OKC Meteorologists

[nurfe75]

This has bothered me for a long time now and was wondering if other OKC folk are just as annoyed by it as I am. I am getting so tired of all 3 news stations breaking programming for HOURS just to report on a thunderstorm. Tonight is an excellent example. There is a wall cloud in Luther/Chandler area. There aren't even any tornados! All 3 weathermen have been on for over an hour when there really isn't anything to report. I think this is less about keeping us safe and more about egotistical grandstanding. Those weathermen are just trying to get air time for their overinflated egos. Gary England is the absolute worst about it.

If there is bad weather, break from programming now and then to give us an update or put one of those scrolling messages across the screen. But PLEASE stop completely interrupting broadcasts for hours on end just so you can have more television exposure. Is anyone else sick of this?

[Midtowner]

I'm sure that what they are doing is based on market research and what the public at large demands. Each station wants to be the primary source for weather information. I feel this has less to do with egos than it does brand image.

[nurfe75]

Do you actually think people would rather watch two hours of Gary England pointing at a satellite picture than watch regular network programming? Is it because of the pretty colors? LOL.

[Sooner&RiceGrad]

Well actually, the storm started around Golsby, Oklahoma. I was caught up in the middle of it as the severe winds/hail passed over the OU campus, and was glad for every minute of Mr. Gary England's coverage of the storm. With him we are the most prepared metro in the nation!... and with good reason I might add!!!

[nurfe75]

You guys are right. This is such a severe storm. Their 2 hours of uninterrupted satellite pictures are saving lives. It has nothing to do with their inflated egos. I'm so wrong.

(This is irony, btw :P)

[Keith]

Well actually, the storm started around Golsby, Oklahoma. I was caught up in the middle of it as the severe winds/hail passed over the OU campus, and was glad for every minute of Mr. Gary England's coverage of the storm. With him we are the most prepared metro in the nation!... and with good reason I might add!!!

Agreed. Since the May 3rd tornado, and the other tornadoes that we have had, Many people are edgy when storms are in the area. I would much rather listen to Gary England, and live coverage of severe storms, than to watch one of my favorite programs.

"You guys are right. This is such a severe storm. Their 2 hours of uninterrupted satellite pictures are saving lives. It has nothing to do with their inflated egos. I'm so wrong."

Yes, you are so wrong, seriously. Ego's have nothing to do with storm coverage. They are doing what they can to save peoples' lives. If you have cable, you have a ton of other stations that you could watch .

[Midtowner]

Agreed. Since the May 3rd tornado, and the other tornadoes that we have had, Many people are edgy when storms are in the area. I would much rather listen to Gary England, and live coverage of severe storms, than to watch one of my favorite programs.

"You guys are right. This is such a severe storm. Their 2 hours of uninterrupted satellite pictures are saving lives. It has nothing to do with their inflated egos. I'm so wrong."

Yes, you are so wrong, seriously. Ego's have nothing to do with storm coverage. They are doing what they can to save peoples' lives. If you have cable, you have a ton of other stations that you could watch .

I do remember a couple of years ago when they interrupted the Final Four programming for storm coverage.

That was preposterous

But seriously, it's mostly about brand image and each station wanting to be the #1 weather station in the minds of the viewers. That's something that matters a lot in Oklahoma. There are few places around the country that place as much emphasis on weather coverage as we do here.

[Sooner&RiceGrad]

Well... that is Channel 9! Duh. They got Gary England!

[Jay]

As much as some us hate the over zealous weather coverage we are going to have to stomach it at least until the first big storm comes. Just in case you haven't noticed all three stations have new radar systems.

Each station claims thier radar is the best in the world. Channel 9 has Moar, Channel 5 has Advantage Doppler HD, and Channel 4 has there 1,000,000 watt south doppler. You can't blame them for over doing it on the weather. Each weather team has a new toy and thier dying to play with it and show off its potential. It kind reminds me of three teenage boys bragging about who's car is the fastest.


