whiners! Keep up the good work and updates!
Weather Dummy
Personally, the Buffalo News is the last place I look for the weather. It's ok if you want to know how hot in was in Phoenix yesterday, and they have the map with all the pretty colors on it, but I could flip a coin and have better odds at getting an accurate forecast.
How about letting Pergament take over weather for a day, and let any local tv meteorologist write a review of the latest episode of "Cavemen". See whose results are more accurate, and whose job is more difficult.
As far as the "man on the street" dreck they've added to the B. News, I take that stuff with a bag of salt. If you walk around this town enough, you can find plenty of mouth-breathing troglodytes who are willing to bag on local weather personalities, politicians, sports teams, etc.
Like Mark Twain said, "Everybody complains about the weather, but no one does anything about it." I'm sure Mike Randall has that one memorized. :)
Don,
Remember the "News" Paper is almost a thing of the past.It is read by folks that have not kept up with the progress of things such as the internet. The reporters
there have to dig hard and make up stories their readers can comprehend. I suppose they find it
difficult to understand the weather
can change as they watch TV.
They have to wait for tomorrow's
paper to tell them what happened !
Jimmie Griffin was right when he named it the SNOOZE.
Hi Don,
Bottom line the News can't do hourly updates and keep us informed about what's blowing in off the lake. I depend on the update weather forecast for many reasons. I have a son and daughter in law who travel here from Utica,NY often. I need to know what they are going to be driving into as they come west to our house. I call them and let them know what they might expect. As for the crawls, they are very important to the safety of this area. The news sometimes seems to forget that is important to us. Safety is worth every weather crawl you put out because some folks really don't think of down power lines and trees happening in their area. Keep the information coming. I'm sure majority are very thankful for what you do. Keep on doing it and let the news go about looking really stupid along with some of their uninformed and misguided writers. They have to fill their spot on the page so sometimes we have to overlook their lack of understanding of how the weather effects their lives too. Wait till the next big storm comes down the lake and I'll bet they are glued to their TV's tracking what is coming. They will not admitt it either. Oh well, that to is to be expected.
Respectfully
Bill C.
Thank you all so much for your supportive comments, folks. Means a lot!
I also wanted to let you know that the Buffalo News' Dave Valenzuela, whom I mentioned in an unfavorable way in my comment, wrote me a couple of very nice emails this morning explaining his satirical piece in early November.
Like you posters, he's actually quite the weather buff. I appreciate someone coming forward in the way he did, and I have to admit it does soothe my ruffled feathers on his account. That doesn't change what I wrote in my commentary, which I stand by. But if it matters, it does change my views of Dave.
Don,
The only weather forecasts that I really trust are on Channel 4....
your weather forecasts are "gold standards" and well trusted.
Great Blog Don...we cant say too much here at NWS but you are a great spokesman. You'd think the News might want to raise the awareness of our unique mesoscale weather features here in WNY...maybe an article on those...instead of some tired old heresay comments from the dark ages. How about folks monitor our forecasts day by day, and maybe theyll find we're 90-95% "correct". But...we need thick skins in this business!
Good commebnt son White Christmases too...and for the Toronto guy...their odds are in the 45-50% range...actually not much lower than Buffalo. We get lots of lake effect in nov and dec which they dont get of course, but we warm up easier too...so they have a tendency to keep a thinner snow cover while we are more variable from a deep cover to green grass. Keep up the good work..
Steve at NWS
Don,
I wonder if these anti-TV weather people realize what a large area your weather information covers. 'ALL' of WNY, and parts of Pennsylvania. It's a known fact weather can some times be a hit-and-miss call, but the safety of the public is of the utmost importance. I worked in Orchard Park as a nurse. Myself a resident of Potter County Shinglehouse, Pennsylvania. I frequently traveled from Orchard Park to Pa. to visit family. Believe me during the winter months I relied on your weather coverage. I was totally amazed at how quick the conditions could change in just minutes when traveling south on the rt.219 or rt.16. If it turned out to be a little less than forewarned. Then good for us all. Better a 'heads-up on the weather than none at all. I wonder if these people would be the first to complain if they weren't warned in time? There's far too many important things in life than to be nit-picking about the weather and the way its handled. Your job shouldn't be looked at as a 'Thank-less job' rather a "Thank you, Don job." I can see it now, as soon as this ‘blog’ thread wears off these people will jump on another issue. Thanks for all you do Don and all the others involved. “Keep your eye on the sky.”
'Shep' from Potter County
I take everything newspapers say about television and radio with a grain of salt because (as other posters have mentioned) I think they're frustrated because they can't give their readers up-to-the-minute information the way television/radio can. Having worked for a newspaper for several years, I know it's much more satisfying to tell people what the weather conditions are now, which roads they should avoid during a storm, which schools are closed, etc. Anyway, Channel 4 has the best weather team, by far.
Regarding what the so-called "news" says, I just consider the source. When are they right about anything? The weather is something we, in Buffalo, watch at least daily, if not minute by minute. Thank goodness we have you, Don. You are the best....
