[epm-84]

For the last few weeks Granada region forecasts have been done mainly by one forecaster resident at Granada Studios (Fred Talbot) with some forecasts done by ITV Yorkshire forecaster Kerrie Gosney and others by ITV Central forecaster Emma Jesson.

Our other resident forecaster Jo Blythe has been missing for a few weeks. Unless she gets 10 weeks holiday a year I can't see how she would be still on holiday and if she'd been involved in an accident or very ill I would have thought the newsreaders would have passed on good wishes on air. But then it could be that Jo Blythe is working on another project?

Has any other region gone down to one resident forecaster recently?

[david04121980]

Originally Posted by epm-84

For the last few weeks Granada region forecasts have been done mainly by one forecaster resident at Granada Studios (Fred Talbot) with some forecasts done by ITV Yorkshire forecaster Kerrie Gosney and others by ITV Central forecaster Emma Jesson.

Our other resident forecaster Jo Blythe has been missing for a few weeks. Unless she gets 10 weeks holiday a year I can't see how she would be still on holiday and if she'd been involved in an accident or very ill I would have thought the newsreaders would have passed on good wishes on air. But then it could be that Jo Blythe is working on another project?

Has any other region gone down to one resident forecaster recently?

There is also a poss that she has been Sacked???

[epm-84]

Originally Posted by david04121980

There is also a poss that she has been Sacked???

I was hinting that it looks like she has either been moved or doesn't work for ITV any more. When I said other projects, I meant that's likely the only way she has been away from that long and is still going to come back.

I'd find it surprising if she's been sacked as Jo Blythe, along with Jon Mitchell from ITV Yorkshire have both filled in on national forecasts, so they obviously must be highly thought of.

[cody jarrett]

Originally Posted by epm-84

For the last few weeks Granada region forecasts have been done mainly by one forecaster resident at Granada Studios (Fred Talbot) with some forecasts done by ITV Yorkshire forecaster Kerrie Gosney and others by ITV Central forecaster Emma Jesson.

Our other resident forecaster Jo Blythe has been missing for a few weeks. Unless she gets 10 weeks holiday a year I can't see how she would be still on holiday and if she'd been involved in an accident or very ill I would have thought the newsreaders would have passed on good wishes on air. But then it could be that Jo Blythe is working on another project?

Has any other region gone down to one resident forecaster recently?

Fred popped up doing the weather one night this week on The WestCountry Tonight! I almost choked on my tea! Obviously he's nationally known due to This Morning but it was still very unexpected.

[levineg]

I actually like Fred Talbot and get very upset when he isn't doing the Granada Weather.

Fred Talbot is by far the best weather forecaster ever!!

He reminds me of Lara Lewington who used to do the Five Weather - she too was a good weather forecaster!!!

Lara Lewington is Martin Lewis's other half!!

[epm-84]

Originally Posted by cody jarrett

Fred popped up doing the weather one night this week on The WestCountry Tonight! I almost choked on my tea! Obviously he's nationally known due to This Morning but it was still very unexpected.

Fred will be exhausted then. He did an 8 day week for Granada, had two days off then returned the next day. So it sounds like he was pre-recording forecasts for other regions as well as doing 5 Granada forecasts on weekdays.

Fred also records a five minute 'Where Fred?' feature shown on Granada on Tuesdays, but he could have recorded them months ago.

[epm-84]

Originally Posted by levineg

Fred Talbot is by far the best weather forecaster ever!!

He reminds me of Lara Lewington who used to do the Five Weather - she too was a good weather forecaster!!!

Lara Lewington is Martin Lewis's other half!!

Fred and Lara are very different. Fred frequently is positive about bad weather, whereas Lara was frequently negative about average weather.

[ftv]

I wonder what qualifications these people have. The woman who used to do the traffic reports on the BBC 1 London opt out of Breakfast has suddenly appeared as a weather forecaster.

