Greetings TV Garth readers! This is Part 2 of my Year In Review series, covering some of my favourite TV weather folks! I didn’t realize it would take so long to compile, and I had to decide Weather or not I was adding personalities to my list for the right reasons. (Conclusion – some of the list is made up of guys I find attractive, but everyone on the list had to resonate with me in a pop culture sense to be added!) So enjoy this look back at TV Garth’s Fantastic Forecasters of 2009, as viewed throughout the year on various TV stations long distance and local! (Details were lovingly cribbed from various official biographies found on station websites!)
1. Joey Stevens (WSEE, Erie, PA)
Joey Stevens is the Chief Forecaster for Erie, PA’s WSEE. He has been a prominent broadcast personality in Erie for many years. (In fact, his weather reports have helped secure WSEE’s popularity in the Caribbean.) Joey is enjoyable to watch due to his good natured rapport with the audience, including his Weather Watchers feature. Joey also rockets to Number 1 in this recap because I met him in person during a recent Buffalo-Erie road trip and he was very friendly. (I’m not biased at all!) Congratulations Joey on being TV Garth’s #1 Fantastic Forecaster!
2. Scott Hetsko (WROC/WUHF, Rochester, NY)
Scott Hetsko is the Chief Meterologist for Rochester, NY's WROC! He's got a lightening sharp wit, boundless energy, and best of all makes the weather entertaining! His forecasts often include song title puns (i.e. “Just Another Day In Paradise” when good weather was happening.) Humour, puns, and entertainment make Scott a winner with TV Garth! (Plus, Scott sent me a nice reply when I e-mailed him about how much I enjoyed his weather reports! Props to Scott!)
3. Jill Reale (WKTV, Utica, NY)
Jill Reale is one of the Meteorologists for Utica, NY’s WKTV. I first saw her back in May 2009, during the legendary weekend that I first picked up WKTV. But it was August 2009 when I fully realized how much fun her reports could be, and that her banter with WKTV morning anchors Don Shipman and Megan Koskovich was bubbly entertainment. I also heart her punny trivia title The Reale Deal. Bonus points for Jill’s hilariously Diva-tastic Twitter entry, “waited for an hour at dmv to then get recognized by a lady, who yells at everyone to stop working to come see me.No wonder it takes forever.” (Sidenote: I could imagine longtime WKTV anchor Bill Worden harrumphing the “young kids” for having too much fun with the morning news. They’d be all “yeah, yeah, whatever” only to look back later and realize he was the last person who was actually concerned about them and that all the harrumphing meant he cared! “Worden You Know It”, a documentary coming soon to PBS.)
4. Tom Brown (CFTO, Toronto, ON)
Of course, during one of the few days that I wasn’t at work during the holiday season, CFTO’s Meteorologist Tom Brown came to my local mall to do a live report! Like Rochester’s Scott Hetsko, Tom is able to give an energetic weather report and pump up a crowd simultaneously. (He was even getting the Markville Shopping Centre crowd to do a cheer with him during coverage of the Toy Mountain campaign.) Though he’s been with CFTO since 2004, Tom had some big shoes to fill this past year as he replaced retiring Canadian weather legend Dave Devall during the 6pm newscasts. However, Tom continues to impress with his live weather reports from various locations in and around Toronto!
5. Don Paul (WIVB, Buffalo, NY)
Don Paul is a legendary TV weather personality in Buffalo, NY. He joined WIVB in 1984, left to go to WGRZ from 1988-91, but rejoined WIVB in 1991 and has been there since! Interesting trivia - Don Paul was once considered for a staff writing position with Johnny Carson. Don is AMS certified, and was even in the Military! His weather reports are like warm comfort food, delivered with good humour to offset the cold predictions of lake effect snow.
6. Bob Metcalfe (WROC/WUHF, Rochester, NY)
Bob Metcalfe is handsome. Not that I watch his forecasts on WROC/WUHF just to see a good looking guy, but it does help the weather go down smooth…..er….go down is probably a bad choice of words, but….uh…. Anyways, according to his official bio, he also enjoys working out during his free time. Just so folks don’t think I’m completely objectifying him, he likes hockey, went to SUNY Oswego (where he got a Bachelors of Science degree in meteorology), and is working towards AMS certification. The Rochester native also gave me one of my favourite morning news moments of 2009 – check it out here, in the May 24, 2009 Reception Report just after the Moneywatch segment with Meghan Backus on WROC! (The dialogue I added is fictional, but the pictures totally cried out for some wacky captioning!)
