Making Every Hit Count: Tips for Producing First Weather

Sometime in the first block of a typical newscast, there is usually a short weather hit. Newsrooms call this First Weather, Up Weather, or something similar. It’s usually about a minute long, enough time for about three graphics. If it’s a busy news day, that hit might be reduced to one line in the tease at the end of the block.

Either way, that first appearance in the newscast creates a first impression. That quick hit will either motivate viewers to wait ten minutes for the main weathercast or encourage them to turn off the TV because they’ve heard enough.

When a tease is not a tease

If we’re being honest, that first weather hit is a tease. But here’s the thing: viewers are smart. They can tell when we’re teasing them. There’s nothing more annoying than an obvious tease. The trick is to not make it seem like a tease!

Instead, deliver The Essential Message right off the top. Tell viewers what they want to know and need to know about the weather right now in as few words as possible.

There will be days when that message is a recap of a major weather event that happened earlier in the day. There will be days when viewers want to know what’s happening right now. And there will be days when viewers need to know what’s going to happen in the near future. Start with that.

Take a break from the usual format

Focusing first on a storm that’s still days away might seem unusual for meteorologists accustomed to stacking their weather hits chronologically. Think about this: newscasts aren’t produced chronologically. Why should the weathercast be any different?

I previously wrote about my conversation with the clerk at a car rental counter who chuckled when she saw my Texas driver’s license. “You’re going to love our weather this week. It’s supposed to snow on Friday,” she told me. If our viewers are already talking about the next big storm several days from now, we must prioritize that. Lead with the lead story.

Allow me to ruffle a few feathers. Two things shouldn’t be part of the first weather hit unless they are newsworthy: the almanac and current conditions. Unless it’s something everyone is talking about, like record temperatures. Unless the wind, temperature, heat index, or wind chill are life-threatening at that moment. If it’s not urgent, critical, or essential information, it shouldn’t be part of First Weather. (You probably don’t need either one in main weather either, but that’s a blog post for another day.)

Nail the ending

Listen carefully to the headlines at the top of national news broadcasts, and you’ll realize they always tell part of the story. It’s not a blatant tease. They tell you just enough to pique your interest and follow that with a promise of additional information later in the newscast: we’ll show you how it started; we’ll tell you what went wrong; we’ll explain what happens next.

This is a format that broadcast meteorologists can use as well. Highlight what viewers need to know or want to know about the weather right now. Then, promise specific weather coverage later in the newscast: I’ll show you where; I’ll tell you when; I’ll explain why.

First weather hits don’t always get the attention they deserve because they’re short. However, many news reporter packages aren’t much longer these days.

Every second counts. Every weather hit counts. Choosing what to cover in that first weather hit should be a deliberate decision. Take as much care with that as you do with the main weather hit. Create a good first impression and you might convince viewers to stick around for the rest of the story.

Tim Heller is an AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist, Talent Coach, and Weather Content Consultant. He helps local TV stations fulfill the weather brand promise every day on broadcast and digital platforms.