From low humor to high drama, TV weather reporting has encompassed an enormous range of styles and approaches, triggering chuckles, infuriating the masses, and at times even saving lives. In Weather on the Air, meteorologist and science journalist Robert Henson covers it all—the people, technology, science, and show business that combine to deliver the weather to the public each day.
The first comprehensive history of its kind, Weather on the Air explores the many forces that have shaped weather broadcasts over the years, including the long-term drive to professionalize weathercasting, the complex relations between government and private forecasters, and the effects of climate-change science and the Internet on today’s broadcasts.
Dozens of photos and anecdotes accompany Henson’s more than two decades of research to document the evolution of weathercasts, from their primitive beginnings on the radio to the high-gloss, graphics-laden segments we watch on television every morning.
This engaging study will be an invaluable tool for students of broadcast meteorology and mass communication and an entertaining read for anyone fascinated by the public face of weather.
Published by the American Meteorological Society | Released June 2010
Order a copy now from The University of Chicago Press
Chapters
“AND NOW, YOUR FORECAST”
A whirlwind tour through TV weather history | Excerpt
THE BIG PICTURE
The when, where, and who of weathercasting
THE INVISIBLE WEATHER TEAM
How public and private meteorologists shape the weathercast
BUT SERIOUSLY . . .
Attitudes and approaches to conveying the weather
BLUE SKIES AND GREEN SCREENS
The technical side of weathercasting
BREAKING THROUGH THE GLASS MAP
Diversifying the ranks of weathercasters
COAST TO COAST
The nationwide approach to weathercasting
WHEN MINUTES COUNT
Getting the word out during severe weather | Excerpt
VOICES OF WEATHER
The story of radio weathercasting
CLOUDY AND WARMER
Climate change and weathercasting
THE EXTENDED OUTLOOK
Whither the weathercast?
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