The Media Effect and Upcoming Seasons

[David Drummond]

I guess the ones that really bother me, is when someone with a fully decked out chase vehicle pulls up, starts to chat, then asks something that should be so unbelievably basic for someone with such a decked out vehicle that is astounds you. Something like, "So, what area should I be watching for the tornado to come out?" or the even better "What are we looking at here?"

I can understand that from someone that pulls up in a regular car, but to spend the money to deck out a vehicle, you would think that person would have at least done their homework and learned some basic storm spotting. IMO you don't need to hit the road until you can at least identify the major features of a supercell storm.

 

[Doug_Kiesling]

LOL, exactly. As I said a few years ago, chasing has become golf. Nothing but rich white guys out there, and me

Don't you already wear Zubas while chasing :-D Just Kidding Shane.

One thing that is of concern is the locals seeing someone with some gear like the laptop desk and dash camera and say "Their A Storm Chaser, Follow Them..."

That has happened to a lot of us and it really gets annoying as you don't know who they are. But with all the new TV shows, those of us that chase in "Unmarked" chase rides should be pretty good while the TIV, DOWS and everyone else well be yahoo magnets.

So now that has me thinking, with the TV shows if they do get picked up for another season, how are the production companies going to deal with all the Yahoo's out there trying to get on TV? Afterall, A TV station in Chicago got hit by a crazy fan that drove into the studio to get on TV just the other day.

If the public knows there is a TV show being filmed, just think what the Yahoo's will do with the cameras around and rolling on? It could be a nightmare because just think of all the people that want to be on TV.

 

[David Drummond]

With the TV logos on my vehicle, I always get people yelling, "PUT ME ON TV!" I usually tell them to commit a felony and get arrested in front of me and I can guarantee it! heh

 

[JIM SELLARS]

I really think that Doug is right....When I was able to chase it was during the transition from "Sight chasing to Technological chasing"...A Gazetter was high tech..."Stealth mode" is the way to go now...Mag mount antennas and bungees all the way!!!....

 

[Darrin Rasberry]

Well, maybe if I tossed out freely the truly painful reason - the one that's beyond my typical explanation of a sort of Ahab-ish sense of hunt for the elusive beast that wrecked my town - why I've wanted to do this since two years before I was of age to drive (around the middle of my Cowboys' first two Super Bowl championships of that era, i.e. '92-'93) it would silence people, but I'd be using it as a tool to silence people.

As for the methods, i.e. the birth of the idea of stormchasing rather than becoming the next big Skip McBride (my confidence level wasn't enough, even through my college years, to be a person standing in front of a TV, despite my meteorology dream), I blame The Weather Channel, I think, for showing me the McConnell footage that was only surpassed in my mind after all these years a few months ago by an even more frightening, and, importantly, oddly moving video shot from a house behind that base at the same time.

 

[Bill Doms]

99.9% of the emails I have gotten from people (not just women) in the past month since Twister Sisters started are scared to death of storms in general much less seeing a tornado. I think when you start looking at the demographics of the target audience (and what channel/network they are airing on), I think only one of the three shows is very likely to even cause a ripple on the pond. Every time you surf the channels, there is something more extreme, more outrageous, etc being broadcast. I could see how the new generation of adrenaline junkies could easily get pulled into the mystic of seeing a tornado just for the rush but I doubt anyone will notice. From what angle and what distance will be defined next season. Maybe someone should do a show just documenting first time chasers????

 

[Jeff Miller]

Maybe someone should do a show just documenting first time chasers????

Oh lawdy....oh jeez....dont give them that idea....... LOL

 

[Darrin Rasberry]

Maybe someone should do a show just documenting first time chasers????

Haha, that would be me, and I already had this planned for months. I assume that one decent tornado would be a good goal for me for my first year, and I give myself a fifty/fifty chance of getting it.

I'd film everything else anyway, then combine all the busts in one super-sped up clip just long enough to fit that silly, jazzy "yakity saks" song.

I'm also insanely obsessed with House of Leaves, the novel by Mark Danielewski, and lifting from the original style of the book's central theme, I'd set out to document my feelings from time to time during my chases, as well as shots of the most beautiful sights (whether or not I get a tornado) and throw it up on Youtube. And then there's my idea of finding some way to steady-cam the birth and death of a supercell as I follow it, played in time with the inevitably overused "Everyday" piano theme.

Glad I stuck to math and didn't turn into a filmmaker. Aw heck - you all will witness the impending revolution of freshman stormchasing via genius cutting and slicing of my sure-to-be-rich-with-tornado footage.

 

[Shane Adams]

those of us that chase in "Unmarked" chase rides should be pretty good while the TIV, DOWS and everyone else well be yahoo magnets.