Gerry
Again, thanks so much to all of you for your kind, supportive comments--and especially to my longtime friend and colleague Steve, from NWS.
I think Steve would fully agree with me that this job, even when we have to knock our heads against the wall over tough or missed calls, is still stimulating (and sometimes a lot of fun)just about each and every day. And knowing we have your support makes it that much better!
Don, I find it kind of funny that the buff news directs its "unworthy comments" towards you as if your the only WNY meteorologist. Your name keeps coming up... because it is obvious that you are the "head honcho" when it comes to WNY weather, I don’t think they would waist their time with "the others"... if they in fact wanted to get somewhere with this. I couldn't disagree more with the buff news and what those two people had to say! Don’t let it phase you, you have, and I believe always will be the best meteorologist! P.s. You are doing a great job defending yourself along with all the other meteorologists in Buffalo (none of them seem to be stepping up to the plate)…. Keep up the good work!
Don,
As we all know it is the of a meterologist in no matter what medium to give the viewer the information,warnings,watches and such and the prevailing conditions.
After all you are only human and it is GOD that ultimately decides what it will do
I started reading this blog this morning after hearing Don's comment on t.v. yesterday. I have to wonder that knowing all three major stations in Buffalo must take their info from the National Weather Data, how can it differ so? If these people from the media must comment on hyped weater info, I would think that their biggest complaint would be WKBW. When Don Paul says a storm is comeing with 6 inches of snow, Ch.7 usually has it around a foot or more with catastrophic results. Usually Don wins out. As far as the scrolls, I have no problem with them. They inform accurately and give good warnings.( You could tone down the Beep-Beep-Beep in the beginning a little.)If you don't like them, ignore them. It's only an inch of space on top. Thanks for the good work Don and I'll keep on watching.
I'm guilty! I'm guilty! I was the one who ran a grand total of 2 (two) weather crawls during the entire Bills game last week on CBS...and I'm glad I did! The NWS was going with a Lake Snow WATCH..which turned into a Winter Storm WARNING. It is the mets' responsibility to inform our fellow citizens in a timely manner. The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) mandates us to alert the public with watches/warnings/advisories. Those are the rules!
Food for Thought...wouldn't it be journalistically fair for the Buffalo News to publish a man-on-the-street interview, asking folks what they "like" about their weather forecasts and how they benefit? Perhaps they can feature this on the TOP of the front page!
As a viewer in Allegany County, I rely on channel 4 for accurate weather. No other stations give us the consideration you folks at ch. 4 do! I appreciate the "crawls" and any other updates you are able to send out. Channel 4 has been our source for news and weather since moving back to New York 22 years ago. You are the best!
Thanks, Mary from Allegany Co! We appreciate your support. It's so important to alert our viewers in times of inclement weather when safety issues are at hand!
Mary Beth
many people have been thanking Don for doing such a good job at WIVB, and for handling this buff news situation very well. I would also like to thank you as well!! I couldn’t agree more with you and your obligation to run the weather scrolls... some people just don’t understand how important it is, and they just start complaining about it. One thing I think you should modify is the weather scroll bar that you use to alert WNY of oncoming/happening hazardous weather. Something that is more “eye catching” and unique to channel 4. Don’t you get some new “weather alert scroll bars” to choose from with the new weather graphics you recently got? I know it seems funny, but I think it would improve channel 4’s weather even more! Even making it a different color such as light red, orange, or even yellow instead of the light blue. Do you think you may be able to update it? Thanks for taking time to read my message, and I hope to hear back!
-Sean
Hi, Sean: Thank you very much for the nice compliment. I work on a lot of the graphics here at the station. However, the crawls (or scrolls) are not part of that unit. It's a separate entity, and I will have to consult our station engineers to see what we can do. I'll be sure to pass on your message, Sean...we always appreciate viewers' input.
Thank You! That would be great! I think you do a great job with the graphics... better than some other stations, if you know what I mean ; ) Ive heard quite a few ppl mention the fact that the weather scroll on WIVB dosn't "grab" the viewers attention as much as it should... or even as much as the other stations weather scrolls do. Its very "low profile"... that would be nice if you put a word in! thanks!
-Sean
I have to chime in and express my disgust over the Buffalo News' outrageous remarks..and lend my unflinching support for all the hard-working members of the crew. You guys are second to none. I can't say it any better than the previous bloggers here. Yes, Mary I agree that it would be fair for them to have street interviews asking people what they like about the TV forecasts. I'm a bona-fide weather nut (hehe) and barely ever gaze at the newspaper weather page. Keep up the great work guys. By the way, please let me welcome Lindsay to your team, even though it's abit belated! She is a perfect fit for a perfect crew.
