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5/17/13
We have an interesting situation scheduled to happen this morning during the news. There is a local drum corp that is apparently pretty good. Our producer has arranged for them to be with us during the morning news today. Now keep in mind this is a large group of people and they all have drums. There isn't room in the studio for them…so the plan is for them to be outside…playing their drums…before 7 this morning. I will leave you to realize the potential issues there. The last thing I will mention is I did have a conversation this morning with the producer about checking the local sound ordinance to be aware of any potential violations…
We will see how it goes!
"Feedback Friday"
From Cissna Park Phil (5/15/13):
Hi there Greg. Time for me to chime in again, about the Tom Skilling rant. Though I seldom watch his forecast, Chicago is close enough to us up here to warrant catching it on occasion.
I added my comments to the story about Tom, and basically told the dude to stick his witch-hunt "where the sun don't shine!" No one CAN be exact about meteorology...and most sane people realize that. It's an inexact science, mainly, because you can look at a global water vapor imagery map and SEE just how "fluid" our atmosphere really is. Add, to that, the large body of water (namely lake Michigan) adjacent to the Chicago area...and it compounds the accuracy of forecasting weather for the area even further. My hat is off to the WAND Weather Team, and to Mr. Tom Skilling...for a job well done!!
Good for you for speaking up, Phil! And you're right…the dude obviously does not understand how meteorology works. Over the years people have tried to sue mets for not being accurate. Those suits never get any traction. It's a simple explanation to get one of those suits bounced out of a court room. My guess is this guy's issue won't get serious consideration, either. But…he is getting some eyeballs on his blog, or whatever it is.
That's it for this week! Should be a decent weekend…maybe a storm tomorrow but it is a very small chance.
5/16/13
It has been brought to my attention recently that lately when I post a link to a website the link does not show up. It is a situation of which we are aware here at the station. I am not sure what can be done about it…but I do know that the link is there, it just isn't highlighted. I believe it is an issue with the company we pay for the program that we use to produce our website. I will try very hard not to bash anything or anyone here. But let me just say this is why I have tried to push you to the other forms of social media that I use, like Twitter and Facebook.
So when I post a link here on the blog I always put the link where I type "here is the link", or something direct like that. What you need to do is move your cursor over those words. Your cursor should turn into the little hand symbol, or whatever. Then you just click on the words and you should be able to access the link. I apologize for the inconvenience.
5/15/13
It is often an interesting job being a meteorologist. The old joke about the job is that it is the only job in the world where you can be wrong over half the time and still keep your job. It's a funny joke…even after you've heard it 4786 times like I have. And it used to be a mildly accurate joke. But in the past several years meteorological technology and processes have allowed for very good accuracy for those of us that know what we are doing. I don't officially keep track of my correct percentage. But I do loosely pay attention day to day to how my forecasts hold up. And for the most part I think it is pretty accurate.
(As a side note I've heard another TV station in this market talk about how some website has them tracked as the most accurate in this area. Well…a little research will show you that the website that does that tracking is a pay service. So a TV station pays a subscription to that website…and guess which station in a market usually ends up being proclaimed the most accurate?? I will give you a hint…it isn't the station that doesn't subscribe to the website. But that's marketing for you…)
Anyway…back to the point…even with the better technology and processes trying to figure out exactly what the weather will be on any given day can be very tough. And no one is right 100% of the time. I've always held the opinion, and I am not alone, that the best meteorologist in TV is Tom Skilling from WGN in Chicago. I like to use the line that when God wants to know what the weather will be he/she calls Tom. I've heard but never confirmed that Tom's forecast can actually impact the Chicago Board of Trade. Think about that for a second…people whose financial lives depend on the weather consider Tom's forecasts so accurate that they will plan their buying and selling of commodities based on what Tom says. That's respect right there.
There is one person that apparently not so enamored with our boy Tom Skilling. Someone recently sent me a link to a story about a guy that is trying to get Skilling to stop calling himself a meteorologist because Skilling is wrong so much, according to this man. Here is the link to the story. I will let you read it yourself!
