Life After TV News...

Three meteorologists walk into a bar…

It sounds like the start of an interesting joke, but this is the story as to how three Mets, who were on air in Orlando, have banded together to start their own venture.

Viewers in Central Florida know the names of Amy Sweezy, Tom Sorrells, and Rob Eicher.

Amy Sweezy was at WESH for nearly 18 years. Tom Sorrells was at WKMG for nearly 24 years, and Rob Eicher spent 4+ years at WOFL, before heading to stations in Boston.

The three have now formed the company, the “Florida Weather Authority”.

“In a world where misinformation spreads like wildfire, and many online weather channels aren't hosted by actual trained meteorologists, we could do better, right?!” is what Eicher said in a social media post, announcing the trio’s new venture.

FTVLive spoke to the trio about what they are doing and life after the TV newsroom.

What are your goals with the venture? 

Amy Sweezey: Our original goal was to just “test the waters” for six months and then decide in the new year if we really wanted to do this. But after posting videos for two weeks and getting so much positive feedback, we decided to go all in. We announced our YouTube channel publicly on July 23, and by July 25 we already had more than 2,000 subscribers. After two months, we jumped to nearly 6,000 subscribers and more than 600,000 views on our videos.

Right now, we are mostly posting forecasts and explainers, but we do have plans for live coverage when the weather warrants it. We (thankfully) haven’t had any tropical trouble in Florida yet this season, but we will be ready if or when that happens.

You see more people who worked in TV news branching out on their own. Whether that is weather-related, or independent journalism. Do you believe this is the future? 

Amy Sweezey: Absolutely. We believe this could be the future of TV news. As audiences move to YouTube, social media, and other digital platforms, we have more of an opportunity to build new audiences and communicate directly with them. We all left traditional television, but that doesn’t mean we had to stop being meteorologists or leave our profession. We see this as a chance to continue using our experience, credibility, and storytelling skills in a new way and on our own terms.

What are your plans to monetize your new venture? 

Amy Sweezey: One of the biggest advantages of this venture is that we have the flexibility to choose how, when, and what we monetize. We’re not tied to a corporation or sales team, so we can be selective about the partnerships and opportunities that make sense for us. Our TV backgrounds have also given us an understanding of conflicts of interest and strategic partnerships, which helps guide our monetization goals. We already have sponsors on board, with more in the works, and our rapid growth has also allowed us to monetize our YouTube channel directly. Monetizing our own social media accounts in TV was a big no-no.

Do you miss TV news, or do you feel, like many others, that the business has changed so much that it is hard to recognize the business you started in? 

Tom Sorrells: Of course I miss TV news. It was my life and my livelihood starting in 1986. I worked like crazy to get into this business, and once I got there, I gave up relationships, homes, friendships, holidays and more because I wanted so badly to be IN the business. And, for the most part, it paid off for me.

So yes, I miss it. I miss the people. I miss the adrenaline. I miss being there when something important was happening and knowing that what we were doing mattered. I still feel lost on election night when I don't have a chance to be in the newsroom.

But as much as I mourn the TV news business I grew up in, I do not mourn what it has become. In many ways, as you referenced in your question, it is very hard to recognize the business I started in nearly 40 years ago.

Guys my age have quoted that line from The Godfather for decades: “This is the business we’ve chosen.” And for most of my career, I believed that completely. We accepted the long hours, the missed holidays, the moves, the pressure and the sacrifices because this was the business we chose.

But we didn’t choose what it is now.

That realization is what made it easier for me to move forward. I can look back with enormous gratitude for the career I had without feeling like I need to go back to it.

Now, I’ve chosen something new. I’ve chosen to march forward with Florida Weather Authority, to build something that feels exciting, creative and meaningful again.

And I can say wholeheartedly: I have never been happier in my life.

What advice do you give others in TV news who might be looking to step away? 

Rob Eicher: Do it now so that my broadcast meteorology students have a place to go when they graduate. Ha! Seriously though, I remember thinking that I would really miss TV news if/when I ever left. I don't miss it at all. I did miss talking about the weather, and the challenge of forecasting the weather (NOT "weather guessing" ). That's where Florida Weather Authority comes in. Plus, I no longer have a boss who knows nothing about meteorology telling me what I should and should not be saying about the weather.  It's very freeing. So, my advice is: don't hang on to TV news just because you think there is something you might miss about it. There are other ways to do what you love without the stress and drama of TV news.

The three show you that you can pursue your passion outside of a TV newsroom. For years, that wasn’t really possible. But with technology and the digital age, you are seeing more people leave TV news and strike out on their own. Whether you’re an independent journalist or a meteorologist, you now have an outlet to the viewers at your disposal.

Amy, Tom, and Rob are looking to take control of how people in Florida receive their weather information. We wish them nothing but good luck in their new venture.

You can subscribe to their YouTube channel at this link.