Change
in the
Weather
KVUE TV (ABC-Austin) is cutting back on staffing in the weather department. You may have noticed that Chief Meteorologist Mark Murray has been splitting time with Mehgan Danahey for weeks with a little help from their past friends. Murray and Danahey’s pictures were the only faces in the Austin American-Statesman and on the KVUE TV web site.
Using Facebook , Murray announced tonight that Albert Ramon, the chief meteorologist of KZTV-TV in Corpus Christi will be joining the KVUE weather team. “Now, help me welcome the newest member of the KVUE Storm Team, Albert Ramon! Albert is from Corpus Christi, where he worked as the Chief Meteorologist at KZTV. Albert will normally be working our weekend newscasts.”
No longer will KVUE have four meteorologists on staff. “Yes, like many other stations around the country, we are a three-person weather department,” says Mark Murray. “Our two former weekend meteorologists, Tom Harris and George Kanuck, split their time (about 50/50) between the weather office and doing some news and environmental reporting for the newsroom. The difference with Albert is that he'll be spending almost all of his time working in the weather office. When he's not covering his regular weekend newscasts, he'll often be filling in for me and Meghan, as well as covering holidays and vacations, so staffing and scheduling really isn't an issue for us.”
KVUE TV is the #1 news, weather, and sports in Austin. The #2 station, KXAN TV (NBC) has four meteorologists who do stories during the week.
The tip-off that change was afoot at KVUE was on the air Sunday (October 11, 2009) when former KVUE meteorologist Ilona McCauley (a little help from my friends) said on the air, that she would be going away again. McCauley left KVUE and television news to pursue her dream of becoming a science teacher. She now teaches middle school science here in Central Texas.
Ramon will apparently start work this weekend. He is still on the KZTV-TV web site, but the web site, but the web site also has a posting for a new meteorologist. Murray’s Facebook announcement also included Ramon on the KVUE set.
Albert Ramon grew up in Beeville, Texas, right outside of Corpus Christi. His parents still live and work there. After high school, Ramon studied Atmospheric Science at Texas A&M University. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Broadcast Meteorology from Mississippi State University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications in Media Studies from Texas A&M University Corpus Christi. “Honestly, I think that one of the things that attracted Albert to KVUE is that he was able to make the jump to a much larger television market, yet still be close to his family,” Murray says.
“There's a great story that I wasn't aware of until Albert came to for his interview,” Murray says. “When he was growing up, he would often visit his grandfather who lived out near Bastrop. Even as a young boy, Albert had a very strong interest in the weather. Many years ago, with the help of his grandfather, Albert wrote me a letter requesting an autographed picture. Believe it or not, he still has it!! So, of course, we had to hire him!”
Ramon joined KZTV Action 10 News in May, 2005. He worked all shifts at KZTV, including weekends, and mornings/middays, according to the KZTV site. As chief meteorologist, Ramon appeared on their 5 p.m., 6 p.m., and 10 p.m. newscasts.
Ramon was the only meteorologist in the Coastal Bend who earned both the American Meteorological Society's Television Seal of Approval and the National Weather Association's Seal of Approval. Both awarded for excellence in meteorology and broadcasting.
© Jim McNabb, 2009