dfw msm weather has cratered rant

[Hagbard Celine 10866]

I hope I am mistaken, but it appears that the 4 major network affiliates in North Texas have dumbed down the weather product on their websites such that it is no longer possible to manipulate a personal radar view that allows for the overlay of rotation data.

On top of this when there is an actual hook echo forming all 4 stations behave like total dipshits and softpedal their weather segment when it is clear to any seasoned observer that within 15 minutes they are going to be on red alert.  Absolute fucktards.  All of them.  Delkus is the worst.  WFAA actually has a really good directional velocity view that has REAL FUCKING DATA on the location and direction of travel of meso-rotation.  But they only show it for a split second while Delkus is talking about locations MILES AWAY from the critical zone that no more than a mile in a diameter, and they have the ability to pin it down to a few hundred yards.  WFAA used to have the VIPIR product from Baron Services (Huntsville AL), which produces a 3D view of NEXRAD data, and enables precise realtime measurement of conditions street to street.  BUT NOOOOOOOOOO, BELO had to kill it because it was too accurate.

In 2007 Baron won a contract with L-3 to upgrade the 171 NEXRAD radars owned NWS, DoD and FAA resulting in 100% coverage of dual-polarization capability for the feds.  But we don't get that data.

NOOOOOO, instead these fuckers would rather send hundreds of thousands of people diving under their stairs, so they can instead spend the money making their websites look like dumbed down version of Windows10 for the pussyhats, unicorns, and stupid people.

FUCK YOU KDFW, KTVT, KXAS for fucking up your great S-Band web product, and most especially WFAA, for providing NEGATIVE VALUE to your customers.  Pete Delkus is a buffoon.

May the ghosts of Harold Taft and Jack van Roy seek vengeance on the management of Channels 5 & 8.

And NO, I'm not evar erver ever going to download your fucking app with ZERO VALUE in a form factor that renders it basically useless for the most critical weather topic in north texas, which is the pinpoint placement and movement of mesocyclone rotation.

[Zepol87 9186]

You should download the app

[cactusflinthead 27598]

+1 for Harold Taft

 

[skittlebrau 474]

If Delkus has #jacketoff, it's a serious situation. All you need to know.

[Trey3216 15346]

Sounds like you’re a 12pack short of a party 

[Yesh 915]

I know right

[Turkleton 145]

Can someone give me the cliff notes? This thread confuses me.

[Bobby_Batronic 1994]

9 minutes ago, Turkleton said:

Can someone give me the cliff notes? This thread confuses me.

Weather folk prefer panicking the entire metroplex over providing accurate info to those in actual danger as it drives activity on their websites and apps which generates revenue for them. 

Much like the weather channel always picking the worst case model and showing the earliest possible timeline for arrival. That’s when they bother to show the weather at all. 

Youll find that they often miss the arrival of said fronts/storm systems by 12-36 hours, and its never on the early side. 

Edited April 8, 2018 by Bobby_Batronic

[Surly Bevo 24912]

Agree that weather has become business more than public service and the goal is to whip up people, drive clicks, blah blah blah.  BUT....the weather guys basically have this argument force fielded as they can simply say something like, "Well we could go back to 1900 where thousands of people died in a hurricane in Galveston because they didn't know it was coming. We are protecting you......won't you think of the damn children."

[HornsOverIthaca 2333]

I think you should get your own radar up on your roof and start a blog and YouTube account about it.

[Bobby_Batronic 1994]

54 minutes ago, Surly Bevo said:

Agree that weather has become business more than public service and the goal is to whip up people, drive clicks, blah blah blah.  BUT....the weather guys basically have this argument force fielded as they can simply say something like, "Well we could go back to 1900 where thousands of people died in a hurricane in Galveston because they didn't know it was coming. We are protecting you......won't you think of the damn children."

That might have merit if they didn’t actually have the ability to pinpoint  tornadic activity down to a few square mile area (it’s a lot smaller than that but I’m allowing for reasonable fudge factor) or set up things like their TorCon watch areas to not magically include large metro areas in the periphery when said areas are in fact in no danger. 

It’s an inexact science as we’ll know, but they’re always skewing the data or selecting certain scenarios to drive viewership or web interaction.  Like the winter storms suddenly having names.  Instant scare factor for the masses.

 

Edited April 8, 2018 by Bobby_Batronic

[El Diablo 4232]

You know you could just tune into Frankie MacDonald.