[epm-84]

All BBC and ITV forecasters are trained in metrology. Whether they have a background in Media e.g. Lara Lewington or Carol Kirkwood or in a Geology Sciencey type subject e.g. Dan Corbett or Laura Tobin is irrelevant to whether they are allowed to present the weather, but obviously the more they know about the subject the better insight they can give in to the weather.

[Servicetech 1]

I am thinking,that perhaps,the familiar ITV regional forecast format,may be dropped,leaving just a regional forecast,read out by a newsreader.

When familiar faces disappear and the remaining are overstretched,it usually means cutbacks,are ongoing.

Maybe i am wrong,but i have seen this happen,in firms i have been employed by,in the past.

[epm-84]

Originally Posted by Servicetech 1

I am thinking,that perhaps,the familiar ITV regional forecast format,may be dropped,leaving just a regional forecast,read out by a newsreader.

When familiar faces disappear and the remaining are overstretched,it usually means cutbacks,are ongoing.

Maybe i am wrong,but i have seen this happen,in firms i have been employed by,in the past.

That sounds very 1990s now.

Or alternatively they could be returning to a northern weather team of 4 forecasters for all the northern regions, like we had up until last year

[Servicetech 1]

Originally Posted by epm-84

That sounds very 1990s now.

Or alternatively they could be returning to a northern weather team of 4 forecasters for all the northern regions, like we had up until last year

Maybe,but why disband the team and then re-form it,a few months later.
I personally,would like to see the familiar faces,again,in particular,Jon Mitchell,who i had written to,in the late 1990's,concerning the weather forecast,coverage of North Wales.

It's all very puzzling,Fred Talbot must be worn out,not only was he doing a 8 day stint,on Granada,but also doing a forecast,for ITV West Country.

Does anyone know exactly,what is happening.

[epm-84]

Originally Posted by Servicetech 1

Maybe,but why disband the team and then re-form it,a few months later.
I personally,would like to see the familiar faces,again,in particular,Jon Mitchell,who i had written to,in the late 1990's,concerning the weather forecast,coverage of North Wales.

I may be wrong, but wasn't the Northern weather team sub-contracted from ITV to another company and when they brought it in-house they put most forecasters on contractors with ITV, with some freelancers scratched around as well?

I don't understand what's going on with North Wales. They put weather symbols along the North Wales coast, but no place names. Then North Wales news stories seem to appear on North West Teletext more often than on Granada Reports.

[epm-84]

The weather forecasters that appear on the new relaunched regional websites are interesting:

Granada- Jo Blythe and Fred Talbot
Yorkshire- Just Jon Mitchell
Tyne Tees- Just Philippa Tomson

[PhilH36]

Originally Posted by ftv

I wonder what qualifications these people have. The woman who used to do the traffic reports on the BBC 1 London opt out of Breakfast has suddenly appeared as a weather forecaster.

If you mean Kate she's been doing weather for ages. There are three resident weather presenters for BBC London-Kate,Peter Cockroft and Wendy Hurrell. Pete does the lunchtime,six and late bulletins Tuesday to Friday-Wendy does these on Monday along with breakfast on Thursday and Friday. Kate does breakfast Monday to Wednesday but occasionally Wendy does Wednesday. The two girls seems to split the Sunday evening between them and there is usually no presenter on Saturday with the newsreader reading a weather summary. If one of them is off and the other two aren't available to cover they use the national forecaster.

[Servicetech 1]

Originally Posted by epm-84

I may be wrong, but wasn't the Northern weather team sub-contracted from ITV to another company and when they brought it in-house they put most forecasters on contractors with ITV, with some freelancers scratched around as well?

I don't understand what's going on with North Wales. They put weather symbols along the North Wales coast, but no place names. Then North Wales news stories seem to appear on North West Teletext more often than on Granada Reports.

Yes,all the more puzzling,because where the North Wales place names were,they haven't closed the gaps,with the graphics,like you would expect.

