Educational Backgrounds of TV
Meteorologists (210)
Thomas A. Green, Jr., NWS Pittsburgh, Moon
Township, PA
Carl J. Schreck III, North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies (NCICS),
North Carolina State University
Nathan S. Johnson, Department of Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences,
North Carolina State University
Sonya Stevens Heath, WCIV-TV
Abstract:
Successful
television weathercasters have a wide range of talents. Perhaps most critical
to their careers is the ability to communicate the forecast to a diverse
audience. Their knowledge of the science can be just as important,
especially during severe weather events when the public turns to these trusted
sources. In the early days of television, most weathercasters lacked formal
training in meteorology and relied instead on forecasts from other sources.
Over the decades, degreed meteorologists became more common. A third category
has recently emerged: people with certificates in broadcast meteorology from
Mississippi State University. This certification, and the related broadcast
meteorology degrees, provides on-air personalities with a basic understanding
of meteorology but without requiring the advanced calculus, differential
equations, and dynamics that can be challenging to many students.
This
study conducts a unique survey of TV weathercasters using the educational
history listed on their station's website or LinkedIn. The backgrounds of 421
weathercasters were examined with the equivalent of a 94% response rate. The
sample was selected from five collections of markets ranging from the top five
to the bottom 26. Overall, 21% had a broadcast meteorology degree or
certification from Mississippi State, 64% had a traditional meteorology degree
from Mississippi State or another institution, 2% minored in meteorology or had
military training, and 12% listed no or a partial educational background in the
field. This study examined these fractions for various subsets of
weathercasters and found statistically significant variations by market size,
region, ownership group, and gender.