Is rain Really news worthy? (Phoenix: live in, pollution, water bill) - City-Data Forum

AZ91 · 12-01-2007, 07:16 PM

I don't know why this bothers me so much, but why is it every time it rains, it is the lead story on all the local news channels? I know we live in a desert, but come on. Anyone who has been outside or looked through a window knows it rained. It doesn't need to be the main focus of all the news.

Yesterday there was a hostage situation at one of Hilary's campaign offices. Our local news barley mentioned it. That's news to me. I would have no way of knowing it. I knew way before I turned the t.v. on that it rained however.
I can understand extreme weather becoming the lead story, but even just a moderate storm here, and you got these idiot news casters acting like it has never rained before.

And then to add insult to injury, they still do the full weather segment.
Do they do this in other cities? Does this bother anyone else?

sablebaby · 12-01-2007, 07:25 PM

That's the way it is here, any change in the weather and it's BIG news!

I personally can't stand it either. You'd think we are having catastrophic weather. It's just rain.

xwideopenskyx · 12-01-2007, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AZ91

I don't know why this bothers me so much, but why is it every time it rains, it is the lead story on all the local news channels? I know we live in a desert, but come on. Anyone who has been outside or looked through a window knows it rained. It doesn't need to be the main focus of all the news.

Yesterday there was a hostage situation at one of Hilary's campaign offices. Our local news barley mentioned it. That's news to me. I would have no way of knowing it. I knew way before I turned the t.v. on that it rained however.
I can understand extreme weather becoming the lead story, but even just a moderate storm here, and you got these idiot news casters acting like it has never rained before.

And then to add insult to injury, they still do the full weather segment.
Do they do this in other cities? Does this bother anyone else?

Well, if you live in the snow zone most of the local newscasts will be about snow, which area got the most, road conditions, highway spinouts or crashes etc. Same deal here only with rain instead. If you want to hear about the hostage situation or what's happening in the rest of the country or world news CNN, MSNBC etc. are a better choice. Doesn't bother me at all with all the different sources available to us on tv, internet or newspaper.

Bummer · 12-01-2007, 08:44 PM

What bugs me even more, AZ91, is the amount of money the stations pay these characters to "guess" at the weather.

Nine times out of ten their reports could be recorded and what difference does it make . . . they are rarely right?

Valley Native · 12-01-2007, 09:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AZ91

I don't know why this bothers me so much, but why is it every time it rains, it is the lead story on all the local news channels? I know we live in a desert, but come on. Anyone who has been outside or looked through a window knows it rained. It doesn't need to be the main focus of all the news.

I know what you mean ... but it's probably because it rains very little here these days, so it's big news when we finally receive some decent rainfall. I understand they do the same thing sometimes on TV stations in southern California. First raindrop of the winter season falls from the sky (and actually hits the ground), and the TV reporters are all over it. Again, it's highly likely due to the drought conditions & the extensive lack of precipitation in the SW during the past decade. I seem to recall that the news stations didn't do this so much when conditions were more normal.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bummer

What bugs me even more, AZ91, is the amount of money the stations pay these characters to "guess" at the weather.

Nine times out of ten their reports could be recorded and what difference does it make . . . they are rarely right?

Oh, but nine times out of ten, the damn forecast is "sunny, warm, and dry" ... they're always right about that. It's the rare occasion when rain is in the forecast that they seem to play a guessing game (and they're seldom right). But thankfully, they were right for a change on this past storm. We got the 1 to 3 inches of rain in the Phoenix area which they were predicting (and DESPERATELY needed). Now my water bill will be reduced, and the air over the Valley has finally been cleared of all that awful pollution!

Bummer · 12-01-2007, 10:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Valley Native

Oh, but nine times out of ten, the damn forecast is "sunny, warm, and dry" ... they're always right about that. It's the rare occasion when rain is in the forecast that they seem to play a guessing game (and they're seldom right). But thankfully, they were right for a change on this past storm. We got the 1 to 3 inches of rain in the Phoenix area which they were predicting (and DESPERATELY needed). Now my water bill will be reduced, and the air over the Valley has finally been cleared of all that awful pollution!

That's lots of rain for you guys, Valley.

The "experts" down here are reporting some areas down here received upwards to 5 inches of rain!

Definitely no rain expert but I do know it poured heavily most of the evening and night.

azjack · 12-01-2007, 10:42 PM

Local news is always lousy to me, Phoenix and elsewhere. It is just amateur hour and often a bunch of silly stuff. I stick to the flipping around the cable news networks, and checking out newspapers for local info.

eddiek · 12-02-2007, 06:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AZ91

I don't know why this bothers me so much, but why is it every time it rains, it is the lead story on all the local news channels? I know we live in a desert, but come on. Anyone who has been outside or looked through a window knows it rained. It doesn't need to be the main focus of all the news.

Yesterday there was a hostage situation at one of Hilary's campaign offices. Our local news barley mentioned it. That's news to me. I would have no way of knowing it. I knew way before I turned the t.v. on that it rained however.
I can understand extreme weather becoming the lead story, but even just a moderate storm here, and you got these idiot news casters acting like it has never rained before.

And then to add insult to injury, they still do the full weather segment.
Do they do this in other cities? Does this bother anyone else?

Well, considering we have been in drought conditions for years, perhaps this should take a bit of news worthiness. It is a welcomed relief from the normal hot and dry climate for this region, and the heavy rains presented some problems here for drivers. Snowstorms in the north take a lot of news coverage, even though it is obvious that it is snowing. So, what is the difference?

The hostage situation in Clinton's office was mundane to me, since she was, unfortunately, not there at the time. But- that is probably a reason for a different posting subject, isn't it? Unless she quits the race, I would rather hear about rain.

Personally, I enjoy the rain, and the news reporting is better than listening to the usual garbage from these stations.
JMHO.

ibarrio · 12-02-2007, 09:42 AM

Nothing new. When it rained in Los Angeles it would lead the there news as well.
Weather effects the commute...and that is big news in big cities.

HX_Guy · 12-02-2007, 10:25 AM

I actually enjoy when they report this much on the rain. I'm constantly checking the radar maps tracking the rainfall and love it when it comes down. When it was pouring Friday evening, on the radio they were saying "If you don't have to be out on the roads, don't...it's a mess out there"...what was I doing? Running all my errands that could have easily waited until the next day. I went by the bank, went by the dry cleaners...I was loving it.