WHEN PEOPLE WANT THE DAY'S WEATHER, REEVES HAS ANSWERS

CAPE GIRARDEAU - Long before most people are even thinking about starting their day, Bob Reeves is out of bed and on his way to work.

He rises each weekday at 2:30 a.m., and within an hour he's in his office at the KFVS-TV studio. There, he studies weather maps, satellite pictures, radar information and other data to develop a weather forecast so that, when everyone else gets up and wants to know what kind of a day is ahead, he can tell them as accurately as possible.

Reeves, one of three full-time weathermen at Channel 12, is on the air for the first time at 6 a.m. He has two, three-minute segments on "The Breakfast Show" and three other 40-second segments to explain weather conditions. Then, at noon, he has another three minutes of weather.

Besides preparing forecasts, Reeves also prepares all of the graphics that appear on the air during the weather segments. Everything but the satellite picture is locally designed.

"I think generally the public does watch and listen," said Reeves. "They want to know if they will need a heavy coat or an umbrella. They are more interested in general things like that than a specific forecast.

"I think weather forecasts are one of the most important elements of our newscasts, and rank up there as far as the general interest of the public. That puts a real responsibility on those of us who do weather and make presentations to the public. You have to consider carefully what you will say in three minutes."

Reeves and the other weathermen at KFVS have access to National Weather Service forecast information as well as to all the data any other weather-forecast service would have.

"Basically, what we try to do is look at all the data that comes in, and make our own interpretation and select material that we feel will be the most valid for a given forecast," Reeves explained.

When he arrives at work, Reeves reviews new data and decides whether to make any changes in forecasts. KFVS tries to provide a forecast for about a 100-mile radius, and there is a great deal of difference in weather patterns in that area, he said, explaining a shift in a front can make a big difference.

"It is not something where you have an on-and-off switch or a black-and-white kind of situation," said Reeves. "There are a lot of shades of gray in those forecasts, and sometimes it is difficult to predict what will happen."

Snow patterns are quite complex to forecast, he pointed out, because snow tends to fall in narrow bands and storm systems can change frequently.

Over the years, with improved technology, satellite pictures, and use of computers, the accuracy of forecasting has improved a great deal. "I am proud of our forecasts; generally they are pretty good," said Reeves.

"The farther you go on extended forecasts, the less reliable they are; but they are much more accurate than they used to be."

Reeves worked at KFVS-TV from 1970-73. After leaving for a while, he returned in 1975, and has been there ever since. Since 1982, one of his full-time duties has been weather.

Reeves said: "In the last 10 years, weather forecasting has become more and more important because viewers place more emphasis on it. As a result, it is a very important part of what we do, and now we have three people who basically do nothing but weather."

With increased interest comes a tendency to develop more specialized and regional forecasts with less emphasis on national weather. "We try to localize our product more all the time," he said.

Technology has helped television stations respond to growing interest in weather. Maps can be produced by computer for any radius, and the increased technology enables KFVS to provide accurate graphics of a consistent quality.

"Things are quite a bit different from the days when we drew a front physically on a piece of glass over a map with a flow-master pen," laughed Reeves. Then, forecasts were taken off a teletype wire and maps were drawn based on the forecasts. Temperatures from around the country were hand-written over the glass maps.

Forecasting weather can be a frustrating experience, especially when it comes to timing weather systems that affect the area, said Reeves. "Usually the forecast is right or the flavor of the forecast is right; but timing may be off a few hours or a day or two if systems change," he said. "Or, sometimes a pattern does not follow what the computer model is."

As a weatherman, Reeves is subjected to his share of jokes and comments from the public about his forecasts not being right. "That goes with the turf if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen," he said. "Generally, it is pretty good natured and I am pleased they do it. That indicates they are watching and know who you are, and that's a key part of this business."

The times his forecasts are accurate, especially in alerting people to bad weather conditions, makes the job worthwhile.

"There is the satisfaction of knowing that sometimes you do provide life-saving information to people," said Reeves. "That is very, very important and does make us feel like we are making a contribution to the public."

Another good thing about his job, said Reeves, is the people he works with at the station. "Generally, they are a nice bunch of people, and I feel like we would be friends even if we didn't work together," he said.

Reeves said, if he could change one thing about how people responds to weather, he would encourage them to take thunderstorm watches and warnings more seriously. "I think people pay a lot of attention to watches and warnings of tornadoes and winter storms, in particular; but oftentimes, people pay less attention to thunderstorm watches and warnings, feeling there is no big deal, when in fact, thunderstorms often generate tornadoes and high winds that cause a lot of damage."

Forecasting weather is not an exact science. So Reeves says you have to be prepared to be wrong sometimes. "It does bother me when a forecast is wrong," he said. "We do notice that, but you give it your best shot."