5/14/13
I found out yesterday that a pretty good friend of mine died. His name is Cameron and he was a college mate of mine. Quite a while back Camerooooon, as I called him, moved to the Carolinas. But when he would come back to the area we would get together for lunch or whatever. And of course we kept in touch on Facebook over the years.
Cameron was a highly intelligent, witty, cynical, and snarky kid. We hit it off instantly back in the day. We had some great chats over the years. We ate some great greasy and crappy food together. We talked about sci-fi and philosophy and politics. And we were cynical about all of it. Fantastic conversations…and I will miss having them.
The last time I saw Cameroooon was just a few months ago. He was back in the area and we met up at Angelo's in Mattoon. That was the spot where we had met a couple of times previously and it was becoming the place we would get together. We talked about my life and his life and old times. We talked about old friends and talked about making plans to get together more often.
He recently started having health problems, including diabetes. Frankly Cameron was always a health problem just waiting to happen. He did not live a healthy lifestyle and that is also something we would talk about once in a while. He had an appetite for wonderfully crappy food and smokes. And like me he always leaned towards a more sedentary lifestyle. But with his more recent health issues starting to creep up on him he seemed more inclined to do something about his health lately. It was a bit of a blow yesterday to find out that he started that journey into better health just a little too late.
We are all headed in that direction eventually, though. Camerooon knew that and I honestly think that is part of the reason he lived the way he did. He wanted to enjoy life while he was here…and for the most part he did. I'm glad I got to know him. And as I told Faye yesterday…I am going to miss that big kid. God speed, Cameroooon.
5/13/13
Hope you enjoyed Mother's Day! I had a great time. My brother and I took my Mom out to lunch, and then we went to see my Grandma. It was good seeing everyone. And of course the weather was fantastic, although a little cool. The only thing that would have made yesterday better is if Faye wasn't working and could have been with us. We did get to have a great time Saturday, though.
Mars Petcare had an adoption drive out at their facility Saturday morning. A couple of vets were there, and Petsmart, and some animal shelters from around the area. It was a fun time! I brought our fancy lad, Boomer, and he loved it. A lady from Petsmart did a little grooming on him and of course he loves the pampering. Shortly after I got to the site I filled out a couple of entry forms for some drawings. Lo and behold…I won 40 pounds of dog food!
Faye works at Mars and she was working on Saturday. Hopefully she was able to come outside and hang out with us for a while. It really was a great time…and from what I hear several dogs were adopted. And then Saturday night we went to a YMCA fundraiser in Charleston representing Mars. That was also a blast and I got to see quite a few people I have not seen in a long time.
All in all…a good weekend!
5/10/13
On my Facebook this morning I shared a picture of the short-lived tornado that was close to Owaneco. According to reports the tornado stayed in a field and did no damage. The picture that I shared is a pretty good picture. If you get the chance hit the link above to my FB page and check it out. I don't even think you have to join Facebook to see it.
"Feedback Friday"
From Devin (5/6/13):
I'm not happy it was wet this past weekend. On 05/04/13, Lincoln Community High School held it's Prom with a Red Carpet Event and the Grand March, which got moved from the Courthouse here in Lincoln to the LCHS Gymnasium due to the rain. However, the dance afterward was nice. My date and I had an awesome time. This was our first and last Prom since I'm graduating in a few weeks and my date will graduate early after next semester. All and all, a good Prom despite the rain. People were blaming me for the rain since I'm the school's weather go to guy out there!
Ha! Welcome to my world, Devin! People always blame us for bad weather. It's perfectly okay, though. Whenever someone starts bagging on me about bad weather I just remind myself that it is good that they know I am the one doing the weather. That is always better than no one knowing I'm the weather guy! It means good or bad…they are connecting. So take it as a compliment.
And good on you guys for overcoming a little rain and still having a great prom!
