Meteorology on Television

In the early months of 1956 two meteorologists, Messrs. H. G. Bond (Senior Meteorologist Sydney) and J. W. Lillywhite (Deputy Director Melbourne) wore selected to attend introductory TV "schools" at the studios of the Australian Broadcasting Commission in Sydney, and as a result of further discussions between the Bureau, the A.B.C., and the four commercial television companies, it was decided that all TV weather Programmes in Australia would be based on the provision, at suitable times daily of an "Official Television Weather Report", comprising mainly,

1. the latest State Weather bulletin
2. a sketch of the latest available isobaric chart of Australia
3. a commentary on noteworthy features of the weather such as the cause and location of rain, extreme temperatures, etc.
4. a sketch map of the State showing significant features of the day's weather
5. the current forecasts for the State and for, the TV viewers' area.

The treatment of the "OTWR" and the form of its presentation by the various television stations was left to the station management subject to the Director's satisfaction with their arrangement.

The Australian Broadcasting Commission decided to follow the BBC method of having the daily weather programme presented from the studios by meteorologists in both Sydney and Melbourne. Auditioning of meteorologists in both cities was conducted during September and October, and the Commission's weather programmes on station ABN-2 Sydney began on the 6th November, with Messrs. A. Rainbird, R. Sheard and A. Wilkie as the commentators. In Melbourne, ABV-2 commenced weather programmes on 31st December, and these are to be conducted by Messrs. G. Hunter, A. Powell, G. Tyler and A. Woolcock.

Most of the four commercial TV stations (two each in Sydney and Melbourne) favoured the studio presentation by station personnel, who were given a few weeks briefing on elementary meteorology before the stations started transmissions. In Sydney, station TCN-9 opened on 16th September and gave daily weather programmes in this form from the following day, while HSV-7 in Melbourne commenced operations on 4th November and gives two weather presentations each night.

The second Melbourne commercial station GT7-9 plans to begin daily transmissions on 19th January, 1957, and for its weather programmes the station Proposes to use what should prove to be a highly effective system of having the maps demonstrated from the studio by station personnel, but the audio-commentary supplied by landline hookup by the Duty Forecaster each evening from his desk in the Weather Room.

Bureau of Meteorology