'Fire Katie': An idea whose time has dot-com

When severe storms drift within 100 miles of Kansas City, you can be sure of two things: Kansas City's TV weathercasters will bigfoot all over their stations' prime-time lineups, and some viewers are going to be hopping mad when they do.

  This year is shaping up to be the longest storm season ever, what with Mother Nature getting a head start last week, sending some February thunderclappers through the metro area and deadly tornadoes further south.

  As usual, KCTV-5 was the most aggressive and alarmist in its storm coverage last week, which started at 7:12 p.m. and didn't end until after midnight. That meant blowing out the entire night of CBS entertainment -- not only “Jericho,” “CSI:NY” and “Criminal Minds,” but John McCain's presidential announcement on “Late Show with David Letterman.”

  KCTV-5 incurred the usual wrath of angry callers and emailers. But one viewer came up with a more creative response. He launched FireKatie.com, an often hilariously savage hatesite that gives full vent to his and many other TV watchers' frustrations with local TV storm coverage.

  Talk station KMBZ-AM (980) yakked about FireKatie.com. Web sites across the country linked to it. And the site was slammed with hits, according to its creator, who identified himself as Derrick Smith, a 35-year-old web designer from the Northland. (After our interview, “Smith” said he didn't want to be photographed, and gave me an out-of-service phone number as his contact. He blamed the phone company, and late Monday — after my story went to press — the phone number was indeed restored.)

  “Katie Horner is once again making headlines with her cries of wolf during February 28th's thunder storms,” the site declares. Her coverage “has become nothing more than a joke, largely of her own making. Although we truly don't wish any ill will towards Katie, it's time we make our voices heard and let KCTV 5 and other local news stations know there are alternatives to this sensationalism and if these practices continue we will boycott their local programming and their advertisers.”

  In a phone interview on Friday, Smith said he doesn't really want to see Horner fired. He's just tired of having his network viewing interrupted by forecasters in what strikes him as a transparent ploy by each station in town to brand itself as the weather leader.

  “Since she was the one who brought this all on with the wall-to-wall weather coverage which everybody copied, she's the best one to make an example of,” says Smith.

  Ironically, what pushed him over the edge wasn't anything he missed on CBS but the fact he couldn't watch “Lost” on KMBC. (NBC affiliate KSHB-41 and ABC affiliate KMBC-9 also pre-empted at least an hour of prime time Wednesday.)

  “That upset me the most,” said Smith, who — in fact — seemed quite good-natured on the phone. “Especially when Larry Moore got on there and told everybody to watch it online. Like the whole world has high speed Internet.”

  But, he added, “KCTV is really the problem here. Their coverage generally, across the board, is sensationalistic. Doomsday. Their whole evening report is about scaring people.”

  Horner was on vacation when I called, so I spoke with Kirk Black, the general manager of KCTV and KSMO (“My 62”) and, one could argue, the real object of FireKatie.com's discontent.

  Black insists that KCTV and KSMO pre-empt programming on their airwaves to keep people safe, and nothing ticks him off faster than suggesting that it does so primarily to toot its own horn.

  “The number one reason we stay on is not to make people mad, not because we're full of ourselves, but because we are going to stay on until every viewer in our area is out of danger. A lot of older viewers are in outlying counties who, if we did not do what we did, would not get the information that we provide.”

Comments

[Kenton]

I'm always glad to see Aaron sticking it to the man - the weatherman, who ruins more and more prime-time TV scheduling with inane interruptions over longer and longer periods of time.

I've bashed WCCO in Minneapolis on this site before; it's another station that prides itself on running big storm watches for isolated parts of the state during programming, then has the nerve to pause the coverage for commercials. How dangerous is a storm that can wait for a McDonald's spot?

Call me crazy, but isn't this what radio is for? Radio can instantly target a really narrow geographical area, and reach people who are mobile and, therefore, most affected (in their cars, let's say).

I usually send angry e-mails to the station - I've never got a response back - but it hadn't occured to me to start a website or boycott. Now that sounds like a plan!

[brneyes]

In regard to Katie Horner of TV5. I may be going against the "grain" with most people, but I like what she does, and I try to watch her every night that she is on.

