On Tue, 20 Sep 2011 18:53:28 +0100, John Hall wrote:



Can't one criticise weather presenters now if they happen to be female?
Is it still OK to criticise them if they're male?

There have been some excellent female weather presenters, Barbara
Edwards and Suzanne Charlton being two names that come to mind. But I
don't think that Laura Tobin is one of them.


It's a pity you replied to Michael as I normally wouldn't see his inane
ramblings. However, thanks for your comments. Another female I'd add to
your list, although she is not popular with everyone here, is Carol
Kirkwood, if for no other reason than that I've never heard her use the
phrases "its way" or "their way" when describing movement.


--
Graham Davis, Bracknell
Whilst it's true that money can't buy you happiness, at least you can
be miserable in comfort.
Newsreader for Windows, Mac, Unix family: http://pan.rebelbase.com/

On Tue, 20 Sep 2011 19:05:15 +0100, Col wrote:

My point, which I should have made more explicit, was that saying
"weather front" instead of "front" takes an extra second or two, and
when that happens half a dozen times it starts to add up.

But what they should be saying is *warm* front & *cold* front. Best not
have too many of the occulded variety, or they really could run out of
time

I was taken aback a week or so ago when "occluded front" was used on a
forecast. Thought I might have imagined it at first but the forecaster
used it again.

If the BBC object to the use of "cold" or "warm", then the presenters
should just use "front" on its own.



--
Graham Davis, Bracknell
Whilst it's true that money can't buy you happiness, at least you can
be miserable in comfort.
Newsreader for Windows, Mac, Unix family: http://pan.rebelbase.com/

"Graham P Davis" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 20 Sep 2011 19:05:15 +0100, Col wrote:

My point, which I should have made more explicit, was that saying
"weather front" instead of "front" takes an extra second or two, and
when that happens half a dozen times it starts to add up.

But what they should be saying is *warm* front & *cold* front. Best not
have too many of the occulded variety, or they really could run out of
time

I was taken aback a week or so ago when "occluded front" was used on a
forecast. Thought I might have imagined it at first but the forecaster
used it again.

Some kind of rouge forecaster accidentally let loose on the public
I would imagine. I'm sure such a mistake won't be made again.....

If the BBC object to the use of "cold" or "warm", then the presenters
should just use "front" on its own.

They should indeed. There is no such thing as a *weather* front.
It's a *weather* forecast, what other type of front do they think
people might imagine they are talking about?
--
Col

Bolton, Lancashire
160m asl

"Col" wrote in message
...

"Graham P Davis" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 20 Sep 2011 19:05:15 +0100, Col wrote:

My point, which I should have made more explicit, was that saying
"weather front" instead of "front" takes an extra second or two, and
when that happens half a dozen times it starts to add up.

But what they should be saying is *warm* front & *cold* front. Best not
have too many of the occulded variety, or they really could run out of
time

I was taken aback a week or so ago when "occluded front" was used on a
forecast. Thought I might have imagined it at first but the forecaster
used it again.

Some kind of rouge forecaster accidentally let loose on the public
I would imagine. I'm sure such a mistake won't be made again.....

If the BBC object to the use of "cold" or "warm", then the presenters
should just use "front" on its own.

They should indeed. There is no such thing as a *weather* front.
It's a *weather* forecast, what other type of front do they think
people might imagine they are talking about?

I'm not defending the term but I understand it was introduced to convey the
idea that "weather" occurs on those lines on the charts. Trouble with warm
and cold is that it is sometimes warmer after a cold front goes through,
e.g. if it turns sunny in summer!

Will
--

On Sep 20, 1:36*pm, Graham P Davis wrote:
Laura Tobin just referred to a feature on her chart as a "weather front"
five times in quick succession. On the sixth - and final - occasion, she
just referred to it as a "front". Must have been running out of breath.

--
Graham Davis, Bracknell
Whilst it's true that money can't buy you happiness, at least you can
be miserable in comfort.
Newsreader for Windows, Mac, Unix family:http://pan.rebelbase.com/

Well whatever it's called, it hasn't budged from over Milton Keynes
for a few hours, so I'm going to get wet cycling home. (

--
Liam (Milton Keynes)
http://www.physics.open.ac.uk/~lsteele/

"Graham P Davis" wrote:

...Another female I'd add to
your list, although she is not popular with everyone here, is Carol
Kirkwood, if for no other reason than that I've never heard her use the
phrases "its way" or "their way" when describing movement.

