Was Paul Kocin fired from TWC, or leave on his own?

[Ed Mahmoud]

Hadn't seen him lately, and today noticed his name on the HPC Medium Range Model Discussion.
Dod TWC fire him, blizzards not as exciting/high ratings as hurricanes and tornadoes, or did he get tired, maybe, of not being able to do research? Or something else.


Just curious?


I have the Uccelini & Kocin AMS monograph on big Northeast snowstorms. Christmas present from my wife...

[Miss Mary]

I'm going to bump up your thread Ed. Hoping someone here has the answers you're looking for. And also ecause.....

A. I'm shocked Paul is gone!

and

B. I'll be very shocked if they fired him.

Shame on TWC........someone really needs to come along and create another cable weather channel. And then hire back all of our faves.......

[Stephanie]

I've notice that he wasn't on during the various winter storms. I would hope that he was smart enough to leave on his own....

[CajunMama]

He's been gone since 2006. I googled him and found this from June 2006 and now he's with NOAA

Q&A with Rob Owen
Friday, June 02, 2006
By Rob Owen, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Submit your question to Rob Owen

This week's TV Q&A responds to questions about The Weather Channel, "NCIS" and "The Office."

As always, thanks for reading, and keep those questions coming.

-- Rob Owen, Post-Gazette TV editor

Q: I recently heard that on The Weather Channel, Winter Weather expert Paul Kocin's position was eliminated. In the middle of spring, there should be no concern, but when we get in the dead of winter again, who will give an expert opinion on winter storms? Is there hopes of a replacement for him, or is his position eliminated altogether? Will their other experts' positions be eliminated, like severe weather expert Dr. Greg Forbes, or hurricane expert Dr. Steve Lyons, or climate expert Heidi Cullen?

-- Tyler, Penn Hills

Rob: As someone who's not a Weather Channel devotee, I have to admit most of these names are foreign to me, but for viewers who hang on every word from the meteorologists in the Severe AccuWeather Watch Center, I guess Weather Channel departures do get noticed.

"Yes, Paul Kocin left a few months ago -- and I hope to hear from him as to his next project," explained a Weather Channel publicist. "I am sure it will involve more writing and research. As you may know, with Dr. L. Uccellini, Paul Kocin "wrote the book" on winter. As far as coverage of winter weather and storms on The Weather Channel, there are no announced plans as yet, but you may be sure we will devote our best efforts to the subject."

Pittsburg Post Gazette

NOAA People

Paul Kocin: A Person for One Season

Harriet Loeb
NOAA National Weather Service


February 2, 2009 — Writer Sinclair Lewis said, “Winter is not a season, it’s an occupation.” Few people personify this more than Paul Kocin of NOAA’s National Weather Service. He’s a winter weather expert who cable television viewers may remember as being on air as a winter expert at The Weather Channel. Kocin is now a forecaster at NOAA’s Hydrometeorological Prediction Center in Camp Springs, Md., focusing on Alaska weather.

Read the rest of the story here

[Stephanie]

"Focusing on Alaska weather???" He's an expert on the East Coast's winter weather. Perhaps he wanted a change.

TWC doesn't deserve him.

[somethingfunny]

"Focusing on Alaska weather???" He's an expert on the East Coast's winter weather. Perhaps he wanted a change.

TWC doesn't deserve him.

If we can get a handle on the dynamics of those massive cold weather ridges in Alaska and be better able to predict when they drop, at what angle and with what strength, then winter weather forecasting in the Lower 48 becomes a cakewalk!

Of course then we've got to figure out what drives that, from the Pacific storms in the Gulf of Alaska to the polar storm belt and Siberian weather systems, and what drives those....weather is such an exciting subject to try to understand, I can see the dilemna TWC has with hiring broadcast professionals vs. meteorological professionals. There are just so many things a degreed meteorologist could be doing aside from giving a brief overview of national weather for an unending loop of viewers. I'd imagine that working at TWC full time can become tedious. I know I'd rather be observing weather in the field or studying its' dynamics trying to learn something new.

In a way Dr. Kocin is still at The Weather Channel, because every time the HPC issues a statement about a massive blast of high pressure dropping down from Alaska and it gets read on air, you know he's the one who wrote it.

[Stephanie]

You make some really good points there, somethingfunny.