Meet Mike Francis, new chief meteorologist at 11Alive (WXIA-TV)
A thunderstorm was raging in Mission Viejo, CA in 1973. At age four, Mike Francis stood on his porch, mesmerized as lightning bursts criss-crossed the night sky and thunder rumbled above him. His parents yelled at him to come in but he couldn’t.
He was hooked.
Weather would be his calling. The new chief meteorologist for 11Alive (WXIA-TV), Francis arrived earlier this month from a ten-year stint at the NBC affiliate in Little Rock, Ark. with a resume that includes storm chasing as a hobby and expertise in severe weather. Over his 42 years, he has seen more than 40 tornadoes live.
His first? In Denver as a 13 year old. “I was watching this cloud spin in the air,” he said, his eyes lit up by the memory. “I was just fascinated. My friends thought I was just weird.”
Viewers in Little Rock credit him with saving lives by warning people into basements when tornadoes popped up in their neighborhoods.
Georgia gets its fair share of tornado warnings. 11Alive hired him for his knowledge and passion. “Storms are part of me,” Francis said. “It’s what I live for.”
John Deushane, the 11Alive general manager, said Francis has “meteorological fire in his belly. Other than his family, nothing is more important to him. We wanted a weather champion…someone who would tell us how to improve our service in this area. Now if I can just keep up with all of his requests for capital improvements!”
While other weather people might rely on one model when a big storm is coming, Francis would scan four or five, his former news director Rob Heverling in Little Rock said: “Then he’d use his own intuition and experience in the market. Mike really made a name for himself here.”
Francis said he’s always been an adrenaline junkie. While living in California, he surfed. He joined the Army at age 18 and became an 82nd Airborne Division paratrooper. He fought in Panama in 1989 and Desert Shield in Iraq in 1991. “After two tours of combat, I was ready to move on,” he said.
In Dallas, at age 22, he joined a community college, where he met his future wife Deanna. At that point, he decided he wanted to be a meteorologist. He transferred to the University of Oklahoma. Its School of Meteorology had a good reputation.
His wife at the time sought babysitting jobs. She found one coincidentally at the home of Erik Rasmussen, a tornado researcher. Francis became an intern at the National Severe Storms Laboratory studying radar data and like the storm chasers in the movie “Twister,” drove around the Midwest studying tornadoes.
Deanna even came along for the ride on occasion in the backseat with a video camera in tow. “She wanted to see what it was like,” he said. “One time, we saw a mile-wide wedge. It was incredible. She called her dad that night to tell him about it. He said, ‘Oh, God! Couldn’t you have married a doctor?’ ”
But in a separate interview, Deanna said she had “total faith in Mike. He has this weird understanding of the weather. He’s the smartest guy I’ve ever met.”
Francis learned TV broadcasting skills at the local college station and interned at an Oklahoma City NBC station. He then nabbed a weekend job at a Lawton, OK/Wichita Falls, TX TV station 110 miles away. “Every year, one part of the city would get wiped out by a tornado or a downburst wind storm,” he said. “I was right there.”
In 2001, he landed a job at Little Rock, becoming chief meteorologist in 2007 at KARK. By then, he and his wife had three children: Camryn (8), Garrett (6) and Kane (4). He said with the frequent tornado warnings, he always kept this in his head: “What would I be thinking if my family was there?” If it was literally near his home, he’d address his wife on camera and say, “Baby, it’s time to go in the basement. It’s time to take them downstairs.”
Francis arrived in Atlanta in July and at 11Alive, before he got on the air, quickly rebuilt the station’s entire graphics system, which happened to use the same software as the system in Little Rock. “They now have a sharper look,” he said, “a more streamlined presentation. I take pride in my graphics.” (His predecessor, Paul Ossmann, said in an earlier interview that during his last evaluation in December, 2010, management felt he didn’t do enough of his own graphics)
Francis is also big with social media and is on Facebook frequently. And he works the 11Alive weather blog.