That's a good point. I run a "Kojak" rig, that has slowly morphed into more of a "Baretta" kind of thing (due to the beat-up nature of my paint job, broken window, and no hubcaps). So when I chase in my car, people are more apt to mistake me for a criminal than a chaser (especially this coming season if I decide to keep the beard LOL). I never have people approach me, even around storms.

Now when I'm chasing with Chad and Mickey in Chad's car, it's a whole other deal. The only time I'm ever conscious of the mesonet on the roof is when I'm either getting in or out of the car, and that's only because I usually bang my head off the bar twice each chase, and am trying not to the next time. But after about five minutes down the road, my head's buried in a map or the scanner and I forget it's up there. Then we stop, and I'll look up and see that everyone around us is staring. Then I get pissed and say "what the f#$k is so damn interesting??" And then I remember the mesonet. But the worst part is when people walk over. Chad, even though it's his car and he's the one who put it up there, will run away every chance he gets, and leave Mick or I to deal with the curious bystanders. So we started making stuff up, like that Chad's a meteorologist with OU and we're first-time chasers.

 

[JF Massicotte]

Why do I chase storms?

Answer is simple: I just can't remember when storms were not a passion for me. I was 5 and was amazed by them. Anything I did I wanted to see storms. Then came the idea to chase them. At first I wasn't chasing. I was just going out with my car, taking the same spot and taking whatever pictures I could take. Then I decided that storm events near this spot were poor and I soon started to read, read and read about storms.

I then registered on a weather boards here (I am from Montreal, Canada) and started some discussions with oher storm fan. I read on storms. And then read again. I've always been skillfull in science so I could understand pretty weel everything I could read. Then on a certain July afternoon I invited a member of this local board to a chase. This was my first chase and hell we had fun. No tornado. No real severe weather. But we had fun just like children.

I then went to some meeting were other members from this same board attended and met my second chase partner. Then came winter and I spent my time studying anything about severe weather. I think I've read more in this winter than anytime in my life. We then made a trip to Tornado Alley and, on May 5th, we caught our first tornado on tape South of Great Bend.


Why do I say all this? Because I want to show that many people that start chasing today probably don't do it because they saw that crazy show. Many people are amazed by severe storms and some of them will just do everything to live their passion. On May 4th a chaser told me we were crazy to drive all that from Montreal just to see storms. Well... many pay 2000$ just to see the sun somewhere else...

I, too, don't like to see a 304039 cars convoy but I can't say to these people they can't chase. Some of them are yahoos but many are legit chasers who do it because chasing has become a passion. Others are only starting and may find out it is NOT a passion and they will soon give up (this is all okay, you can't tell if you like or not unles you fully tried). Others are dangerous and we can only hope they do the same as the ones who will soon give up. There are @--h--le just everywhere, and chase community will not make any exeption to this.

 

[JIM SELLARS]

Oh lawdy....oh jeez....dont give them that idea....... LOL

I thought that was what Melanie and Peggy were doing with their show?...All of their guests to the "ACTION ZONE" have been previously non-chasing weather junkies.....

 

[Doug_Kiesling]

I really think that for those of us that want to see storms and not be bothered by the yahoo's, the best way is to go low profile. My Jeep will be easy to spot, I have the scuba diving sticker on it. I can always say "no, I'm not a chaser, I'm scuba dive underwater search and rescue"

I do like what I have been doing to some yahoo's, I just say, "Non parlo inglese, io sono italiano" which is "I don't speak english, I am Italian." You will see the look of WTF this dude does not speak english, lets leave now...

 

[Jeff Miller]

I thought that was what Melanie and Peggy were doing with their show?...All of their guests to the "ACTION ZONE" have been previously non-chasing weather junkies.....

I'm referring more to the new unaccompanied chaser.

I can see it now.

It's First Target Live on _______.

Episode 1: Learning the Ropes

Join ____ and _____ as they study the power of historic violent tornadoes and learn the tricks of the trade with veteran chasers ____ and ____. Join us next episode as they take to the road for the first time.

Episode 2: The First Chase

____ and ____ chase for the first time. Will they forecast successfully? Will it be a dance in the sunset or will they encounter the worst storm on the planet the supercell? Join us next week on First Target. Watch a beginner become a seasoned chaser before your very eyes.

Episode 3,4,5,6,7 - Continuing Adventures

Sounds interesting to me!

 

[JIM SELLARS]

Jeff....Sounds like a good deal to me....But make'm use the internet at the public library

 

[Doug_Kiesling]

As far as I'm concerned, all of the new TV shows are pilots or one off shows. Until I read in the media trade mags that they have been picked up for a second season, there just a one off thing. Unless the shows bring in lots of viewers to sell ad space, it's not going to see a second season.

Now how many one hit wonder TV shows can you think of? I can name dozens of shows that sounded cool but the viewers really just did not catch on or they got old and nobody cared anymore.