Not broadcast meteorologists.we're there on the news while you enjoy your holiday. The most challenging part of the job is the sacrifices you have to make to work in this field. I've had a highly successful career just because of that one e-mail. I cannot begin to convey how it made me feel when a viewer once e-mailed to tell me that I directly saved her life. What do you like most about your job? What is the most challenging thing about your job?įirst and foremost, broadcast meteorologists have a job of public safety. On days after a tornado event, or when a snowstorm / ice storm is in progress (I'll report live outside about the conditions or damage). On days I'm not on the air, I start work around lunchtime and work into the evening. If I'm covering the evening shift, I start work at 2:00 p.m. Yes, it's brutal, and I don't get much sleep. Or, if I'm covering the weekend shift, which is a double shift both days, I do the early morning, 6pm and 11pm newscasts. I fill in on all newscasts, so some days I'm up at 1:00 a.m. There is no typical day on the job for me. What is your typical day on the job like? That experience before you graduate is invaluable. Nothing, of course, can truly replicate a real-world television newsroom, but some colleges have actual TV studios on campus where the students do real broadcasts to the college campus and perhaps the surrounding city. If you want to be a broadcast meteorologist, you need to get in front of the camera as much as you can during your college years. What other courses/skills beyond the required math and science courses do you think would be the most helpful to individuals wanting a career in your profession?Ĭommunication skills. College professors can teach you a lot about meteorology, but applying this knowledge in a real working environment is critical to getting that first job. I cannot adequately express how important it is to pursue internships. What opportunities did you pursue that you knew would be beneficial to securing a job in the profession? Eventually, WDIV let me start filling in on the air so, by 1987, I was working part-time at three different television stations at the same time.and sometimes on the air at two of them on the same day! Over the next two years, I added the weekend meteorologist position at WJIM (now WLNS)-TV in Lansing, as well as the backup meteorologist at WJBK-TV in Detroit. I was an intern in 1981, and then managed to get a part-time job helping out in the weather office during my senior year at the University of Michigan. I have worked my entire thirty-seven year career at WDIV-TV (Channel 4) in Detroit. What was your first job in the field and how did you end up in the job you are in now? She was right and, by the end of second grade, I told my family that someday I wanted to be a weatherman at Channel 4 in Detroit! She told me that if I read about thunder and lightning and learned what caused them, perhaps I would become less scared of them. My second grade teacher sensed this and, one day, took me to the school library and pointed out a section of books about weather. I was terrified of storms when I was a little boy. Ryan also writes a blog, “On Ryan’s Radar.Please include details about your educational background and what sparked your interest in atmospheric or related sciences. He also volunteers with Special Olympics Connecticut and visits schools across the state talking about science. Besides forecasting the weather, he enjoys spending his spare time with his Golden Retriever, Doppler, relaxing on the beach or on the slopes skiing. In 2016 he was awarded an Emmy for his forecasts.ĭuring his tenure at NBC Connecticut Ryan has covered many of the state's biggest storms including Tropical Storm Irene, Hurricane Sandy, the October snowstorm, the Blizzard of 2013 and the May 2018 tornado outbreak across Connecticut. His weathercasts have been recognized by the American Meteorological Society with their Seal of Approval. Ryan also studied atmospheric science in graduate school at the State University of New York at Albany. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in meteorology from the Pennsylvania State University. Ryan returned to Connecticut in 2005 after working as a meteorologist for WNYT, the NBC affiliate in Albany, N.Y. Growing up along the shoreline in Guilford, his interest in the weather was sparked by the 1989 Hamden tornado, hurricanes Gloria and Bob, and the blizzards of '93 and '96. Ryan Hanrahan is Chief Meteorologist and can be seen weekdays during the 4 p.m., 5 p.m., 6 p.m.
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