1 of 1- RadioActive
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Whoops, They Did It Again! CTV Fails Ahead Of Big Storm
I've noted here before that CTV Toronto has done weather anchor when it appears they don't have anyone in to do the forecast. It always bugs me, but when the first big storm of the year is looming, with another even worse one following, you might think they'd go out of their way to find a body to do it.
So what were viewers on their noon and 6 show treated to? Anchor weather done by people who clearly hadn't seen the maps before and were ad libbing their way through what is almost certain to be Tuesday afternoon's lead story, with potentially 5-10 cm. of snow and 15-30 mm of rain on its way (and another 25 cm. possible by Saturday.) They also skip important maps (like future radar) for time or lack of knowledge or both.
I have to admit I never understand this. OK, Lyndsay Morrison is expecting a kid and may not always be around. But where were Jessica Smith or super sub Michelle Jobin? Could they not get anyone in to do this less than 24 hours before the first big winter blast of the season? Where's Dave Duvall when you need him? 
I have never seen any other TV station in Toronto do this, especially not repeatedly. Everyone else seems to be able to get a body in to fill that important weather slot. But not those people at Channel 9 Court. And I'm beginning to think CFTO really stands for "Can't Figure Things Out."
I sure hope someone is there tomorrow.
In the meantime, I got the complete outlook from Global's Anthony Farnell, an actual meteorologist. I'm not looking forward to the storm. But at least I know what to expect. No thanks to CTV. 
- ED1
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Re: Whoops, They Did It Again! CTV Fails Ahead Of Big Storm
And yet, over on CP24, Meteorologist Chris Potter is on duty tonight.
I don't want to dredge up the same discussion about CFTO not bringing in weather anchors to fill in, but I would LOVE to know their rationale for it (other than the $$$ factor).
- RadioActive
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Re: Whoops, They Did It Again! CTV Fails Ahead Of Big Storm
They could even have him tape the weather and then play it back. No real overtime if he does it during his regular shift.
I just don't get why this keeps happening. No other TV station in any major market does this as far as I know. You'd think Toronto would be the one place they'd always staff such an important element of the news, especially with so many storm warnings out from Environment and Climate Change Canada.
Bad enough they also try to do sports without a dedicated sports person. It really doesn't work because it's obvious the anchors don't have the expertise to properly report on this stuff. And they have TSN to use!
And as I discovered once a long, long time ago, when I was asked to fill-in on a one-time only basis (my first and last ever TV appearance - I have a face for radio!) you can't do the weather unless you've seen the maps and know what they mean - and what's coming next.
On the noon show, Nathan Downer had to tell the graphics operator to move ahead to the next map, and then wrapped up early just as they got past that one to the satellite shot, which showed the storm moving in. Then when he wrapped without ever referring to it, It simply disappeared and they went on to the next story in the pack. It looked terrible.
And besides, that was the one map I really wanted to see!
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Thread Starter- Radiowiz
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Re: Whoops, They Did It Again! CTV Fails Ahead Of Big Storm
How about the part where it was announced on CFTO's 11:30 newscast
"We welcome the viewers in Kitchener this hour..."
RadioWiz & RadioQuiz are NOT the same person.
RadioWiz & THE Wiz are NOT the same person.
- mace
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Re: Whoops, They Did It Again! CTV Fails Ahead Of Big Storm
The d.daddy.live site offers access to two sets of the U.S. networks. One is always NYC. the other rotates between Boston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Cleveland, Miami, etc. All of them have regular weather AND sports departments. There is always someone on air for these segments seven days a week who actually knows what they are talking about. CFTO sports/weather reports are an embarrasing disgrace. I wonder if CTV News at 6 is still Toronto's Number One Newscast as they continue to claim. Anyone have access to these probably well guarded numbers?
- Calhame
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Re: Whoops, They Did It Again! CTV Fails Ahead Of Big Storm
I think that what they are doing is conducting surveys and concluding that many, including some on this board, question the accuracy of their forecasts, notwithstanding the micro climate conditions around the GTA,
Perhaps weather forecasting should be eliminated because of the perception of the unreliability of the same.
The other option would be to gave a more localized forecast eg.
