Remembering Weather Coverage

While writing the post about the media helping people during Katrina it brought me back to my days in news doing weather stories...

I always joked and said that when the newscast was telling everyone else to stay inside "the weather was bad" at that same moment a producer or assignment editor was telling a news crew to head out into the weather, "but be careful". It always seemed at odds with each other.

There is one weather event however that I always remember. I don't remember if it was me or another photog (I actually think it was with someone else who did the shot) but it was a weather live shot with Rollie Keith. Now any live shot with Rollie was an adventure. He hated being live anywhere. I only remember one live shot in my time at WMBD where Rollie wanted to do the live shot and that was the one with Sam Kinison. I was lucky enough to do that one and the funny side note for that one was that I got called into the News Director or GM's office before the live shot and told to keep my hand on the video cable and if Kinison got out of control to just pull the cable and go black. They would understand.

Anyway Rollie was out doing this live shot on the riverfront and just as the live shot started the weather started to roll in. I mean it was a big old nasty summer thunderstorm that just popped up. Watching Rollie fight the weather and do his forecast was one of the funniest things anyone has ever seen. The best part is that while he grumped about it for hours, weeks, months, and years later if you watch the segment he remained the incredible pro that he always was through the whole thing. Even though his scripts were blowing away and dirt was blowing into his face, etc...