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Friday, January 11, 2013

KHOU names David Paul the chief meteorologist

KHOU 11 has named David Paul as the chief meteorologist for the Belo station.

This after former chief Gene Norman suddenly vanished last November (more on what Gene Norman is up to now below).

Paul has been a familiar face at the station since 1996 as the morning weather guy on duty. It was last August when I broke the news that he, and Chita Johnson, were moving shifts. Paul went to afternoons, Johnson to mornings.

As the Houston Chronicle reported, Norman sent some tweets out concerning those changes where he referred to Johnson as 'blondie.'

Since Norman took off a few months ago, Paul has become the main weather dude in waiting. Now he has a ring on his finger though. What happens at a weather bachelor party?  Stuff like this?

“Houston is David’s hometown. He grew up here and watched our area’s weather patterns long before he began his career,” said Susan McEldoon, KHOU 11 President and General Manager in a statement. “That connection to the Houston area and our viewers, combined with his experience, delivery and knowledge made him the clear choice as KHOU 11’s Chief Meteorologist.”

According to his bio, Paul moved to Houston at the age of two and graduated from Westfield High School. He received a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Texas in Austin and a Bachelor of Science in Geosciences from Mississippi State.

“David knows the ups and downs of Gulf Coast weather, and that kind of expertise is invaluable when it comes to staying on top of dangerous conditions and giving our viewers the information they need to stay safe,” said Phil Bruce, KHOU 11 Executive News Director. “It’s also a huge plus that David knows the people here and loves being so engaged in the community. If you see him at the supermarket or at a kid’s soccer game, it’s the same David you see on TV---completely natural and always glad to meet a new friend.”

Before his time at the Allen Parkway studios, Paul worked at WCBD-TV in Charleston, South Carolina and KPLC-TV in Lake Charles, Louisiana. He has earned the Seal of Approval from the American Meteorological Society as well as a Certified Broadcast Meteorologist (CBM) designation.

And if you didn't think the weather kept him busy enough, Paul and his wife Miranda have two sons and share their home with their beloved pets – three dogs and two cats.

As for Norman, he still has a twitter account where he has linked to his new venture called genenormanweather.com. I emailed Norman a few days ago about this, but have not heard back from him.

"It has been an honor for me to help Houstonians deal with severe weather," Norman told mikemcguff.com. "I'm looking forward to expanding my role as a severe weather expert for the Houston area and beyond. As I continue to pursue media opportunities, I am developing services to help people deal with severe weather incidents through my web site genenormanweather.com."

Here is the description of what Norman's Wise Weather, LLC does:

Wise Weather, LLC is a full service weather consulting firm providing a precision range of services including research, expert weather testimony, and safety talks.
With over 25 years of experience interpreting and forecasting a variety of meteorological conditions including severe and tropical weather, we obtain the essential knowledge and expertise needed for expert forensic research and analysis.
From tornadoes, hurricanes, flooding, windstorms, and droughts, we’ve anticipated the threats and provided accurate life-saving information.
We deliver clear, concise, and targeted messaging on weather safety topics that you and your business, customers and staff need to know. When weather is on the move you need reliable, local intelligence for decisions that can drastically affect your environmental surroundings and people. Wise Weather is the natural choice when you need unique weather solutions from:

• Insurance
• Legal
• TV / Film Location Shoots
• Safety Training & Meetings
• Research
• Commercial, Academic, Government

Sounds like Norman and Wayne Dolcefino's Dolcefino Communications LLC could team up. Both are using their TV backgrounds in a consulting manner. I say we will probably be seeing more and more instance like this in the future.


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