Weather on the Air
A History of Broadcast Meteorology
Distributed for American Meteorological Society
Weather on the Air
A History of Broadcast Meteorology
From low humor to high drama, TV weather reporting has encompassed an enormous range of styles and approaches, triggering chuckles, infuriating the masses, and at times even saving lives. In Weather on the Air,meteorologist and science journalist Robert Henson covers it all—the people, technology, science, and show business that combine to deliver the weather to the public each day.
The first comprehensive history of its kind, Weather on the Air explores the many forces that have shaped weather broadcasts over the years, including the long-term drive to professionalize weathercasting, the complex relations between government and private forecasters, and the effects of climate-change science and the Internet on today’s broadcasts. Dozens of photos and anecdotes accompany Henson’s more than two decades of research to document the evolution of weathercasts, from their primitive beginnings on the radio to the high-gloss, graphics-laden segments we watch on television every morning.
This engaging study will be an invaluable tool for students of broadcast meteorology and mass communication and an entertaining read for anyone fascinated by the public face of weather.
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241 pages | 16 color plates, 75 halftones | 7 x 9 | © 2010
Earth Sciences: Meteorology
History: History of Technology
Reviews
Table of Contents
Preface
1. "And Now, Your Forecast": A Whirlwind Tour through TV Weather History
2. The Big Picture: The When, Where, and Who of Weathercasting
3. The Invisible Weather Team: How Public and Private Meteorologists Shape the Weathercast
4. But Seriously...: Attitudes and Approaches to Conveying the Weather
5. Blue Skies and Green Screens: The Technical Side of Weathercasting
6. Breaking through the Glass Map: Diversifying the Ranks of Weathercasters
7. Coast to Coast: The Nationwide Approach to Weathercasting
8. When Minutes Count: Getting the Word Out during Severe Weather
9. Voices of Weather: The Story of Radio Weathercasting
10. Cloudy and Warmer: Climate Change and Weathercasting
11. The Extended Outlook: Whither the Weathercast?
Notes
Index
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