Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
All right, I guess we're back back good news or
not good news, hot topics, hot topics, and this is
a hot topic. I kind of have a surprise for
you because you don't know. There's somebody on the other
line right now.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
On the other line.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
Yes, we call somebody up because I guess, yes, this
is a very hot topic. Can you imagine working at
the same place for thirty years, thirty five years, forty years,
forty five years. A lot of people don't do that anymore.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
No, I mean, I've come across a few people in
the state that I'm really impressed with at commerce that
have done that. But it's not a typical thing.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
What about if you worked for forty five years in
local TV news and weather.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Ah, that's quite impressive.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
Well, that's our guest, the mighty Ben Gelberg goes on
the air.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
Bemmy, Hey guys, how are you?
Speaker 2 (00:55):
God, how it's been a minute that I saw you
in the parking lot at Illiard.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
That's all right, getting rid of between Kroger and Jersey Mike.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
That was absolutely right.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
Oh my gosh, Ben, it has been forty five years.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
Yeah, I wish I could say I'm forty five years old.
This weekend, which would sound better it was July twelfth
or Saturday night in nineteen eighty. I told the story
on the air where I was supposed to. I had
just gotten here, just finished grad school and had found
did a little apartment hunting, and I was supposed to
(01:31):
have like up to two weeks of training to figure
out the TV stuff. Now, granted there were no computers
to learn, but just to you know, I'm not it
wasn't a TV person, just a college student essentially or
recent graduate. And so I was setting up the magnetic
symbols and drawing with magic markers on the wall map
(01:52):
and then on a carbon copy script, handed the script
to the anchor and he would read the weather and
then they take a quick shot of the wall map
and then go on to the fonts or chiron forecast. Well, anyway,
we get thunderstorm warnings like yesterday, like right before the news,
and the producer decided I had to go on the
(02:15):
air because you know, it was too complicated to sort out.
And back then we got it on teletype, so you know,
like the old World War two or Western Union teletype.
That's it was rip and read. But that's where the
expression came from. So first of all, I was scared
to death. Secondly, I was fortunate even brought my suit
(02:37):
jacket in quickly got ready, and I was so nervous.
I have no idea what I said on the air.
I remember I was physically shaking and I had to
kind of steady myself on the set and apparently everything
went fine again. I was just absolutely frightened. I mean,
(02:57):
stage fright doesn't begin to explain. And then I walked
out into the newsroom kind of sheepishly, and the producer said, Hey,
I just got off the phone with the news director
and he said, your training period is over and we're
good to go. And so that's how it all began
a little bit sooner than expected.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
Forty five years. Can you believe Ben Gelber? We're talking
with Ben Gelber, meteorologist extraordinary who Mickayla and I both
had the pleasure and the honor of working with. And Ben,
you were always great and always so kind to everybody.
And if anybody really knew, whether it was you and
Jim Gannall.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
Yeah, And Jim had called me to suggest because I
had two job opportunities coming out of school. One was
in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and he basically called me and said,
don't take that offer. Take you come here, and he said,
I'll you'll have more options. He wanted to work with me,
(03:59):
and we didn't know each other at the time, and
he was in his late twenties and had just come
in nineteen seventy nine from Waterloo, Iowa, and that he
was the first meteorologist, true meteorologist here at the station.
So he wanted to build credibility in the market because
(04:22):
again when I was growing up too, weather was often
done by a local celebrity or personality, and there were
very few actual meteorologists doing the weather, say in the
nineteen seventies or certainly in the nineteen sixties. It's just
it was almost used as a filler for entertainment, except
(04:42):
when there was active weather. But you know, the things
that started to change and more stations became interested in
having a meteorologist, an actual meteorologist went to school with
a science background, in particular because of severe weather. But anyway,
Jim talked to me into coming out and the rest
was history. He was very kind and generous with his time,
(05:06):
and we bonded over sports and so many other things,
as you both know, and and overweather for sure.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
Overweather.
Speaker 3 (05:15):
Oh yeah, I mean we talked on our days off. Yeah,
we stayed in touch, shared stories. Muney amount severe weather
because Pennsylvania was not a tornado, I have to have
a passion for.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
It, and you guys both had that passion for wanting
to tell people about severe weather.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
You absolutely did. You are a scientist, Ben, you know
that about you. And since it's a hot topic time,
I'm going to ask you about a hot topic in
the weather.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
Is that okay?
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Ben?
Speaker 3 (05:45):
Sure?
Speaker 1 (05:46):
If anyone will know?
Speaker 2 (05:48):
Okay, Ben, I really have to ask you. It's a
hot topic online with a lot of meteorologists. After this
flooding in Texas, there's a lot of talking about cloud seating.
I had never ever heard of cloud seating. Does it happen?
And can it cause immense flood then? What as I saw? Yeah,
in Texas, I've been fascinated by this online this week.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
Well, and there's a lot to this. Some of the
early cloud seating experiments were done in the nineteen forties
post World War Two. The objective was both to reduce
the intensity of hurricanes by introducing silver eye particles or
(06:31):
excess particles that would essentially be within out the rain drops.