Here is a link someone sent me. It is kind of a "where are they now" for professional wrestlers. I realize most of you won't be interested. No biggie. If you aren't interested you don't have to hit the link!
Have a great weekend! And Happy Mother's Day!
5/9/13
Okay…so yesterday I really did not mean to give the impression that I was being replaced in the morning. I was trying to mention that we did hire a new weather person that will also be doing a lot of reporting. And then I got into the fact that people had been asking me if she was going to be taking over the morning shift. I think I was being asked that question because of the way something was phrased on Facebook by Mark Rivera…not that I am trying to beat Mark over the head with it.
So no…Lauren is not going to be taking over the morning shift. But from what I hear she will be doing some reporting during the morning shift. But that will be news reporting…not weather reporting. Having said that…we can't rule out the possibility that she may be involved with some of the weather stuff in the morning, too. The station has been trying to get me out for "live shots" for years but for one reason or another it hasn't been possible. Well…with Lauren around it will make it easier to get that done. So that would mean I would be out at some location and she would be at the station doing weather. So instead of taking over the shift she would be filling in.
The rest of yesterday's blog was just trying to point out that in today's economy you never know when "The Suits", in any business, will decide to go with a less expensive option and replace the status quo. So that's what I meant by possibly being replaced in the morning and being the last person to know. Sure…it is possible. But I still have been told nothing to the contrary!
5/8/13
We have a new employee around here. After the last Chief Meteorologist retired we were left with a hole of sorts. And recently we hired a woman that has grown up in the area. To me personally it is usually better when we hire people from around here. It just helps to start in a market already knowing the geography of the area. Her name is Lauren and from what I have been unofficially told she will do some reporting and some weather. I don't know if she is technically a meteorologist but I do know that she was doing weather at the college TV station at Eastern in Charleston.
Her hire was apparently announced somewhere around here yesterday, Facebook or whatever. I am assuming this because I've been answering questions about where I am going! I guess the way the announcement was worded left some people to believe that Lauren is going to be the new morning meteorologist. Well…I guess that could be true. I guess "The Suits" could have hired her to replace me. From a strategy position it is always good to have females doing the weather and if you look around our market I think there are a couple of TV stations that have women doing weather in the morning. So it is not out of the realm of possibility that this station would want a woman doing weather in the morning.
However…if that is the case and I am either on the way out the door or headed to a different shift no one has spoken to me about it yet. You never know, though.
So let's welcome Lauren and make her feel comfortable! If/when she starts getting on Facebook and Twitter, etc, I will pass along those links.
5/7/13
We are still providing weather for WTAX radio in Springfield throughout the week. Part of that deal still has me on with Bob Murray a few times a morning. I've blogged about this before, and I have mentioned how much fun it has been reconnecting with Bob. Of all the people that have come in and out of here Bob is probably the person that has helped shape my weather career the most. Robert Reese brought me into the station and taught me how to use the weather computers. But Bob is the person that would watch tape with me and explain to me how I could do the job better. Really…I've learned loads from Bob over the years.
Even now doing radio with Bob I learn stuff. Most mornings before we go on the air with the weather stuff we will chat a bit off air. Some mornings we talk about Cards baseball, or Illini sports, or just life in general. And some mornings one of us will be cranky and just take a couple of minutes to vent about whatever ails us. But this morning something struck me. Bob seemed a little cranky this morning. He didn't really vent but I know him well enough to know that something was stuck in his craw.
Here is what I noticed…if you were listening on the radio to our weather bits you would have never known Bob was out of sorts. That's one of the things I've learned the best from Bob…BE A PRO! It doesn't matter what your personal mood is, when that light comes on and you hit the air you keep your mood to yourself. Unless you can turn it into a funny "bit" you just remain a pro and don't let your personal stuff bleed over into your work. I've talked to Bob off-air before when we've both just fed off of each other's bad mood…yet when we hit the air you'd never be able to tell. I'm thankful to have learned that from Bob over the years.
