Thar He Blows!

Another summer, another hurricane season begins. So as I was watching the endless hurricane coverage of Hurricane Dean, I realized that our real-live hurricane media access has increased threefold since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Now it seems that the weather reporters need to actually be in the hurricane to adequately pass the news onto America.

Why? I find the fact that Al Roker was in Chetumal, Mexico earlier this week was completely idiotic. And if I was Mrs. Roker, I would be absolutely appalled. I mean, he isn't a journalist who covers wars like the British reporter who has been in Baghdad for the better part of this century. But the problem is that the networks believe that this is way to great ratings. Totally not true - I have read the news online, I have seen the satellite images from space, I got it - Dean is a big storm. And the best part is that Al Roker live from Chetumal is in the middle of pre-dawn darkness which means there really isn't anything to see.

The best part was as NBC saught higher ratings and a more comprehensive coverage, they also decided to have live reports from Kerry Sanders who actually during the broadcast said "Oh, Matt Lauer, not to worry about me in the Hurricane, we are strategically placed up against a wall." As if a storm that is churning 160 mph winds can't blow down a wall. And later, he said "Excuse me Matt but I think I need to walk away from this area as debris is flying around". I shutter to think that America and its disaster addicted viewers are one day going to see some poor reporter get blown away. Remember when Al Roker fell down during that one Hurricane. So the best thing is to report that indeed the storm is strong and wait until the next morning to witness the actual damage.

And then the kicker, Matt Lauer and Ann Curry actually go back to Al Roker, who is huddled in a slicker with a cell phone to do the national weather report. TOTAL MADNESS!!!!

I mean really, are we months away from Al Roker hitched to a wooden post in the middle of a tornado in Central Kansas? Probably would be hard to do with the video crew but honestly, I am getting nervous that we are close.....I admit disaster video footage is intriguing but only when its accidental like the Asian Tsunami coverage or a building collapse. But to know that someone is purposely putting themselves in harms way for useless video coverage.

And as a side note, I would like to bring up an important point that some of you have already heard. I am pretty sure that Ann Curry is about to have a complete and utter breakdown. Is she angry that Meredith Vieira got her coveted job? Is she upset that she is so beyond boring that it isn't even funny? Is she pissed off that everyone that has ever worked for NBC got to go to the last 4 Olympics and she still is back at Studio 1A so she can do the news with the fifth string camera crew? And then what report does she get to cover? Darfur! Don't say I didn't warn you people...