These people who "HAVE" to watch their programs, and "complain" because they miss them, well they better think again. It may be just "One" of those programs they are watching, and within that minute or two, a disaster happens.

A person never thinks about it........until it is too late! Remember the saying........Better be safe than sorry.

[Lucie in Olathe]

In regards to Katie Horner, my husband and I like her, she's the best. Better to be safe than sorry. I think it's more important to keep us abreast of the storms than to view a show, which will be repeated this summer anyway. Tell the gripers to get a life.

[Aaron]

A reader writes ...

I'm appalled by the article by Aaron Barnhart regarding Katie Horner and
even more appalled by thirtysomething Smith's actions.

Katie Horner is the primary reason our family watches TV5. She is a
conscientious meterologist and is obviously more concerned about the
public's safety in the light of these storms than Barnhart or Smith or, it
sounds like, a lot of others. All you need to do is be involved, or have
loved ones involved, in a tornado or other destructive storm to realize how
important these warnings are. Yes, I've been frustrated by interruptions in
programming but I'm also smart enough to know how important they are if not
directly to me or my family to someone else's family.

To Katie I'd like to say, keep up the good work!

To Barnhart and Smith I'd like to say-- GROW UP AND THINK ABOUT SOMEONE
BESIDES YOURSELF AND YOUR TV PROGRAMS!!!!!!!!!

[Aaron]

Another reader writes ...

I say fire all of these people. When I called and emailed last year about the four hour coverage, on a Sunday, by Horner, I was blocked by Channel 5. Needless to say, I missed the final three hours of a golf tornament.

The alleged tornado was in Caldwell County and Horner kept repeating the same information over and over; for four hours!

What safety? If it is on the ground and they want to announce a danger get under cover warning, then do it. But to rattle off repetitive BS for hours is not safety; it's all about self centered ratings grabbers. It does not work.

I turned off the TV and went to a bar for a few hours and did more damage than the weather.

[TV Goddess]

This is so strange. I knew there were sites like this for sports coaches across the nation, but weather forecasters/news folks?! Too weird!

(AB: I, too, thought of the chucklehead who started up FireTyWillingham.com like, three games into his tenure at Notre Dame. Of course, it turned out to be prescient....)

[contstant watcher]

Kirk Black says “The number one reason we stay on is not to make people mad, not because we're full of ourselves, but because we are going to stay on until every viewer in our area is out of danger. A lot of older viewers are in outlying counties who, if we did not do what we did, would not get the information that we provide.”

What a load of crapinola! I notice they don't cut in to the commercial time.

Here's an idea, break in, tell us the weather is bad, then shut your yapper and run a scroll along the bottom with updated info.

Then your "old people" can still get the info they need and if they want, go get a radio and listen to the weather or flip over to the all weather all the time channel and the rest of us can watch our stuff in relative piece.

And since I usually tivo my shows, when I do get around to watching it... the doomsday-run-for-your-life-the-sky-is-falling-and we're-all-going-to-die-Auntie Em, Antie Em- reports sound pretty ridiculous.

[Linda]

I agree with all the people who are fed up with the local TV people breaking into regular TV programs and repeating the same info for hour after hour. A scroll at the bottom and a 2 or 3 minute update at commercials would suffice. If 3 out of 4 homes are tuned to these severe weather broadcasts it's because they're waiting for their programs to come back on. And it's not just weather. Since we moved here I cannot believe what is considered "breaking news" in this area. And it's not like they break in and give a short news report, they stay on for hours. An example is that chemical fire. They had nothing new to report but we watched billowing black smoke for hours! This is not breaking news - 9/11 was breaking news! And all the local stations, no matter what they're interrupting should show the programs they interruped at some other time - both evening and daytime programming. The thing that really killed me during all this weather reporting - which thankfully I missed but did TiVo, was that the NBC station broke into Wheel of Fortune about one second before they showed the Spin ID for the night. With my luck, that was probably the night they finally spun my number, but I'll never know. Is anyone paying any attention to what they're breaking into? Obviously not, or they would have waited for a couple of seconds. I think it just goes to show that regardless of what they say, it is all about THEM, not helping the public.

