We are no longer broadcast meteorologists
I am making a small, but significant change on this website. I will no longer refer to the professionals working at local television stations as Broadcast Meteorologists.
That title hasn’t fit for a long time. For over three decades, weather teams have been creating content for station-branded websites and mobile apps for at least twenty years. They are also sharing content on social media, producing podcasts and streaming shows, publishing newsletters, writing weather forecasts for newspapers, and recording updates for local radio stations.
To be fair, because they do cast their forecasts and updates broadly, the title still technically applies. However, it fails to capture the scope of their multi-faceted responsibilities.
Local TV station weather teams produce content for multiple media platforms. It only makes sense that we start referring to them as Multimedia Meteorologists.
Going forward, that’s how you’ll see these weather professionals addressed on this website. While the main pages have already been updated with the new terminology, old blog posts will gradually be updated to reflect the new title.
This change is more than a matter of semantics. It more clearly defines the individual and accurately reflects their job responsibilities. Calling oneself a broadcast meteorologist implies that the broadcast, the live newscast that airs on TV, is the most important part of the job. Sure, it was at one time. But today consumers prefer to get their local news on digital platforms. The station’s website, mobile app, social media accounts are just as important, and perhaps even more important than the live TV newscast because that’s where people are looking for information.
The title Multimedia Meteorologist captures the reality of the modern job, where no single platform is more important than another; they all demand equal attention. The real challenge, and what I spend most of my time coaching, is managing that workflow effectively.
Tim Heller is an AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist, Talent Coach, and Weather Content Consultant. He helps local TV stations and multimedia meteorologists communicate more effectively and work more efficiently.