WeatherBrains 211: Weather from Kansas
WeatherBrains Episode 211 is now online (Feb. 8, 2010). If you are crazy about weather, this is THE netcast audio program for you!
WeatherBrains 211 - February 8, 2010The special guest on this episode comes from the middle of the country. Dave Freeman is the Chief Meteorologist of the KSN WeatherLab and he can be seen weeknights at 5, 6 and 10pm on KSN News. Dave has earned the Seal of Approval of both the National Weather Association and the American Meteorological Society and he holds a certificate in Broadcast Meteorology from Mississippi State University, has taken advanced coursework from MSU, and has undergone special training in NEXRAD Doppler Radar by the company that builds the NEXRAD Radars.
Dave is the first person ever recognized two times as Broadcaster of the Year by the National Weather Association. His coverage of the Greensburg tornado in May, 2007, was recognized with the NWA 2008 Broadcaster of the Year Award. Dave first won the award in 1992. Dave has been elected to a second term as a member of the governing Council of the NWA, and, he has also served as NWA national Broadcast Meteorology Chairman and as Broadcast Seal Chairman.
Dave and other KSN staff were honored by the Kansas Association of Broadcasters for Best Single Topic News Coverage in 2008 for the live coverage of President Bush’s address to the graduates of Greensburg High School. The KAB also gave top honors to KSN for Special Program for “Greensburg, One Year Later,” which Dave co-anchored with Anita Cochran.
In addition to his work on KSN, he has been recognized for his severe weather coverage on radio. He was part of teams honored with the 1999 Kansas Association of Broadcasters Award for Best Radio In-Depth Reporting for coverage of the May 3, 1999, tornado that struck Wichita and south-central Kansas; a Regional Edward R. Murrow Award in 1998 by the Radio-Television News Directors Association for radio coverage of urban flooding that struck Wichita in 1997; and Best Radio Spot News in Kansas from the Associated Press in 1996 for coverage of a tornado near Pretty Prairie, Kansas.
Dave is one of the few journalists to have flown with the Air Force Reserve’s Hurricane Hunters. He had the privilege of flying through the eye of Hurricane Andrew (six times, no less!). Dave also covered Hurricane Hugo when it slammed into South Carolina, providing live satellite reports from the coast. Dave has also chased tornadoes with researchers from the National Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman, Oklahoma. In addition to anchoring the weather, Dave has also co-written a children’s book on storms, and a severe weather safety brochure for teenagers.
Dave is happily married and has three great kids. Dave is also a PADI SCUBA diving Instructor and an Emergency First Response (CPR and first aid) Instructor. He also enjoys driving his antique Cadillac!
Dave talks a little about killing sacred cows in the weather business including probability of precipitation or POP.
Joining in will be Andrea Butera who is a news producer for WESH-TV in Orlando, FL, and the Tampa Weather Examiner. Andrea has a passion for anything weather-related. She is a self-proclaimed “weather nerd” and has been ever since she was in high school. In October 2009, she became the Tampa Weather Examiner, a freelance writer for the Examiner.com. Andrea is a trained severe weather spotter with the National Weather Service, and she is experienced in covering hurricanes. She also enjoyed her time out west, experiencing the Arizona monsoon. In June, 2009, she co-produced KPHO’s 30-minute monsoon special.
Other discussions in this weekly podcast include topics like:
Our mail bag continued to get some nice emails.
From The Weather Center:
WeatherBrains 101: Did you send your favorite weatherperson a card or give? What? Well you missed National Weatherperson’s Day just three days ago, so it’s not too late to send a belated card or gift. This week we take a look at where this special day came from and why it is on February 5th – no, there is not a groundhog involved!
TWIWH: Bill Murray looks back at the week of February 9th.
Listener Surveys: Okay, we continue to drive this topic into the ground, but we really do like to hear from you. Many thanks to everyone who has taken the time to fill out the Listener Survey. The survey takes just a minute or two to complete and provides us with an opportunity to learn where you are and hear your thoughts and comments on the show. Click here to take the survey.
Web Sites from Episode 211:
Dave Freeman Personal Web Page
Snowfall Map/Listing for Mid-Atlantic Storm System
Picks of the Week:
Andrea Butera – Weather Wars off Nightline and CBS News Eye on Hurricane Grandstanding
JB Elliott – No Pick! But a 10-second rant!
Bill Murray – Video of James Spann in 1974!
Brian Peters – Proposed New Climate Service
Kevin Selle – Meteorological Product Identifiers
James Spann – National Weather Association
The WeatherBrains crew includes your host, James Spann, plus other notable geeks like JB Elliott, Kevin Selle, Bill Murray, and Brian Peters. They bring together a wealth of weather knowledge and experience for another fascinating netcast about weather.
Allen Pitts, W1AGP, is an Amateur Extra class licensee who lives in New Britain, Connecticut, and works as Media and Public Relations Manager for the ARRL, American Radio Relay League. Pitts came to the ARRL in September, 2004, and as he sees it, he arrived at the League at a critical juncture for Amateur Radio as BPL issues and Hurricane Katrina operations soon challenged the ARRL. Pitts emphasizes that while he takes his public relations role most seriously, he also wants it understood that he’s an active radio amateur and “not just a PR person.” Pitts came to the ARRL after a three-year stint as executive director of The Box Project Inc–a national, member-based charity that matches volunteers with families needing help. For eight years prior to that, he directed a multi-program human services agency that, among other things, was responsible for emergency shelters, transitional living, a court alternative sanctions program, emergency food services and an AIDS respite program. He also has many years experience as a senior therapist in hospital psychiatry settings. A radio amateur since 1999, he’s no stranger to the ARRL Field Organization, having served as an ARES District Emergency Coordinator and later as Connecticut’s Section Emergency Coordinator and an ARRL Assistant Section Manager. Pitts holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of South Carolina and a Master’s degree from the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary (he served congregations in Kansas and Connecticut in the 1970s and 1980s) and plays a 12-string electric guitar (badly, but joyfully). He and his wife, Donna, have three grown children and six grandchildren. Pitts is active on HF, VHF and UHF. Although primarily a phone operator, he says he tries to keep up at a “basic level” on CW whenever he can. He claims his most creative ideas come in the middle of the night as he talks things over with his friend, Bear.
Rob Macedo, KD1CY, has always had an interest in weather spotting and reporting. Rob has been the Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES) SKYWARN Coordinator for NWS Taunton Massachusetts since 1996 and the Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator since 2005. The NWS Taunton Office receives over 90% of its damage reports through the efforts of Amateur Radio Operators with one-half to two-thirds of rainfall and snowfall reports coming from Amateur Radio Operators as well. Professionally, Rob is a Principle Engineer/Senior Manager at EMC Corporation where he has worked since 1995 having received an Electrical Engineering degree from the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth.
