The tropics are becoming active. There are a few named storms out in the Atlantic, as I write this. You know what comes next-- my annual rant against The Weather Channel.
I've always been interested in the weather, and I even kicked around being a meteorologist back in high school. That was before I heard about all the math courses you have to take. I hate math. Hello, broadcasting!
Anyway, big storms fascinate me, and I watched a few hours of The Weather Channel on Sunday.
The Weather Channel has gone beyond providing useful information and has now become a channel of endless hype. I know we engage in some of that when a snow storm approaches, but we're amateurs when compared to the overblown "frighten the viewer" machine known as The Weather Channel.
The best is yet to come. We're going to see meteorologists doing what they tell viewers not to do-- go out in the middle of a hurricane. There's no reason for it. It's silly and it's dangerous.
The Weather Channel faces the same issues that everyone else in broadcasting is dealing with-- the internet. You can get a better and faster forecast on line. The Weather Channel has to take it to the next level. That's why you see the hype, and something just as disturbing-- all those weather related documentaries.
People at The Weather Channel, just do the forecast. Please. Let Chicken Little take care of the rest.