In other words, instead of having large rain drops, there
would be too much competition for rain drops and you
get smaller ones and thereby reduce the risk of flooding.
And some of this was tried also over the continental US,
(06:54):
but it was essentially abandoned officially because of environmental risks,
moral questions, and it was you know, it's hard to
say what continued thereafter, and in fact, there were we
can actually go back to the eighteen hundreds, there were
(07:14):
attempts to do some crazy things to quelf forest fires
in the west, cannon shot into the clouds, so that
you know, this is you know, mankind is always wanted
to control the weather, especially to either to increase rainfall
or decrease the intensity of storms. I mean this historically.
(07:37):
I mean there's some fascinating stories going back even to
the Middle Ages, or to disrupt storms to prevent severe weather.
But you know, fast forward into the into the twenty
first century. Again from what I've read also there have
been there are still some companies that have worked on
(08:00):
bringing or adding some moisture in drought stricken areas, which
was part of the original thinking even centuries ago. How
could we make it rain where there's a.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
Desert, And that's what they're saying.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
That's what some people are saying happened in Texas, that
there was clouds all going on.
Speaker 3 (08:17):
But there's yeah. And here's a very important point. Scientists
who who understand this indicates that it would have been impossible.
And even assuming there was, we don't know if there
was any localized we'll say, seeding going on somewhere in
(08:39):
Texas to create what happened, or even even trigger something
of that magnitude.
Speaker 1 (08:44):
We're up against the break. I just really wanted to
say congratulations and wanted to surprise Mickayeleb with your size. Boys.
Forty years doing the weather is really commendable. Congrats to
you and it makes educate today. Just sent me a
message this. Someone's name is Tom Kirker, he said. Ben
and I sat down for lunch in a Groveport middle school.
(09:05):
I was a teacher in training at Capital. Ben had
been working for a year or so. We were both
very young. He was presenting at the school. He was
so nice to me. I've been retired from teaching now
twelve years. Ben is a great man from Tom the
park Ranger. He's a Facebook friend. Say hi to Ben
for me, so Hi from so many people, and see
(09:26):
congrats from so many people.
Speaker 3 (09:28):
Ben, Well, thank you, Tom, and thanks to both of you.
I thoroughly enjoyed working with Course, Minnie Mchaelan Mornings and
other newscasts, and you guys were wonderful and also had
a great sense of humor and kept us all grounded.
And that's why I'd love to see you and hear
you on TV and radio whenever I can.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
Happy anniversary, Ben, Thanks Ben, Thanks to both of you.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
This is what Matters on six ten WTVN
All right, I guess we're back back good news or
not good news, hot topics, hot topics, and this is
a hot topic. I kind of have a surprise for
you because you don't know. There's somebody on the other
line right now.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
On the other line.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
Yes, we call somebody up because I guess, yes, this
is a very hot topic. Can you imagine working at
the same place for thirty years, thirty five years, forty years,
forty five years. A lot of people don't do that anymore.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
No, I mean, I've come across a few people in
the state that I'm really impressed with at commerce that
have done that. But it's not a typical thing.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
What about if you worked for forty five years in
local TV news and weather.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Ah, that's quite impressive.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
Well, that's our guest, the mighty Ben Gelberg goes on
the air.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
Bemmy, Hey guys, how are you?
Speaker 2 (00:55):
God, how it's been a minute that I saw you
in the parking lot at Illiard.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
That's all right, getting rid of between Kroger and Jersey Mike.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
That was absolutely right.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
Oh my gosh, Ben, it has been forty five years.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
Yeah, I wish I could say I'm forty five years old.
This weekend, which would sound better it was July twelfth
or Saturday night in nineteen eighty. I told the story
on the air where I was supposed to. I had
just gotten here, just finished grad school and had found
did a little apartment hunting, and I was supposed to
(01:31):
have like up to two weeks of training to figure
out the TV stuff. Now, granted there were no computers
to learn, but just to you know, I'm not it
wasn't a TV person, just a college student essentially or
recent graduate. And so I was setting up the magnetic
symbols and drawing with magic markers on the wall map
(01:52):
and then on a carbon copy script, handed the script
to the anchor and he would read the weather and
then they take a quick shot of the wall map
and then go on to the fonts or chiron forecast. Well, anyway,
we get thunderstorm warnings like yesterday, like right before the news,
and the producer decided I had to go on the
(02:15):
air because you know, it was too complicated to sort out.
And back then we got it on teletype, so you know,
like the old World War two or Western Union teletype.
That's it was rip and read. But that's where the
expression came from. So first of all, I was scared
to death. Secondly, I was fortunate even brought my suit
(02:37):
jacket in quickly got ready, and I was so nervous.
I have no idea what I said on the air.
I remember I was physically shaking and I had to
kind of steady myself on the set and apparently everything
went fine again. I was just absolutely frightened. I mean,
(02:57):
stage fright doesn't begin to explain. And then I walked
out into the newsroom kind of sheepishly, and the producer said, Hey,
I just got off the phone with the news director
and he said, your training period is over and we're
good to go. And so that's how it all began
a little bit sooner than expected.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
Forty five years. Can you believe Ben Gelber? We're talking
with Ben Gelber, meteorologist extraordinary who Mickayla and I both
had the pleasure and the honor of working with. And Ben,
you were always great and always so kind to everybody.
