Education of Broadcast Meteorologists

The world of broadcast meteorology is becoming increasingly competitive. TV stations are continually evaluating viewer share for News Broadcasts as a measure of popularity of the station to attract new advertisers and retain old ones. One approach to honing the News Team is to upgrade from a weather announcer to a Broadcast Meteorologists. The University of the Incarnate Word is one of about 10 universities nationwide to offer a Bachelor of Science Degree in Meteorology with a specialization in Broadcast Meteorology.

This paper will explore the current approaches and techniques being used at this university to train men and women for positions as Broadcast Meteorologists. Specifically this paper will address historical training techniques, changes introduced at the advent of commercial weather forecasting and data delivery service and the role of studio training and the cost of equipment. A review of current techniques will be presented including training vs education, communication arts, on-the-job training (OJT), compressed track training and the overlay with the science. Additional topics on integration of “before the Camera Training”, integration with a news team, weathercast audience exposure as part of the learning process will also be presented.