8/28 - Big Announcement: Job at WBBJ-TV ABC 7 in Jackson, TN!

This is the big announcement that I've been hinting at in my last few blog posts. I'm going to be the Saturday morning weather forecaster at WBBJ-TV ABC 7 Eyewitness News in Jackson, Tennessee! I just returned from my first visit to the station a few minutes ago and I must say that I am thoroughly excited by what lies ahead. The new Saturday morning news show at ABC 7 will start on October 2nd and that's where I come in. Besides doing the weather on that show, I'll also be doing local weather cut-ins during Good Morning America for the folks in West Tennessee, which airs just after the Saturday morning show. My first newscast at WBBJ ABC 7 will most likely happen on a weekend afternoon before that to introduce the new Saturday show and me as the new weather guy for it.

For those of you wondering, I'm still attending Mississippi State to get my full meteorology degree and I'll be driving to Jackson, TN on the weekends to do the weather at ABC 7. Storm chasing this spring is still on my schedule and they'll have someone at WBBJ to fill-in for me during that and the remainder of my summer breaks when I won't be close enough to drive to West Tennessee.

This job is really a dream come true. I've been working hard over the past four years to develop my skills in broadcasting and weather and it's great to be able to see that begin to pay off. The kicker in all of this is that I'm only 19 years old. Landing a broadcast job before 21 has been my goal for years, but this just blows that expectation out of the water. I want to thank the Mississippi State University meteorology department for helping me get to this point. They recognized my passion for weather and broadcasting early on and have since helped me tremendously by sharpening my skills as a weathercaster and getting networked with the right people in the industry. There is no doubt in my mind that MSU has the best broadcast meteorology department in the nation. Am I crazy for wanting to get up every Saturday morning at 2:00 or 3:00AM to do the weather on TV? Quite possibly, but I'm going to love every minute of the experience.

I'll try to get videos of the shows I do in Jackson on the blog here for everyone to see. Unfortunately we can't get the station here at Mississippi State, but it is available over-the-air in the Jackson area and on cable from Corinth, MS to Murray, KY. Thank you, the viewers of this blog, for supporting me throughout the years. Things are just now beginning to heat up as I turn to this new chapter in my career path and there's no telling what other surprises may be ahead!