“It’s the most incredible opportunity to come to a place like Atlanta and be the chief,” he said. “It’s something you dream about. So many times, I drive into the city [from his home in Alpharetta] and look at the skyline and say, ‘I’m in Atlanta! It’s incredible!’ ”
His bald pate stands out in a market where nobody else on TV is bald. Just a week on the air, we had lunch at Taqueria Del Sol last week and someone actually recognized him.
He said his hair thinned and receded through his 30s. He started cutting his hair tighter and tighter. With his wife’s encouragement, during a vacation in 2008, he shaved it completely. And it looked good. “The only other bald meteorologist is Jim Cantore” of the Atlanta-based Weather Channel, he noted.
And no, he won’t diss 11Alive’s year-old Wiz-ometer, a frequent source of mockery on this blog. “It’s a unique and interesting way to put a spin on the weather in a simple way,” Francis said.
On TV
11Alive News, Mike Francis does weather weekdays at 6 p.m., 7 p.m. and 11 p.m.
Join my Facebook fan page and Twitter.
By Rodney Ho, rho@ajc.com, AJCRadioTV blog
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113 comments Add your comment
Mr Fernwell
August 24th, 2011
8:12 am
Of course he won’t diss the wizometer, Ellen Crooke might read this. He seems like a nice guy and I wish him all the best, but I want Paul and Jim Basile back!!! I have switched to Channel 2. Glenn Burns, David Chandley and Brad Nitz are the best these days when it comes to severe weather and Mark Arum is the best on traffic.
Dave cohen
August 24th, 2011
8:28 am
Rodney:
TV weather people have become the
John Madden’s and Dick Vitales of local news.
They have all the new toys and the on-air time
to entertain viewers — warn viewers and graphically
show viewers the force of Mother Nature.
A large percentage of their time is actually wasted
with useless babble and predictions that never
materialize. They cause many people to stay away
from events that ultimately hurts businesses.
Often they totally miss “pop-up” weather
events using that very excuse! Local TV
news now has robotic anchors who don’t
really cover news; they’ve outsourced sports
in many markets or eliminated it entirely; and they hang their
hats on weather people who have little
accountability overall but on occasion act as
conscientious public servants. It’s a great gig
if you can get it!
Woodstock Reader
August 24th, 2011
8:48 am
Likewise, I have also switched my local TV news viewing from WXIA-TV and I try not to support their sponsors. However, welcome to Mr. Francis and his family.
Bill Anderson
August 24th, 2011
9:13 am
I no longer watch WXIA-TV since they let Paul go. I am sure Mr. Francis has a great resume and I wish him the best but recent personality moves by the station management have turned me ‘off’.
Coach Cool
August 24th, 2011
9:29 am
Welcome to the ATL.
BOOMER!
Moe
August 24th, 2011
9:32 am
Hmmmm….the Curly Howard look for a TV presenter…I don’t think so….
Former viewer
August 24th, 2011
9:34 am
They’ve lost me too – the spinning graphics make me dizzy. I too miss Jim Basile in the AM and will miss Jill when she retires.
Brett Martin
August 24th, 2011
9:40 am
Give the guy a chance. He was given an opportunity and he took it. Now he is the head weather “Wiz” at ‘xia’. Embrace it, or move on.
Paul is gone, no need to dwell on the past.
*note to management at ‘xia’:
Since Mike is bald, you should play on that with a segment called “Under the dome with Mike Francis”
DCF
August 24th, 2011
9:41 am
Bring back Bruce Asbury!
Lifelong Atlanta
August 24th, 2011
9:50 am
I’m sorry – but I do’t have to give this guy a chance. I’m on to WSB!
Homer
August 24th, 2011
10:01 am
We want Johnny Beckman!!
Rip n' Read
August 24th, 2011
10:11 am
I hear Russ Minshew is available.
Diddles
August 24th, 2011
10:29 am
Guy Sharpe – now he was a real weather forecaster with real hair!!
mike scott
August 24th, 2011
11:06 am
looks like a used car salesman to me
indiansummer
August 24th, 2011
11:21 am
I left when Paul was let go…bye bye 11 Alive. You arent alive to me anymore.
