The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), often referred to as "the voice of the nation’s consumer," is published quarterly in the Wall Street Journal and provides a benchmark for success in the private sector. In 1999, the federal government took the step of employing the ACSI to analyze its relationships with its customers.

In 2003, the National Weather Service (NWS), in cooperation with the Federal Consulting Group, participated on customer satisfaction initiatives with four of its major customer segments: Emergency managers, the media, marine users, and aviation users. The results of these initiatives will be NWS ACSI scores for each segment.

During the Spring of 2003, many broadcast meteorologists were contacted and participated in the NWS customer satisfaction survey for the media segment. The purpose of this briefing will be to present the results, provide an analysis of how the NWS can better serve the media, and provide an open forum between senior NWS managers and the broadcast meteorologists.