Started By
Message
Bham residents who watched James Spann
Posted on 4/29/14 at 8:48 am
Posted on 4/29/14 at 8:48 am
I've been a fan of his in the past but what a clownshow that broadcast was last night.
The tornado is hitting Bessemer, heading towards Downtown Birmingham/Hoover, but Spann has nothing but dashcam footage of some random county road in Tuscaloosa County.
To make matters worse, his sidekick Brian Peters is laughing everytime his app is going off...while everyone in Birmingham is scared shitless that the storm could hit them.
Between last night & Snowpocalypse, it seems like Spann has become a sideshow. He seems to be obsessed with how many people he has in the field and how much info he can get on the ground. Nevermind the million+ people in Birmingham Metro who are seeking shelter because every other station is actually showing radar. Fox6 blew them out of the water in terms of coverage.
The tornado is hitting Bessemer, heading towards Downtown Birmingham/Hoover, but Spann has nothing but dashcam footage of some random county road in Tuscaloosa County.
To make matters worse, his sidekick Brian Peters is laughing everytime his app is going off...while everyone in Birmingham is scared shitless that the storm could hit them.
Between last night & Snowpocalypse, it seems like Spann has become a sideshow. He seems to be obsessed with how many people he has in the field and how much info he can get on the ground. Nevermind the million+ people in Birmingham Metro who are seeking shelter because every other station is actually showing radar. Fox6 blew them out of the water in terms of coverage.
This post was edited on 4/29/14 at 10:55 am
15
Posted on 4/29/14 at 8:49 am to FairhopeTider
I agree. He isn't what he used to be.
Posted on 4/29/14 at 8:51 am to FairhopeTider
Kept saying things would die off before the bessemer tornado. Meanwhile on fox, they had a guy fro UAH explaing how it may get worse as wind shear was increasing.
Posted on 4/29/14 at 8:53 am to Alahunter
I had it on fox all night long watching as the Bessemer tornado was bearing down on hoover. They did a great job with coverage. I watched James Spann for a little bit earlier in the night just to see why everyone always talks about him. If I need weather updates (snowpocalypse/tornadoes) I'll be sticking with fox for sure.
Posted on 4/29/14 at 8:54 am to FairhopeTider
I agree. They also did a poor job of identifying the small towns in the path of the tornadoes. I was in abernant and they never drew that vector which shows the impacted cities like NBC 13 did.
Posted on 4/29/14 at 8:54 am to FairhopeTider
Spann has been terrible for years. I wish he hadn't blocked me on Twitter a couple of years ago because he's fun as shite to troll on there.
Posted on 4/29/14 at 9:07 am to FairhopeTider
I remember when he was Dan Satterfield sidekick
at Whnt 19 in Huntsville.
at Whnt 19 in Huntsville.
Posted on 4/29/14 at 9:15 am to FairhopeTider
I've never watched him but from what ppl were saying last night he sounds like a total dumbass as far as meteorology goes
Or, and I hate to even suggest it in a situation like this cause idk how anybody could do this, he's trolling with ppls lives on the line
Or, and I hate to even suggest it in a situation like this cause idk how anybody could do this, he's trolling with ppls lives on the line
Posted on 4/29/14 at 9:17 am to FairhopeTider
The guy went to shite once he started bitching about climate change folks while on Rick and Bubba.
Just awful radio...
Just awful radio...
Posted on 4/29/14 at 9:21 am to Alahunter
quote:
Kept saying things would die off before the bessemer tornado.
That's just irresponsible.
quote:
Meanwhile on fox, they had a guy fro UAH explaing how it may get worse as wind shear was increasing.
Oh science was more useful than certain statements that will prove a TV met right? Never would have guessed.
Posted on 4/29/14 at 9:22 am to Wishnitwas1998
quote:
I've never watched him but from what ppl were saying last night he sounds like a total dumbass as far as meteorology goes
He actually knows his stuff, but he seems more interested in his image nowadays. 10 years ago there wasn't anyone even close to him in this market when it came to meteorological knowledge and Alabama geography. The other meteorologists have caught up to and passed him though, and he still clings to his "stardom" to remain relevant. Not to mention he's a complete jerk.
Posted on 4/29/14 at 9:27 am to The Spleen
His assistant came off as a total douchebag with all of the giggling. I thought Spann was knowledgeable, but he was overly conservative last night. Apparently he doesn't want to fill people in unless it is almost obvious they are in trouble. He spent more time telling you who wasn't in harms way rather than who was.
Posted on 4/29/14 at 9:31 am to FairhopeTider
I thought Rich Thomas did a great job at 2 AM this morning.
Posted on 4/29/14 at 9:40 am to slackster
quote:
He spent more time telling you who wasn't in harms way rather than who was.
