James Darr Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO Robert Ryan WRC-TV, Washington, DC
Verbal and graphical presentation of information is the critical element of broadcast meteorology today. We know from experience that weathercasters can present the same observations and forecasts in very different ways. The viewing audience’s interpretation of the weathercaster’s images and terminology may differ significantly from the interpretation of those in the broadcast meteorology industry. Determining how the public understands and retains what is verbally and visually presented in weathercasts could be a significant step towards improving future broadcasts. A method to shed light on interpretation of broadcast information is a survey. A 17-question survey was conducted from November 2001 – March 2002 at http://www.nbc4.com/weathernet/ static/survey/survey.shtml. Demographic questions were asked to better identify the type of people responding. Respondents were asked a variety of questions - about geography, do they know where they live? - About typical weather graphics, maps, and terminology - and about new ideas such as a forecast confidence factor. The results offer some interesting results that indicate viewers may be more sophisticated than we sometimes give them credit for. The survey strengths and weaknesses will be discussed as well as some ideas for the future.
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