The infomercialisation of meteorology

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bpo
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The infomercialisation of meteorology

Unread post by bpo »

Is anyone else equally dismayed to see NZ weather forecasting and reporting reduced to the same money-grubbing level as a particularly bad Reality TV show?
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The infomercialisation of meterology

Unread post by jamie »

What in the world isn't? Sadly it's they way he world operates. Money! Everyone has to make a living.

My advice is to get over it. It's out there as with every other thing people will try make money off. You sound smart enough to ignor it an know in your mind what the forecast is truely and not what the media bag it up to be.
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Re: The infomercialisation of meteorology

Unread post by Orion »

I am not sure if this is what bpo means, but I find the presenters of weather quite hard to understand lately.
Today a meteorologist is quoted in the NZ Herald as saying "the beast will really show its fangs and teeth" and, the other day, possibly the same person said on Radio NZ that a "hoover" would bring a "good lump" and "a load" of rain.
A bit puzzling to me :-k
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Re: The infomercialisation of meteorology

Unread post by 03Stormchaser »

Dan's been comparing this storm too an octopus??
'Think of it almost like an octopus flailing its legs'

in the same article we find out its like a football match aswell
"If this is like a football match, we're not quite to halftime in Northern areas."

An Octopus playing football, i guess none of us have any idea what to expect from Lusi then.

I do wonder why he treats his interviews like he is talking to Year 1 children at a primary school some times...

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Re: The infomercialisation of meteorology

Unread post by Orion »

I noticed the above mixed metaphors as well.
It seems to me that events as potentially important as these need to be described so people really know what to expect and don't write it off as sensational "entertainment".
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Re: The infomercialisation of meteorology

Unread post by bpo »

A bunch of amateurs attempt to generate revenue by hyping everything to ridiculous extremes, and so the professionals somehow feel obliged to "compete." The result is a vicious cycle of puerile lowest-common-denominator stupidity.

Maybe it's time to licence people who sell weather. Perhaps a minimum of a B.Sc. or equivalent should be required. Anything to flush away all these shysters, hucksters and wannabes.
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Re: The infomercialisation of meteorology

Unread post by NZstorm »

bpo wrote:A bunch of amateurs attempt to generate revenue by hyping everything to ridiculous extremes, and so the professionals somehow feel obliged to "compete." The result is a vicious cycle of puerile lowest-common-denominator stupidity.
Please document an instance were the so called amateurs were hyping the storm? If you are going to make those claims you need to back it up.
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Re: The infomercialisation of meteorology

Unread post by TonyT »

bpo wrote:A bunch of amateurs attempt to generate revenue by hyping everything to ridiculous extremes, and so the professionals somehow feel obliged to "compete." The result is a vicious cycle of puerile lowest-common-denominator stupidity.

Maybe it's time to licence people who sell weather. Perhaps a minimum of a B.Sc. or equivalent should be required. Anything to flush away all these shysters, hucksters and wannabes.
The media seem incapable of reporting a need for caution or prudence. It is very frustrating. Weather is the new politics. If they report anything its always the worst potential, not the expectation. Often the headlines and bylines are misleading. This isnt helped by the "baring its teeth and showing its fangs" type of stuff which comes from one or two of your beloved professionals. If you go back and look at the (relatively few) factual quotes from weather experts that were reported the quality of them is pretty good relative to what happened and what might reasonably of happened. But to find them you have to wade through a lot of puffery and attention grabbing headlines which originate in news rooms, not from the mouths of weather experts.
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Re: The infomercialisation of meteorology

Unread post by cantygal »

100% behind you Tony. A good friend of mine is in the weather media and says something similar and almost tears his hair out when he's misquoted or excerpts are taken and then either altered or completely misplaced.
It's the media and not the weather experts in my opinion as well.
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Re: The infomercialisation of meteorology

Unread post by Nev »

I often find the before and after headlines interesting, like this example of the latter…

'Weather bomb fails to go off' - One News

>_<
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Re: The infomercialisation of meteorology

Unread post by bpo »

