Board on Broadcast Meteorology Announces Changes to CBM Application Process
In June, the AMS Board on Broadcast Meteorology announced changes to the CBM application process—specifically to the on-air submission procedures. As of 1 July 2013, those applying for the CBM will follow these new rules as part of the application process. There have been no changes to the educational requirements or written test. The Seal program has evolved considerably since its earliest stages dating back to when it was first announced at an AMS national meeting in College Station, Texas, in November 1957; this is the latest modification.
Anyone who has a CBM/AMS seal or has been exposed to the process may recall the previous application method was focused on submitting three weathercasts from consecutive days of work. This was also the requirement within the original AMS Seal of Approval program, prior to 2008. While this was effective for decades, the changing nature of our business and increasing restrictions led the board to explore how to keep up with the times and adjust to the current trends.
The board recognized that over the years many applicants were facing increasing restrictions regarding the content of their weathercast. Oftentimes management forbade them from including certain elements of the forecast that were required to pass the on-air part. In an effort to pass, many of these candidates chose to submit off-air weathercasts, simulating what they would show if they had no restrictions. For instance, some applicants may not be permitted to show an almanac during their weathercast. However, not showing an almanac/climate data would result in being “marked down,” since that was one of the requirements on the scoring sheet. Others may not be allowed to show the dewpoint, surface features, national maps, or other elements. The off-air method was effective in the scoring process but it didn’t accurately reflect how the presenter was on an ordinary basis since the submission wasn’t an actual representation of their live work.
In an effort to evolve with the ever-changing technology, and with respect to these restrictions that many of us face, a subcommittee of the AMS Broadcast Board, led by past chairs Tammie Souza and Joe Murgo, worked for more than a year on updating the on-air review process. Also involved with the process were meteorologists Richard “Heatwave” Berler, Michael Ehrenburg, and Kristie Kobovic. After months of research and testing, they devised a way to accommodate those with restrictions.
The “new” method, as the board has been calling it, requires applicants to submit two weathercasts, but they don’t have to be consecutive days of work. Instead, they must represent one “active” weather day and one “routine” weather day. The terms “active” and “routine” are loosely defined; the meaning of “active” will vary from one market to another. An active day in the central United States could mean thunderstorms, while an active day along the Pacific coast could be rain and fog, or in the Great Lakes it could mean lake-effect snow. An active day does not have to be severe weather, although applicants are welcome to use that sort of coverage.
A “routine” day should showcase the applicant’s best work on a quiet, typical weather day.
For all actively employed applicants, the submissions must represent actual on-air work. Off-air submissions will only be considered for those who are not employed at the time of submission.
In addition to the videos, a climatology sheet must also be provided for verification purposes. This will convey the actual and average weather for the weathercast dates to ensure accuracy.
The intention is that this new method will be more accommodating to those with restrictions. Applicants will be judged on what they show and how well they explain the forecast with the tools they are given. They will not be marked down for omitting certain elements.
As for the technology used in submissions, that has certainly evolved over the years. In 1959, BAMS instructed applicants to submit “kinescope recordings or movies,” and by 1982 videotapes were being requested but two-inch reel tapes were also accepted. The present-day preferred method is uploading submission files to a website. Over the past few years, we have even transitioned away from DVD submissions as everything is done online.
One practice that has been discontinued is polling audience members from an applicant’s viewing area “to see if the presenter was adhering to the seal criteria consistently” (BAMS, Vol. 40, No. 2, February 1959).
According to the original scoring sheet, criteria within the original seal evaluation program was based on informational value, audience interest, educational value, and professional attitude. These have been modified over the years; the new scoring method consists of three categories: graphical, informational, and presentation.
The one thing that hasn’t changed is that it is awarded to individuals whose “weather programs consistently provide technically correct weather information,” as stated in a 1959 issue of BAMS. It remains a certification rewarded to an individual, not a station.
The AMS Broadcast Board welcomes any feedback or suggestions regarding these latest changes. Do not hesitate to contact 2013 AMS Broadcast Board Chair, Maureen McCann, at maureen.mccann@gmail.com.
—Maureen McCann,
AMS Board on Broadcast Meteorology