[Professional Blog] Change in the Weather

There's change in the forecast for CBC Here & Now's weather report.

A new weather person has been hired, to take the place of Krysta Rudofsky, who is now on maternity leave. Ryan Snodden (right, photo by Project Porchlight), until recently the weather person with CHEX in Peterborough, will start with Here & Now on June 9. (And thanks to Greg Davis of the Peterborough Examiner for the tip.)

"It's a really cool job," Snodden told Andrea Houston, of the Peterborough Examiner. "The chance to do weather in one of the stormiest places on Earth is an opportunity that doesn't come up very often Just picking up and going to the other side of the country was not an easy decision to make I'm terribly nervous but obviously excited and sad to leave."

The choice of a come-from-away (Snodden was born in Simcoe, Ontario) for this position could raise a few eyebrows, and even draw some criticism from those who think CBC should hire locally. I put this point to Doug Letto, senior producer with Here & Now, and asked how he will respond to such criticism.

"What I would say is, we had an open competition," Letto said. "We thought it was an important enough job to ask for applications from whoever wanted to apply. It was very competitive but he was the person who impressed us the most, both with his weather knowledge and experience and the fact that he is working toward being a meteorologist. And that's important because we're all becoming keenly aware that the weather is about a great deal more than what we should wear when we go out in the morning, and the whole aspect of climate change and global warming."

Letto said it was apparent Snodden not only loves the weather, he loves talking about the weather. "CHEX in Peterborough thought so highly of him. He came to their station as a replacement for someone, and they liked his enthusiasm so much that they created a position to keep him. He really enjoys telling the weather story... It was his enthusiasm that really interested me. The guy is 25 but he has really done a lot. He's been involved in radio morning shows, he's read news, he can shoot (video), he can edit. He's an all-round accomplished young fellow."

Follow this link to read the full text of Newfoundland lures CHEX weatherman, Houston's article in the Peterborough Examiner.

SPEAKING OF MATERNITY LEAVE

On a similar but totally unrelated theme, the brave young woman who posed with pregnant tummy exposed for page one of The Independent (May 10/2008) has had her baby.

Leslie Anne and Trevor Corrigan are the proud parents of a healthy boy named Liam Francis, weighing 9 lbs 5.5 oz. The couple are among the first to take advantage of Danny's new baby bonus benefit of $1000, plus $100 monthly for the next 12 months.

You can see the photo of Leslie Anne and read the accompanying story by following this link.

And, no, Krysta hasn't given birth to her baby yet.