Oklahoma meteorologist fired for breaking into football game

[CornField]

Anyone have yesterday's Tulsa World handy?

My brother who lives near Tulsa, Oklahoma told me this was in yesterday's Tulsa World. I went to their site, searched for "meteorologist" and found the headline and a two-line preview:

http://www.tulsaworld.com

There were 9 matches found:
1. KOKI meteorologist fired for breaking into programming
1/10/2006
Meteorologist George Flickinger was fired by KOKI channel 23 for breaking into a live professional football broadcast to warn Mayes County residents of dangerous wild fires.

Unfortunately, the World is a subscription site. If anyone has this article and doesn't mind sharing it... or knows a link to it in a freebie site...

Thanks!

[KamaAina]

1. That's nothing. In Fresno, one was fired for predicting showers

the day of the OxyRush "Dittohead" picnic!

http://commfaculty.fullerton.edu/lester/writings/messages.html

Two months later, Boyd again got into trouble. KMJ, which carries the Rush Limbaugh talk-show, was sponsoring the Second Annual Dittohead Barbecue and Politically Incorrect Picnic, Saturday, April 15. Since it was already politically incorrect, it was apparently no big deal that it was also Easter and Passover weekend.

Four days before the Dittoheads were to meet, Boyd forecast a chance of showers, based upon reports of the National Weather Service. Broeske possibly didn't think that anyone, including the clouds, had a right to rain upon his plumped-up sizzling raucous barbecued hotdogs. After all, the station, which sends 5,000 screaming watts of conservative thinking into one of the state's biggest media markets, had something of an investment in making sure thousands showed up to celebrate the Biggest Mouth That Roars, even if the Chief Dittohead himself had no plans to attend. So, Broeske strongly suggested that Boyd revise the forecast. Afterall, you never know with California weather. It could have been a wonderful day in the neighborhood.

"Do you want me to change all the forecasts?" Boyd asked, then sarcastically suggested that the program director could just write down what he thought the weather should be, "and I'll tell it just the way you have asked." The program director might have thought about the temptation to move a few clouds but declined. Boyd stuck with his weather report. About 3 p.m. that Sunday, rain began falling upon the char-smoked Dittoheads.

Mmmm! Char-smoked Dittoheads! Kind of fatty, though...

"Raindrops keep falling on my head.. but that doesn't mean my state will soon be turning Red... Nazis aren't for me..."

[MrMonk]

5. "Weatherman makes it rain; disrupts picnic!"

Bastard deserved to be fired.

[madokie]

2. thats my county, the one where I live

[CornField]

3. Yup -- I've visited your neck of the woods lots of times

My family lived in Wagoner County. :) Small world.

[chaplainM]

4. Google Meteorologist George Flickinger fired

then click on the Cached page. Or copy this link to your address page:


http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:LfGHJ69hFWsJ:tulsaworld.cc/cblog/archives/242-Oklahoma-Wildfires-%2B-Football-Youre-Fired.html+Meteorologist+George+Flickinger+fired&hl=en

[CornField]

6. Thanks -- I still find this unbelievable, even in Oklahoma, even for FOX

Wow!

[blonndee]

9. The most unbelievable thing for me is that OK has some of the best

meteorologists around, at least from my experience! They have to be really good, with all the dangerous storms we have. To fire someone over this is unfair AND stupid. If it had been a tornado warning, it would have been expected that the programming would be interrupted. The fires lately are very, very dangerous and spread SO quickly. This is outrageous.

[CornField]

11. I agree

Most states have the pleasure of monitoring weather as it moves. Oklahoma is one of the few places in which weather seems to be "made".

[Hardrada]

7. You don't need a WEATHERMAN to know

which way the wind blows..... (B. Dylan)



Old SDS member remembers this vintage favorite. O so true.

[NaturalHigh]

8. This was idiotic.

I read about this the other day, and it pissed me off in no small way. This guy was asked by the local authorities to make this announcement because the fires were moving so quickly. His announcement may well have saved lives. I don't think some people appreciate just how serious the fires have been around here.

[CatholicEdHead]

10. This is a stupid firing (pun not intended)

He broke in for public safety reasons, as he should of. I bet management was looking for something to get rid of him before this.