LG
August 24th, 2011
11:52 am
I miss Paul. Welcome to the new guy, but too much bald head for my eye’s comfort (tho’ ANYTHING looks better than Monica’s crazy @$$ head/hair). To all: Kill the wizometer. SO STUPID.
Bye, bye, Jill; nice lady, but…it’s time; and go back to the old block and take Monica K with you. A sunset awaits. Karen G–stop the extra wide grinning. so over the top fake.
How is it that the new guy becomes “chief”? What a diss to the others who have been there. Kinda’ like the US Supreme Court, when Roberts was appointed.
Me Likey
August 24th, 2011
12:02 pm
Mike Francis seems very passionate about this love for meterology! I say Bravo sir! He’s served our country and now is continuing to keep us safe via weather reports! Warm Welcome to You Mr. Francis!!
Rob
August 24th, 2011
12:03 pm
Sorry, but count me as one of those who switched to Channel 2 as soon as the Wiz-O-Meter popped up. Lame. A new meteorologist isn’t going to change that.
DL
August 24th, 2011
12:04 pm
I miss Paul – gettum back
1st week with the new guy – this is not an improvement
Miss Jim Basile – there was no “traffic Jam” with Jim
Velveeta Smith
August 24th, 2011
12:07 pm
I avoid looking at anything that looks like a penis.
AL R.
August 24th, 2011
12:09 pm
WXIA – Bad move letting Paul go! You lost me and many others..
dbm
August 24th, 2011
12:12 pm
he doesn’t even live in the city of Atlanta? and I have to agree with comments on Ellen Crooke’s janky, crooked, stupid Wiz-o-meter.. It’s one of the main reasons why I won’t watch. I’d rather watch Monica’s old messy self, than 11-alive. Agreed that a change in personalities is not gonna do it.
bobby c
August 24th, 2011
12:14 pm
what was wrong with the other guy? this guys to hyped up
lets face it lewis grizzard had it down pat….from april to october it’s gonna be hot, and from october to april it’s gonna be cold.
end of story
Kevin
August 24th, 2011
12:25 pm
You people who are so passionate and opinionated about a weather forecaster must live incredibly boring lives.
Jaine
August 24th, 2011
12:29 pm
I watched Mike do an excellent job for weeks this past summer reporting on the tornadoes in Little Rock while I was there visiting my daughter (while husband was deployed to Iraq)…he was a consumate dedicated, hardworking professional and kept us very well informed and safe. However, your treatment of Paul Ossman was deplorable. I won’t be watching Mike in ATL but rather will stick with my tried, true, humane and trusted WSB TV Channel 2. I suppose they, too, could be guilty one day of kicking a man when he’s down – it is business, after all. But I doubt it. Good like to Mike. He better watch his back and start himself a big ‘ole rainy day account.
Jaine
August 24th, 2011
12:30 pm
I’ll correct my typo – Good Luck to Mike.
up north
August 24th, 2011
12:35 pm
Channel 11 is still on the air?
dork
August 24th, 2011
12:37 pm
Scary ears looks like at bat.
Escaped from Email Purgatory
August 24th, 2011
12:44 pm
Bring back Paul Ossmann.
This guy looks like ex 49′ers quarterback, Jeff Garcia.
Who needs another out-of-town import who can’t pronounce Atlanta street names and doesn’t know the difference between Morehouse and Spelman?
Ossman was a perfectly acceptable weather nerd. He was comfortable and reliable just like an old shoe.
Who wants strangers talking to them through their TV’s every night?
Nothing against Jeff, er, Mike. Best of luck. But why “fix” what wasn’t broke in the first place?
Sounds like somebody at 11-Alive was flexing their manager’s muscles.
Bryan
August 24th, 2011
12:51 pm
They should have hired Dagmar. She recently said she’s ready to do weather again.
Moonshine Dawg
August 24th, 2011
12:54 pm
I want Nancy Loveland back! There was just something about the way she said “Frontal System” and “Upper Air Disturbance”
tennisbum
August 24th, 2011
12:59 pm
I do not like the new news woman or wether man; I have switched to channel 5 news at 10.
Tom
August 24th, 2011
1:00 pm
Kristina Abernathy! Yes!!!!
