Weather

WCBS/Channel 2 has enhanced storm coverage with Mobile 2, the state-of-the-art vehicle that allows live video throughout the streets of the tri-state. WCBS began adding Mobile 2 to its fleet in the winter of 2010. But the van is a regular contributor to the station’s newscasts, to get the story perspective directly from the road.

Channel 2 is, once again, at the forefront of technology. It’s rolling out the Mobile Weather Lab, a weather center on wheels. It made its debut Thursday as weathercaster Lonnie Quinn reported live from the Bronx High School of Science.

The Weather Lab, housed in a Chevy Suburban, begins the Mobile 2 technology, which makes it possible to broadcast live in HD quality while the van is in motion. But this sports utility vehicle is much more. It includes high definition satellite capability and an on-board weather station that measures temperature, wind speed and direction, dew point readings, and humidity wherever the vehicle is.

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Regular listeners to 1010 WINS know meteorologist Jim Kosek. For more than 15 years, Kosek has been one of the weekday forecasters on WINS. His reports originated at AccuWeather in State College, Pennsylvania. As is the case at Total Traffic (formerly Shadow Traffic), meteorologists have several stations to file reports for during a shift.

Heard mostly on afternoons and evenings, Kosek’s over-the-top personality is a stark opposite to the usual all-news fare heard on WINS. Kosek has gained a cult following of sorts online for his one-part wild delivery, one-part accurate forecasting. 

After more than 20 years at AccuWeather, Kosek left snowy Western PA for snowy Utah. He’s been named the chief meteorologist at the ABC affiliate in Salt Lake City, where he started last week. After so many years at one shop, Kosek says it was time to branch out.

“You’re spread so thin at AccuWeather,” Kosek tells FishbowlNY.

He maintained a presence on a handful of radio stations, but would monitor for severe weather and in turn additional reports. Kosek kept busy with plenty of on-camera prognosticating for the AccuWeather website. He did specialty forecasts for up to 20 cities.

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The Reagan Revolution still had two more years, Platoon was Oscar’s choice for Best Picture, and the New York Mets staged one of the most dramatic comebacks in World Series history.

Also in 1986, meteorologist Nick Gregory arrived at WNYW/Channel 5.

“It was so exciting for me because I grew up in [New Rochelle] New York,” Gregory tells FishbowlNY. “From childhood really, and into my teens, I was also thinking that maybe one day I could do this.”

On December 26, Gregory commemorates his 25^th anniversary at the station. A quarter-century earlier, it began with the answer to the trivia question—who were the anchors on his first night?  Barbara Laskin and Steve Powers.

“I just had this rush of excitement and adrenaline and saying, ‘I’m actually back home in New York, on New York television, living the dream,” Gregory recalls.

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Call it “Close Encounters of the Scruffy Kind!”

The rare October snowstorm that blanketed many neighborhoods north and west of New York City has still left many homes and businesses without power.

One of those people with no electricity since the Nor’easter hit last Saturday is longtime WCBS 880 afternoon anchor Wayne Cabot.

Before too long, the lifelong Hunterdon County resident decided to hold a whimsical “beard protest” as a way of drawing attention to his plight.

“As the days went on, I kept seeing my beard get longer,” Cabot tells FishbowlNY. “After five, six days, I was like, ‘The heck with this, I might as well keep this beard going until the power comes back on.’”

As of this writing, it is day seven and still no electricity at the Cabot household.

“My whole street is out,” Cabot says. “Our town is slowly coming back.”

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Dealing with snowstorms is nothing new to New Yorkers. Those weather systems can be destructive and deadly. But until now, they were never in October. Saturday’s storm produced record-setting numbers that WABC/Channel 7 morning meteorologist Bill Evans finds mind-boggling.

“It was very historical for everyone really,” Evans tells FishbowlNY.

The path of the Nor’ easter blanketed north and west of New York City with upwards of a foot of snow. Central Park eclipsed its previous all-time October high of eight-tenths of an inch with 2.9 inches of snow.

“That’s a tremendous amount of snow when you consider that usually mid-December is when we should start with accumulating snows,” Evans says. “We just don’t see that. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime event.”

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In trying to return some normalcy to viewers’ lives, and preparing them for the morning commute, newscasts had typical team coverage to cope with the aftermath of a bizarre October blast of winter.

However, one channel was not typical, bringing in its “big gun” for last night’s coverage. 

Ernie Anastos, the veteran WNYW/Channel 5 anchor, was on the air for Sunday’s 10 p.m. newscast with Christina Park. With many angles to explore, Sports Extra was preempted, expanding the broadcast to an hour.  

There was no 6 p.m. newscast on WNYW due to its NFL commitment.

You’ll recall, in August, Anastos teamed up with Park for the Sunday night newscasts as Hurricane Irene cut a path of destruction across the tri-state.

The new kid on the news block, WEMP, fails to use the historic snowstorm to its advantage.

As Merlin Media’s FM News 101.9/WEMP was officially starting in August, we reported on their failed coverage of record-setting rainfall.

On Saturday, weather brought the spotlight was back to WEMP with the most October snow to ever fall in New York (1.3 inches), and much more in the suburbs.

Forecasters had been eyeing this weekend for the affects of a Nor’easter in the tri-state region.

However, WEMP did not to plan accordingly.

In the afternoon, as the storm intensified, listeners heard anchors Therese Crowley and Gene Michaels lead with the weather story. WEMP even offered updates from staffers, including anchor Catherine Smith, Doug O’Brien, and producer Judy Speicher. Unlike stalwarts WCBS and WINS, WEMP featured the radio pros “holed up” in their homes.

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Heidi Jones has now learned her fate.

The WABC/Channel 7 forecaster who lost her job after lying to police about being attacked, is facing 350 hours of community service.

“I just want to take a moment to express my sincere and profound apology to all who were involved — most importantly to the police department,” Jones said in court.

In December 2010, Jones told police a Hispanic man attacked her while jogging in CentralPark.

Our sister site TVSpy has more details on Jones’ sentencing.

Here’s a look at what FishbowlNY stories made the most buzz this week.

1. Occupy Wall Street Protestors are Not Geraldo or Fox News Fans, October 10
2. The Atlantic‘s November Cover is a Rarity, October 12
3. Longtime WCBS-FM Midday Jock, ‘Consummate Pro’ Bill Brown Dies at 69, October 12
4. Spin Adds to Team, October 11
5. Meredith Acquires Every Day with Rachael Ray, October 12
6. ‘New York Not Gone Forever’ as Former WPIX Talent Lolita Lopez Starts as KNBC Reporter, October 10 
7. The New York Times’ Editors Don’t Care About Salad Dressing, October 11
8. Meteorologist Craig Allen Increases Workload at WPIX, October 11
9. Taking Taxi to the Top at WEMP, October 10

Keep up-to-date with the latest FishbowlNY news. Click here to sign-up for the FishbowlNY daily newsletter, bringing you our articles each afternoon directly to your inbox.

Kaity Tong is not the only “new” face on weekends at WPIX. As we reported September 30, she replaced the terminated Jim Watkins on an interim basis.

But a deeper evaluation reveals another recent, albeit quieter change on the weekend newscasts.

Meteorologist Craig Allen, a steady freelancer at Channel 11 since leaving WNYW/Channel 5 in June, has seemingly become a regular contributor.

Avid weekend WPIX viewers will notice less of forecaster Lisa Mateo and more of Allen.

However, Allen has not been named a permanent meteorologist at Channel 11.  News director Bill Carey says Allen, though, remains a valuable fill in.

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