Reporting the weather isn’t always easy. First of all, you have to know how to act around a green screen, but you also need to have a lot of scientific knowledge about how the weather works. Additionally, you often perform the entire process live on air, which means that if anything goes wrong, you could find yourself featured in an article authored by someone like me, allowing the internet to mock you. It’s not exactly fair, but life seldom is. Let’s examine some weather report errors and disregard the peculiar behavior of the current weather.
Wardrobe Malfunction
When presenting in front of a green (or blue) screen, it goes without saying that you shouldn’t wear a green (or blue) dress during your presentation. It’s happened to a lot of reporters over the years, including KTLA-TV’s Liberté Chan, and it always leads to awkward moments. Thankfully, there’s always someone else nearby to fix the problem before it gets too ridiculous. You’d think someone in the wardrobe would notice this before they go live, though.
Technology Malfunction
Presenting live data on a screen can quickly become uncomfortable if the technology malfunctions. I’m not sure how hot it was in Wickenburg according to the Fox News data, but I’m certain it was nowhere near 2385 degrees in any recognized system. However, the good news is that if it doesn’t happen on Fox News, most viewers will be smart enough to know it’s just a technical glitch and not actually the Rapture.
Reporting Live: But Why?
It happens all the time and at this point we sort of expect to see it. Whenever there’s a storm or hurricane happening, every news station (well, every US news station) goes above and beyond to send a reporter to the actual storm. And without fail, it’ll look like that reporter would rather be anywhere else in the whole wide world than in a storm, shouting into his microphone that the wind sure is blowing hard today.
Lag Happens
If you’re reporting live, that also means you’re expecting a steady refresh rate. Sadly, that’s not always the case, and you’ll end up with multiple instances of yourself presenting the weather. When you find yourself presenting the weather, it’s crucial to maintain professionalism and avoid bursting into laughter on live television. Alternatively, feel free to laugh, it’s acceptable.
Some Long, Hard Weather
When you’re dealing with maps that get colored in as you’re standing in front of them, it’s not as rare as you’d think that something resembling the male genitals appear on the map. If they appear near the actual male reporter’s genital area, you get a double whammy. But whatever you do: when it happens, stay professional and don’t start giggling. There’s nothing funny about a phallus-shaped object suddenly appearing on a screen. Nothing at all.
