Phillip Eden did a nice job of explaining current vs historic forecast
technology today on R5 (given the limited slot just before midday), but
as he stated that he's a radio-only weatherman, when was the first
public broadcast radio forecast made?


Mike

"Mike Causer" wrote in message
newsan.2004.01.09.22.30.44.797561@firstnamelastn ame.org...
Phillip Eden did a nice job of explaining current vs historic forecast
technology today on R5 (given the limited slot just before midday), but
as he stated that he's a radio-only weatherman, when was the first
public broadcast radio forecast made?

Well I think the BBC first started broadcasting in 1924, so I guess it
would have been then.

Col
--
Bolton, Lancashire.
160m asl.
http://www.reddwarfer.btinternet.co.uk

"Col" wrote in message
...

"Mike Causer" wrote in message
newsan.2004.01.09.22.30.44.797561@firstnamelastn ame.org...
Phillip Eden did a nice job of explaining current vs historic forecast
technology today on R5 (given the limited slot just before midday), but
as he stated that he's a radio-only weatherman, when was the first
public broadcast radio forecast made?

Well I think the BBC first started broadcasting in 1924, so I guess it
would have been then.

I don't know the answer to this, but the first professional meteorologist
to present a weather forecast on the radio probably happened very
late ... possibly even after the TV ones started. I know that the
regular forecasts were very carefully and formally scripted by the
Met Office and read verbatim by the BBC announcer into the 1950s.
I have a book which contains copies of a handful of these scripts from
the early-50s.

There were, of course, many talks on the weather from the very
earliest days of radio, from the likes of H.R.Mill, Napier Shaw,
Gordon Manley, etc.

Perhaps contributors even older than I am can enlighten us ... :-P

Philip Eden

"Col" wrote in message
...

"Philip Eden" philipATweatherHYPHENukDOTcom wrote in message
...

"Col" wrote in message
...

Well I think the BBC first started broadcasting in 1924, so I guess it
would have been then.

I don't know the answer to this, but the first professional
meteorologist
to present a weather forecast on the radio probably happened very
late ... possibly even after the TV ones started. I know that the
regular forecasts were very carefully and formally scripted by the
Met Office and read verbatim by the BBC announcer into the 1950s.
I have a book which contains copies of a handful of these scripts from
the early-50s.

There were, of course, many talks on the weather from the very
earliest days of radio, from the likes of H.R.Mill, Napier Shaw,
Gordon Manley, etc.

Perhaps contributors even older than I am can enlighten us ... :-P

Philip, that does surprise me.
I would have thought that as soon as regular radio broadcasts were
being transmitted then it would have been natural for a public weather
forecast to have been broadcast as well. I guess it was a different
world back then.

Well, they were, but they were scripts read by the announcer.

pe

"Philip Eden" philipATweatherHYPHENukDOTcom wrote in message
...

"Col" wrote in message
...

Well I think the BBC first started broadcasting in 1924, so I guess it
would have been then.

I don't know the answer to this, but the first professional meteorologist
to present a weather forecast on the radio probably happened very
late ... possibly even after the TV ones started. I know that the
regular forecasts were very carefully and formally scripted by the
Met Office and read verbatim by the BBC announcer into the 1950s.
I have a book which contains copies of a handful of these scripts from
the early-50s.

There were, of course, many talks on the weather from the very
earliest days of radio, from the likes of H.R.Mill, Napier Shaw,
Gordon Manley, etc.

Perhaps contributors even older than I am can enlighten us ... :-P

Philip, that does surprise me.
I would have thought that as soon as regular radio broadcasts were
being transmitted then it would have been natural for a public weather
forecast to have been broadcast as well. I guess it was a different
world back then.

Still, you live and learn

Col
--
Bolton, Lancashire.
160m asl.
http://www.reddwarfer.btinternet.co.uk

"Philip Eden" philipATweatherHYPHENukDOTcom wrote in message
...

"Col" wrote in message
...
forecasts were very carefully and formally scripted by the

Philip, that does surprise me.
I would have thought that as soon as regular radio broadcasts were
being transmitted then it would have been natural for a public weather
forecast to have been broadcast as well. I guess it was a different
world back then.

Well, they were, but they were scripts read by the announcer.

