Had a good meeting yesterday with Mike Coyne, the Meteorologist In Charge of the National Weather Service Office in Huntsville, and Jim Stefkovich,, who holds the same position with the NWS office in Birmingham. We discussed ways to improve the relationship between broadcasters and the National Weather Service, and also ways of educating residents in Cullman County concerning the TV/NWS situation for them.
A few years ago, Cullman County was moved from the Birmingham NWS County Warning Area (CWA) to the Huntsville CWA, which means that local warnings (tornado, severe thunderstorm, flash flood, etc) for Cullman County are issued by the Huntsville NWS office. In turn, this has created some confusion when it comes to TV weather coverage for Cullman County.
I have received a number of e-mail messages in recent months from people letting me know they “had to stop” watching Birmingham TV for severe weather coverage for Cullman County since all of the severe weather information now comes from Huntsville (they felt like they had to watch Huntsville TV to get warnings for them). That is far from the truth.
While Cullman County is in the Huntsville NWS CWA, they are still in the Birmingham TV market Designated Market Area (DMA) like always. Nothing has changed with TV market assignments. Anytime Cullman County goes under a tornado warning, we will be on the air with continuous coverage like all of the other counties in our DMA. So, if you live in Cullman, Hanceville, Garden City, West Point, Holly Pond, Vinemont, Good Hope, or any other place in Cullman County, you are still in the Birmingham TV market and we are always there for you!
A few years ago, Cullman County was moved from the Birmingham NWS County Warning Area (CWA) to the Huntsville CWA, which means that local warnings (tornado, severe thunderstorm, flash flood, etc) for Cullman County are issued by the Huntsville NWS office. In turn, this has created some confusion when it comes to TV weather coverage for Cullman County.
I have received a number of e-mail messages in recent months from people letting me know they “had to stop” watching Birmingham TV for severe weather coverage for Cullman County since all of the severe weather information now comes from Huntsville (they felt like they had to watch Huntsville TV to get warnings for them). That is far from the truth.
While Cullman County is in the Huntsville NWS CWA, they are still in the Birmingham TV market Designated Market Area (DMA) like always. Nothing has changed with TV market assignments. Anytime Cullman County goes under a tornado warning, we will be on the air with continuous coverage like all of the other counties in our DMA. So, if you live in Cullman, Hanceville, Garden City, West Point, Holly Pond, Vinemont, Good Hope, or any other place in Cullman County, you are still in the Birmingham TV market and we are always there for you!
on May 8, 2006, 9:38 pm
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on May 9, 2006, 2:46 pm
On the other hand, it would have been cool if we DID have him in the back room.
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