I am just curious. We have someone (or two) that I simply can not believe that they know weather. How can you get hired if you just aren't that good?

Hello my Kit Kat friend! I think that every person here probably name a weather person that they wondered how they got the job. Did you see the thread on the LA lady? Well, I have a feeling that I know what helped her land that job!

There is someone here in Atlanta that I believe got the job because that person used to work for the news director when they were both in a significanly smaller market. Believe it or not, I usually don't watch the local weather people. I have had several people ask me this exact question about this person. TV weather is no different than any other business. People many times hire through networking.

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Rich Johnson
Tropicalweather.net
Certified Broadcast Meteorologist - Hurricane Expert

How I believe Katy Turr got hired

It's really common to hire people you already know. They are a known commodity...they also may want to do a favor for a friend.

The name of the game is money. It's quite simple. There are many people who attract audiences and are not even meteorologists. As I had mentioned earlier, it doesn't matter why people watch, but that they do watch. Simple math, no calculus involved.

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Rich Johnson
Tropicalweather.net
Certified Broadcast Meteorologist - Hurricane Expert

Al Roker is a perfect example. He is the nations "image" for a weatherman and he is just that.... a weatherman not a meteorologist. You would think he might take some night classes or something to finally become one but guess he doesn't need it. Has his own books and now TV show.

Look where Al Roker is....at the top of the field making big bucks and not even a meteorologist. How many other professions could you have a person imposing as a professional? It reminds me of the Holiday Inn Express commercials.... I'm not a doctor but I stayed in a Holiday Inn Express last night.

How would you like to go to the dentist and find out that the "dentist" actually was a person that has a degree in botany an took a couple of courses on dentistry? Only in weather does this stuff happen.

I'm trying to think of other professions where someone who is not a professional passes themselves to the public as a professional. Teachers, police, fire fighters, chemists, accountants....all professionals in their fields...I just can't think of any business link tv weather people.

Unfortunately, people think that weather forecasters get paid for being wrong. I guess that is why people who are not meteorologists are not considered any different.

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Rich Johnson
Tropicalweather.net
Certified Broadcast Meteorologist - Hurricane Expert