[Mark Jeffries]

Reporting severe weather is a public service.

Announcing a "Wheel of Fortune" lucky number isn't.

Get a life, shallow suburban soccer mom.

[Aaron]

A reader writes ...

Aaron,

As one of those older viewers who live in outlying areas (well, not too
old), I appreciate the weather coverage. Linn County was hit by an EF4
storm that night and that coverage undoubtedly saved lives. My husband and
I were driving from LaCygne to Gardner and back during the storms and we
were unable to find one radio station with storm coverage(!) My mother and
daughter kept us up to date about where the storms and risks were that night
(from TV coverage).

Kansas City TV stations are the only source of important weather information
for many rural areas in the viewing areas. I'm sure Mr. Smith didn't care
once the storm cleared his home but it was vital information for many
people.

Of course, I can watch Lost or not watch it and have the same understanding
about what is going on with the program (none).

[contstant watcher]

You are right, REPORTING the weather is a public service. Rain is not severe weather. Blabbing on and on for hours about what MIGHT happen is a public nusiance and a pain in the postierior

WE live in KANSAS!

No matter what kind of technology you have Weather people can't know what is going to happen. Say it once and get off the air. scroll updates and run a little map thing.

You weather junkies can go to the internet or radio, (unless there's a ballgame, radio'll be all over a big storm. If it's not on the radio, it's probably not a big deal.) Better yet, go outside and experience it for yourself.

[Nancy Weigman]

My husband and I have family that live in surronding areas and we were able to call them to let them know. We also have elderly parents that we are concerned about I agree that it might get bothersome but that is what DVD's are for. We missed our favorite show that night as well but knowing that family was ok is alot better

[Don Finger]

Hey, if a few folks have to die for me to be able to enjoy LOST, then I'm all for it.

[Abe Bucksner]

Interested in your articles but disappointed you concentrating on reports for dangerous weather. My complaint is the time devoted to weather reporting and all the junk that makes no sense. Don't know why that idiot picked on Katie. She was doing the best job in reporting possible storms. Looked at the web site and that guy is an idiot. Channel 5 has Gary Amble aong with Katie. KMBC has Joel Nichols pretty gentle reporter. KSHB has Brett Anthony, Jeremy Nelson, and Gary Lezak, who insists he is the best and plays with the dogs. WDAF has Don Harmon, who acts like a smart player and Mike Thompson, who insists he is the best and is always reporting worse weather than is actualy coming. Lived through Ruskin Heights and driving home listening to the radio with just ball game. Fortunately my house was spared and there is nothing wrong to stay on and reporting possible bad stuff.

[Former TV grunt]

My point about the whole business is that whether you're in an affected area or not, nobody is served by bright shiny amorphous blobs on a green screen. They will pontificate for hours using weather geek jargon that doesn't translate to the average viewer. I get that the station spent money on your pretty technology, but just interpret what it means, who it affects, and get the hell out of there! Use a crawl, that's what they're for. I do appreciate Channel 9's reairing Lost at a sane time and announcing it several times. If you're going to interrupt Lost at any point, you might as well just preempt the whole shebang. In the beautiful future when we get competely on-demand programming, this argument will be moot.

[DJ]

I am glad I am not the only individual who believes that KCTV's severe weather coverage is alarmist. I am also glad that I am not the only individual who notices that all four network affiliates wait to interrupt programming instead of commercials for severe weather updates.

KMBC has a good method of advising their HDTV viewers of weather warnings, and I would like to see other stations adopt this as well, by placing a small box in the upper right-hand corner of the screen advising that there is severe weather in the area and to tune to the SD channel for information.

WDAF has the "best" coverage by providing calm reporting, but they all tend to overdo it. Coming from Nebraska, and living through the Omaha tornado in May 1975 (where the three stations in town provided warnings only after the tornado touched down), it is nice to see that the coverage and technology has improved to the point where we can pinpoint the location of severe weather. However, a brief two minute dissertation every 15 minutes would be preferable to constant coverage repeating the same information ad nauseaum (sic).