I have made complaints,to ITV Granada,about this and the,apparent dropping of coverage,of North Wales news and the weather place names,issue,to Richard Frediani,Head of news,at ITV Granada.

I have been promised a reply,we will wait and see,what transpires.

There are suggestions,that ITV Granada,have been requested to drop all North Wales coverage,by the Welsh assembly,who are trying to protect the Welsh media and culture/language.
This,too,is being investigated,at the moment.

[granadatvman]

Tonight I was surprised to see Kerrie Gosney in the Granada Roof Garden on Granada Reports

Is this the first time she's presented from Granada Television in Manchester?

[Nelad]

Originally Posted by epm-84

The weather forecasters that appear on the new relaunched regional websites are interesting:

Granada- Jo Blythe and Fred Talbot
Yorkshire- Just Jon Mitchell
Tyne Tees- Just Philippa Tomson

Although she doesn't feature on the website, Alex Watson does Tyne Tees weather on weekends.

Incidentally Philippa Tomson (currently presenting weather on gmtv) has the official title of 'Weather and Environment Correspondent' at Tyne Tees! lol

[Nelad]

Originally Posted by levineg

Lara Lewington is Martin Lewis's other half!!

You mean Martin Lewis the moneysavingexpert? That would be a surprise. He always comes across as a bit 'theatrical' to me. I assumed he was on the other bus.

[epm-84]

Originally Posted by granadatvman

Tonight I was surprised to see Kerrie Gosney in the Granada Roof Garden on Granada Reports

Is this the first time she's presented from Granada Television in Manchester?

No it's about the third or fourth time, she's also done at least two North West on-location forecasts- one was at Blackpool when she was holding on to 'The Donkey of The Year' at the time. It seems Kerrie is doing alternate Wednesdays on Granada at the moment.

What's surprising though is apparently Kerrie did ITV Yorkshire weather on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday but yesterday Alex Watson from ITV Tyne Tees covered the Yorkshire forecast while Kerrie was in Manchester.

[epm-84]

Originally Posted by Nelad

Although she doesn't feature on the website, Alex Watson does Tyne Tees weather on weekends.

Incidentally Philippa Tomson (currently presenting weather on gmtv) has the official title of 'Weather and Environment Correspondent' at Tyne Tees! lol

Yes that was the point I was trying to make. For most region they have only featured one forecaster and for a few regions they have featured two forecasters. Why should the likes of Alex Watson and Kerrie Gosney not be featured on their local region website?

[flamingGalah!]

Down here on Meridian we have to put up with the awful Simon Parkin doing our weather (yes that Simon Parkin)...

Thankfully when he is away we normally get the professional Martyn Davies (of ITV national weather), not done from London, but actually in the Meridian studio as he has worked for Meridian too for donkeys years...

More recently though we have sometimes had Phillipa Drew, (mainly at weekends), and also someone that used to be a reporter/newsreader on Meridian, Sarah Farmer. She has been doing the weather all this week on Meridian Tonight... Seems they all have to "chip in" now they are running on a "ghost ship"... I expect Fred will be manning the cameras soon...

[griffpaul]

What has happened to Jo Blythe, please someone tell us. She is gorgeous

[epm-84]

Originally Posted by griffpaul

What has happened to Jo Blythe, please someone tell us. She is gorgeous

If you're from Yorkshire, Tyne-Tees or Border regions she was transferred from being a Northern regions forecaster based in Leeds to being a designated Granada region forecaster based in Manchester early this year.

If you're from Granada region she's apparently on long-term sick leave until this month or next month according to someone's post in another thread on this forum.

[epm-84]

Lucy Kite appeared doing the Granada forecast today. I wonder if this will be a one off appearance like Ruth Wignall earlier in the year or more regular.

I do find it surprising that Jon Mitchell hasn't covered the Granada forecast since the reorganisation. I realise he usually does 5 days a week for Yorkshire and covers Tyne Tees, but then doesn't Lucy Kite do 5 days a week and does a Central West and Central East forecast?