TonyT wrote:The media seem incapable of reporting a need for caution or prudence. It is very frustrating. Weather is the new politics.
It's also a new business model. These outfits have learned from other centres of desperate narcissism (Myspace, Bebo, Facebook, Twitter, et al) that people don't necessarily want the facts. Give them some excitement and they'll follow you. Tell them the whole world is watching, that they're now the centre of attention and they'll love you. And pay you.
If they report anything its always the worst potential, not the expectation. Often the headlines and bylines are misleading.
They're competing to out sensationalise each other, because they are vying for the fickle notice of so many bored peabrains with the attention spans of goldfish. Be the new Shiny Thing and you'll get their cash.
This isnt helped by the "baring its teeth and showing its fangs" type of stuff which comes from one or two of your beloved professionals.
The problem is they're only "professional" in the sense that someone, somewhere is paying them for doing it, and not because they've put in the hard yards properly learning how to learn at a recognised institution.

Why is it almost every other similar profession or trade has very strict rules on who can practice and who can't, yet anyone can claim to be a professional weatherologist, prancing about and shrieking like a soap opera star about impending End-of-the-world weather "bombs"?
If you go back and look at the (relatively few) factual quotes from weather experts that were reported the quality of them is pretty good relative to what happened and what might reasonably of happened.
From the experts, yes. From the others... Not so much.
But to find them you have to wade through a lot of puffery and attention grabbing headlines which originate in news rooms, not from the mouths of weather experts.
Unfortunately, anyone can now claim to be a weather expert and charge money for their services. Try setting yourself up as a professional surgeon, or dentist, or civil engineer without some kind of recognisable qualification and accreditation. See what happens.

Anyway, here's a weather prediction: I'VE SEEN A CLOUD IN A SATELLITE PHOTO SO THE WORLD'S GONNA END! SEND ME LOTS OF CASH TO HEAR MORE OF THIS EXCITING NEWS!
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Re: The infomercialisation of meteorology

Unread post by bpo »

NZstorm wrote:Please document an instance were the so called amateurs were hyping the storm?
You must be joking.

Seriously, you have to be.
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Re: The infomercialisation of meteorology

Unread post by cantygal »

BPO-Elements of truth but your attitude surely sucks! lol
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Re: The infomercialisation of meteorology

Unread post by Razor »

TonyT wrote:
bpo wrote:A bunch of amateurs attempt to generate revenue by hyping everything to ridiculous extremes, and so the professionals somehow feel obliged to "compete." The result is a vicious cycle of puerile lowest-common-denominator stupidity.

Maybe it's time to licence people who sell weather. Perhaps a minimum of a B.Sc. or equivalent should be required. Anything to flush away all these shysters, hucksters and wannabes.
The media seem incapable of reporting a need for caution or prudence. It is very frustrating. Weather is the new politics. If they report anything its always the worst potential, not the expectation. Often the headlines and bylines are misleading. This isnt helped by the "baring its teeth and showing its fangs" type of stuff which comes from one or two of your beloved professionals. If you go back and look at the (relatively few) factual quotes from weather experts that were reported the quality of them is pretty good relative to what happened and what might reasonably of happened. But to find them you have to wade through a lot of puffery and attention grabbing headlines which originate in news rooms, not from the mouths of weather experts.
Well said Tony =D> Sums up my thoughts to a tee....
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Re: The infomercialisation of meteorology

Unread post by melja »

Have to agree with some of it and face book is worst I think, some real garbage being said on there over the weekend.
Its all about followers now days and to get followers all you need to do is make the story bigger than it really is and they will come flocking by the thousands and hanging on every word that's said.
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Re: The infomercialisation of meteorology

Unread post by NZstorm »

At this end of the country is was the NZ Herald that got a bit carried away with front page stories on Friday and Saturday hyping up ex TC Luci. The Met Service gave their forecast of severe weather and the media did with it what they wanted.
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Re: The infomercialisation of meteorology

Unread post by 03Stormchaser »

Obviously I am (and Aaron) in are on Facebook as Stormchasers.co.nz. Just to put it straight, we don't and wont ever sensationalise what we do.

During this event I was told by what I now regard as Facebook Forecasters that I was "lacking some info and a wee bit of knowledge on this event"... all because I was talking Ex TC Lusi down from the end of days storm many were Facebook forecasting.

