Jym Ganahl retiring from daily forecasts

[ColDayNews 438]

Text of Dispatch article:

 

 

Jym Ganahl has always loved meteorology, rain or shine.

 

"I’ve never not wanted to come to work," he said.

 

Ganahl, 67, has spent nearly a half-century in broadcasting, more than three decades of it serving the central Ohio area.

 

WCMH-TV (Channel 4), announced Thursday that the stations' chief meteorologist would deliver his final regularly scheduled forecast on Sept. 4.

 

>>> Slideshow: Jym Ganahl through the years

 

“For the past 37 years, Jym has made it his personal mission to keep central Ohio safe during severe weather and help people plan their lives,” said Ken Freedman, NBC4 vice-president and general manager. “He’s always done it with a touch of humor and a dose of interesting facts.”

 

With weather as a hobby even at the age of 17, Ganahl said he walked into his first station with confidence. He began his career as a weather anchor for KWWL-TV in Waterloo, Iowa, in 1966.

 

Ganahl came to Columbus after being plucked from the upper-Midwest following the Blizzard of 1978, a severe winter storm that hit Ohio as well as surrounding states and the Great Lakes region. With him, he brought his experience and the promise he would never have a problem getting into work during a comparable weather event.

 

“Still, when I turn the corner to come into the station, I get excited about coming to work,” he said. “When I get called in by my bosses for doing something wrong, it’s because I work too many hours.”

 

Ganahl, who lives near New Albany, said he's not retiring, but rather scaling back his work. He'll continue his WCMH tailgate-party broadcasts on Fridays during football season, as well as several other broadcasts during the week.

 

Ganahl, who suffers from congestive heart failure, said he hopes the lighter workload will prove to be less stressful. He took time off in late 2013 and early 2014 for related treatment.

 

“I think it’s time to lighten the load,” he said. “I am not the kind of person who sits around."

 

Ganahl was a role model and mentor to Brooke Schanowski, who interned at WCMH in 2015 while attending Ohio State University. She is now a meteorologist with WMBD-TV and WYZZ-TV in Peoria, Illinois.

 

“He always encouraged me and taught me something new every day,” she said in an email. “He helped me pursue my dream of becoming an on-air meteorologist, and I will forever be grateful for that. I cannot thank Jym enough for all the time he spent with me.”

 

Ganahl said he forecasts a bright future in his field, as well as a bit more of a relaxed future for himself.

 

“Always be positive, do something you love to do, throw worry out of your mind, and you’ll live a happy, long life,” he said.

[TheRolyPoly 2449]

Already mentioned in the "Out and About" thread and I posted it with a link to the TVNewsCheck story.

[ColumbusNewsFan 217]

Already mentioned in the "Out and About" thread and I posted it with a link to the TVNewsCheck story.

But I have read on here that people don't check that thread due to it's size and We rather it wasn't swallowed up in a just a small topic.

 

Strangely this isn't only thing changing at NBC4 as they are on a Temporary set right now.