Most people in OKC like the extra weather coverage. (Which is why they stay on a harmless grey cloud for what seems like forever.) If your not I would recommend stocking up on rentals at blockbuster or buying a DVR. So that when you see the weather has nothing to do with your area you will have something to watch.

Don't get me wrong I'm not being critical of you if you despise the weather coverage. I'm just suggesting some suitable alternatives. This is only the beginning you can guarantee all three channels will be on every thunderstorm like white on rice from this day forward. Once an actual big storm has come and gone they will relax a little and back off on the coverage.

[okcpulse]

The problem is simple. Each station is constantly in the race to introduce the most advanced radar in the world. Of course they'll show off their shiny new supercomputer radars on the air at the first crack of thunder.

[Patrick]

I agree with you guys. It's mostly about each station trying to prove they have the best weather coverage, and showijng off their new radars is part of that.

Personaly, I have no problem with them going to complete weather coverage if tonados have been spotted (like on May 3rd), but for everything else, they ought to use the wording at the top of the screen and break in during the commercials. That should suffice, IMO.

[Patrick]

A little off topic, but what still getsme is that when a tornado warning is issued they sound the sirens in the entire county. For example, last night I was at a Bible study at Hefner Road and Council. The storm was nowhere near us. It was out towards Choctaw. Sounding the sirens on the far west side of town was a wasted scare.

[renffahcs]

I must say that with the tornado history in that area the stations are going to be on a high alert this time of year. April 10th was the 26th anniversary of the F5 Wichita Falls and the Lawton tornado. Remember those Sooner? I think in just the past few years the memory of that tornado has started to fade. Coverage of any weather was just as you described in WF as well and still is to this day because of the possible dangers.

[Sooner&RiceGrad]

Yes I do remember it. I was at Sikes Senter that day. Lovely time to go out for a little shopping, eh?

[renffahcs]

Were you there at 6:15pm when the thing hit or just earlier that day??? If you remember, thats where most of the people in that tornado were killed. The ones at the mall that ran out to their cars. I will never forget the wrecked cars and engines that were ripped out and just sitting there across the street.

My mother had an uncle that lived on the south side of Lawton. His house got smacked by the one that hit there. We went up to help him clean up a few days after it hit.

Sorry, I know, this forum is supposed to be about OKC. You will just have to excuse my little trip down 44.

[Sooner&RiceGrad]

We really DO need a state forum here... to cover Lawton and the rest of the non-forumed state, LOL.

I checked out at the south Dillards at Sike Senter at like 5:55 and when I went out at the exit by the new Piccadily Cafeteria the guards wouldn't let me and like 20 other people out. I guess I shouldbe thankful for that.

But hey, at least it wasn't like the Woodward tornado, which had IT'S anniversary this weekend I think...

[Raspberry]

OK... if you think there is too much weather coverage, what exactly would your criteria be for interupting programming? There was a tornado Sunday night, but still some are upset. Does the tornado have to be on the ground before they can break into programming? Do people have to die first? Or do you only want to miss your tv show if it is heading toward YOUR house?

[mranderson]

OK... if you think there is too much weather coverage, what exactly would your criteria be for interupting programming? There was a tornado Sunday night, but still some are upset. Does the tornado have to be on the ground before they can break into programming? Do people have to die first? Or do you only want to miss your tv show if it is heading toward YOUR house?

They are affraid of missing that winning touchdown during an OU or Dallas Cowboys football game.

[OUman]

As much as some us hate the over zealous weather coverage we are going to have to stomach it at least until the first big storm comes. Just in case you haven't noticed all three stations have new radar systems.

Each station claims thier radar is the best in the world. Channel 9 has Moar, Channel 5 has Advantage Doppler HD, and Channel 4 has there 1,000,000 watt south doppler. You can't blame them for over doing it on the weather. Each weather team has a new toy and thier dying to play with it and show off its potential. It kind reminds me of three teenage boys bragging about who's car is the fastest.