While I enjoy having SC on Facebook, I don't think we will be posting too many of own forecasts on these large events, as we don't play ball with the others and turn every pending low into the most terrible weather event about to hit the country like an Octopus... that reference was really weird from Metservice.

This is what I posted before Lusi was making an effect on the country:

"The sensationalism does make people sit up and take notice but there is a fine line that if this event or another is a fizzer some people wont take heed of the warnings as they remember last time that nothing serious eventuated - Steve"

The reply from a well followed Facebook Forecaster:

"We have 36 hours where it backs out a tad....and it's sensationalism ? The path of this storm isn't confirmed nor to the extent which it will deliver. Call it what you want! Cat 3 Cat 100, it's a nasty beast that will deliver wind and rain and warnings will be issued. Waiting game like all events, that's weather! Has deserved all the hype thus far"
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Re: The infomercialisation of meteorology

Unread post by RWood »

The media treatment of the weather has parallels in many other walks of life. Once upon a time the National programme hosted "Sports Roundup", and it was superb. But no - too fuddy-duddy for these times ... and what does one have now? Radio Sport - yelling ego-tripping motor-mouths - it's all about them, not the subject matter. Lousy presenters, every one of them - gabblers with no breath control. My nickname for the worst one is the "Mouthy Meerkat".
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Re: The infomercialisation of meteorology

Unread post by 03Stormchaser »

Reminds me a few years (2008-09 I think) back when a Fairfax reporter rang me up to ask my opinion on a Metservice Severe Thunderstorm Outlook that mention tornadoes in Canterbury. When asked my thoughts I said that there wasn't going to be any and I didn't even think there was the chance of a thunderstorm.
It wasn't the answer they wanted so the ran the storey on what Metservice put out and that day there wasn't a thunderstorm.

Reporters who overnight miraculously become weather experts continue still to amaze me.
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The infomercialisation of meteorology

Unread post by jamie »

This whole media thing annoys me but I suppose being on the receiving end of the media bashing dairy farming means I'm not surprised by all this and it just phases me very little now. It used to wind me right up but not anymore.

But like I said in my first post.... Doesn't this happen in every topic of the news?
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Re: The infomercialisation of meteorology

Unread post by Rogue »

In my opinion it's not sensible for these Facebook Forecasters to be issueing their own 'warnings', to thousands of followers who consider these guys experts where in most cases they are amatuer enthusiasts.'

Don't get me wrong, I love the enthusuasm and a place to share experiences, but thats where it should be left in my opinion.
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Re: The infomercialisation of meteorology

Unread post by bpo »

I just want to make clear that I'm not aiming at people with a storm chase page, or a site filled with nice weather images. That's enthusiasm, and I salute it.

The ones I'm targeting are those who portray themselves as bona fide weather scientists, and who exaggerate everything: A drop of rain is sure to become the kind of flood not seen since Noah; light breezes become savage hurricanes; a skiff of graupel on the tops becomes a house-burying blizzard.

Not so bad if it was touted as no more than the naïve and unscientific personal opinion it is, but instead we're expected to take it seriously as the word of someone who isn't completely clueless.

:lol:
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Re: The infomercialisation of meteorology

Unread post by Manukau heads obs »

the majority are thankfull for the early predictions are timely updates from weatherwatch

see the comments section
http://www.weatherwatch.co.nz/content/w ... ew-zealand


you are over exagerating things BPO and are just here to stir things up
thats not what this forum is about
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Re: The infomercialisation of meteorology

Unread post by melja »

I think its not a bad topic and so far has been very controlled with people just having a say, AND that's what this forum is about.
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Re: The infomercialisation of meteorology

Unread post by spwill »

bpo wrote:I just want to make clear that I'm not aiming at people with a storm chase page, or a site filled with nice weather images. That's enthusiasm, and I salute it.

The ones I'm targeting are those who portray themselves as bona fide weather scientists, and who exaggerate everything: A drop of rain is sure to become the kind of flood not seen since Noah; light breezes become savage hurricanes; a skiff of graupel on the tops becomes a house-burying blizzard.
:
Name who you are aiming at.
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