[quote name=\'tvwxman\' date=\'Jun 10 2005, 07:35 AM\']Yes, it was warranted. It simply doesn't matter how 'rural' an area is. If there are people (or viewers. or advertisers. or money-spenders. don't matter what you call em) in the immediate danger of severe weather, we interrupt. Preventing potential Death is more important than Bob solving a puzzle for a car.
And you wonder if the station had a hint that this might be coming? We're forecasters. That's what we do for a living. Some of us are even good at it.
Sounds like you even know that the interrupt was warranted, but are just grinding your axe.
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Again, and I'll repeat for those who didn't see earlier, I AM NOT ARGUING WHETHER IT WAS WARRANTED AT ALL OR NOT.
Capite? But, since we're going to go here (off my original intent behind this thread, BTW), I *am* arguing the timing and urgency of the situation. I don't know where you live, but I've lived for 30+ years in the heart of Tornado Alley and survived one of the worst tornadoes in US history, so no one had better lecture me on what these storms can do or on grinding my axe about them. Given that, I'm certainly entitled to do the latter. Rural/urban, that doesn't matter to me, either. I gave that info in my previous post so that everyone would know where this took place, since some posters here appeared to be interested. I've spent much of teenage years in rural areas doing ranch work & whatnot, so don't even THINK that I'm looking down my nose at those farmers and ranchers who work their asses off out there. Storms do damage in both places. You're certainly welcome to your argument as a professional forecaster, but I, as a TV viewer, am entitled to mine and to express the same.
Now, getting off my soapbox, It might help to put things into context for you, tvwxman, if I were able to show you WHAT they discussed so that you could see my point on placement of the alert, but I don't have or want the necessary video editing software to edit to part I'm discussing. The point is, and I'll say again, in my opinion, the particular content of this given alert *could have* been done during the commercial break that followed. The forecaster at the given station is very good, very accurate, IMO, and he usually puts urgency into his voice when it's warranted. This alert was pretty casually presented, one of a type that his station (usually) waits for a commercial to do, and he takes pride in doing so on-air whenever possible. I'd call that showing the ultimate in courtesy to his viewers. I wil continue to watch his forecasts.
Now, tvwxman, if you want to hear of a story that really ought to get your bowels into an uproar, try this: the NBC affiliate in my parents' hometown REFUSED to break into coverage of a major telethon last weekend when there was a potential tornado forming and heading in their direction. I watched the whole thing on radar via Internet, and I promptly called my folks to see if they were aware of what was coming at them. They weren't, thanks to the local station. If you're one of those forecasters on the side of those who are good at what they/you do (and I sincerely hope you are), you might want to talk to your colleagues that way about when they should interrupt. Wouldn't you say that one was definitely warranted???
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