WWNY-TV 7 is advertising for a weather person, but the job is not that easy to fill and is more important than you think.
In most markets the weather person is also a commercial pitch man and public relations tool for the station. He or she can do the public appearances that would be inappropriate for the news people.
So all this talk of a credible meteorologist really yields in the end to someone who is a personality and a salesperson for the station and its clients.
Finding someone with the skills, gravitas, marketing ability and desire to make a home in the 190th or so market is not easy.
It's no place for a rookie flailing to find the nation's mid-section on a chroma keyed map. (In my day they just slapped magnetic highs and lows on a map)
Since most people in TV are upwardly mobile , a person with these skills in a larger market will not come here for fifty or sixty K. Granted over time you can make more with commercial endorsements and side deals doing weather for radio stations...but still, its a tough sell and for the station there is a lot riding on the decision.
There is a good female weather person on YNN I have been watching lately, who might be worth a look see...but I bet she has her sights on top hundred markets.
There are in house candidates like Beth Hall or John Kubis...Some of the news people have been filling in lately too....In the end its hard to find a person as smart, nice-appearing, and personable as Rick DeFranco....They will love him in Helena if he ends up moving from the Big County to the Big Sky.
Meteorologist WWNY TV 7 - News, Weather and Sports for Watertown, NY Job Openings at 7News/Fox 28
11 comments:
I never thought of a lot of what you are saying. Makes sense. All but the part of being a credible meteorologist. What's the reason for that requirement? Do you really think anyone watches Channel 7 to find out what the weather will be?
If it's Vanessa Richards, I'm pretty sure she's going to be staying in Syracuse. I went to college with her and she's married and wants to settle down . Both she and her husband have jobs based in SYR (hence why she left a job in Elmira).
Carrie Cheevers has been at YNN for years, and Courtney Furtado (another ex-classmate of mine) is just starting out so I don't know about her.
What about Jay Donovan?
Rich is a GEM , will be a VERY tuff act to follow, but frankly i seriously doubt MOST today go to TV for the weather . We are all "connected" 24/7 and get that on DEMAND . BTW i'm 67 and even my generation is computer saavy so i 'd guess &news isn't obsessing if they understand demographics at all .
Getting good looking, sharp recent grads/interns and helping them leverage up may be a real strategy.
The constant talent stream from both Newhouse ( for news staff) and The SUNY " weather schools" should be a fairly easy and fertile ground for talent, knowing 7 News is "platforming and seasoning" the better ones for larger catchement areas .
If Beth Hall is in the running, and gets the job, count on me NOT watching channel 7 news.
I dont care for John Kubis either. I hated watching the news when Rick was out on medical leave! I has to watch the weather channel. When Rick returned I was excited. To hear Rick was leaving - breaks my heart but I am happy for him.
John Kubis has been with the station for years. He is from the area, and knows it well. They should give him a chance.
AS THE TIME APPROACHES FOR RICK TO SAY HIS FINAL WEATHER REPORT FOR THE #1 NEWS STATION I FIND IT HARD TO SAY "GOOD BYE" & "GOOD NIGHT" THAT 1 LAST TIME...ESPECIALLY AFTER HIS APPEARANCES ON THE "EARLY SHOW" ...MR. DEFRANCO YOU WILL SURELY BE MISSED BY MANY OF THE VIEWING FAMILIES HERE IN THE NORTH COUNTRY...GOOD LUCK TO YOU MY FRIEND!!!
Kubis is just not qualified. He's not a meteorologist! Last time I knew he had only gone to JCC after getting out of the military. I'm sure he's a certified forecaster, but so isn't Beth? He just lacks the presence Rick has. I agree with the above comment about dreading watching channel 7 when Rick was out. Kubis, ughh...
After all these years he still makes amateur mistakes. The station needs a new but a seasoned talent. Not Kubis, not Beth. Yech!
Such a loss for Defranco to leave---guess it's the Weather Channel for us now. Any "INTERNAL" 7News candidates are ridiculous. They NEVER should have let Jay Donovan go--whatever the reason?--Kubis is a total "joke" and considering the rest of the bumbling mistakes made on 7News they can't afford to goof up this selection---interesting to see what happens. I don't have confidence that they will do anything we can't already predict---too bad.
Let me ask you folks. What do you do when you want to do something outdoors? First off, don't bother to watch Channel 7. Try this instead. Go to a long range radar screen and get a feel for what fronts are moving where and how fast. Then, check a National Weather Service forcast. Then stand outside, piss into the wind and count to ten, if any hits your shoes, take that into consideration. Change your shoes. Then ignore it all, except the radar, and go have fun. If you listen to any of the newscasters you will postpone your plans time and time again and you will miss a beautiful, sunny day. Rick DeFranco my butt. He's a nice guy. He should just tell a joke instead of pretending to know the weather. That's what Mel does and we love him. And we wonder why our country is in the trouble it is in.
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