7. Rob Wilson (WICU, Erie, PA)
Rob Wilson is the Chief Meteorologist for Erie, PA’s WICU! He has been with the station for nearly a decade, and provides solid coverage of Northwestern Pennsylvania’s ever changing weather fronts. Rob earned a degree in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Arizona. He also spent time in the Air Force (in fact it was an Air Force ROTC scholarship that helped him attend U of A!) I also love this picture of Rob, where it looks like he’s really emphasizing Halloween in his weather report!
8. Julie Coates (WICU, Erie, PA)
Also from Erie, PA’s WICU, Julie helps viewers know when they need to put on their hats and Coates during bad weather! Julie is part of the enjoyable 12 News Today morning team, which features Mark Soliday and Jill McCormick (unfortunately, McCormick was recently let go when her contract expired.) Coates has the weather covered thanks to a degree in Meteorology she earned at Ohio University. Check out this picture where Julie looks spooked by a ghost that pops up in her forecast!
9. Peter Hall (WSTM, Syracuse, NY)
I only got to see Peter Hall once on Syracuse’s WSTM, as their digital signal was on channel 54 until early June 2009. (At that time they moved to channel 24 which is blocked by CBC French in the Toronto area. I only saw WSTM a few times on their channel 54 signal.) Peter has been a Meteorologist for WSTM since 1995, and is AMS certified. His official bio also notes that he “forecasts and broadcasts the weather for numerous cities across the United States and Canada.”
10. Jim Teske (WSYR, Syracuse, NY)
I love Jim Teske, because he looks like the put upon neighbour who would be living next to a Tim Allen type on an ABC sitcom. (You know, the Tim Allen type would have some wacky scheme and poor Jim would be sighing about the crazy idea he’d be lured into helping with.) In reality, Jim is the AMS certified Meteorologist for WSYR’s Morning News in Syracuse.
11. Ray Petelin (WSEE, Erie, PA)
Ray Petelin is another handsome Meteorologist, who happens to hold both AMS and NWA seals, and works for Erie, PA’s WSEE. He co-hosts Mornings Live with Stephanie Schelkun and has a fun sense of banter with her. (Plus, I heart any show that gives away an air conditioner in mid-November as a viewer prize!)
12. Eric Braate (WDIV, Detroit, MI)
I’m really not trying to top up this blog with hunky weather men (or I could just give in to the kitsch factor and declare that the forecast shows It’s Raining Men!) But Eric Braate enjoys “running, biking, [and] working out” according to his official bio. He’s the Meteorologist for Local 4 News Morning on Detroit’s WDIV, and holds an AMS seal! And for those who know of rapper Da Brat, you could introduce Eric the same way: “It’s Da Braate-Tat-Tat, giving you today’s weather!” Choice Twitter posting: “At the gym... Trying to work off yesterday's cupcakes and other junkfood.” He eats cupcakes and works out? That’s my kind of man!
13. Marty Snyder (WHAM, Rochester, NY)
Marty Snyder delivers weather for Rochester, NY’s WHAM! He has an AMS seal of approval, and at times looks like he should be solving mysteries with the Scooby gang. (You know what I mean – like he should be in the Buffy The Vampire Slayer cast, or something. He’d be the cute, yet simultaneously goofy guy who comes up the with one piece of science needed to solve the mystery.) According to his official bio, Marty lives on a farm with his wife and kids.
14. Nick Czernkovich (CBLT, Toronto, ON)
Add one more to the hunky weather men file! Nick Czernkovich is a Meteorologist for Toronto, ON’s CBLT. He earned a degree at York University in Atmospheric Science. According to the official bio on CBC’s website, “Nick particularly loves flying the Twin Otter.” No matter how many times I read that, and realize it’s about a plane, it still sounds sorta dirty. Maybe it’s just me…. Bonus love for the pic above, as my city – Markham – is proudly displayed on the GTA map!
15. Cheryl Scott (WSEE/WICU, Erie, PA)
Cheryl Scott made waves this year when she left Erie PA’s WSEE/WICU for WBIR in Knoxville, TN in late November! (Not to mention, her dress above is also making waves.) Cheryl worked as a Meteorologist at WSEE from 2007, and began working simultaneously at WICU in 2009 when the stations were amalgamated. Cheryl was an engaging on-air personality and delivered solid weather reports. I would love to read her eventual autobiography When Opportunity Knox: From Pennsylvania to Tennessee! Great Scott, that would be a fun read!
There you have it, Part 2 of TV Garth’s Year In Review covering some of my favourite weather people! Stay tuned for more Year In Review features, coming soon!
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