# TV Meteorologists or weater forecasters? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 29, 2011, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-meteorologists-or-weater-forecasters/587263 "2011-06-29T14:53:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2011, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-meteorologists-or-weater-forecasters/587263/1 "2011-06-29T14:53:25Z")
Are the local news TV people who give weather reports really meteorologists? I think they used to call themselves weather forecasters, but recently they are introduced as meteorologists. The latter needs at least a BS,and from from the age of some of these people, I doubt whether they have more than a high school education. ---
**Author:** ![anson2995](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@anson2995](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anson2995)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2011, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-meteorologists-or-weater-forecasters/587263/2 "2011-06-29T14:59:55Z")
> [@KlondikeGeoff](#): > > Are the local news TV people who give weather reports really meteorologists? All of the folks in my town are meteorologists. YMMV. Check the websites for your local stations for individual bios. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2011, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-meteorologists-or-weater-forecasters/587263/3 "2011-06-29T15:04:33Z")
Some are real meteorologists and some are not. In Connecticut, for instance, the lead meteorologist at the ABC affiliate (WTNH-TV) is actually a university professor of meteorology (Dr. Mel Goldstein). ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2011, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-meteorologists-or-weater-forecasters/587263/4 "2011-06-29T15:07:49Z")
Some are, some aren’t. I’ve occasionally seen TV stations bill their weather guy as a “meteorologist”, when I know that he used to be a DJ on the local top-40 station. I suspect that “meteorologist” isn’t a term which has a specific accreditation associated with it (in other words, you can probably get away with calling yourself one without a degree). I’ve also seen some stations tout that their meteorologist has the seal of the American Meteorological Society. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2011, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-meteorologists-or-weater-forecasters/587263/5 "2011-06-29T15:15:16Z")
Our TV weather people are all meteorologists. They wouldn’t dare not be as Al Roker is the alumni of nearby SUNY Oswego, and a TV station putting a non-pro on the air, under the great shadow of Al, simply isn’t an option! ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2011, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-meteorologists-or-weater-forecasters/587263/6 "2011-06-29T15:16:38Z")
male people who go into tv (nonsports) are often babyfaced. new tv meteorologists look too young for years on the job. they will state or have an indication on tv or station website what their accreditations are. decades ago and depending on the tv market size they were weather casters. their forecast came from others with equipment, forecast skills and networks of information gathering. now medium sized stations can have a radar of their own, be networked to lots of information gathering including other tv stations, have computers to aid in forecasting. i see stations now with multiple meteorologists. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Man_In_Black)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2011, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-meteorologists-or-weater-forecasters/587263/7 "2011-06-29T15:24:16Z")
> [@KlondikeGeoff](#): > > Are the local news TV people who give weather reports really meteorologists? > > I think they used to call themselves weather forecasters, but recently they are introduced as meteorologists. The latter needs at least a BS,and from from the age of some of these people, I doubt whether they have more than a high school education. Well, I know that the local ones in my area are all “BS”. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2011, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-meteorologists-or-weater-forecasters/587263/8 "2011-06-29T15:33:55Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > male people who go into tv (nonsports) are often babyfaced. new tv meteorologists look too young for years on the job. Adam Berg of the Weather Channel is a great example. I noticed him for the first time during the weekend overnight shift and thought they were letting a high school intern have a bit of fun on air. He’s been on a few years now and he still looks like he gets carded for cigarettes. BTW, “B.S. in Meteorology, Pennsylvania State University” according to Adam’s Weather Channel bio. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2011, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-meteorologists-or-weater-forecasters/587263/9 "2011-06-29T15:39:31Z")
> [@KlondikeGeoff](#): > > I think they used to call themselves weather forecasters, but recently they are introduced as meteorologists. That’s because they used to not be meteorologists, but rather weather reporters, but now due to constant one-upmanship in TV news almost all of them are meterologists. ---
**Author:** ![anson2995](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@anson2995](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anson2995)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2011, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-meteorologists-or-weater-forecasters/587263/10 "2011-06-29T17:19:53Z")
[The other master speaks:](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteorology#Meteorologists) > [@](#): > > Many radio and television weather forecasters are professional meteorologists, while others are merely reporters with no formal meteorological training. The American Meteorological Society and National Weather Association issue “Seals of Approval” to weather broadcasters who meet certain requirements. ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2011, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-meteorologists-or-weater-forecasters/587263/11 "2011-06-29T17:50:16Z")
> [@KlondikeGeoff](#): > > Are the local news TV people who give weather reports really meteorologists I don’t think [this one](http://photos.indystar.com/photos/2007/9/7/6360/immersive.jpg?template=indypaws) was. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2011, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-meteorologists-or-weater-forecasters/587263/12 "2011-06-29T18:08:15Z")
