The blizzard of March 1993 came as a surprise to many across Alabama when the snow began falling that Friday afternoon. Along the way he has worked for WCFT in Tuscaloosa, WSFA in Montgomery, KDFW in . He was on the air for 37 years. And weather phenomenons do not discriminate - seen during meteorologist James Spann's coverage of the deadly conditions. ", BBC1's live FA Cup coverage hit by porn noises from mobile hidden by prankster, Three major energy suppliers paying you to turn off appliances tonight, Major bar chain to close on Mondays and Tuesdays due to rocketing energy bills, Gran's tribute to girl, 4, & mum killed after being hit by racing Audi', News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. Call 0915 010 817. Tonight will be clear and cold with a low in the 20s in most spots. That was the hardest part.". "I've been married for 38 years. Spann asked Saban if he ever gets tired of getting asked . He wanted to write a book for kids who loved science and weather, but also a book that addressed fear by giving valuable information to overcome that fear and not scare them. "These are my people," he likes to say. He currently works for WBMA-LD (ABC 33/40), Birmingham's ABC affiliate. He holds the AMS CCM designation and television seals from the AMS and NWA. In October 1989, he returned to television, this time as the main weatherman on Birminghams WBRC-TV. In fact, anytime there is a big severe weather event, he always thinks "What would J.B. He writes a daily weather discussion for his weather blog, and produces a "Weather Xtreme" video (sometimes a "live" video, depending on the weather situation unfolding) to post with that as well. he wondered. The call letters, WBBR, stood for Black Bear Radio, in honor of the school mascot. After overcoming adversity as a youth, James channeled his passion for the weather into a long and fruitful career as a professional meteorologist. I enjoy the grind of the week and preparing for the game, getting ready for the game just as much as the game itself. After serving more than 25 years he was eligible for parole for a second time on Wednesday morning. During his live-on-air report on Thursday (March 25th), James learned that his home in Alabama was hit by a tornado. "I worked 6 (p.m.) to midnight, and my first song was 'Jessica' by the Allman Brothers. During this time, he's also producing additional radio segments and writing an afternoon weather discussion with another video. And his final criteria is having a servants heart and looking after others more than yourself. He worked for a variety of radio stations as a news anchor and weatherman such as WSFA /Channel . And I'd look out the window. And every, single time, the guy never showed up. He died peacefully, surrounded by his family, after having bravely battled pancreatic cancer. After working as an afternoon-drive announcer at WHHY-FM (Y102) in Montgomery during the summer of 1979, James was appointed as a chief weatherman at WAPI-TV in Birmingham, despite having no official weather training. To learn more about where James' story began and the winding road that brought him to where he is today, I encourage you to read his autobiography, "Weathering Life." He and his wife make time for quality talks in the morning before he leaves for the day, and they also eat dinner together after the 6:00 PM newscast (as long as there isn't active weather in the area). Fortunately for James and his family, neither he nor his relatives were impacted directly by a tornado on April 27, 2011. He was the 33rd individual in the United States to be designated as a Certified Broadcast Meteorologist by the American Meteorological Society. ABC 33/40 meteorologist James Spann, however, once said it came with ample . Spann has been working in the journalism field since 1978. Spann was only at Channel 33 for a few months before he got on a fast track that took him to Montgomery to work at WSFA/Channel 12 and then to Birmingham to join WAPI/Channel 13. I've done network TV. James Spann's better half, Karen is a glad spouse, and they have two youngsters together. | Feb 28, 2014. There is so much damage everywhere. BIRMINGHAM, Alabama--James Spann, a popular meteorologist for ABC 33/40 in Birmingham, sharing weather . I became a TV weather guy in the summer of 1978, and I'd just turned 22.". "They were ham radio operators who saw a fatherless child in a low-income family and helped me with knowledge and equipment. An only child, James Max Spann Jr. was born in Huntsville and his family moved to Athens when he was a toddler. "It's been a long journey. Call us at (858) 263-7716. "The secret about me is despite