Bone
August 24th, 2011
1:00 pm
Escaped! 95% of the people in and around Atlanta are not from here, so it doesn’t matter how anyone pronounces a street, city or county name. Send all of the “imports” back to their native states and we’ll be better off here.
Long gone
August 24th, 2011
1:01 pm
Holy cow – I hadn’t thought of Nancy Loveland in years. She was awesome…
Like the others, I can’t stand the new 11Alive. Hey Rodney – how about posting their numbers? That’s the real measurement as to how the witch is doing over there. My guess is that they’ll fall off a cliff…and someone further up the chain will “promote” her to do the same thing somewhere else.
stageboss
August 24th, 2011
1:05 pm
I have been watching Chris Holcomb forecast the weather for YEARS…with that said…why isn’t he the “chief”? Dissing your own WXIA. Don’t like that…
Dagmars Cans
August 24th, 2011
1:05 pm
This guy is not a girl with great hooters and lips that could suck the chrome off a bumper so I will get my weather elsewhere.
bryan
August 24th, 2011
1:06 pm
won’t be watching wxia since they let paul go – he’s a good guy..
Dagmars Cans
August 24th, 2011
1:07 pm
I like to be aroused while getting my weather updates. No dudes please.
Fred (with a capitol "F")
August 24th, 2011
1:10 pm
How many of you remember Linda Fay, the original weather girl in Atlanta!
Paulene
August 24th, 2011
1:15 pm
How many of these negative posts are from Ossmann? The appearence on Dr. Drew a new low even for him.
Vet
August 24th, 2011
1:19 pm
Combat vet …… good enough for me!
Airborne!
Mike
August 24th, 2011
1:29 pm
I love Ossmann as much as anyone around, but have you seen the rest of the 11 Alive newscast? Ossmann and now, Mike Francis, are by far the only people worth three minutes of your life between 11:00 and 11:35. The rest of that “newscast” is junk. OK, I get it, you don’t do the apartment fires and car crashes, but do we really have to get “peaches and puppies” for the other 32 minutes? At least it wasn’t Chris Holcombe. Chris: I’m not in 2nd grade. It’s OK to use big words. I understand.
jj
August 24th, 2011
1:30 pm
The Wiz chased us away. I’m sure Mr Francis is a nice guy but he is stiff as a board and the “required” graphics make 11 difficult to watch. We were loyal watchers at 10, but with the new crew I think it is one of the worst news 1/2 hours I have ever seen. We now watch Fox at 10. Like an earlier poster, please post the ratings for the 10:00 news.
Mike
August 24th, 2011
1:33 pm
I wish him well – but if he’s the go-to person for storm preparation, who’s going to help HIM prepare for the s**tstorm of staffing changes that he’s walking into?
Heather
August 24th, 2011
1:34 pm
I too have switched to Fox since Paul left. This guy seems really nice and I welcome him to ATL, but I miss Paul. What were you thinking?
Rae
August 24th, 2011
1:44 pm
what is it with people and change? in particular, old people – anyone posting on here that is making remarks about change how much you hate it, this would be YOU. you’re making a change alone by moving on to a different station! get over it and learn how to deal with change.
The Big Mexican taking your job
The Rock
August 24th, 2011
1:45 pm
The Rock says if you want a real news team then put Suchita Vadlamani as the Anchor and Dagmar Midcap as the Meteorologist and you would have a very hot looking team without a bunch of jabronis!
steve
August 24th, 2011
1:52 pm
11alive has too many personnel changes and they let Paul go. I don’t watch them anymore. I now watch fox 5.
Johnnie
August 24th, 2011
1:52 pm
Where is Chesley going?
trudy
August 24th, 2011
1:57 pm
does anybody understand the wizometer? is a 6 good or bad? it’s really lame… get rid of it.. personnel can’t make it make any sense.. and fire whoever came up with such a stupid gimmick!