And if anybody really knew, whether it was you and
Jim Gannall.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
Yeah, And Jim had called me to suggest because I
had two job opportunities coming out of school. One was
in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and he basically called me and said,
don't take that offer. Take you come here, and he said,
I'll you'll have more options. He wanted to work with me,
(03:59):
and we didn't know each other at the time, and
he was in his late twenties and had just come
in nineteen seventy nine from Waterloo, Iowa, and that he
was the first meteorologist, true meteorologist here at the station.
So he wanted to build credibility in the market because
(04:22):
again when I was growing up too, weather was often
done by a local celebrity or personality, and there were
very few actual meteorologists doing the weather, say in the
nineteen seventies or certainly in the nineteen sixties. It's just
it was almost used as a filler for entertainment, except
(04:42):
when there was active weather. But you know, the things
that started to change and more stations became interested in
having a meteorologist, an actual meteorologist went to school with
a science background, in particular because of severe weather. But anyway,
Jim talked to me into coming out and the rest
was history. He was very kind and generous with his time,
(05:06):
and we bonded over sports and so many other things,
as you both know, and and overweather for sure.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
Overweather.
Speaker 3 (05:15):
Oh yeah, I mean we talked on our days off. Yeah,
we stayed in touch, shared stories. Muney amount severe weather
because Pennsylvania was not a tornado, I have to have
a passion for.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
It, and you guys both had that passion for wanting
to tell people about severe weather.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
You absolutely did. You are a scientist, Ben, you know
that about you. And since it's a hot topic time,
I'm going to ask you about a hot topic in
the weather.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
Is that okay?
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Ben?
Speaker 3 (05:45):
Sure?
Speaker 1 (05:46):
If anyone will know?
Speaker 2 (05:48):
Okay, Ben, I really have to ask you. It's a
hot topic online with a lot of meteorologists. After this
flooding in Texas, there's a lot of talking about cloud seating.
I had never ever heard of cloud seating. Does it happen?
And can it cause immense flood then? What as I saw? Yeah,
in Texas, I've been fascinated by this online this week.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
Well, and there's a lot to this. Some of the
early cloud seating experiments were done in the nineteen forties
post World War Two. The objective was both to reduce
the intensity of hurricanes by introducing silver eye particles or
(06:31):
excess particles that would essentially be within out the rain drops.
In other words, instead of having large rain drops, there
would be too much competition for rain drops and you
get smaller ones and thereby reduce the risk of flooding.
And some of this was tried also over the continental US,
(06:54):
but it was essentially abandoned officially because of environmental risks,
moral questions, and it was you know, it's hard to
say what continued thereafter, and in fact, there were we
can actually go back to the eighteen hundreds, there were
(07:14):
attempts to do some crazy things to quelf forest fires
in the west, cannon shot into the clouds, so that
you know, this is you know, mankind is always wanted
to control the weather, especially to either to increase rainfall
or decrease the intensity of storms. I mean this historically.
(07:37):
I mean there's some fascinating stories going back even to
the Middle Ages, or to disrupt storms to prevent severe weather.
But you know, fast forward into the into the twenty
first century. Again from what I've read also there have
been there are still some companies that have worked on
(08:00):
bringing or adding some moisture in drought stricken areas, which
was part of the original thinking even centuries ago. How
could we make it rain where there's a.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
Desert, And that's what they're saying.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
That's what some people are saying happened in Texas, that
there was clouds all going on.
Speaker 3 (08:17):
But there's yeah. And here's a very important point. Scientists
who who understand this indicates that it would have been impossible.
And even assuming there was, we don't know if there
was any localized we'll say, seeding going on somewhere in
(08:39):
Texas to create what happened, or even even trigger something
of that magnitude.
Speaker 1 (08:44):
We're up against the break. I just really wanted to
say congratulations and wanted to surprise Mickayeleb with your size. Boys.
Forty years doing the weather is really commendable. Congrats to
you and it makes educate today. Just sent me a
message this. Someone's name is Tom Kirker, he said. Ben
and I sat down for lunch in a Groveport middle school.
(09:05):
I was a teacher in training at Capital. Ben had
been working for a year or so. We were both
very young. He was presenting at the school. He was
so nice to me. I've been retired from teaching now
twelve years. Ben is a great man from Tom the
park Ranger. He's a Facebook friend. Say hi to Ben
for me, so Hi from so many people, and see
(09:26):
congrats from so many people.
Speaker 3 (09:28):
Ben, Well, thank you, Tom, and thanks to both of you.
I thoroughly enjoyed working with Course, Minnie Mchaelan Mornings and
other newscasts, and you guys were wonderful and also had
a great sense of humor and kept us all grounded.
And that's why I'd love to see you and hear
you on TV and radio whenever I can.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
Happy anniversary, Ben, Thanks Ben, Thanks to both of you.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
This is what Matters on six ten WTVN
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