The Weather Channel

[roseha]

It's a strange thing about Weather Channel, I don't have them at home anymore since I dropped cable for streaming services like Youtube TV, and when I watch TWC away from home I get annoyed at a lot of their programming with all the named winter storms and the fluff pieces, but when there are hurricanes and blizzards I still wish I had it.  I watch Weather Nation but they still have such an apparent shoestring budget - they don't even have a single person reporting remotely on major weather events, and seem to mainly rely on webcams even when things get bad, it kind of boggles the mind.  On the other hand, one of the current storms was possibly going to target Newfoundland up in Eastern Canada, and I remember that last time they were hit, Weather Channel never seemed to even recognize their existence.  As a frequent visitor of that lovely province that bugged me.

[Bronx Babe]

Who in God's name was that blonde woman called Alexandra wearing what looked like a Bride of Frankenstein wedding gown?  Was she going to a horror-film convention after her segment?  Is this person a meteorologist?  

[Day2Day]

Probably Alexandra Steele, who has been with TWC for about 10 years.Dresses more like the hostess in some dimly lit supper club. Often thought they needed the services of a good stylist who wasn’t a proponent of the concept that sexy sells... or helps with forecasting!

[Hyacinth B]

On 8/29/2019 at 6:10 PM, Bronx Babe said:

Who in God's name was that blonde woman called Alexandra wearing what looked like a Bride of Frankenstein wedding gown?  Was she going to a horror-film convention after her segment?  Is this person a meteorologist?  

I'm SO glad I'm not the only one who thought it was a little over the top for a weather broadcast! All that was missing was a veil and a bouquet (probably calla lilies).

Strange to see long sleeves too. It seems that mostly bare arms are a dress requirement nowadays, along with too-short-to-bend-over and too-tight-to-breathe.

[Bronx Babe]

Thanks so much, @Day2Day and @Hyacinth B!  It usually seems like every female weather person on all the channels dresses like a hooker/Kardashian.

[Day2Day]

Jen Carfagno is the exception. She always dresses nicely, in clothes that aren't a size too small.

[Day2Day]

Well, there he is! Jim standing in the rain, being pounded by the crashing waves at some causeway in Stuart, FL. I just don’t get him always being the “drama king” of storm coverage. Is there some sort of award they give for the meteorologist with the biggest balls?

[Cobb Salad]

53 minutes ago, Day2Day said:

Well, there he is! Jim standing in the rain, being pounded by the crashing waves at some causeway in Stuart, FL. I just don’t get him always being the “drama king” of storm coverage. Is there some sort of award they give for the meteorologist with the biggest balls?

He’s still out there...mighty close to those waves spraying water all over him.  I wonder how far away the cameraman is or is he getting drenched too?

[WendyCR72]

Remember when this station...just told the damned weather? And the meteorologists dressed professionally?

No documentaries, no slick studios.

Just a map, current conditions at the bottom, and the soothing muzak that used to accompany the local forecast. (Pat Metheny was a popular '80s choice.)

It says The Weather Channel began sometime in '82, so I was only 9 or 10 then. Hard to believe it has been so long.

Ironically, two of the former meteorologists now work in my area. Neal Estano and Mike Bono.

And proof that the internet covers every mundane thing, there is actually a site called TWC Classics that has a "where are they now?" section for former meteorologists, etc. My grandparents (RIP) used to keep The Weather Channel on as noise around the late '80s/early '90s. Never really  understood it, but I went with it. And reading online, that seemed to be an actual "thing".

I guess NBC bought the channel in 2008, hence the big shift to its current, somewhat annoying state.

But I never knew how many YT videos exist of the old studio/personalities...simply showing the weather!

[Day2Day]

That was about the same time that MTV just played music videos!   

[Day2Day]

   Looks like the worst is over here in central FL.  Rain and

gusty winds continue this morning. Did not lose power, and no apparent damage.  Thankful !

Edited September 4, 2019 by Day2Day
sp

[roseha]

17 hours ago, Day2Day said:

   Looks like the worst is over here in central FL.  Rain and

gusty winds continue this morning. Did not lose power, and no apparent damage.  Thankful !

Glad to hear you are okay @Day2Day!

Terrible what has happened to those poor people in the Bahamas.

Well I turned on Weather Nation since I don't have TWC anymore, and I have to give them credit, overall they are doing an excellent job with out all the Weather Channel hype. They have about 4 or 5 remote correspondents covering the storm from various locations and while I still cringe when they, like Weather Channel, give any time to the "I'm just going to ride it out even though I was told to evacuate" people, I had to laugh when one (or maybe it was more than one) of their reporters emphasized that he and his crew would move to more remote grounds if the storm came near.  No standing out in the middle of it for these guys I guess!

Speaking of former TWC cast members there was a brief appearance by pilot Nicole Mitchell, still at work scouting hurricanes I guess.

[Day2Day]

Turned on TWC this morning to see what coverage they had regarding the line of severe storms/tornado warning across central Florida.  First thing I noticed was Stephanie looking, and acting very professional. She has lost a lot of weight and her dress actually fits her, and NOT an almost micro-mini.   However,  Jim looks like he escaped from the circus, or woke up believing it was Dec. 24th and not April 24.  Red vest, red tie.... how very cheerful/festive. At least it took my mind off the thunder & lightening outside.  Good job Weather Channel.