That's one of my pet annoyances too, along with 'warmer temperatures' and
'colder temperatures' - a temperature can't be 'warm' or 'cold', but it can
be 'high' or 'low'.

On Sep 20, 10:13*pm, "Togless" wrote:
"Graham P Davis" wrote:

...Another female I'd add to
your list, although she is not popular with everyone here, is Carol
Kirkwood, if for no other reason than that I've never heard her use the
phrases "its way" or "their way" when describing movement.

That's one of my pet annoyances too, along with 'warmer temperatures' and
'colder temperatures' - a temperature can't be 'warm' or 'cold', but it can
be 'high' or 'low'.

Agreed on all counts.

'Weather front' has become ubiquitous across BBC presenters'
discourse. It must be policy and I cannot for the life of me fathom
why.

Stephen.

"Sir Loin Steak" wrote in message
...
On Sep 20, 1:36 pm, Graham P Davis wrote:
Laura Tobin just referred to a feature on her chart as a "weather front"
five times in quick succession. On the sixth - and final - occasion, she
just referred to it as a "front". Must have been running out of breath.

--
Graham Davis, Bracknell
Whilst it's true that money can't buy you happiness, at least you can
be miserable in comfort.
Newsreader for Windows, Mac, Unix family:http://pan.rebelbase.com/

Well whatever it's called, it hasn't budged from over Milton Keynes
for a few hours, so I'm going to get wet cycling home. (

--
Liam (Milton Keynes)
http://www.physics.open.ac.uk/~lsteele/

Liam, are you sure you are not under an "organised" line of showers?

Roger

On Sep 20, 11:46*pm, Adam Lea wrote:
On 20/09/11 22:13, Togless wrote:

"Graham P Davis" wrote:

...Another female I'd add to
your list, although she is not popular with everyone here, is Carol
Kirkwood, if for no other reason than that I've never heard her use the
phrases "its way" or "their way" when describing movement.

That's one of my pet annoyances too, along with 'warmer temperatures'
and 'colder temperatures' - a temperature can't be 'warm' or 'cold', but
it can be 'high' or 'low'.

Don't see the problem with that myself. 10C would be a cooler
temperature than 20C, would it not.

============================

No, it would be a lower temperature.

It would be cooler, though. It's just as clear to say one or other of
those things, and they are more correct.

============================

It is important to remember that the forecasters are presenting to the
general public, not a scientific conference, and it is more important
that the public understand the forecast than get every single absolute
scientific detail 100% correct.

============================

The two things are not mutually exclusive. In fact, one could argue
that accuracy aids clarity, and getting the details correct makes the
forecast more understandable. Nobody, however, is asking them to
deliver a PhD treatise.

Stephen.

On Sep 20, 10:21*pm, Stephen Davenport
wrote:
'Weather front' has become ubiquitous across BBC presenters'
discourse. It must be policy and I cannot for the life of me fathom
why.

Stephen.

I would have thought it's perfectly obvious why. Weather is
to be presented in part at least as entertainment and as such must not
contain anything remotely resembling a technical phrase. The public
are being patronised as dimwits which, it has to be admitted, they
largely are in matters meteorological but this dismal state of affairs
can only be made worse by the populist style of presentation we now
see where the idea of education, be it ever so gentle, is deemed too
hot to handle, such is the Beeb's lack of testicular fortitude, as in
a number of other matters.
In reply to another poster (can't remember who, sorry), the
saving of one syllable in the definition of a front cannot be a
serious point (and of course wasn't meant to be), given such
periphrastic nonsense like "as we go through the course of the night-
time period", all the while "flirting with the eastern coastal
fringes." They babble, like nervous badly-briefed spokesmen as the
pressures of time and populism requirements get to them, and this is
Radio 4, not Thicko FM. The Beeb ought to be ashamed of itself.

Tudor Hughes, Warlingham, Surrey