Broadcast Meteorologist Fatigue

[WesL]

I see down in my old stomping grounds of Huntsville that long-time WHNT Chief Met Jason Simpson is leaving the broadcast business and joining Dynetics (space and defense firm). I know JP Dice at WBRC left a few weeks ago to be a private pilot as well. Kinda made me think a little, do you think these guys are getting fatigued putting up with the long hours and disrespectful viewers who care more about <insert sport here> than people's lives being in danger?

 

[JP Dice]

I will tell you this and I can only speak on my experience went from being one of the best jobs to one that was almost impossible.

Social media was the game changer. The job was already demanding and what we signed up for. These days - you are feeding multiple platforms 24/7. You are expected by your employer and viewers to post on days off, on vacation, etc. I used to sleep with a laptop computer to answer viewer questions. Many folks were very nice, but many were some of the nastiest people you could ever deal with. Exhausting to deal with. T

My family took a backseat to this job. In fact, I don't know if they even had a seat. When I started abandoning family members during times of need, I figured it was time to start looking for another career. Imagine leaving your mom after heart surgery while she's in ICU to do Facebook Lives.

I love meteorology. I love television broadcasting. But, I will tell you with great confidence the job is burning many of us out. Many of us are very good people.

It was NOT about money. It was about an impossible workload with more and more tasks added with still only 24 hours in the day.

No one (at least I hope) never says when they're 80 - I wish I had posted more on Facebook.

My thoughts. The job longterm is not sustainable for most people.

 

[TH2002]

I see down in my old stomping grounds of Huntsville that long-time WHNT Chief Met Jason Simpson is leaving the broadcast business and joining Dynetics (space and defense firm). I know JP Dice at WBRC left a few weeks ago to be a private pilot as well. Kinda made me think a little, do you think these guys are getting fatigued putting up with the long hours and disrespectful viewers who care more about <insert sport here> than people's lives being in danger?

Quite frankly the people during severe weather coverage who screech that they want go bo back to watching their crappy reality shows (and send hateful messages to meteorologists because of it) are disgraceful. Not even just to meteorologists but also to people whose lives are actively threatened by severe weather. It seems so many people care about nobody but themselves these days...

 

[Mike S]

I will tell you this and I can only speak on my experience went from being one of the best jobs to one that was almost impossible.

Social media was the game changer. The job was already demanding and what we signed up for. These days - you are feeding multiple platforms 24/7. You are expected by your employer and viewers to post on days off, on vacation, etc. I used to sleep with a laptop computer to answer viewer questions. Many folks were very nice, but many were some of the nastiest people you could ever deal with. Exhausting to deal with. T

My family took a backseat to this job. In fact, I don't know if they even had a seat. When I started abandoning family members during times of need, I figured it was time to start looking for another career. Imagine leaving your mom after heart surgery while she's in ICU to do Facebook Lives.

I love meteorology. I love television broadcasting. But, I will tell you with great confidence the job is burning many of us out. Many of us are very good people.

It was NOT about money. It was about an impossible workload with more and more tasks added with still only 24 hours in the day.

No one (at least I hope) never says when they're 80 - I wish I had posted more on Facebook.

My thoughts. The job longterm is not sustainable for most people.

It is interesting you said this. I've often wondered how mets felt about their social media responsibilities. Many are updating Facebook and Twitter very often and it seems like it could be a lot of work because you're expected to not only post, but interact.

I've been part of this forum for 17 years and we used to have several broadcast meteorologists post here, especially sharing their thoughts leading up to major weather events. Those posts became fewer and farther between and a few of us realized it correlated with the increased social media responsibilities.

Some of the things people post you know they'd never say to your face. It has to be tiring.

Congrats to both you and Jason on the new endeavors.

 

[WesL]

I will tell you this and I can only speak on my experience went from being one of the best jobs to one that was almost impossible.

Social media was the game changer. The job was already demanding and what we signed up for. These days - you are feeding multiple platforms 24/7. You are expected by your employer and viewers to post on days off, on vacation, etc. I used to sleep with a laptop computer to answer viewer questions. Many folks were very nice, but many were some of the nastiest people you could ever deal with. Exhausting to deal with. T

My family took a backseat to this job. In fact, I don't know if they even had a seat. When I started abandoning family members during times of need, I figured it was time to start looking for another career. Imagine leaving your mom after heart surgery while she's in ICU to do Facebook Lives.

I love meteorology. I love television broadcasting. But, I will tell you with great confidence the job is burning many of us out. Many of us are very good people.

It was NOT about money. It was about an impossible workload with more and more tasks added with still only 24 hours in the day.

No one (at least I hope) never says when they're 80 - I wish I had posted more on Facebook.

My thoughts. The job longterm is not sustainable for most people.

Thanks for the reply @JP Dice - I knew it was bad but had no idea to the extent. In reading the article below about Jason I get the feeling that that being separated from family, especially with the medical needs of his son, can pull hard on anyone in that situation. In your situation, I'm beyond excited for you as an aviation geek. If you ever find yourself in NW Arkansas let me know, lunch is on me. I enjoy traveling around to the smaller airports and checking out the corporate jets, especially in Rogers where Wal Mart has an impressive fleet of Gulfstreams.

WHNT chief meteorologist Jason Simpson to leave Huntsville station next month

Simpson, who has been chief meteorologist at WHNT/WHDF since 2012, is departing to become an analyst at Dynetics in Huntsville, the station announced Wednesday.

www.al.com

 

[TH2002]

Quite frankly I don't think I could be an on-air meteorologist because I HATE Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms. Honestly I barely understand how those platforms work let alone would I be able to constantly post on them. Plus I have an extremely bad temper and with the stress I would be liable to lose it on air haha

 

[akt1985]

I’ve always wondered how James Spann can get by with just four hours of sleep a night with all his responsibilities and not be cranky all the time.