No, TV weatherpeople are not all meteorologists. In my experience, only a small percentage are. Those who are saying that all the ones in their area are should probably check their resumes. Mississippi State University has a degree program in “Broadcast Meteorology” which a lot of TV forecasters take remotely, but it is a highly nerfed program as far as the science goes. It their resume says they went to MSU, you can be 99% sure that they took this degree. BTW, Al Roker is not a meteorologist. ---
**Author:** ![BowlOfDucks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@BowlOfDucks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BowlOfDucks)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2011, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-meteorologists-or-weater-forecasters/587263/13 "2011-06-29T18:20:13Z")
On BBC TV in the UK, all weather presenters are meteorologists. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2011, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-meteorologists-or-weater-forecasters/587263/14 "2011-06-29T18:20:45Z")
Woops, my bad (Al Roker), keep forgetting he’s a “TV meteorologist”. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2011, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-meteorologists-or-weater-forecasters/587263/15 "2011-06-29T18:51:45Z")
Four of the local channels have staffs of weather people. We prefer the team at [Channel 2](http://nashvillewx.com/) who seem to have the knack for covering severe weather better that the others although none of the other channels can be considered weak in that regard. If you click on the faces upper right (or their names) you can get bio info on all of them. It just so happens that Lisa is not an official meteorologist, but her skills and savvy offset that by a great deal. She’s the most effective weather person in the midstate, and when she’s describing the bad weather, you can count on it being right. Credentials are one thing; smarts and effective delivery styles are another. I go for the latter. ---
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2011, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-meteorologists-or-weater-forecasters/587263/16 "2011-06-29T20:34:04Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Credentials are one thing; smarts and effective delivery styles are another. I go for the latter. I tend to agree. It seems to me the local stations here choose their weather staff mostly for the chest size of the ladies, and the hair style of the men. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2011, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-meteorologists-or-weater-forecasters/587263/17 "2011-06-29T20:48:34Z")
> [@KlondikeGeoff](#): > > I tend to agree. > > It seems to me the local stations here choose their weather staff mostly for the chest size of the ladies, and the hair style of the men. That could be the norm. Lisa’s chest is not so attention gathering, and none of the other females that are on regularly seem to be top-heavy. The hair styles are also middle-of-the-road around here. The TV market here is above average, in my opinion, based on comparisons to other cities I have visited and seen their TV offerings. (I even had a thread on that topic some time back.) ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2011, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-meteorologists-or-weater-forecasters/587263/18 "2011-06-29T20:49:56Z")
Penn State tends to [del]breed[/del] train TV meteorologists at its [del]research facility[/del] University Park campus. They also have (or had; I haven’t seen it in a while) a show called “Weather World” that leans heavily toward the true science of meteorology. The main anchors are a couple of PhDs with a few students who are presumably there for broadcasting experience. If they’re from Penn State, they’re most likely legit. ---
**Author:** ![AntiCoyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a587f6/32.png) [@AntiCoyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AntiCoyote)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2011, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-meteorologists-or-weater-forecasters/587263/19 "2011-06-29T21:54:14Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > No, TV weatherpeople are not all meteorologists. In my experience, only a small percentage are. Those who are saying that all the ones in their area are should probably check their resumes. > > Mississippi State University has a degree program in “Broadcast Meteorology” which a lot of TV forecasters take remotely, but it is a highly nerfed program as far as the science goes. It their resume says they went to MSU, you can be 99% sure that they took this degree. > > BTW, Al Roker is not a meteorologist. A long time ago when I lived in Chicago, on WGN, I heard Paul Konrad, the popular meteorologist give a talk. He said, he attended Mississippi State University. I just looked up his biography it says > [@](#): > > A Chicago native, Paul grew up in Naperville, Illinois. He received his undergraduate degree from DePaul University Goodman School of Drama. He then went on to complete his masters in Speech, Radio, Television, and Film from Northwestern University. He also studied meteorology at Mississippi State University. However the website doesn’t bill him as a meteorologist. Just a weather reporter. But does one really need a degree? Before I retired our controller for our company worked his way up from the store room. He spend 30+ years working and learning from companies and now has CPAs under him. He’s knows all the ins and outs of accounting. He doesn’t have any degree but I’d still call him an accountant. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2011, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-meteorologists-or-weater-forecasters/587263/20 "2011-06-29T21:57:35Z")
> [@AntiCoyote](#): > > Before I retired our controller for our company worked his way up from the store room. He spend 30+ years working and learning from companies and now has CPAs under him. He’s knows all the ins and outs of accounting. > > He doesn’t have any degree but I’d still call him an accountant. True, I would agree that he is an accountant. But he could not hold himself out as a CPA. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-meteorologists-or-weater-forecasters/587263.md?page=2)