StormForce 10

[Jess 1115]

10 debuted a new toy today - StormForce 10. It's basically their answer to the Mobile Weather Lab, though without the obnoxious Audi plug.

 

They have mobile radar data, current conditions, weather tools on the roof, guided missiles, the ability to travel through time when it goes faster than 88mph, and of course, California Emission.

 

More info, which will in fact be accurate, should be spilled during the 4-6:30 news block.

 

They're also in Williamsport for the Taney Dragons - hence why StormForce 10 was rolled out - and they're covering them extensively. Given the doom and gloom of the last few weeks, it's nice to see a feel-good story for once. They're also using customized lower thirds for this - they inverted the colors and added some background - which is pretty much the first time I think a station on regular Look F did this.

[ToriElectra 292]

Sweet. I half-expect them to rebrand their live trucks as RoadForce 10, and their traffic as TrafficForce10, etc.

[WCAUTVNBC10 413]

 

Sweet. I half-expect them to rebrand their live trucks as RoadForce 10, and their traffic as TrafficForce10, etc.

 

Traffic is First Alert Traffic

[rkolsen 1684]

I'd be happy as long as they don't tag out with "Sponsored by your Baltimore Area Chevy Dealers" like WJZ, "Sponsored by Len Stoker Audi" WBFF (who uses that for their traffic vehicle but their weather lab is the same tag as WJZ) and "Sponsored by your DC Area Chevy Dealers" for WRC.

 

WBFF has this audio that has this weird looking apparatus that has polarized windows on top of their vehicle pointing in all four directions, two cameras inside the vehicle, and one on each side by the mirrors looking into the lanes. They use it,for live road conditions it's pretty neat but relies on bonded cellular.

 

Do any of you remember WVIT, NBC Connecticut, debuted last year All Terrain 1? It was a live truck built on a real truck in their case a Ford 250. They planned on using it for winter weather coverage (mainly to drive through snow) but it doesn't have the big screen in the back or weather gadgets. I thought that was pretty cool. I think in their case they don't use bonded cellular but rather they use their standard microwave capabilities to broadcast on the go where the transmitter moves like it does in the helicopter. I'm surprised more stations haven't tried using pre existing components that are designed for helicopters which pan and tilt the antenna to the receive site to broadcast on the go. It sure would be more reliable than using bonded cellular during a major weather event when cell service goes down.

 

Anyway back to WCAU, StormForce 10 seems to be continuing the trend that each station needs to have their own weather lab. Do their meteorologists report from the field? If not it seems like a waste of money in my opinion. Here WJZ always has a meteorologist accompany the truck whenever they use the weather capabilities but WBFF seems just fine having someone who isn't trained reporting detailed weather information.

 

Sweet. I half-expect them to rebrand their live trucks as RoadForce 10, and their traffic as TrafficForce10, etc.

I hope not.

[24994J 5577]

 

They're also using customized lower thirds for this - they inverted the colors and added some background - which is pretty much the first time I think a station on regular Look F did this.