"Jim, just tell me the weather" ?

[Nev]

This rather lengthy commentary by Stuff's, Jane Cliften is bound to stir up some emotions (and I don't just mean from members of this forum). I'll be watching the comments section with great interest.

'TV review: Jim, just tell me the weather'

Interestingly, Jane Cliften often writes (somewhat ill-informed) weather-stories.

[Inny Binny]

Wasn't there another article like this a little while ago?

It's all complete crap. Jim does tell us the weather, regularly at about ten to six.

I just don't get what the article is trying to prove.

[RWood]

While I wouldn't go as far as "mark" on Stuff's feedback ("This is the most contrived piece of crap I have possibly ever read on stuff"), a good case can be made for giving a quickfire forecast summary right at the start, and leaving the rest till afterwards. But considering the abysmal standard of "One" News, and the mountain of political tripe spewed forth in all the media, including Jane Clifton's articles, it's not as if the weather slot is shamed by anything else on offer! (Clifton is married to a politician, so I guess NZ's small insular political world seems much larger to her).

[TonyT]

Clifton's comments, and those of the readers which follow, mirror exactly the message I get when I talk to groups about the weather. 75% find the TV weather unsatisfactory, for the same reasons she outlines, and 25% love Jim Hickey so much that they really dont care about the weather, they just want to watch him, so any suggestion of doing away with him is met with total resistance.

[jrj]

[Nev]

Wasn't there another article like this a little while ago?

... I just don't get what the article is trying to prove.

Obviously a proven 'hit-ratings' winner?

EDIT: I meant the article - over 150 comments in about 3.5 hours so far ...

[spwill]

Its all about holding onto viewers.

[RWood]

In defence of Jane Clifton, who's wit I certainly appreciate, I was not aware (nor care) that she is married to a polly. (Who, by the way?) I certainly do not sense any political bias from her writing, she'll have a go at anyone! I do hope that this forum is not going to be bombarded by political comment over the next few months.

You've missed my point entirely. I don't give a damn about Clifton's politics. She simply thinks that "weather" is a small subject (compared to politics or anything else) and consequently is in no position to offer several paragraphs of longwinded commentary.

Tony is right about the 25% - it's the "personality cult" junk that pervades society.

[Michael]

Its only because its in the news taking up much of the headlines.

[jrj]

[trickytiger]

thanks for the live weather camera's tonight Jim, they were really interesting watching the lights and cars driving by, not. He really doesn't say much at the start, does he?

[RWood]

I don't give a damn about Clifton's politics.

This implies that she has got some. I'm certainly not aware of any in her writing.
With regard to the weather, I guess she has as much, if not more, right to comment about it as anyone else. She is, after all, a television critic.

Being a television critic doesn't automatically confer any expertise in the subject in question. I don't care for Jim Hickey's folksy/jokesy style - the more neutral Brendan Horan was better in my view. But the ranting of someone who clearly knows very little about the subject, and cares even less, is not worth the column space. People I know only want to know a couple of basic things about the weather forecast if they ask me - but they don't make any claim to be able to assess either weather or weather forecasters. The whole things smacks of someone who couldn't find anything else to write about that day. This piece, if it had to be printed, would have been better placed in the Dompost's "curmudgeon" column.

[Inny Binny]

With regard to the weather, I guess she has as much, if not more, right to comment about it as anyone else. She is, after all, a television critic.

TV critics have more right to comment than others? That's just journalistic snobbery.

[jrj]

[Inny Binny]

TV critics get paid to comment about stuff, but they don't have more right to comment and review than others, no matter how much they would like to think so. Everyone has an equal right to do so.

[RWood]

There's a good letter in yesterday's DomPost, from a daughter of J F Gabites, a former director of the Met. Service. She points out that he and others fought tooth and nail to get a few precious minutes on TV, and was so annoyed by the wastage of time on flim-flam from the likes of "Jim" that he stopped watching.

But - she also politely criticises Clifton for wanting to know only the "what" of weather, not the "why". My whole point was that Clifton is clearly not really interested in the weather, and is not qualified to say much on the subject at all, let alone 1096 words. My partner asks me each day if it will rain, and how warm it will be - that's the extent of her concern. But she doesn't pretend that her opinions would be of interest or value to anyone else.

[spwill]

She points out that he and others fought tooth and nail to get a few precious minutes on TV, and was so annoyed by the wastage of time on flim-flam from the likes of "Jim" that he stopped watching.

But I'm sure someone like Jim will get the weather message out to more people, it's all about viewer numbers.

[NZ Thunderstorm Soc]

As far as I'm concerned, Jim is typical of a 'hard-case' New Zealander, so he is the obvious choice of a New Zealand TV Weather presenter.
He uses Kiwi quokwilalizizms, ie.expressions that ordinary kiwi's understand.
What's the problem ?

JohnGaul
NZTS

[gllitz]

As far as I'm concerned, Jim is typical of a 'hard-case' New Zealander, so he is the obvious choice of a New Zealand TV Weather presenter.
He uses Kiwi quokwilalizizms, ie.expressions that ordinary kiwi's understand.
What's the problem ?

JohnGaul
NZTS

Yeesh, and you give US a hard time about spelling ..."colloquialisms," I think is what you were looking for...

As an aside I, for one, love them...stuff like "get along like a house on fire," "you're cooking with gas," "....is the bee's knees"...etc...these expressions are great (never heard them until I got here to NZ 8 1/2 years ago). I think they just add to the richness of the language. Should they be used by people like Jim on TV? Certainly...especially if they help get the point across, and it helps to appeal to a wider audience. But things like "mini-tornado"...well...it just isn't cricket, now is it?

[TonyT]

He uses Kiwi quokwilalizizms, ie.expressions that ordinary kiwi's understand.
What's the problem ?

JohnGaul
NZTS

The problem is that as far as I can tell, a significant number of people who want to understand, cant.

[Philip Duncan]

Chad Myers would have to be the best weather presenter I've ever seen. He's so full of energy but he clearly explains the science of weather. (From CNN America for those who don't know him).

[Inny Binny]

Tony, I really can't see many people misunderstanding kiwi colloquialisms. For the tweens and under, sure, a few might not get it, but older than that, people can get the gist of it very easily even if they've never heard them before.

I like Jim much more than any other presenter I've seen in NZ.

[NZ Thunderstorm Soc]

Yeesh, and you give US a hard time about spelling ..."colloquialisms,"

...um embarrasssed
...couldn't find the dictionary

JohnGaul
NZTS

[gllitz]

www.dictionary.com is a good one...there are lots of dictionary sites out there!

[NZ Thunderstorm Soc]

there are lots of dictionary sites out there!

thats nice

JohnGaul
NZTS