I am LEGEND
August 24th, 2011
2:01 pm
Fire Chelsey McNeil. He is bad. I mean terrrible.
pcBobby
August 24th, 2011
2:04 pm
Sorry, but today’s fast-paced media could care less about thosewho miss Johnny Beckman, Guy Sharpe and Paul. This dynamic chrome dome chief meteorologist is the future. He knows graphics, production and social media. 11Alive definitely has a shot at giving SB much-needed competition.
jarvis
August 24th, 2011
2:09 pm
Back the f-up. What happened to Russ Menshew?
Vet
August 24th, 2011
2:31 pm
TV demographics are not driven by 60 somethings. If you remember Johnny Beckman, Guy Sharpe or Jim Axel, you don’t count. Do you think people lament why ‘Today” doesn’t have Tom Brokaw, Joe Garagialoa or Jane Pawley? Man, we wish we could go back to ‘Huntley/ Brinkley’……. get a life. TV is always driven by youth and change. If you noticed, even Monica Pearson, the queen of local news has been bumped to 4pm. Can’t hold Jovita back any longer. Erin Coleman has been promoted from weekend mornings to evenings. She is the next rising star. The ATL is a transplant city, and we don’t need the folksy home grown people like Charleston, SC does. They have the same news people they had 30 years ago.
CH
August 24th, 2011
2:33 pm
Weather segament is longer than the sports segment. C’mon give me a break down south it is hot and pop up showers. Winter a little chilly with a chance of snow in Jan or Feb. Why does it take 10 minutes to say that.
Cammi317
August 24th, 2011
2:34 pm
Some of these comments are hilarious! As far as the new guy goes, 11Alive keeps shoving his mug in my facebook newsfeed so I was over him before I even gave him a chance….
Bob from Accounttemps
August 24th, 2011
2:34 pm
Paul was good and I’ll miss him, but this guy is a real meteorologist in the Weather Channel way. Good luck to him – I’m a long time XIA watcher and appreciate their more mature approach to local news (rather than WSB’s police blotter reporting). Ever notice when things got serious, Paul would appear without a jacket and would roll up his sleeves? A bit phony, dont you think?
kelly&carriefan
August 24th, 2011
2:36 pm
For the record, Jim Axel retired in 1996. You hardly need to be a 60 something to know who he was.
RK
August 24th, 2011
2:37 pm
If this dude could get rid of that stupid Wizometer, I might watch, but I quit watching 11 alive when they got rid of Paul. Give me Glynn Burns and his bunch.
Skinny Ginny
August 24th, 2011
2:38 pm
I miss the days of John Pruitt, Chuck Moore, Joe Washington and Johnny Beckman. Those were the days when 11Alive was tops around Atlanta. Now, they will be at the botom of the heap. I am sure the new numbers will have them below Channel 46. I have switched to Channel 2 and I know countless others who have done the same. They fire a true Atlanta legend without thinking about the people of Atlanta. Ellen Crooke needs to go!!!! Picket in front of 11Alive people!!!! Show them that we are Atlanta and we mean business!!!!!
Vet
August 24th, 2011
2:45 pm
Today, it’s about facebook, twitter, what’s trending in the ATL, the wizometer (BTW….. do you also have a problem with the “Mellish meter”?). Social media, pumped up music, graphics ……. haven’t you been to a ball game of church lately? The Nina Browns of the world are here to stay, and that’s what’s trending today…….
jojo
August 24th, 2011
2:54 pm
THE BEST AND MOST ACCURANT WEATHER REPORT IS ON FOX5 ATLANTA.
tulla
August 24th, 2011
2:56 pm
we all miss paul!! and what happened to CHERYL LEMKE? did yall fire her too? she was from the WEATHER CHANNEL……she knew her stuff
Vet
August 24th, 2011
2:56 pm
“THE BEST AND MOST ACCURANT WEATHER REPORT IS ON FOX5 ATLANTA.”
You mean Ken “I missed the blizzard of 93″ Cook? I remember his “Don’t worry, it will only be a rain event” and that night we got pounded by a snow blizzard. Glenn Burns nailed it that day.
JJ
August 24th, 2011
2:58 pm
yuck
11 Not Alive No Mas
August 24th, 2011
3:01 pm
11 Alive is personae non gratae in my home. Lousy the way Paul was handled and I cannot watch any longer. Besides since Jill Becker is retiring your ratings will surely drop more. Hello WSB channel 2.
