TV Weather
Weather Almanac
Celebrates 25 Years
It is one of the best viewer services and promotional tools we've seen --- WRC-TV's Almanac and Guide For The Weatherwise.
For twenty-five years, Washington meteorologist Bob Ryan has compiled a book filled with
information that viewers value.
Here's how he does it.
Longevity shows almanac's appeal
The Almanac and Guide For The Weatherwise contains a mix
of basic information (such as tides, the hours of daylight, and which planets are visible
in the night sky) and current articles that change each year.
"It is a combination of things that are interesting and fun, and information about
science and the weather that will appeal to a variety of people," says Bob Ryan,
Chief Meteorologist at WRC-TV.
Almanac sales generate donations to charities.
"Bob has raised more than a half million dollars for children's charities in the
Washington area through the sale of his almanac," says Michael Jack, President and
General Manager.
He adds, "This towering accomplishment reflects Bob Ryan's commitment to his viewers
as well as to children."
School children have been an important constituency.
The almanac has contained a section on how to do your own forecast. It has been a good
handout when he has spoken at schools.
| "Bob Ryan is one of the giants of his
profession. He's a scientist, an educator and a communicator, and he has brought all of
his skills to the task of putting together this almanac for the past 25 years. His unique
legacy will not easily be matched." |
|
Michael Jack
President and General Manager
WRC-TV |
The project began modestly, and grew.
"When I first came to Washington (in 1980), I had the idea of putting together a
little informational booklet with weather facts to give out to viewers," says Ryan.
Like many weathercasters, he had distributed one-page mailers with tips on thunderstorm
safety and hurricane tracking charts.
"I thought it would be nice to put things together in a booklet form," he
explains.
The project has since become a major, annual effort.
Subscribers, please go to our
password-protected archives for the full explanation of how Ryan puts this together.
Thank you. |
Subscribers Only
In Our Story Archives
Weather Reports
 Blizzard of '93:
Extended Storm Coverage
Television news operations battled the snow, cold and wind to report on power outages,
highway hazards and the storm's impact.
TV's Early Warning of Tornado Saved Many
Lives
In 1999 in Oklahoma, 43 people died and more than 1,500 homes were destroyed. The
toll would've been much higher without TV's warnings.
Earthquake of '89:
TV Provides Vital Details
It was the biggest earthquake to hit California since 1906. A double-decker freeway
collapsed upon itself. A roaring fire covered a city block. A section of the Bay
Bridge collapsed.
Emergency Preparedness: Make Sure
Systems Don't Fail
Here is how broadcasters prepared for the big earthquake in San Francisco, and what
they learned when the building shook and the power went off.
Seattle Earthquake:
TV Newsrooms Were Ready
A mid-morning earthquake surprised the Seattle area. The shaking was captured on
videotape several places as photographers or fixed cameras were rolling when it began.
Station executives had planned for such an emergency, and the planning worked well.
Drought and the Challenge of Covering
the Western Forest Fires
Three million acres burned before the peak of the fire season.
The techniques the news managers used in Colorado and Arizona could be applied to many
other large scale emergencies where thousands of people are impacted by a threat that
keeps shifting and growing.
Marathon Coverage of San Antonio Floods
Thirty inches of rain fell on South Texas. Rivers flooded over their banks. Homes were
destroyed. Thousands of people had to flee.
News organizations covered the story and provided vital survival information as the water
threatened day after day.
When A Flooding Disaster Strikes:
Who's in Charge?
While much of the major weather reporting consists of warning and advising people about
dangerous storms, there can be an investigative role, too.
A large scale disaster tests everyone --- police, fire and other emergency workers, as
well as the news departments.
In Sacramento, where severe floods did widespread damage during January, 1997, KCRA-TV
news documented serious weaknesses in the emergency response system in the state.
The Killer Storm:
Covering Hurricane Hugo
Newspeople had to survive, salvage their equipment as best they could, and provide the
vital weather and recovery information their audience needed.
Hurricane Floyd:
Challenges Afterward
At one point, Hurricane Floyd was 600 miles wide. This massive storm dumped record amounts
of rain. Flooding afterwards was extensive. Crews had to be airlifted into
some areas where they met people with boats. |
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