# Everything Else > Arts & Entertainment >  David Payne is Embarrassing

## writerranger

Remember David Payne's suspension several years ago from KFOR for his alarmist remarks during severe storm coverage? Well, he's still at it. The storms tonight in El Reno brought out the panic, screaming, shouting David Payne. My guess is that he's in for another good talkin' to. How does he still work there?????

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## crabby_cruiser

David Payne wasn't the one suspended. It was Jeff Petrowski (sp?).

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## Keith

> Remember David Payne's suspension several years ago from KFOR for his alarmist remarks during severe storm coverage? Well, he's still at it. The storms tonight in El Reno brought out the panic, screaming, shouting David Payne. My guess is that he's in for another good talkin' to. How does he still work there?????


I haven't really watched channel 4 during severe storms, so I don't know how their storm chasers react when they see a tornado. 

As far as David being a meterologist, I watch him every morning and I feel that he does a great job. With him, Kent Ogle, and Sarah Stewart......their morning show is tops, informative, and humorous. They all have a great sense of humor.

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## writerranger

> David Payne wasn't the one suspended. It was Jeff Petrowski (sp?).


I stand corrected, you are absolutely right, it was Jeff....I believe it was....Petrovsky....or Petowski??. However, I WAS told just a little bit ago that David Payne was constantly told off-the-air tonight to calm it down. He also got in some deep trouble a year or two ago for saying LIVE on television that, "A house just exploded!! A House just exploded on the NE corner of XYZ Whatever Street!!!!"  A) The house never "exploded" and B) A relative of the family that lived in that house was admitted to the hospital after seeing Payne's alarmist report and thought her son and grandchildren had been killed. He may be the nicest guy in the world and funny as hell in the morning, but in severe weather coverage, David Payne is an embarrassment.
DISCLOSURE: Yes, I know David won an Emmy for his part in the coverage of the May 3rd tornado. It doesn't change my opinion or the many other people who share it.

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## Patrick

He's not as embarassing as Gary England. Don't get me wrong, I like Gary. But, when he starts getting excited he simply gets flustered. Actually looks hilarious. 

"Talk to me Val!"

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## crabby_cruiser

> He also got in some deep trouble a year or two ago for saying LIVE on television that, "A house just exploded!! A House just exploded on the NE corner of XYZ Whatever Street!!!!"  A) The house never "exploded"


Again, that was Jeff Petrowski. I'm not saying David Payne doesn't get over-excited, especially last night, but you're confusing the two.

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## Karried

That's mild compared to what I would do if a tornado came anywhere me. lOl - in other words, even though he is supposed to be professional, he is human and it _is_ extremely scary.  I think maybe he is trying to prevent injury and I give him credit but the house exploding bit was a tad much.

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## MadMonk

At first we were watching channel 4's coverage last night, but my daughter started getting scared while watching it.  We switched over to 9 and they were much more calm about it.  I was able to calm her down and explain what was going on so that she could see it really wasn't that big of a deal (ch. 9 had better video coverage last night IMHO). It was a small tornado with a small area being affected.  Channel 4 made it seem that the sky was falling on El Reno. David Paine needs someone nearby to grab him by the shoulders and give him a couple good slaps to bring him to his senses when there's a tornado nearby.

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## venture

David Payne is definitely one of the more energetic types you can get on air, especially with severe weather. Gary and team only get really tense when it comes into OKC proper or when its apparent the tornado is going to be a strong/violent long track event.

The ones yesterday definitely were wound up tight...but behaved themselves for the most part. Got roughly about 1-2 miles from both of them, definitely a couple of photogenic examples.

Some photos from my chase partner and myself...

http://www.usaflying.com/blogs/photo...egory1018.aspx

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## Karried

Those are too cool!

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## writerranger

> Again, that was Jeff Petrowski. I'm not saying David Payne doesn't get over-excited, especially last night, but you're confusing the two.


No.....that was David Payne. No doubt about that one.

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## okcerintul

> No.....that was David Payne. No doubt about that one.


You are correct, the example you cited was David Payne. He is WAY too excited during severe weather, and KFOR constantly needs to reel him in. Nice guy, though.

Jeff Pitrowski on the other hand, is a raving lunatic, and quite often a jerk.

I am very thankful that Tulsans are not exposed to David Payne, and very rarely exposed to Pitrowski. We are fortunate that we do not have any chasers of this type in this market, and all 4 stations that provide severe weather coverage are often very cool and calm.

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## Patrick

We'll trade David Payne to get Dan Threlkeld back!  :Smile:

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## chrisok

Jeff P was the one who basically announced the entrie town of Synder was wiped out by a tornado. In fact the tornado completely missed the town. I think that was back in '93 or so.

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## Flatlander

Im from Oklahoma city,and personally I dont get caught up in the hype.If somebody offends me on one station I just turn the channel.After reading about Davids remarks from another post,I see the post person has been corrected,and it seems to me that the person on this post just dosent like David.I believe David is one the best storm chasers in the state,we are lucky to have somebody willing to put thier life on the line for us.I like all three local stations for different reasons.Keep up the good work.

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## ksearls

Leave my boy DP alone!  He rocks!!  He it the highlight of my morning news.

Kim

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## Patrick

David Payne is a great weatherman, I think he just gets carried away at times when he's chasing storms.  So much, that it scares the public.

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## Luke

> "Talk to me Val!"


LOL... I can so hear him saying that.

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## Keith

> Leave my boy DP alone! He rocks!! He it the highlight of my morning news.
> 
> Kim


Kim, I am up there with you. David Payne is a riot to watch in the mornings. I start my day everyday with David, Kent, and Sara, and they are the greatest news/weather team around. David always cracks me up with some of the things he says....then, there is Robert, the cameraman, with the big hearty laugh. When Kent and David are together, they always say something funny.

Some may not like them because of the way they deliver the news and the weather, but you gotta have some laughter early in the morning in order to counter all the negative things in the news.

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## writerranger

Just for the record, the correction was for one major incident. The other incident involving the "exploding house" was indeed David Payne. He may be great in the morning, but he gets wayyy too excited as a storm chaser. So much so that KFOR management has had to talk to him repeatedly. Mike Morgan has personally told him he has to, "remain in control of himself."

To compare David Payne with Gary England is way off base. Gary gets excited and gets serious when it is _absolutely necessary_ to save lives. David Payne gets excited and exaggerates things in the extreme. Not too long ago, he turned a relatively small storm in El Reno that damaged their airport into a major catastrophe, even as Mike Morgan was saying that it was a small tornado, though textbook storm video. 

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## davido

I remember the exploding house broadcast, I think it was down by ryan or ringling oklahoma, I want to say the spotter said the town was wiped off the map or something, I was like holie #@%^^. my inlaws live in the surrounding area....

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## therebel

> We'll trade David Payne to get Dan Threlkeld back!


Hey, wasn't Threlkheld the one who said on May 3, 1999
"this isn't something to be farting around with"?

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## Karried

:tweeted:         LOL  - please tell m e CNN didn't pick up on that one! 

That is hilarious!!  Yep, they are human!

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## therebel

> I remember the exploding house broadcast, I think it was down by ryan or ringling oklahoma, I want to say the spotter said the town was wiped off the map or something, I was like holie #@%^^. my inlaws live in the surrounding area....


It was Ryan.  In fact didn't he say that the entire town had taken a direct hit, and something to the effect that Ryan, OK was no more?  He claimed to be a few miles outside of town and would report more when he got there, but he never did say anymore about it.  His storm spotter license (if there is such a thing), should have been permanently revoked.

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