Thank you Scott for the kind words! :)
Don, Mike, Mary Beth, Lindsay and all the people who assist the WIVB weather team,
My feelings are that, the Ch.4 weather does the fastest and most accurate job in informing the public. Period! I work in construction, year round so, I rely on the best information regarding the weather and you supply it! Thank You! Keep up the good work all of you, my livelihood relies on it. (The News is good for the Sunday coupons and the bottom of our birds cage if anything)
.........Guitartaz
Hey Don,I posted on the buffalonews site as weatherwatcher.I am glad you guys are getting some good feedback.I find nothing wrong at all with crawl on the screen.In fact with how little happens where I live it actually makes me look up from my book to see what is going on when I hear it coming and hoping something is coming to Niagara County to break up the boredom! Like someone else on here said, the last place I would go for weather updates,forecasts,or intelligent commentary is the buffalo news.It amazes me how quickly they change.One week they are trashing something and the minute the same subject seems popular or something the public likes they suddenly are advocates.Keep up the great work.My only gripe is to make Lockport weather interesting!We seem to live in a bubble that misses Erie bands and Ontario bands.I know we are lucky we dont in many respects but at times there is nothing I like more than to wake up after a bad storm and see everything white and untouched!
Thanks, "weatherwatcher". I'm not generally a combative person but when you get sand kicked in your face by people who should know better, it's time to defend yourself. Some of what the News published was over the top, and some yahoo posters joined in. I know from extensive audience research that the majority of the audience doesn't agree with that kind of broadbrush gibberish, but it's frustrating.
Another beef I have with the Buffalo News is their willingness to publish readers' opinions which are based on factual errors. The Letters to the Editor are frequently filled with such mistakes on a variety of topics, and the News makes no effort to correct them. They call to confirm who wrote the letter and, if they choose to print it, that's it. I've had a few letters published in other newspapers, including the NY Times. The Times not only calls to confirm authorship; they ask permission to correct factual errors (I once wrote a letter on Army troop strength and was off a bit). If you deny permission for corrections, your letter gets tossed. That's the way it should be. Surely the News could staff a research intern in this type of position. Publishing misstatements of fact, even when it's "just" from readers, does their readership a disservice.
I like what Dirty Harry once said about opinions which, unfortunately, I probably shouldn't repeat here. :)
I was amazed at the amount of vitriol and downright ignorance I encountered while reading a lot of the responses to the original article, which triggered the rant I posted there. Everyone's entitled to their opinion, but for God's sake, read what you're writing before you post it, especially in an unmoderated forum. It's so easy to come across as a fool.
Humm, The Buffalo News Paper commenting on the Weather Forcasters? Well roll up the news and toss it in the fireplace because when Don Paul says its gonna snow the extra heat makes for a comfy night. What does the news paper know about tv broadcasting anyway? they look out the window and guess whats gonna happen next and then hurry up and turn on News 4 and hope they were right. Well thanks but no thanks, I'll stick to watching Don Paul and the other Meteorologist on channel 4 WIVB for the real deal when it comes to whats going on with the weater outside. Thank you Don for letting us know what the weater is going to be doing and as for the paper well they need to stick to the cube farm in the office and leave the real weather forcasting to the pro's.
Jim "Tonawanda"
Humm, The Buffalo News Paper commenting on the Weather Forcasters? Well roll up the news and toss it in the fireplace because when Don Paul says its gonna snow the extra heat makes for a comfy night. What does the news paper know about tv broadcasting anyway? they look out the window and guess whats gonna happen next and then hurry up and turn on News 4 and hope they were right. Well thanks but no thanks, I'll stick to watching Don Paul and the other Meteorologist on channel 4 WIVB for the real deal when it comes to whats going on with the weather outside. Thank you Don for letting us know what the weather is going to be doing and as for the paper well they need to stick to the cube farm in the office and leave the real weather forcasting to the pro's.
Jim "Tonawanda"
Well, they did it again at the Buffalo News. Anyone who has seen this blog, or watched us since last week knows that while our forecast was imperfect, WIVB WeatherWatch 4 never went for the very high totals the News' seldom visted weather blog tried to broadbrush us with....sloppy, again, folks.
Now the News' Susan Lo Tempio is complaining we give too much information about whether or not we're going to have a White Christmas.
Maybe she's right, maybe she isn't. What do YOU think?
Don,
First, let me say, I am a big fan of your broadcast (and humor) and watch only WIVB.
In general, though, with the weather, I do get the feeling that we increasingly turn weather events into dramas. Maybe its just me, but it seems like the schools close more often and earlier, regular snow events that would be sidebars 15 years ago are now leading the 11pm broadcast, and the crawls -- no matter who is responsible for them -- are more and more intrusive.
Its not just weather though. In general, it seems that television screens are invaded by text and graphics on a more consistent basis these days. Try watching the beginning of a Sabres powerplay; you can't even see the puck.
Maybe the general public is so desperate for that next big storm that we are creating our own drama. It seems like these days if we get 6" of snow, we have team coverage, crawls, school closings, and "tips on how to stay safe" that amount to nothing more than common sense.
Everything seems so over the top, doesn't it? (e.g. - global warming and planetary doom).
Anyway - Keep up your great job forecasting. Your "snippets" are educational and entertaining.
Mike in Lockport
People whole rail on the TV weather in Buffalo are just people who hate science. They just want to get their digs in. YAWN. What a shame a major News Paper would print such bunk.
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