Whether you dubbed it “Snowmageddon,” “Snowpocalypse,” or maybe made up your own snappy moniker (”Precipitation Nation”?), stations along the northern half of the East Coast had their hands full covering the snowstorm that struck Tuesday and Wednesday. (Even Lexington, Kentucky was slammed–WLEX GM Pat Dalbey told me they got 4-5 inches.)
The NY Daily News says dark horse WNBC won the Ice Bowl in DMA #1 yesterday by going just about wall to wall with storm reportage.
Ch. 4’s coverage did feature some unusual stylistic touches, like having afternoon hosts David Ushery and Erika Tarantal wander around the set in casualwear and putting too many silly hats on people like meteorologist Janice Huff [pictured above].
But by staying with the storm and clearly explaining its inexorable advance, Ch. 4 had a good day that was doubtless welcome at a place that has decimated its once-respected local news division.
The Philly Inquirer said most all the stations shone throughout the storm, with extra props for KYW for its techie know-how.
Writes the aptly-named Jonathan Storm:
CBS3’s Ben Simmoneau and Anne-Marie Green Skyped from the shuttle taking them to their wintry posts, showing conditions in Glenside. Consumer reporter Jim Donovan cruised the city in a slightly more organized mode with “Skype Team 3,” reporting with the Internet telephone-video software, a laptop, a Web cam, an iPhone, and two producers. “People out driving today, quite frankly, are knuckleheads,” he said.
The Baltimore stations largely went live for much of the day (in their case, Tuesday) as well, reports the not-so aptly-named Baltimore Sun.
“Was it tough to not go to Today?” WBAL news director Michelle Butt wrote in an email response to a question about the decision. “Slightly, given the devoted following the program has, but we knew from our meteorologist the weather would only be worsening and we have an obligation to public safety, which is what extended coverage has become.”
And here’s our pal John Eggerton on what he saw in our nation’s capital.
