Reporting the weather with Ben Rich

Whether it’s going to be raining or the sun will be shining, people are always fascinated about what the weather is going to throw at us.

I’m Ben Rich, I present the weather on BBC TV, radio and online and we are here at the BBC Weather Centre, where all of our forecasts begin.

First we gather all the information we need to put the forecast together.

We look at satellite data, it shows us where we’ve already had cloud; radar data shows us where it’s been raining; we look at the temperatures as they are now; and then we look at the forecasts the computer models, the computer forecasts of what is going to happen over the coming days. And taking all of that information, putting it together, we can turn that into a weather forecast.

Once we’ve collected all the information we need, it’s time to present the weather forecast, and this is one of our studios here at the Weather Centre where we present our broadcasts.

This studio has a big screen behind me.

So I can look at the screen, I can see where the weather is moving and it’s easy for me to interact with the graphics to help me tell the weather story.

TOP TIPS FOR WEATHER REPORTING

TIP 1: Know your audience

So my top tips for presenting and reporting the weather are, first of all, know your audience and what they are going to want from the forecast.

Now here, most of the time, our audience is in the UK; people going about their daily lives, going to work, trying to get out and about at the weekend.

We are trying to give them the information they need to make decisions.

So, how cold will it be? Will it be warm? Will it be sunny? Will it be cloudy? And most crucially, a lot of the time, is it going to rain?

TIP 2: What is the main message?

What is your big story? Is there a storm coming? Is there ice that is going to cause travel problems? Will rain lead to flooding? What’s the main message? What is the top line for your weather bulletin?

TIP 3: Make it easy to understand

Put your bulletin together so it is easy for the audience to understand. I start by choosing a good picture that reflects the weather that we are seeing today.

Then a headline, the top line, that big message you want to get home to the audience.

Make sure your story has a beginning, middle and an end, so no matter how long your weather broadcast is; hopefully people will stay interested and will stay with you to the end, getting all those key messages.

TIP 4: Make it interesting Make it interesting.

Smile. Tell the story in a way that people are going to find interesting. A way the audience are going to stay with you for however long your weather broadcast is. Vary the tone and the speed of your presentation so people will stay with you and hopefully get all those key messages.

TIP 5: Enjoy it and have fun

Enjoy it and have fun. This is a great job. I love presenting the weather. It’s brilliant because you get to interact with the graphics behind you; you get to think about some of the science while also delivering an important message for people at home. So make sure you have fun while you are doing the weather.

TIP 6: Make sure you are ready to go

Make sure you are wearing a microphone before you start doing the broadcast.

Because once I forgot to put my microphone on and they came to me, they cut to me from the news and I started talking.

I think I had come up with quite a funny line to get me into the weather and unfortunately no one could hear me.

In my ear piece, they told me, “You’re not wearing a microphone”. I tried to get the microphone from beside me over here, but unfortunately, all the wires had got tangled up and it was one of most embarrassing moments of my career.

Now, it never looks as bad as you think it does on screen, but take my advice, make sure you are all ready to go before you start trying to do the weather.

Those are my top tips for presenting the weather and remember you can make your weather forecast local to your area, to your school even. Think about the audience where you are.

And most of all enjoy yourself doing the weather on BBC School Report.