I was just told Rhonda Keemun called a friend of ours last night to get Laubhan’s number because Mark wanted it
WTVA in Tupelo
- Thread starter Dawgbite
- Start date
Mississippi State's own James Spann.........I like it !
They won't be if they pull Laubhan and his wife.........He could turn that thing around quickly............
Last edited:
Yep, throw the checkbook at him........He would instantly transform that station.........I've lived in NEMS my whole life and he's the best weatherman we've ever had.........Guy is intense (just ask John) but he's saved lives and knows his ****.......I don't think AMG knows they'll lose more than just a weatherman, they'll lose a station essentially........Their ratings will tank.......I for one won't even give them a second look when it comes to local news..........
Last edited:
Is getting rid of the weather staff happening at all the stations Allen Media owns? One of them is WAAY in Huntsville.
I know nothing about the station’s financial condition but I know others in similar markets are really struggling. I’m sure this is a last ditch effort to make the station work. Markets like Tupelo where there is no doubt they are voting republican have seen political revenue nose dive because the democrats don’t advertise much there. The local companies have so many more options of where to advertise now (Facebook, Instagram) and then rates that local stations are getting from cable providers is way less than it used to be. Not to mention cord cutters that don’t even have access to this station, except over the air. Local tv stations are going through some of the same difficulties that print media has. The customer base is shrinking. I actually think this is a pretty interesting idea to try anyway. If it’s this or shut down the station, I think this is worth a shot. If it works, you’ll see others follow. You won’t be able to do it in most markets because there is local competition but not a whole lot of competition in Tupelo.
Not sure it's a last ditch effort to make the station work. The parent company is losing money and making cuts. That doesn't necessarily mean this particular station is losing money. I'm sure we'll never know but if they are losing money now it'll be a drop in the bucket of what they will lose once these cuts are made because people round these parts are pissed and threatening boycotts, etc.
Sounds like it. Weather is such a big factor in Huntsville ratings, it seems like a death sentence for the ratings during the news hour. No one’s gonna trust Atlanta during a several hour tornado outbreak
I would go with employee owned incorporated local TV and Radio that the license for the broadcast signal is tied to that corporation and it can't be sold. Kinda like the Green Bay Packers. This way it is privately owned and a local board runs it for the good of the community. They sell local advertising to make money. Also have a podcast as part of the business model to cover the cord cutters.
While we're not Matt, I would like to mention we do provide severe coverage on our social media pages and our Skycam cameras. We've just secured several new locations we hope to have live before the spring severe season such as Rolling Fork, Clarksdale, Tunica, and Grenada. Consider giving us a look and possibly helping us out to put up more cameras.
I have a question and a suggestion about the cameras. Are they fixed or can they be turned remotely to a different direction? On each camera it would help if there was a map showing it’s location and a cone showing the field of vision. I live near one of the cameras but even if I saw a funnel on the camera I have no idea where it would be in relation to my house.
The cameras can be turned remotely a full 360 degrees. There is a map showing the location of the camera super imposed on a radar. The suggestion of the cone showing approximate field of vision and direction it's pointed has been suggested to the software creater for a future update.
I've seen the cameras during the day but not at night. Do the cameras have any type night vision or are they strictly day vision?
They have some night vision, but it's going to depend on amount of ambient light as to how well you can see. Here's a couple of recent images grabbed from them at night.
I know how to read the velocity product on radar and tell where there is rotation and the potential for a tornado, but what I can't do is inform and warn the thousands of people in the path in order to save lives. This is why Matt is so important. He isn't only good at his job, but he's also passionate and really cares. He also knows the area. I'm wondering if he could start a YouTube channel like Ryan Hall Y'all or Max Velocity and do well enough to supplement his income. I would support him.
I pay $30 a year to use the MyRadar app so that I can see the velocity product. Sometimes I can tell when a storm needs to be a tornado warning before the warning is issued. Ryan Hall uses RadarOmega, which is more expensive but is a very good app. I've been watching those guys on YouTube when they live stream during tornado outbreaks. They are great, but they bounce around nationwide and don't focus on the local area like Matt did unless MS is the only area with tornadoes at the time. This situation with Matt is almost as bad as management not listening to the engineers before the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.
In the words of the late and great Tim Samaras, "stay weather savvy!"
I pay $30 a year to use the MyRadar app so that I can see the velocity product. Sometimes I can tell when a storm needs to be a tornado warning before the warning is issued. Ryan Hall uses RadarOmega, which is more expensive but is a very good app. I've been watching those guys on YouTube when they live stream during tornado outbreaks. They are great, but they bounce around nationwide and don't focus on the local area like Matt did unless MS is the only area with tornadoes at the time. This situation with Matt is almost as bad as management not listening to the engineers before the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.
In the words of the late and great Tim Samaras, "stay weather savvy!"
Plus add in the fact that many people have no idea where anything is geographically pretty much outside their home county. I have to give it to Hugh’s Burner Phone and his team on social media. The amount of people who ask “Is this storm or that storm going to hit me?” Is too many to count.
That statement is so true. Even in the live chat comments on the YouTube live streams, people from all over are constantly asking the same thing. There is no way that those guys can answer all of those questions live and keep up. Local weather service is vital for public safety and protection of lives. Some people unfortunately aren't educated enough to be able to read maps or radars. It's much more helpful to have someone say "A possible tornado is about to cross this road and hit this neighborhood in a few minutes" than someone just tell the whole county to watch out. A couple of weeks ago, the tornado sirens in my area finally started going off several minutes after a tornado warning was issued and the tornado had already crossed the state line into AL about 20 miles south of us. I am a civil and structural engineer, so I hold public safety and welfare dear to my heart. These kinds of things really grind my gears.
Hell, we've had people message asking us what county they live in. You know how tempting it was to reply back to go outside and look at the back of your car at the license plate?
In 8th grade Social Studies class, there was a kid in my class who couldn't find the US on a world map.
Yes, that's for sure. I usually watch Brad Travis on WAFF during tornado times, but will also flip around to WAAY and WHNT. WAAY is the only one with "Triple Doppler". **
Looks like Allen Media is the parent company of The Weather Channel, so they're centralizing all their weather operations to Atlanta. That's going to be tough to do and remain effective.
Here's an article about laying the weather staffs off: https://1819news.com/news/item/loca...-huntsville-montgomery-22-stations-nationally
I wonder how this will affect MSU's Broadcast Meteorologist program. It couldn't help their placement rate.
Here's an article about laying the weather staffs off: https://1819news.com/news/item/loca...-huntsville-montgomery-22-stations-nationally
I wonder how this will affect MSU's Broadcast Meteorologist program. It couldn't help their placement rate.
Last edited:
I knew it was a just a matter of time. One prominent insurance company that advertises a lot with WTVA has already announced they will no longer advertise with them. The owner of the company came out and posted it on FB. It's Brock Insurance company for those that watch WTVA.
Most people switched to vanity plates when the urine tags were introduced six years ago…
Urine tags is very appropriate. I called them gravel road tags.
Get unlimited access today.