When it's a slow news week, and this week portends for uber-repetitive stories about Christmas minutia, (shopper actualities telling all us schlemiels about last-minute shopping--yawn), assignment editors have to be creative.
In the Bay Area, news editors have a weather fetish. They get orgasmic over drought stories. This phenomena isn't a TV monopoly--radio guys will be at it soon.
I guarantee you will be bombarded by an avalanche, (sorry about the pun), of "we may be headed for 'drought conditions." (When it hasn't rained for three weeks, local editors begin utilizing the drought card).
Mind you, (as always), one or two storms make all these schmendricks look like the utter fools they are, but why inject reason into illogical thought? And besides, it's far damn easier to send a reporter to a barren damn near San Jose and tell us, (for the 900th time), that "we haven't had a lot of rain lately." No shit, Sherlock!
Invariably, after a plethora of ensuing storms, they look like fools. Worse yet, the weather guys look even worse:
"Gail, yeah, there's a STRONG high-pressure ridge over the Western region making the storms miss the Pacific coast, but I still think it's too early to talk about a drought."
"But Bob, we've been pretty dry....." (Ouy!)
In Chicago, there's a saying: If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes.
In San Francisco, there should be a TV News saying: If we have three weeks devoid of rain, let's implement early "team coverage" of drought stories. "Experts" come out of the woodwork. Splashy graphics permeate the screen. Doomsday scenarios beckon. (Shit, we live next to a damn ocean!--like, what, we're gonna die of thirst?!!)
It's coming soon. Hide the kids.
*Follow me on Twitter
LOL, but it's true.
ReplyDeleteBy the same token, when we start to get a few sprinkles, they'll all cover the weather "LIVE, FROM THE STORM CENTER..."!! All accompanied by a few notes of dramatic intro music.
Rich, I have always found it amusing when at this time of year news outlets proclaim it a SLOW news time. Matress man also perpetrates this belief. Let us go through some news of today: Bradley Manning trial, death of Kim Jong Il, Obama signing indefinite detention bill and protests in Moscow against Putin. It is slow news for those who are just mailing it in (softie matress guy and lazy news directors)
ReplyDeleteIf it's Cristina Loren, then I don't mind hearing my Dirty Ridge of High Pressure is meeting her Warm Front.
ReplyDeleteBut-predicted 65 for Christmas weekend?...global warming at work...
There is no snow in the mountains that is not man made. Rainfall is about 40% of what it should be. I've lived through two major droughts in California and no rain in December is not a good sign. Furthermore, maybe you don't believe in climate change either but there have been and still are major droughts all over the planet. So I'm not sure why this bothers you so much.
ReplyDeleteWeather here IS a big deal. Every time it rains, there is mass carnage on the freeways and streets. No matter how many times the CHP gives out advisories, despite hysterical reporting by the news media, people still tailgate in the rain with lowered visibility while texting, yapping on the phone, reading, putting on makeup, and farking arond with their GPS. Oh, and never turning on headlights despite the windshield wiper/headlights law. People aren't very bright, basically.
Iraq War is over.
ReplyDeleteZZZZZZZZZZ.....
Move along, move along.
Well, there's an El Nino happening, so we're likely to have a very dry winter. But following a year in which we almost drowned, and the damns were filled to capacity, it's not that big of a deal. Takes more than one dry year for drought conditions. Betcha the hotshot reporters will forget to mention that. And the empty damns they stand in front of are that way for repairs or are awaiting seismic upgrades. Your point is valid.
ReplyDeleteWe are in a La Nina, not El Nino. La Nina usually means lower than normal rain, although last winter's La Nina defied typical La Nina expectations.
ReplyDeletehttp://meteora.ucsd.edu/cnap/lanina_cnap.html
We live in a state where water rights are extremely political. This is a big story.
Monte Ellis being sued for sex harrassment? Must be a white woman. They have that act down to a science. Men get sucked into that-maybe pun intended- by white woman every day.
ReplyDelete