LL
August 24th, 2011
3:08 pm
11 Alive has lost viewers because of their treatment of Paul. When Jill is gone so is 11 Alive. Good luck to the new guy. He may be great but I will never watch him. He may have stepped into a pit of vipers. Miss you Paul.
tony
August 24th, 2011
3:13 pm
he is bald !! he needs to be on radio not T.V. im sorry but bald does not look good. im sorry if this hurts bald peoples feelings but if you are bald and someone tells you that you ” look good bald ” they are lying to you. bald is ugly
Vet
August 24th, 2011
3:13 pm
Was Paul Ossman a Meteorologist?
Was Dagmar Meteorologist?
Thay were weather readers.
Road Scholar
August 24th, 2011
3:15 pm
From what I’ve seen so far…bring back Paul O! He should never have been let go. And how did Chesley get the job? What a joke!
Jill, you will be missed. Best of luck to you and your family.
Jim Bissel was great; the new guy needs work…a lot of work.
Prime Star
August 24th, 2011
3:18 pm
All people want to know is if it’s going to rain. That way they know whether to plan to get drunk inside or outside. And, to the Ass-man junkies: ratings aren’t measured by what four malcontents post on a blog.
jd
August 24th, 2011
3:35 pm
Once I knew Paul was being fired,l I never watched 11 alive again, and I NEVER will
john
August 24th, 2011
3:35 pm
Like 11alive. Give Mike a chance. He knows weather. Get rid of the wizmeter.
Boris Badnoff
August 24th, 2011
3:36 pm
360 of the 365 days per year weather in Atlanta consists of two things: It raining. It’s not raining. If it is raining when is it going to stop. If it’s not raining when is it going to start. Don’t need to know the particulars or what the weather is in International Fall Minn. Would like to be informed if the umbrella is necessary by the stacked babe on 46 or the cute little pixie on 5. Male weathermen hold now allure for me.
AccuWeather
August 24th, 2011
3:41 pm
Get your weather from us!
Guy Sharper Image
August 24th, 2011
3:45 pm
Russ Minshew died in 1993.
jeff
August 24th, 2011
3:53 pm
This man is very FLAT on air. He does not smile, has little personality. How could they replace Paul with him? Paul was a ‘good guy’ and he usually got the weather correct. The new person seems OVER confidant. I do not see the fit with 11Alive. Poor hire in my opinion. And bring back Ted vs. Jeff.
Susan
August 24th, 2011
4:23 pm
I have preferred Paul over them all, but now I am done with that. I will go back to WSB for sure….Wrong move in getting rid of Paul. He was the best part of the whole thing.
JIMBOB (aka James Robert)
August 24th, 2011
4:36 pm
Minshewmania!!
Reg
August 24th, 2011
7:04 pm
Welcome Mike! As much as I LOVED and always WAS a fan of 11Alive, I am slowly making the switch, or should I say not watching that much! I now watch channel 2 at four (that is more than enough news for me). At ten, it is fox 5, as much as I don’t like them! Who is the new lady? And Jeff is not the man for achoring. Again, I have been a diehard fan of 11Alive since grade school, now 44, and now am slowing getting them out of my system!
tvBoy
August 24th, 2011
7:12 pm
sorry to hate here, but this guy is more boring than my left flip-flop
bigmacdaddy
August 24th, 2011
7:52 pm
Chris Holcomb got passed over again? How many times is that guy gonna take it? I switched to WSB a few years ago. Less hokey pokey more real news. Go Bachman!
bigmacdaddy
August 24th, 2011
8:01 pm
That Chelsey dude suks. And now they’re putting him on billboards all over town. That’s definitely not going to pull in any viewers in the morning. Time to kill the Wizometer. Sounds like someone’s going to the bathroom. Jill – turn out the lites when you leave cause no one’s watching. We’ll miss you. You’re a class act in a room full of clowns.
Velveeta Smith
August 24th, 2011
9:23 pm
Russ Minchew tried to pick up an underage boy in Columbus for some homo fun, and he wasn’t seen after that got out. He later croaked.
