Coverage You Can Count On Indeed

While I had cable service during Tornado 2011, I was bouncing back-and-forth between the local ABC (WTVD), CBS (WRAL), and NBC (WNCN) affiliates for my coverage. My rationalization was that more data points on the approaching rotations would be helpful to my cause. Which was kind of silly if you stop to think about it – if the damn thing ends up blowing your house apart, does it really matter if you knew ahead of time?

Plus I should of considered the obvious Liberal Bias of the Mainstream Media™ when it comes to Climate Change. Can I really trust those American-haters on these tornadoes? Besides every Real American knows that the policies of the failed Carter Administration are responsible for the development of mesocyclones. </end-sarcasm>

I did lose my cool a couple of times watching the coverage. Several times I found myself yelling at the TV on Saturday before the cable went out. This isn’t healthy. In the best of times, I don’t suffer these talking-head-fools gladly. I’ll concede that even airheads with good teeth, nice hair, high cheekbones, and beautiful complexions shouldn’t be deprived of making a decent living. But when these perky personalities are actually required to ad-lib and even, egad, think for themselves, the results are often hilarious. (Note to self – check if Broadcast News is available for streaming on Netflix.) Now that I have calmed down, these situations seem pretty benign to be getting upset about, but the adrenaline was really pumping at the time.

On WRAL, they were showing a graphic that pretty much was locked on the three rotations of interest to me. Perfect. Suddenly, one of the news anchors interrupts Meteorologist Mike Maze (who was just bringing it strong all afternoon with Nate Johnson) and breathlessly reports that they have some breaking news that there is a downed tree (singular) on a power line (singular) in Cary. Really, Cary? Things wouldn’t get interesting for them for about 45 minutes. Get the freaking Orange County Doppler back on the screen! This is akin to cutting away from an NFL playoff game in OT to see the kickoff of a NFL preseason game.

Hopped over to WTVD. They are rotating web-cam shots from around the Triangle on a split screen with the Doppler Radar. They display an image of Downtown Durham, clearly showing a new building that is being constructed adjacent to the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Anyone that has driven into or out of Durham on the Durham Freeway over, say, the last three months would recognize the image and that building. 

Except apparently for Chief Meteorologist Chris Hohmann who mumbles “There we see an image of….”  followed by a pregnant pause of several uncomfortable seconds until Hohmann checks with his producer. The producer informs him that the picture is of Durham. You know Durham Chris? The city that the D stands for in WTVD? The station you have worked at? For the last 20 years? Yeah, that Durham. That whole episode leads me to believe that I probably couldn’t trust Hohmann to find Hillsborough if I placed him at the interchange of I-85 and I-40.

So on to the NBC affiliate, WNCN. Kind of novel, but they made an interesting production decision. WNCN elected to simultaneously show, in split screen format, the Doppler Radar for the inbound tornadoes and the NHL Hockey Playoff Game between the Phoenix Coyotes and the Detroit Red Wings. I guess hockey really has caught on down here in the Old North State.

Perhaps your eyesight is better than mine and you can simultaneously discern both a hook echo and a traveling puck in two half-size images, but that wasn’t working for me – even in beautiful HD. I can imagine some transplanted Northerner telling his wife (in heavy Guido accent): “Hey honey, you just missed a helluva odd-man rush by the Wings – Oh and it also looks like there is a good chance that the second floor is about to be blown half-a-freaking mile down the street.”

Speaking of WRAL, while I was tuned in, I didn’t see Greg Fishel once – not sure if I just missed him or he was out on vacation all Saturday. Fishel has this weird cult-like following in the Triangle. Especially with the native North Carolinians. I can’t recall how many times since I have been down here that I have heard folks say things like “Greg Fishel is the only weatherman I trust.” I have never been able to really get with the Fish. Might have something to do with the fact that he is both a New York Mets fan and a Penn State graduate. Just kidding. I think.