 

[RPM 26321]

On 4/6/2018 at 7:40 PM, Hagbard Celine said:

WFAA used to have the VIPIR product from Baron Services (Huntsville AL), which produces a 3D view of NEXRAD data, and enables precise realtime measurement of conditions street to street.  BUT NOOOOOOOOOO, BELO had to kill it because it was too accurate.

Belo sold WFAA to Gannett in 2013. Gannett spun it off to Tenga in 2015. Standards have noticeably slid from the Belo days. Delkus sucks. Like the majority of DFW weathercasters he was brought in from out of state. I think Finfrock is the only homegrown talent left and he's retiring.

[Hagbard Celine 10866]

Belo killed VIPIR circa 2005

[Hagbard Celine 10866]

1 hour ago, Bobby_Batronic said:

Weather folk prefer panicking the entire metroplex over providing accurate info to those in actual danger as it drives activity on their websites and apps which generates revenue for them. 

Much like the weather channel always picking the worst case model and showing the earliest possible timeline for arrival. That’s when they bother to show the weather at all. 

Youll find that they often miss the arrival of said fronts/storm systems by 12-36 hours, and its never on the early side. 

Thank you Batronic.  You officially speak Celine.

[Hagbard Celine 10866]

1 hour ago, HornsOverIthaca said:

I think you should get your own radar up on your roof and start a blog and YouTube account about it.

Baron is a for-profit corporation.  I'd need a million dollars startup for the technology acquisition and a paid highly-reliable staff of 20 to monitor all of the local police dispatch channels during an outbreak event where there have been up to 8 simultaneous supercell complexes supporting high-altitude meso-rotation within 100 miles of DFW (the airport).  Then there is the topic of ongoing monetization of a service that has 2 to 3 hours of economic utility 4 or 5 times a year.

[skipperj 377]

Baron is a for-profit corporation.  I'd need a million dollars startup for the technology acquisition and a paid highly-reliable staff of 20 to monitor all of the local police dispatch channels during an outbreak event where there have been up to 8 simultaneous supercell complexes supporting high-altitude meso-rotation within 100 miles of DFW (the airport).  Then there is the topic of ongoing monetization of a service that has 2 to 3 hours of economic utility 4 or 5 times a year.

Sounds like you have a plan, then. Be sure and post the YouTube channel here.

[TwiceHorn 31480]

You are absolutely correct about the news outlets dumbing down the weather and weather tools. 

 

And the panicked, clickbait reporting is insufferable. 

I mostly stick with NWS and rainy days for that reason. 

Edited April 8, 2018 by TwiceHorn

[Hagbard Celine 10866]

Unless I am mistaken the NWS does not have real-time velocity differential or meso-rotation available online so in practice they have zero utility in the life-saving category.

[TwiceHorn 31480]

Oh yeah it's relatively low tech also relatively hysteria - free. 

[Eastwood 4394]

Belo sold WFAA to Gannett in 2013. Gannett spun it off to Tenga in 2015. Standards have noticeably slid from the Belo days. Delkus sucks. Like the majority of DFW weathercasters he was brought in from out of state. I think Finfrock is the only homegrown talent left and he's retiring.

I dated the daughter of someone who worked for KENS5 back when they sold to Belo and he was wringing his hands in agony over it. Turns out Belo was the least of all evils.

[RPM 26321]

Belo was a great place to work. I was an intern there in the early 80's during the Tracy/Iola/Troy/Verne era. 

[Surly Bevo 24912]

Hagbard and Bobby are cute...they think big MSM corporations give a fuck

[Trey3216 15346]

6 hours ago, Hagbard Celine said:

Baron is a for-profit corporation.  I'd need a million dollars startup for the technology acquisition and a paid highly-reliable staff of 20 to monitor all of the local police dispatch channels during an outbreak event where there have been up to 8 simultaneous supercell complexes supporting high-altitude meso-rotation within 100 miles of DFW (the airport).  Then there is the topic of ongoing monetization of a service that has 2 to 3 hours of economic utility 4 or 5 times a year.

So you understand why a “losing money business” is getting rid of the same tech, right? 

Edited April 9, 2018 by Trey3216

[Bobby_Batronic 1994]

24 minutes ago, Surly Bevo said:

Hagbard and Bobby are cute...they think big MSM corporations give a fuck

Yeah, at no point did I reference large corporations or the MSM. So, nice reach I guess. 

My job requires that I pay more attention to the weather than most people, and what I posted above are the very obvious trends that I’ve noted. 