Today within the area of Dundas Street And Lakeshore Boulevard, Bay Street to Parliament Street there could be a 60 - 70 percent chance of 2 - 4 millimeters of rain. West of Bay to Dufferin 3 - 5 millimeters
- Forward Power
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Re: Whoops, They Did It Again! CTV Fails Ahead Of Big Storm
RadioActive wrote:
They could even have him tape the weather and then play it back. No real overtime if he does it during his regular shift.
In Ottawa, CJOH's J.J. Clarke would usually record the 11:30 weather segment, likely just after the 6pm newscast ended.
- RadioActive
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Re: Whoops, They Did It Again! CTV Fails Ahead Of Big Storm
I've seen CFTO do this before. It's easy to tell, especially at 11:30 PM when their weather person is on location, and there's bright sunshine behind them. But at least there's a weather person to tell you what's coming.
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Thread Starter- ED1
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Re: Whoops, They Did It Again! CTV Fails Ahead Of Big Storm
They could even have him tape the weather and then play it back. No real overtime if he does it during his regular shift.
In Ottawa, CJOH's J.J. Clarke would usually record the 11:30 weather segment, likely just after the 6pm newscast ended.
Speaking of CJOH, IIRC they don’t have a weather anchor at all! All their news anchors just read the weather forecast.
- Radiowiz
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Re: Whoops, They Did It Again! CTV Fails Ahead Of Big Storm
They could even have him tape the weather and then play it back. No real overtime if he does it during his regular shift.
In Ottawa, CJOH's J.J. Clarke would usually record the 11:30 weather segment, likely just after the 6pm newscast ended.
Speaking of CJOH, IIRC they don’t have a weather anchor at all! All their news anchors just read the weather forecast.
Looks like JJ's been absent for a few years in Ottawa:
RadioWiz & RadioQuiz are NOT the same person.
RadioWiz & THE Wiz are NOT the same person.
- RadioActive
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Re: Whoops, They Did It Again! CTV Fails Ahead Of Big Storm
Well, I honestly didn't think they could blow it any worse than what they did the day before. But on Tuesday, CTV Toronto proved me wrong.
They led their noon show with a shot of the snow, and then immediately went to their lead story - a new clue in a New Year's murder! That was followed by an arrest in an alleged abduction. Only after that did they get to the weather, the story everyone in the city is talking about and is affected by. But while the murder tale is an important update, it surely didn't trump what was going on outside everyone's window. After the first three or four minutes of the show had gone by, they finally had Rahim Ladhani looking at how the traffic was affected by the storm.
And then the jaw dropping reveal - another day of relatively useless anchor-read weather. Again, no separate weather person to get into it properly. Michelle Dube is an OK anchor, but clearly isn't a forecaster. I simply can't believe they didn't find anyone who could be in Tuesday.
They then went to a story about the controversy over Highway 413, and followed it with a yarn about a climate report indicating the world is still warming. WTF? Why would you not do that after the weather? Why separate two weather related stories by something that has nothing to do with climate then immediately return to the subject? Who is producing this thing and what were they thinking?
The only savings grace is that they eventually featured a live Q&A with Environment Canada's David Phillips, one of my favourites, about the storm and a winter lookahead.
But if you think there's a mess outside, the real mess was on your TV screens at noon on Tuesday. What is going on over there? Another embarrassment for Toronto's supposedly #1 newscast.
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Thread Starter- Radiowiz
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Re: Whoops, They Did It Again! CTV Fails Ahead Of Big Storm
I don't care what contract is what. CP24 is a BELL property. At the end of the day it should be THEIR right to go to CP24 for weather at noon not some stupid UNION decision.
There is NOTHING wrong with letting CP 24 be the weather source for CTV Toronto news @ Noon.
This is as pathetic as if CFTO were to be owned by Pelmorex but not be allowed to go to weather network for local Toronto weather info.
Last edited by Radiowiz (January 9, 2024 2:13 pm)
RadioWiz & RadioQuiz are NOT the same person.
RadioWiz & THE Wiz are NOT the same person.
- RadioActive
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Re: Whoops, They Did It Again! CTV Fails Ahead Of Big Storm
They led with two murders on the CFTO 6. That's just absurd. As important and sad as those two homicides are, the only thing people are talking about on Tuesday is the first storm of the year. Every other station - Global, City, and CBC - had the weather as the lede.
CTV finally got to it at 6:06 - and miracle of miracle - they had Jessica Smith on as the weather person. So why not lead with it?
Disgraceful. I've given up on Toronto's supposed #1 newscast.
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