Weather presenter

Weather presenter making his description in front of a blue screen.

A weather presenter is a person who present the weather forecast daily on radio, television or internet news broadcasts. Using diverse tools, such as projected weather maps, they inform the viewers of the current and future weather conditions, explain the reasons underlying this evolution, and relaying to the public any weather hazards and warnings issued for their region, country or larger areas. There is no basic qualifications to become a weather presenter, depending on the country and the media, it can range from an introduction to meteorology for a television host to a diploma in meteorology from a recognized university. So it is not to be confused with meteorologist, the holder of a diploma in meteorology.

History

The United States was the first country in which television channels began broadcasting weather reports in the late 1940s, but presenters were doing it on radio well before. From newsletters of the US Weather Bureau (now the National Weather Service), the host of a program traced the depressions, fronts and lows, mentioned in the general situation, and read the forecast. Thus, the host of a popular morning show, NBC's Today show, was chatting live with the Bureau's meteorologist. As the weather report became very popular, national television networks hired professional meteorologists to distinguish themselves from their competitors, but in the early 1960s the "Miss Weather" era began. The latter were seen by broadcast managers as more pleasant to watch, and advertised for local shops.

In 1981, John Coleman, head meteorologist for a Chicago television station (WLS-TV station) and later ABC Good Morning America national morning program, proposed a weather forecasting station project to Frank Batten, the owner of a newspaper in Virginia. The latter had realized that many of his readers were buying the newspaper for the weather forecast, and he jumped on the idea. After ten months to find funding and build the infrastructure, The Weather Channel (TWC) came on line May 2, 1982 from Atlanta, Georgia. This was the first television channel to broadcast weather forecasts 24 hours a day, using a full staff of general meteorologists and even specialists.

In Canada, the first presenter on television was Percy Saltzman, a professional meteorologist, who launched the regular news bulletins on English-language Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in 1952. Canada's weather bulletins have developed similarly to those in the United States. However, it is less common to see on-screen meteorologists and networks invest much less in meteorological equipment. On the French-speaking side, Jacques Lebrun at Télé-Métropole, a self-educated presenter, was during the 1970-80s the most know of the earliest weatherman. The Weather Network, similar to TWC, went live on September 1, 1988 but is using mostly news persons as presenters.

Other countries have followed similar paths. For instance, the first broadcast of a weather on French television dates back to December 17, 1946, and was presented by Paul Douchy in the Téléjournal program. The forecasters of the National Meteorology (now since Météo-France) commented live, once a week, a weather map of the time scheduled for the next day on the RTF. In February 1958, France became one of the first countries to broadcast on television a daily weather report, after the United States, Canada and Great Britain (BBC began in October 1954).

Presentation techniques

Presentation techniques have varied greatly since the beginning of television and radio. The first bulletins were mostly a reading of the forecast issued by the local national weather service. With the advent of television, this was accompanied by preset charts or drawn on blackboard by the presenter. Gradually, standard maps with icons to describe the weather were adopted everywhere. In the 1960s, weather radar and meteorological satellites appeared and their images were incorporated into weather forecasts as still images.

The development of video and computers made it possible to create interactive presentations. Among other things, the overlay, made on the fly, allows the presenter to make a description of the time in front of a blue or green monochromatic screens, and the technical section adds the maps to the editing. These can be animation loops of satellite images, radar or lightning detection, simulations of the expected evolution of clouds, pressure fields, rain or snow zones, etc. They can even insert videos of a meteorological event that makes the headline or any other interesting graphic. Computer companies even specialize in the production of computer graphics for meteorology and incorporate analyzes usually reserved for professional meteorologists such as tornado storm analysis and tropical cyclones. Content adapted to several clienteles are also offered from children to adult audiences.

Certification programs

In North America, the American Meteorological Society and the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society have a presenter certification program. On the American side, a degree in meteorology is needed and a committee evaluates their skills and experiences before giving accreditation. On the Canadian side, the diploma can be replaced by work experience and knowledge. This certification gives some notoriety in the public eye but is not mandatory to become a presenter.

Public perception

Several anecdotes circulate about the work of the weather presenters which are often the target of jokes. There are even a few movies and TV series that have a character from this profession, among them:

• Groundhog Day (film), a 1993 comedy film by Harold Ramis featuring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell.
• To Die For, a 1995 film by Gus Van Sant with Nicole Kidman.
• The Weather Man, a 2005 American comedy-drama film directed by Gore Verbinski, and starring Nicolas Cage.
• Weather Girl, a 2009 comedy film written and directed by Blayne Weaver and starring Tricia O'Kelley, Mark Harmon, Jon Cryer, and Enrico Colantoni.