Posted by Steve Green on July 26, 2007 at 18:26:24:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: A word about Mr. G posted by EileenW on July 26, 2007 at 13:26:48:
Two points :
1) There is a TV weatherman in these parts (channel 28 Wilkes-Barre) named Vince Sweeney. He is much respected, beloved, and believed and has been for a long time. Vince could call for volcanoes tomorrow and instead it would be 78° and sunny, and he'd be forgiven well before he gives Saturday's forecast. He is trusted. Perhaps 90% of his slice of air time is content and the rest schtick. That content is doubtless the key.
2) I hear weather *continually* thrown away , and have for decades, when it's done by a jock. (In fact, on heralded major stations I hear key words in commercial copy shrugged off, but that's another topic). In the morning, when you need to know the forecast for two commutes, it's best to have the forecaster give it if there's one available, and touch up from there. As great and glib as the greatest jocks are, they tend to compromise the content for timing's sake rather than emphasize the actual essence. It's wrong with live reads (and lots of agency reads) and it's off-base with the weather. Especially in morning drive.
Irv's best stuff (as was Warner Wolf's) was on TV. Him and them alone. No net. No hecklers. But everybody likes and trusts Mr. G.
Maybe steer him away from the extraneous a bit. But you want a trusted weather voice doing the weather at that time, not a jock or a newsman winding down toward the crack of a timed mike.