Most people in OKC like the extra weather coverage. (Which is why they stay on a harmless grey cloud for what seems like forever.) If your not I would recommend stocking up on rentals at blockbuster or buying a DVR. So that when you see the weather has nothing to do with your area you will have something to watch.

Don't get me wrong I'm not being critical of you if you despise the weather coverage. I'm just suggesting some suitable alternatives. This is only the beginning you can guarantee all three channels will be on every thunderstorm like white on rice from this day forward. Once an actual big storm has come and gone they will relax a little and back off on the coverage.

Don't mean to pick yours for my post, but you bring up some points on which I'd like to elaborate.

MOAR's been in use since last year, Advantage Doppler HD and the 4Warn South Doppler came in recently. Actually, if memory serves me correctly, MOAR's been in use for quite a while now.

The TV stations will break in for coverage even if a storm is marginally tornadic, meaning that if it's showing signs of being tornadic (rapid rising motion underneath the storm, some rotation, wall clouds, etc) and if the velocities in it are such that it won't produce a tornado now but might later on (which was exactly the case this past weekend).
The wind velocities and shear in that storm were such that a tornado warning wasn't necessary early on, but the public needed to be warned about it, which is why you saw the coverage. It definitely wasn't just a harmless grey cloud, it was a tornadic storm, w/ hail and heavy rain.

And the TV stations don't overdo it. If you recall, they ended coverage for a while back to regular programming, before the tornado warning was issued.

And they will take each dangerous storm seriously, not back off on coverage after a big storm goes through the area. Case in point: May 2003. On May 8th, you had the Moore tornado, which was quite significant. The very next day, another storm w/ a tornado went through the metro area, if they had eased off on coverage, the public wouldn't have received the early warning it did.

OUman

[Midtowner]

I guess the bottom line is that saving lives in any part of the state is better than the rest of us watching Desperate Housewives.

Actually, that's a tradeoff I can live with.

Once DTV gets popular, we'll have multiple instances of some stations on the airwaves and cable, and this won't be an issue.

[Underling]

I don't think the issue is the coverage, it's the amount of On-Air coverage as opposed to the regular programming.

I don't see a problem with the interruption to let us know what was actually happening as a tornado is forming, but I sat there and watched Rick Mitchell, for most of an hour and a half, and with the exception of mayeb 5 or 6 different minute long periods over that time, it was him standing in front of the same satellite image, talking over the people on the telephone in the field.

He could have easily broken in during commericial break and warned the at-risk area and asked to stay with the station for future updates, which can be just as effectively given by using the weather scoll on the bottom of the screen. If the situation truly looks dire, they can break in over programming to give the appropriate warnings and let us know if there's actually been a change.

I remember growing up hearing Gary England saying "Stay with TV9, we'll keep you advised." There's no need for lines like that anymore, because now we go to non-stop weather coverage for HOURS at a time.

Alternatively, if they are going to persist in pre-empting programming in order to giev us constant updates, give the viewers the information up front about when the station will rebroadcast the missed programs. I sat waiting for over an hour to find out if the programming would be rerun that night and finally just called the newsroom to ask them so I could set the VCR and go to bed.

[Midtowner]

Huh? I thought you were given a two-day suspension?

Welcome back early!

Well thank you.

But, if you want to start a new thread where we can discuss why I'm back early and the other folks are still banned, we can do that.

But here, we're talking about 4, 5 and 9 and their paranoid scramble for weather brand image during the severe weather season.

[Sooner&RiceGrad]

You must not have Cox.

Oh, and we can basically exclude 5, does anyone even watch them?

[Underling]

A great number of people were attempting to watch Desperate Housewives on Channel 5 on Sunday night when Rick Mitchell held viewers hostage for nearly 2 hours.

[Sooner&RiceGrad]

Who cares?

Oh, and Rick Mitchell isn't on channel 5.