[Surly Bevo 24912]

3 minutes ago, Bobby_Batronic said:

Yeah, at no point did I reference large corporations or the MSM. So, nice reach I guess. 

My job requires that I pay more attention to the weather than most people, and what I posted above are the very obvious trends that I’ve noted. 

Good for you

[RPM 26321]

[DFWTexEx 276]

The strange and equally annoying thing  is that as they have dumbed down the product, they spend so much more time on it.  It used to be that unless a major weather event was happening, the weather segment was 3-4 minutes or so around 15 minutes past 6 or 10, followed by sports.  Not, there is weather segment in the lead of the newscast and constant references to it.  At some point, Delkus launches into a lecture about some weather term..."hail is formed when water dropplets are caught in updrafts and this or that...look at these cool graphics". That goes on for a few minutes and then he goes into to the actual weather.  Pretty sure half the newscast is now weather.

[retread 2951]

Stay tuned and we'll give you the extended forecast in a few minutes

[Trey3216 15346]

50 minutes ago, DFWTexEx said:

The strange and equally annoying thing  is that as they have dumbed down the product, they spend so much more time on it.  It used to be that unless a major weather event was happening, the weather segment was 3-4 minutes or so around 15 minutes past 6 or 10, followed by sports.  Not, there is weather segment in the lead of the newscast and constant references to it.  At some point, Delkus launches into a lecture about some weather term..."hail is formed when water dropplets are caught in updrafts and this or that...look at these cool graphics". That goes on for a few minutes and then he goes into to the actual weather.  Pretty sure half the newscast is now weather.

Pandering to The Olds, since they watch the news more than anyone and The Olds always talk about the weather...

[AUS-97HORN 11764]

the reason every local news place in the middle of the country starts with weather first is because every single focus group tells the news people that weather is the absolute #1 thing they care about.

of course, what isnt asked by the focus groups is "when do you actually care about the weather" which of course the real answer is "when its raining, when its cold, and when its dangerous"

otherwise, if it was 78 yesterday and 83 today, and somewhere in the mid-80s for the next 5 days with a tiny chance of rain, no one really cares.

But if they can freak out 50,000 people enough to log onto their website, they have done their job to bring clicks to their page.

[LonghornJones 837]

22 hours ago, Bobby_Batronic said:

Youll find that they often miss the arrival of said fronts/storm systems by 12-36 hours, and its never on the early side. 

Everyone knows models underestimate arrival times of cold, shallow air. Everyone.

[Bobby_Batronic 1994]

35 minutes ago, LonghornJones said:

Everyone knows models underestimate arrival times of cold, shallow air. Everyone.

If you say so. 

[retread 2951]

What's the best online technology for watching storms develop? I've seen RadarScope posted on other boards.

[TornACL 7698]

I didn't read the whole OP but he better not have dissed the THUNDER TRUCK.

[Hagbard Celine 10866]

17 hours ago, Surly Bevo said:

Hagbard and Bobby are cute...they think big MSM corporations give a fuck

i don't care whether or not they actually give a fuck.  number of fucks given did the aggycoaster after 9/11.  crisis news became the new normal that day.  remember the terrorism index?  or how about the anthrax attacks that month?

my beef is that they *PRETEND* to give a fuck and when it comes to MY LIFE, I draw the line and declare shenanigans.

[Hagbard Celine 10866]

17 hours ago, Trey3216 said:

So you understand why a “losing money business” is getting rid of the same tech, right? 

http://www.news9.com/story/33680392/nextgen-radar-unveiled

http://www.news9.com/story/33680632/nextgen-live-behind-the-radar

So, you're saying our friends in methlahoma can make a go of local news, but the 8-million-strong-market of North Texas has fuckall for economic utility in that category.

[El Diablo 4232]

Since it's clear that it's weather TALK and not weather TECH that sells, can't we just get everyone to switch to big titted bimbos?

[RPM 26321]

Since it's clear that it's weather TALK and not weather TECH that sells, can't we just get everyone to switch to big titted bimbos?

I miss Jocelyn White and Lisa Villegas.

[Beau Vine 54230]

This is at the very top of mysa.com:

And then there's this:

 

[Hagbard Celine 10866]

hook echo forming over fairview

 

[DaggerHorns 3085]

On 4/9/2018 at 1:18 PM, El Diablo said:

Since it's clear that it's weather TALK and not weather TECH that sells, can't we just get everyone to switch to big titted bimbos?

#metoo