those shortcomings, I will work harder than anyone else to accomplish those goals.". Coming of age in South Alabama during the height of the civil rights movement in the 1960s was also confusing to Spann, who didn't understand why black kids his age couldn't go to school with him, couldn't go swimming with him, couldn't even be seen hanging out with him. Ginger Zee, Chief Meteorologist for ABC News and one of James' former interns, wrote the forward for the book, while James wrote a science contribution to the end. Did we use terms that people didn't understand?". Residents of the state had a plan, they were ready and knew what to do, but we still need to look back at the five fatalities and see what happened. Vera June Miles (ne Ralston; born August 23, 1929) is an American retired actress who worked closely with Alfred Hitchcock, most notably as Lila Crane in the classic 1960 film Psycho, reprising the role in the 1983 sequel Psycho II.Other films in which she appeared include Tarzan's Hidden Jungle (1955), The Searchers (1956), Alfred Hitchcock's The Wrong Man (1956), A Touch of Larceny (1959 . "They all looked the same -- black suits, black ties and these glasses with black rims," Spann remembers. ESI of ESI Money talks about how to pass wealth to your kids Episode 2165: How to Pass Wealth to Your Kids by ESI ESI Money is written by "ESI", a 50-something retiree. ", As she assessed the destruction she remarked: "It's unbelievable! In a changing media landscape where news organizations constantly fight for peoples attention, Spann admits part of his obsession with work is about self-preservation, but another motivation is about still about trying to prove himself. Smith Lumber Company in nearby Chapman. AMS certified media meteorologist, host of the WeatherBrains podcast, and general weather dweeb/dork/weenie/geek. The obituary was featured in . James has been inducted into the Theta Tau professional engineering fraternity Alumni Hall of Fame, and the University of Alabama School of Communication Hall of Fame. Those are the people he wants to focus on when giving back after severe weather events. However, there are some things he hopes are carried through his work, like trying to get more young people involved in science and meteorology or doing what he can to make sure people stay safe during bad weather. Officer James Jenkins Spann. There was zero loss of life and no serious injuries, despite some significant tornadoes, and James couldn't say enough about how happy that made him. The couple share two children, James and Ryan. Kathleen Peddicord. During his weather report on the afternoon of Thursday, March 25, James Spann, 64, learned that his own home had been struck. It's imperative for meteorologists to understand that you are working with different types of people, different backgrounds, different socioeconomic groups and develop a way to reach all of them. Ages: 10 years and up. After finishing fifth grade at Verner Elementary, he transferred to Eastwood Junior High School. He has worked in journalism since 1978 and is most recognized for his work on WBMA-LD. James Spann keeps himself busy. It can be a lot of work for the 63-year-old Spann, who says he sleeps only three hours a night. "Thats the night I lost my innocence," he said. "Did we not use the right facial expressions? Though some might think it's silly for an "older" person to be on these platforms, if he can reach someone there who would never watch them on TV, to let them know that a severe threat is imminent, then it's 100% worth it to him. "He just has a unique experience that most people don't know about," Naugher said. J.B.'s impact and time commitment to James instilled in James that he wanted to help younger people the way J.B. helped him. ", The 64-year-old later tweeted a statement regarding the damage to his home echoing his earlier comments, while adding: "As I often say, tornadoes happen to real people, at a real place, at a real time.". After retiring from the NWS, J.B. joined James at his private weather company and worked there until he passed away seven years ago, though he remains in spirit. James and his wife Karen have been married for 41 years, and they have two sons. He currently serves as a weather forecaster at WBMA-LD ( ABC 33/40) based in Birmingham, Alabama. However, it was not until after the tornadoes that tore through Tuscaloosa and many parts of Alabama on April 27, 2011, that he decided it was time to write everything down. "How in the world my mama pulled this deal off, I don't know. "But let me tell you what, this was awesome. After Spann finished the fourth grade, though, they moved again, this time to Tuscaloosa so his mother could complete her education degree at the University of Alabama and become a schoolteacher. He maintains that he's not really good at anything he does or better than anyone, but he works really hard and expects the same from those he works with. The University of West Alabama conferred an honorary doctor of laws degree to James in 2013. 