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| WPTZ head meteorologist Tom Messner, an icon of Vermont's airwaves, announced his impending retirement on Tuesday. |
The news comes just a few months after longtime WCAX-TV weather forecaster Sharon Meyer retired after 42 years. For the last 31 years she had been the WCAX lead forecaster.
The two retirements are removing two of Vermont's most reliable weather forecasters from the airwaves. The pair are as iconic as Stuart Hall and Bird Berdan. and are both in the Vermont Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame, for good reason.
Messner, who is expected to leave the airwaves in November, combines the expertise and institutional knowledge of legendary Alabama meteorologist James Spann, the youthful enthusiasm of Washington DC meteorologist and storm chaser Matthew Cappucchi and the warmth and good humor of Al Roker.
He's long been called Smiling Town Messner because in every broadcast, he looks just so happy to be telling you what the weather will be like today. You can hear the smile on those occasions when he pops into radio station WIZN, often on Fridays to update you on the weekend forecast.
That happiness is infectious, and viewers know it. As WPTZ points out, Messner was the winner in the annual Seven Days readers poll as the region's "Best Meteorologist" every year that category existed in that newspaper.
In a statement released by WPTZ Tuesday, Messner said, in part, "I'm honored to have served my neighbors and our communities and to have the privilege to personally meet so many of our viewers throughout my 31 years at NBC5. Your amazing support and trust have allowed my family to build a home and life in a place that we truly love. I'm forever thankful."
Unsurprisingly, tributes poured in Tuesday on the news of Messner's impending retirement.
"Tom's been a fixture in our homes and a patron to all that we love about our (Great) Lake Champlain. Tom, congrats on all that you have accomplished and on how you've done it.... with expertise, wit and class," U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy D-VT tweeted.
Messner will continue on at WPTZ as Chief Meteorologist until late November. He'll also make guest appearances on the television station from time to time. He's not moving away, and will continue his very active role at Feeding Chittenden.
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| Another TV Vermont weather icon, Sharon Meyer, retired from her duties at WCAX back in June. |
"This isn't really goodbye, it's I'll see you around," Messner said on a Tuesday WPTZ broadcast.
As noted, Messner's announcement is the second high profile Vermont television weather departure this year. Sharon Meyer's long reign as the lead forecaster at WCAX-TV.
On air, Meyer always exuded both warmth and unflappability. Except when there were close lightning strikes. She didn't seem to like those, which made her a lot smarter than most weather geeks I know, including me.
Watching a Meyer on WCAX was like a friendly chat about the weather over tea with a trusted friend.
Another reason why Meyer is such a Vermont broadcasting gem is because she loved to take us with her as she traveled Vermont and the the world, and brought us outdoors with her in sunshine and ugly storms. Meyer is always so inviting on air.
The legendary Stuart Hall picked Meyer to do the 11 p.m. weather at WCAX in 1986. When Hall retired in 1990, Meyer became the lead weather person at WCAX, a role she dutifully continued until this June.
Like Messner, Meyer never really disappeared, thank goodness. We still see her on WCAX gardening segments and in other appearances.
The departures of Messner and Meyer fortunately do not leave Vermont lacking in talented TV meteorologist. I don't want to list them all, for fear of leaving somebody out, but we do remain in excellent hands with the on-air meteorological talent on the Green Mountain State's airwaves.
Television stations in the Vermont market would be wise to do everything they can to keep these meteorologists here.
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