Also, is anyone else getting tired of each station stating "go to the lowest level in your home in an interior room; stay away from windows; stay as low as possible"? We live in the midwest - knowing what to do in a tornado is second nature.

[The DB]

Aaron:

Why did firekatie.com yank their forums when the tide started turning against them? The first sign of a desparate person whose 15 minutes of fame were running out. Why did dsmith not give you a valid phone number? Because his site is a fraud, a sham, just a $1.99 site who got hosted on another site I used to have more respect for until now.

When people started questioning his motives, why did he send his minions attacking reasonable questions with one line obscene posts?

Looks like some of the KC media outlets got hoodwinked by a sham. Please check sources and get validity and question when the source doesn't give you a valid phone number before you make a big story out of a mental erection by a wannabe blogger.

BTW, the bloggers know who I am.

The DB

[wendy]

I think Katie does an excellent job with the news. Some people like Aaron need to get a life, and add some value to it, then some petty ass tv show. Then there was the foolish one who said who cares if a few people die, so she can watch lost. Wow!! Just a number of foolish people who care about the materlistic stuff in their lives, and not about themselves or their families. Katie bring it on and show it!! You are excellent at your job. Also dimwhit Aaron if you had bothred to check your facts, you would know that she has a degree in meterology.

[Aaron]

Wendy, you seem to have me confused with the creators of FireKatie.com. I never said she didn't finish her degree work because I was able to confirm that she did.

Sounds like "The DB," who's so courageous he goes by a handle, has some personal issues with Derrick Smith -- not to mention some attention-span issues, since he didn't read the second story, where I reported being able to confirm Smith's phone number.

[greg]

Please give Mrs. Horner a break. The weather on Feb 28 was potentially life threatening. The presence of very strong vertical wind shear and modest thermodynamic support (etc.)
presented a real danger for those living in the KC area throughout the evening. Nearly every storm that formed south of the MO river before midnight exhibited a strongly rotating updraft. Though only a small precentage of them produced tornadoes, without a spotter on the ground there's no way to know what the rest of them are doing.

Please see the National Weather Service report:

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/crnews/display_story.php?wfo=eax&storyid=6482&so

[Nathan]

One would think that a station titled KCTV5 would consider its primary audience the Kansas City area not some place out in the boondocks of Kansas. After a long day of work, I just want to come home relax have a little dinner and enjoy my favorite shows (without interruption). What we really need is a separate CBS station, so that people who want to watch the chicken little weathercasts can do so without disrupting the CBS line up.

[Ray]

Appears to be a lot of touchy-feely going on in these postings. I get the impression some of these folks would view a mugging as an opportunity to join hands and sing 'We are the world".

I fail to see how - when Katie asks someone in Louisburg, KS to 'look out the window and see if rain is coming down' - or is reporting on a storm in Topeka, KS that is moving away from the KC area - this can be construed as an "execellent job with the news".

Katie seems to be a fine person, just don't need to see hours of the weather or any other category of news for that long a period. Been living with KC weather since the 1950's and survived just fine without this manic level of reporting.

KC has a weather alert system with sirens that notify to take cover. TV stations show a weather map in lower right corner. I own a weather radio which sounds alarm by county. I've bookmarked weather websites with animated dopler radar which are just as up to the minute as KCTV5 .. but on demand .. not in your face.

I'm sure some will never be convinced that KCTV5 has anything but altruistic motives .. that they would never block out hours of the highest rated shows just to improve their own ratings. That's the kind of thing a corporation would do. Oh, kind of like a television network, huh ?

Of course they have their opinions, I have mine. I'll let these folks get back to their singing ... "We are the world ... we are the children" .. Well, you know the rest.

[George]

As far as general news goes, I think KCTV should have its license pulled for the garbage sensationalism in which they engage. But when there’s bad weather in the area, Katie’s the one that I want to hear from. She’s the most detailed and accurate forecaster and communicator of weather events that I’ve seen here. And I don’t mind if she’s reporting about a weather system somewhere else in the viewing area. How narrow-minded are people to think that if it doesn’t affect them where they live that her notifications are without merit.