I hope he takes the time to write a book about what he knows about broadcasting. Kids these days could really benefit from his knowledge, and not just in broadcasting. Being a PRO is a good idea for any career...
5/6/13
Faye and I only get every other weekend together right now. She works two weekends a month. This weekend was one of her off weekends and we had a lot of fun! Of course it is a downside that we get two weekends a month together now. But the upside is that it makes us appreciate the weekends we do get that much more. We had good, quality time together and even managed to squeeze in time with good friends that we haven't seen for a while.
This rain is getting to be a bit much, no? So far this year we've had around 14 inches of rain and snow. That is almost 3 inches more than normal or typical! After last year's drought I guess we really can't complain. But we really need a couple of warmer and dry weeks so farmers can get stuff planted. I know our Ag Experts are starting to get a little nervous!
5/3/13
I have often spoken about other blogs on this website. My thought is that I should do everything I can to promote what anyone else around here is doing. Once in a great while you can hear me joking with Mark and Samantha during the news that we "are all on the same ship…we rise and sink together". I usually say it during something funny (hopefully)…but I actually mean it. The better JC's blog does the better we all do. The more people that read "The Reel Opinion" the better it is for all of us here. I dig talking with Stacey Skrysak, et al, about how to get more hits for her blog. I've always tried, believe it or not, to make my coworkers look as good as possible. It just benefits all of us. (And yes…sometimes I do this by poking fun at them on the air. There is actually a positive application for that, too.)
Over the years some of my coworkers haven't understood this. I won't name any names because frankly I don't remember some of them. But some people come through here (and I am sure it is like this in any profession) and only want to make him or herself shine. You can always spot these people by how they speak. It's always about him or her. And in the stuff that they do they NEVER bother to promote what anyone else is doing. I guess that is fine. Telling other people how to live or work or whatever is something I try to avoid unless I am asked for an opinion…or told to be a "mentor".
We have a pretty good crew around here at the moment. It is mostly good, young people trying to figure out how to be the best at what they are doing. The blogosphere on this website has finally gotten the attention it needs. You know how fond of saying that my back has hurt from carrying this blogosphere for years! (I'm mostly joking when I say that.) But now we have four or five people that are really working hard on their blogs around here. Geno Reynolds probably puts more time and energy into his blog than I do. JC has been throwing out fantastic weather stuff on his blog. Dawn Sterling is giving us the benefit of another baby blog. And Stacey Skrysak will likely be the first person at this station to get more hits in one month on her blog than on my blog. Seriously…it hasn't happened since we started our blogosphere a few years ago. But Stacey has really put together a nice blog and her numbers are starting to catch mine.
Honestly…if you're paying attention…you'll realize how happy that makes me.
So while you are here reading my blog take a few minutes and peruse some of the other blogs on this website…even if you have before. Things are hoppin around here!
"Feedback Friday"
From Kathy (4/29/13):
Didn't do much around here either. If your wife is working I hope you pitched in and helped with the household chores. The grass here is so long I'm thinking of buying some goats to eat it. Maybe I can borrow some from the zoo instead?
Actually, Kathy, I do most of the house work anyway. Faye's been doing this new job for a bit now. It is a fantastic job but the schedule is rough at times. I've mentioned here that I tend to be a neat freak…so I don't need to pitch in because cleaning is a bit of a compulsion for me!
Also from Kathy (5/1/13):
When Iiving in Fl in the 80's, worked in a convenience store for a time and worked 3rd shift. After the wresting matches in would come in Rick Flair, Roddie Piper and several other up and coming wrestlers who were just getting their start and they would play these new things called video games. Pac man and asteroids were the favorites. It was funny to see these big hulking young guys getting all excited about who had high score for the night. Weird to think that a couple of hours ago they were hitting on each other and now they were playing video games with each other. Happy May!
Oh man…I would have loved that! How awesome for you that you got to see that side of those guys. Outstanding!