As far as Minton’s jugs, does she have any? If so, who cares?
Kim Peterson
August 24th, 2011
10:52 pm
How hard is Ellen Crook praying for the Hurricane to swing this way for the new boy to be on the air insessantly. Miss Paul but this is a crumy biz, cheaper and younger.
Ari Northington
August 25th, 2011
12:39 am
Keep the Wizometer. I like Chesley. Mike is a cutie patootie!
Short and sweet.
God-awful
August 25th, 2011
6:07 am
Nobody seems to realize what’s about to happen: Now that 11Alive has some guy who lives and breathes weather, expect more and more “Weather Emergency!!!!” cut-ins that pre-empt network programming. If there’s a severe thunderstorm 150 miles away, 11Alive will just abandon the network’s 8-11 block and let baldy prattle on for three hours. It’s gonna happen.
And no matter what Francis says, the Wiz has already been cut back dramatically. It used to be the primary focus of every 5-day weather report; now it’s just mentioned briefly. This basically proves that the Wiz was a stupid idea. The only reason it’s not gone completely is because that would hurt the fee-fees of certain individuals who have been dismantling 11Alive for quite a while.
Golf
August 25th, 2011
6:23 am
Two things need to be fired. Chesley and the WIZ. Chesley comedy routine every morning is stupid. Can’t a city this size do better than this FOOL?
Vet
August 25th, 2011
7:21 am
Hatin’ on the black man
mike scott
August 25th, 2011
7:34 am
karen minton is SEXY!
pagan man
August 25th, 2011
9:28 am
karen minton sexy?are you kidding how old are you about 95
alec bald dome
August 25th, 2011
10:18 am
anybody thinks bald is beautiful is just fooling themselves,ask rodney ho,you don’t see him witout that hat do you?
Rodney Ho
August 25th, 2011
10:20 am
@alec bald dome Shockingly, I do have hair, with or without a hat
Just curious
August 25th, 2011
11:31 am
Rodney,
When are the ratings made public? I’d love to see what all of Ellen’s changes have translated into.
TV Guy
August 25th, 2011
12:00 pm
Forget Karen Minton, Markina Brown is smoking HOT!
Nabby Blabby
August 25th, 2011
2:46 pm
They should replace him with Juicy from the Ricky Smiley Morning Show
Stories Posted Thursday, August 25, 2011 : Media News At This Hour
August 26th, 2011
6:59 am
[...] market – Rodney Ho at the AJC introduces Mike Francis, the new chief meteorologist at 11Alive [...]
JimmyZ
August 26th, 2011
12:05 pm
Ironic how they spend time talking about his using his experience in the market, “his former news director Rob Heverling in Little Rock said: “Then he’d use his own intuition and experience in the market. ” to forecast storms. Exactly what they had with Paul Ossman…an experienced forecaster who knew how weather here behaves.
I wish him luck…somebody tell me if he’s any good, I left 11 a while back, and don’t plan on going back.
Jim R.
August 26th, 2011
6:37 pm
If you are a TV Weather Meterologist in Atlanta, you can save a lot of time when doing a Weather Forecast between June 21 through September 21st by mentioning the following:
Today’s forecast for Atlanta: “Hazy, Hot and Humid with a stray thunderstorm. Now, back to the news.”
Jim R.
August 26th, 2011
6:41 pm
To Vet: You must be referring to Bill Sharpe and Debi Chard, both of WCSC in Charleston. I know-I was in Beaufort SC from 1989-1992 and remember them even back then.
dickhead
August 26th, 2011
7:24 pm
chanel 2 has all the ratings now 11 needs to come alive get scar face hullinger and the new penis head weather wiz off the air
RonD
August 27th, 2011
9:04 am
I remember Linda Faye. Actually met her once when she came out to Georgia Tech to do a story on an electric car students were building for competition.
Rodney
August 27th, 2011
9:15 am
Switch… Not watching the Orange guy do the weather. Really dude, you need to lighten up on the spray tan.
MAN!!!