[seasons]

They are out there in Lake Charles for Hurricane Laura. Definitely stressing that safety is first. I see helmets, safety goggles, even Cantore wearing a safety shield at one point.

 

As an aside, Kelly Cass is up there for me in terms of classiness with Jen Carfagno. Also glad to see Steph Abrams seems to have toned down the sexiness lately, more professional.

[hoosier80]

Cantore was somewhere in FL today I think. Sorry, I cannot think of the name of the one guy now who seems to always be at the storm epicenter, but he was in New Orleans earlier this week. I think maybe he’s now along the coast in MS.

 I have been watching the morning show, and Stephanie annoys me to no end. I guess I am used to Cantore now and tune him out. Why do they continue to push Stephanie as one of their lead mets?? 

[seasons]

What happened to Weather Underground? Was on early evenings weeknights. Mike Bettes was part of it. I liked it but it seems gone. Nothing on Google about it.

What happened to Weather Underground? Was on early evenings weeknights. Mike Bettes was part of it. I liked it but it seems gone. Nothing on Google about it.

 

 

Ugh nevermind. They moved it to noon eastern. Storm Center on early evenings. 

[auntjess]

I watch the Weather Channel most days as background, and trying to figure why

Blue Chew decided this was the place to spend lots of ad bucks.

[chessiegal]

25 minutes ago, auntjess said:

Blue Chew decided this was the place to spend lots of ad bucks.

I commented on one of the commercial threads that there must be a lot of men with ED watching, because I swear there is at least one Bluechew commercial per commercial break. The ads for Generac whole house generators I get, but the Bluechew ads have me scratching my head.

I turn on The Weather Channel every morning to see what's going on weatherwise. I enjoy the live coverage that show the live web cams around the country so you can see what's going on. We have family in St. Petersburg, FL and NOLA, so tropical storm coverage is of interest to us.

[auntjess]

Do you have any idea why this topic doesn't show up in "my shows?"
I live in NE Florida, Jax area, now, for my sins.
The thing that shocked me the most on TWC, was one day one of people called 
Dr.Postel "Greg" on the air.  

 

[Annber03]

4 hours ago, chessiegal said:

We have family in St. Petersburg, FL and NOLA, so tropical storm coverage is of interest to us.

Hoping your family will be okay over the coming days, sounds like there's going to be some action there later this week. 

[auntjess]

I don't think we're getting much here, Clay County,  but Walmart was sold out of bottled water, or at least the brand we buy.
Hope everyone down here stays safe, and reasonably dry.

 

[annzeepark914]

On 9/23/2024 at 7:10 PM, Annber03 said:

Hoping your family will be okay over the coming days, sounds like there's going to be some action there later this week. 

My sister lives east of Tampa. She said Jim Cantore is there. Hmmm...I hope that's not a bad sign. Locals say that Tampa never gets a direct hit and it has something to do with it being a sacred place for native Americans. I don't know about that (but hope it's true 🙏🍀🤞). 

[auntjess]

Waiting for what we may get in the tail end of Milton.  I hope it's mostly spent

by the time it gets to Jax area.
Bottled water is low, but I've got plenty of Diet Coke.

 

[Annber03]

21 minutes ago, auntjess said:

Waiting for what we may get in the tail end of Milton.  I hope it's mostly spent

by the time it gets to Jax area.
Bottled water is low, but I've got plenty of Diet Coke.

Wishing you well with this storm - hope you stay safe and the worst of it misses you/fizzels out at least a little before it makes landfall. Same goes for everyone else in the path of this storm.

You can tell this is a big deal 'cause the people on the Weather Channel sound genuinely nervous while reporting on this. 

[chessiegal]

But for now, the folks in the field looked well rested. I was feeling for Felicia Combs in Asheville after Helene. She was looking downright knackered after a few days. I kept yelling at the tv - get that girl a hot shower and meal!

We have family in St. Petersburg who have decided to stay, so we are watching a lot. Right now I'm taking a break.

[Annber03]

9 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

But for now, the folks in the field looked well rested. I was feeling for Felicia Combs in Asheville after Helene. She was looking downright knackered after a few days. I kept yelling at the tv - get that girl a hot shower and meal!

We have family in St. Petersburg who have decided to stay, so we are watching a lot. Right now I'm taking a break.

I still can't believe they do the whoel thing of having these poor reporters standing out in the midst of the storm. I hope they tone down on that sort of thing here, given how especially dangerous this storm is We can get the general gist of how bad it is, I dno't need reporters risking killing themselves just to stand outside in the rain and wind and storm surge to tell us that. 

Sending well wishes to your family as well. Especially since they're going to be riding this out. We have relatives in the Tampa Bay area - they're not under a mandatory evacuation order right now, but I'm hoping they will do so if need be (and if they're able - I know everyone's saying "Evacuate!", but given how much gridlock is on the roads right now, and how much limited space there is in hotels, and things of that sort, that's easier said than done for some people).