Aight…that is it for this week! It'll be wet and cool through the weekend. Thanks for reading the blog!
5/2/13
It has been a month since April Fools Day and I still get asked when I am moving to the sports department! Someone was asking me the other day. And this morning doing a radio segment the radio guy asked me when I was moving to sports. I love my job!
Had a great day yesterday at Lake Land College in Mattoon. It was the 11th annual students versus faculty softball game. The event started as a way to raise scholarship money. To date the event has raised over $14,500 to help kids pay for higher education. And of course the games are a blast, too. Every year I do something a little bit different at the event. I've played in the game, umpired, announced, ran onto the field during the game to do interviews, walked around talking to people, and have even run the scoreboard. It is an event that I always try to make every year. I went to Lake Land and the school had a very positive impact on my life.
The past few days were perfect, in my opinion. Pretty sunny and in the 80's is not a bad way to go! Starting today we slip back into a wet and cool pattern. Today will be a bit odd as the cooler air moves through our 30 or so counties. We will be in the 60's on one side of the viewing area and on the east side in the upper 70's. From a job point of view today will be tough. Just trying to figure out how to word things and fit it all into a 2:30 weathercast is tough. And then of course we have to worry about being interesting or entertaining. I know I often say things like I get paid to horse around. But truth be told…this job can be a lot harder than it looks…and I don't think most people could do it.
5/1/13
Hello, May. You won't have to do much to impress us this year. Basically we want rain every once in a while. But mostly we would love to stay in the 70's and 80's all month. That is it. That is all we want. So work it out, Kid.
When I was growing up I was huge into professional wrestling. Over 30 years later…I am still a big fan. Back in the day my favorite wrestler was Jake "The Snake" Roberts. I dug Jake because in a world of huge, screaming men he stood apart. Jake did not have a body builders physique. Jake didn't scream and yell to make his point. Jake was actually more soft spoken. And he had a way of delivering his lines that was just downright scary. You know…in real life the guys that scream and shout and puff up their chests are usually the ones that you don't have to worry about. It's an act for them to build themselves up. But with Jake…he was one of those guys that would not need to falsely build himself up. He would quietly and calmly tell you his problem with you…and then leave you lying in the ring with his snake draped over your body.
That really appealed to me so I became a big fan of Jake's. What we did not know back then was Jake outside of his job. As it turns out while Jake was spending his professional life entertaining literally millions of people…his personal life was falling apart. Jake was an addict with nasty personal demons. And he medicated those demons with drugs and alcohol. It eventually took a toll on his health and his job and he ended up being pretty embarrassing, even showing up to small wrestling events in small towns so drunk he could barely get into the ring.
In the past several months Jake has found a way to turn things around. Those of us that grew up loving Jake couldn't be happier for him. It seems like this "recovery" is the real deal and Jake sounds like he has finally kicked the demons out of himself and found happiness. There is even the hope now that Jake will be able to get back into wrestling…only this time to "pay it forward" by helping the next generation of entertainers hone their craft. And most of us are hoping Jake can get that one last shot in front of his millions of fans so we can show him how much we love him.
I am telling you all of this to tell you something very cool. You know our Geno Reynolds and his "Reel Opinion" movie reviews and blogs? Well Geno is also a wrestling fan and a fan of Jake Roberts. Last weekend Geno went to an event in Chicago to interview another pro wrestler and burgeoning self help guru, Diamond Dallas Page. While Geno was getting that interview he was surprised to find Jake at the event…and he interviewed Jake, too! I've seen the raw footage of the interview and I can honestly say that it is Geno's finest work yet. Not just for us hard core wrestling fans…but even people uninterested in male soap operas will dig this interview.
Geno is in the process of editing the interview. Keep checking out his blog on this website to see when the interview is posted. My guess is there will be a little bit played during his news segments with the entire interview going on his blog, Facebook, and Twitter, et al. It really is inspirational and transformational. Word.