August 27th, 2011
1:18 pm
I watch that Big Booty girl Markina Brown on WGCL 46. Damn! I love her side views. Her Butt make sunshine when it’s raining outside.
Eric
August 28th, 2011
8:51 pm
I heard about that incident with Russ Minshew being caught up in a sting operation in 1985. I believe he was acquitted of wrong-doing… his Atlanta TV career never recovered, and he left WSB-TV in 1986. He was living in Pensacola, FL with family… later succumbed to brain cancer.
Other Atlanta TV news personalities… Leroy Powell’s wife was one of my former school teachers. I remember seeing Guy Sharpe in person twice in my life… me saying “hello” to him, and him saying “hello” back. Both are now deceased. I’ve met Donna Lowry and Chris Holcomb. I’ve seen TV and Radio personality Tom Sullivan in person… and I’ve also remember seeing the likes of Dale Cardwell and Kevin Rowson in person as well… I never formally met them.
As for Mike Francis… He seems like he’s a good weather forecaster/meteorologist. I would have settled with Chris Holcomb being promoted to chief meteorologist… and I truly feel that Chris has earned the trust and respect of viewers. I feel that 11-Alive management made the worst mistake by canning Paul Ossmann. I would imagine that Guy Sharpe is rolling over in his grave at what has become of this beloved institution. Chesley McNeal has really got to go, ASAP. Yes, the “WIZ-o-meter” definitely needs to go too.
Will
August 30th, 2011
10:47 am
11Alive is owned by Gannett. They have a history of replacing popular on-air personalities.
When I was living in DC, WUSA9, another Gannett station was #1 in the ratings for years. That was not good enough for them. They demoted Maureen Bunyan one of the station’s lead anchors. She eventually left Channel 9 and went to rival Channel 7. Channel 9 has since gone from #1 to #3 in the ratings.
I just dont see why 11 would replace Ossman with Francis. Francis does not impress me.
Mike
September 5th, 2011
5:49 pm
Mike Francis is fantastic! His knowledge of storms and realism on air is only surpassed by his on air presence. Bring it on!
Julia
September 6th, 2011
11:50 pm
I have watched WXIA news as long as I can remember in the eve. The recent anchor/news team chages are too much. All my favorites are gone or moved to earlier time slots. Brenda has become such a phony. I tried to watch the new weatherman because he is a Veteran and I wanted to give him a chance. I am done, it is just too painful to watch. WSB here I come.
Misty
September 7th, 2011
10:27 pm
I really do not care for the new meterologist, Mike Francis. He cannot read the teleprompters and still struggles to sound natural. He doesn’t ‘gel’ with the rest of the night crew — it’s tough to see the once strong 11 o’clock team just fall apart. I can’t understand ‘why’ Gannett decided to bring Francis from Arkansas — he isn’t working out.
Carol Smith
September 8th, 2011
8:00 am
HEY ATLANTA, GIVE MIKE FRANCIS A CHANCE..I WOKE UP TO HIM EVERY MORNING SINCE 2001 HERE IN GUY, ARKANSAS..HE KNOWS HIS STUFF AND HAS SAVED LIVES WITH HIS ABILITIES TO PREDICT WEATHER..AFTER ALL HE WAS “CHIEF METEOROLOGIST” AT KARK4..I WISH HE WAS STILL HERE..VERY SAD HE LEFT BUT HE HAS MOVED ON TO BIGGER AND BETTER OPPORTUNITY (?) AS THEY SAY..HE WAS MUCH LOVED BY HIS FOLLOWERS HERE IN ARKANSAS..OUR LOSS IS YOUR GAIN..LEARN TO LOVE HIM AS WE DO…..
Jessica
September 8th, 2011
9:52 am
You guys in ATL don’t know what a gem you have now!! Anytime there was severe weather in AR, I was always glued to Mike on KARK! I already miss him and dread the spring season without him!! He was the best!! give him a chance and you too will love him as much as we do here!! Good luck Mike! We miss you here in AR!
benjie
September 17th, 2011
7:38 pm
11 alive is not good news. Could be a video edition of USA Today,both a Gannet presentation. We what Paul! FSU is a better weather school than Oklahoma any day.