The way he was talking at one point "I REPEAT, NOBODY IN SHELBY COUNTY IS IN THIS WARNING" it seemed like his phone or twitter or something was blowing up asking about Shelby county.
Meanwhile on fox: "There's no warning, but I'm just going to go ahead and say that if you're in northern shelby county just south of hoover and over to inverness you should probably be paying close attention and looking to a safe place because there's a chance you're not out of the woods"
At one point in time the Bessemer tornado looked like it could come straight through Hoover/Pelham and then suddenly started to go more north as it was seemingly breaking up. Two completely different takes on it by 2 different meteorologists. One seemingly fed up with questions, the other being overly cautious because...TORNADO.
Posted on 4/29/14 at 9:57 am to FairhopeTider
the Mrs. and I were discussing that last night. I think a lot of us (and I'm 51) who grew up with him-- I remember him at Ch 13 in 1977 and 1978--forgot how old he is . He's been bald forever so his aging isn't as obvious but the guy is no kid. He's got to be close to 65. Not that he's about to die,but he has certainly lost a step.
That Brian Peters brought nothing to the coverage.
With that said, the guys on 42 acting like they were on drugs.You had the main guy, Norman, pointing to stuff with no sound and the third weather guy, McIleny(sp) talking over him saying non-sequitors.Weird.
That Brian Peters brought nothing to the coverage.
With that said, the guys on 42 acting like they were on drugs.You had the main guy, Norman, pointing to stuff with no sound and the third weather guy, McIleny(sp) talking over him saying non-sequitors.Weird.
Posted on 4/29/14 at 10:03 am to I-59 Tiger
JP Dice did a good job last night. Tried watching Spann a couple of times, but I couldn't do it.
Posted on 4/29/14 at 10:06 am to I-59 Tiger
As much as it pains me to say....and as much as I've historically hated TWC....what they did in covering the Arkansas tornado's and then what I watched last night.....well, that was better than anything I've ever seen from local or statewide weather men.
I've been very impressed with TWC's coverage and Dr. Forbes the past two nights.
They had the Mayflower tornado pegged before any locals...which is critical
I've been very impressed with TWC's coverage and Dr. Forbes the past two nights.
They had the Mayflower tornado pegged before any locals...which is critical
Posted on 4/29/14 at 10:11 am to Hawgeye
quote:
I've been very impressed with TWC's coverage and Dr. Forbes the past two nights.
They had the Mayflower tornado pegged before any locals...which is critical
Well,said. They the were the first to report a tornado entering Jefferson Co(Birmingham) from Tuscaloosa and one touching down in Bessemer.
Ol' Al Roker was here last night.
Posted on 4/29/14 at 10:14 am to FairhopeTider
JP Dice is the man! He has definitely picked up steam when it comes to battle of the weather men in B'ham. I got a chance to meet him a few years ago at the McWayne Science Center during the opening of their severe weather exhibit. He seemed like a genuinely nice guy. Oh ya, he's an SEC guy too - undergrad @ UF and masters @ Miss St 
Eta:
This - I was actually thinking this exact same thing while flipping back and forth through abc and fox. I think I'm going to be sticking with fox from now on when it comes to weather
Eta:
quote:
The way he was talking at one point "I REPEAT, NOBODY IN SHELBY COUNTY IS IN THIS WARNING" it seemed like his phone or twitter or something was blowing up asking about Shelby county. Meanwhile on fox: "There's no warning, but I'm just going to go ahead and say that if you're in northern shelby county just south of hoover and over to inverness you should probably be paying close attention and looking to a safe place because there's a chance you're not out of the woods"
This - I was actually thinking this exact same thing while flipping back and forth through abc and fox. I think I'm going to be sticking with fox from now on when it comes to weather
This post was edited on 4/29/14 at 10:19 am
Posted on 4/29/14 at 10:33 am to parrothead
quote:
This - I was actually thinking this exact same thing while flipping back and forth through abc and fox. I think I'm going to be sticking with fox from now on when it comes to weather
I had Fox6 on my TV and Spann on my iPhone. No doubt in my mind that I'll be sticking with Fox6 in the future. There was a huge contrast between the two last night as that tornado was hitting Bessemer. Spann seemed more concerned at showcasing how big his storm team was and discussing damage that had occured hours before in rural areas. Not to mention you had Brian Peters yukking it up like he was Ed McMahan. On the other hand, you had Fox6 & JP Dice who seemed to actually recognize the serious fact that Birmingham metro could possibly be under the gun.
If you want dashcam footage of a mini-storage in Vance that had roof damage, then Spann is your man.
This post was edited on 4/29/14 at 10:34 am
Page 1 of 2
Popular
Back to top
Follow SECRant for SEC Football News