Sorry, I think I misread your post.
I see what you mean now

Col
--
Bolton, Lancashire.
160m asl.
http://www.reddwarfer.btinternet.co.uk

"Jeremy Rogers" wrote in message
...
Mike Causer in message
pan.2004.01.09.22.30.44.797561@firstnamelastname. org wrote:

Phillip Eden did a nice job of explaining current vs historic
forecast
technology today on R5 (given the limited slot just before midday),
but
as he stated that he's a radio-only weatherman, when was the first
public broadcast radio forecast made?

26 March 1923 was the date daily forecasts started. Now did anyone
remember last year to celebrate the 80th anniversary ...


As above for first *routine* radio (scripted) broadcast specifically for
the BBC; I believe that the British Broadcasting Company (when first
started IIRC 1922) would read out the weather forecast printed in the
daily papers (as was the news - a collation of all the newspapers at the
time): the date I have for this is 14th November 1922, which is the same
date for initial broadcast of 2LO. [BBC become a public corporation in
1927]. Presumably in March 1923, someone thought it would be a good idea
to have a dedicated radio weather forecast. (However, this conflicts
with the BBCi Weather Centre site, who say that the 1922 issue was a
*scripted* forecast from the Meteorological Office.)

1936 Weather forecast in *caption* form on the embryonic television
(BBC) service.

1939 Forecasts for the public (including broadcast) suspended 'for the
duration'

1945 (May/June?) Radio (scripted) forecasts resume.

1949 July - TV captions resume.

1954 First live TV (BBC - there was only the BBC!) as noted elsewhere.

1959 London WC opens - and I *think* it was around this time that the
first 'live'/unscripted radio presentation was made from the studio
there - I used to have the date but can't put my hand to it - certainly
very early 1960's at the latest. But, much was still scripted on radio.

Martin.

"Martin Rowley" wrote in message
...

"Jeremy Rogers" wrote in message
...
Mike Causer in message
pan.2004.01.09.22.30.44.797561@firstnamelastname. org wrote:

Phillip Eden did a nice job of explaining current vs historic
forecast
technology today on R5 (given the limited slot just before midday),
but
as he stated that he's a radio-only weatherman, when was the first
public broadcast radio forecast made?

26 March 1923 was the date daily forecasts started. Now did anyone
remember last year to celebrate the 80th anniversary ...

1959 London WC opens - and I *think* it was around this time that the
first 'live'/unscripted radio presentation was made from the studio
there - I used to have the date but can't put my hand to it - certainly
very early 1960's at the latest. But, much was still scripted on radio.

This makes sense ... in which case the first meteorologist to present
a forecast on the radio could possibly have been Jack Armstrong,
Trevor Davies, or Norman Ellis ... although I don't remember listening
to weather forecasts in 1959, when they first began to impinge a
couple of years later I'm pretty sure that it was only the TV
forecasters who also did the forecasts on BBC radio -- mostly on the
Home Service but also occasionally on the Light Programme.

Philip Eden

"Philip Eden" philipATweatherHYPHENukDOTcom wrote in message
...

"Martin Rowley" wrote in message
...

snip
1959 London WC opens - and I *think* it was around this time that
the
first 'live'/unscripted radio presentation was made from the studio
there - I used to have the date but can't put my hand to it -
certainly
very early 1960's at the latest. But, much was still scripted on
radio.

This makes sense ... in which case the first meteorologist to present
a forecast on the radio could possibly have been Jack Armstrong,
Trevor Davies, or Norman Ellis ... although I don't remember listening
to weather forecasts in 1959, when they first began to impinge a
couple of years later I'm pretty sure that it was only the TV
forecasters who also did the forecasts on BBC radio -- mostly on the
Home Service but also occasionally on the Light Programme.

Philip Eden

.... in fact, until at least the time I left LWC (1988), and I think into
the very early 90's, P Met O London was o-i-c the Weather Centre team
(relatively small unit then), as the forecasters were nominally
attached/based to/at London WC. Indeed, some (Giles, McCaskill, Fish,
Kettley) still came onto our rosters on odd occasions and it was Mr McC
who was on duty at London Wc on the 15th/16th October, 1987.

As the BBC-tv team grew dramatically mid-90's onwards (and also London
spawned the services for ITN/ITV), then BBC Weather Centre (as it came
to be known) got it's own management team which effectively bi-passed
the London structu this reflected it's importance in the grand scheme
of things, especially with the growth of BBC World, BBC News24 and BBCi
etc.

Martin.