2023 www.tuscaloosanews.com. In 1986, however, he resigned from his position and relocated to Alabama. James-Paul (J.p) Spann, 33 years of age, is a senior child and Ryan Christopher Spann, 20 years of age, is more youthful child. James began working for WSFA in Montgomery in late 1978 as a weekend sports anchor and part-time weatherman. by richard keech, steven keech, et al. ", Meteorologist James Spann looks out his car window at the house in Tuscaloosa, Ala., where he and his mother lived from his middle school years until he finished college at the University of Alabama. The site is basically a list of what's allowed him to become financially independent and how you can implement those successes in your life. Whether it's dealing with trolls on social media or suffering from PTSD after a traumatic weather event, the job can be quite challenging, and it's refreshing to see such a focus being put on mental health. View our online Press Pack. We do not target any individuals under the age of 21. He's . Connect With James Spann James has served as the Chief Meteorologist for ABC 33/40 for 25 years, and can be seen weeknights at 4, 5, 6, and 10 o'clock. James is the Chairman of the Board of Grandview Medical Center, and is a member of the University of Alabama College of Communication and Information Sciences Board of Visitors. Spann does not think too much about his legacy. Emmy Award winner Spann is a married man and has two kids. Although UMMC's numbers are not as high in comparison, they have significantly jumped over the past few years, Davis said. Spann also discovered he had a half-brother, who was about 10 years younger than him, that he had never previously known. Georgia rallies, survives on missed field goal to beat Ohio State, reach national title game. Email us: jameshanoimotorbikes@gmail.com. Additionally, as of 2020, Spann's estimated net worth is $2 million. James leads Children's Worship every Sunday at Double Oak Community Church in Mount Laurel. As he mentioned while discussing preparedness, the current broadcast model is becoming dated, but reinvention is coming and will continue to make our field better. James Spann is a television meteorologist based in Birmingham, Alabama. He toured and recorded with the Muddy Waters Band and recorded LPs with Otis Spann and John Lee Hooker. I think the reason he became so great was because he run my show that morning when that big snow was on and he learned all about braying like a mule, riding a mule, hanging there like a rusty fishhook, Burns said in 2013. In the summer of 1978, he began his television career at 33/40 precursor WCFT in Tuscaloosa, the 33 in 33/40. "I was quiet, had no social skills. "And it was the most marvelous experience because there were black people in there, the mean guys were gone, and one of my best friends from childhood is the mayor, a guy named Dexter McLendon. Spann has worked in the field since 1978, and is often praised for his easy-to-understand and likely life-saving forecasting during the destructive 2011 Super Outbreak. First - he wants someone who has an impeccable work ethic and will work harder than he does. In order to combat this, he tries getting "off the grid" every Sunday by going to play tennis. Fortunately he and his wife have a severe weather plan in place, and she was in their safe place when it struck. Latest severe weather updates from ABC 3340 Chief Meteorologist James Spann and The Weather Authority:1:46 a.m.The risk of severe weather has ended for Jefferson County.1:39 a.m.Heavier storms are . Throughout any given day, Spann, the longtime meteorologist for ABC 33/40, could be communicating with more than 1 million of his combined followers on Twitter and F James is married to Karen Spann. I was blessed because of that experience.". One is national "Broadcaster of the Year" by the National Weather Association. "One of my secrets is that I'm not good at anything I do -- I'm really not. "I just felt I had to go find him," Spann says. those that have relatives who lost their lives, that are in the hospital tonight. A funeral service will be held on Monday, October 10th at 2 PM at the Tuckahoe Christian Church of Trenton, NC with pastor Roger Noble . 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