Weather is my passion. Ask my parents and they’ll tell you it’s always been that way. And it better be since I get up from bed in the middle of the night for my chance to study it.
I recently got an email from a viewer named “Bob” who asked a question about television weather people. “I realize you are on air for a shorter time period than you prepare for your spots. Do you put in a 40-hour week in general? Is this a full-time job or do weather people have to supplement income with an additional job? Just curious.”
Great questions, Bob! And honestly, the time spent on the job has changed in the 16 years I’ve been in this career field. When I got my first morning gig about 15 years ago at KLTV in Tyler, Texas, the morning show had just expanded to one hour. I came in at 3:45am which would give me enough time forecast and make graphics before our live show. After that, we taped our Good Morning America tid-bits and then I was off work by 9am. Not a bad gig, working 5 hour days. And I was so lucky to be given a very nice salary.
Things changed with the advent of websites, radio partnerships, social media, and earlier shows. Nowadays we start “Good Morning Quad Cities” at 4:30am and I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before we begin a half hour earlier.
But 4:30am is not when I arrive at work. Here’s a look at the timeline of my daily routine:
1:25am – My first alarm goes off. Luckily for me, I live within a five minute walk of WQAD. That means I’m showered, dressed, and at work by 2:15am – I’m usually pretty grumpy unless I went to bed before 6:30pm the night before.
I haven’t figured out how to streamline my workday to get it down to a 40-hour work week. But you know what? It doesn’t matter. I love the weather. I love making graphics. I love telling people what the weather is (hopefully with a laugh).
This is a changing business. In five years, things will change a lot. In fact, I see a future where people aren’t necessarily watching on TV sets anymore. (Think apps, tablets, phones, etc.) And I bet you’ll be able to customize your own newscast and have it automatically play. I think that’s something to watch for, even in 2016!
-Meteorologist Eric Sorensen
