You Dont Need a Weatherman

Posted by: David Puner

on February 16, 2009 at 10:56 am
If the debate over climate change is closed, why is John Coleman, the
founder of the Weather Channel, still trying to rove its all a scam!
Well over a quarter-million weathercaststhats the ball!ar" #i$ure the %&-year-old
#oundin$ #ather o# the 'eather (hannel $uesses hes !robably !er#ormed in his 55 years
in the business) *oday, as #or the !ast 15 years, hes chal"ed u! another weathercast li"e
its his +ob, because it is) *his, he tells me, is the best time o# his career)
'hich seems odd, because in the !ast #ew years, hes admittedly become mad as hell)
(oleman is an$ry because he belie,es we ha,e been brainwashed into thin"in$ were
ruinin$ our own !lanet) -e wants to let us o## the hoo", and $i,e us some $ood news #or
a chan$e, because, you see, .ohn (oleman says that climate chan$e is a scam)
/# you consume mainstream media, odds are youre not hearin$ much debate about
climate chan$e these days) 'ere told the debate is e##ecti,ely o,er) 0cientists say so, too)
/ts our consum!tion that continues to ruin our !lanets en,ironmental health, so theres
no lon$er time to debateits time to act) 1,ery time we do anythin$, li"e #li! on a li$ht
switch or char$e an iPod or turn on the 23(, were contributin$ to the release o#
$reenhouse $ases, and so the oceans rise and thats a !roblem #or the !olar bears and,
well, you "nowsomethin$ li"e that) /t may be di##icult to e4!lain, but we "now the
state o# the en,ironment is bad) 5ost recently, in #act, we were told that the e##ects o#
man-made climate chan$e are all but irre,ersible)
.ohn (oleman has dedicated his li#e to studyin$ weather and the science that creates it
so shouldnt we at least hear him out6
0o, yes, the debate is o,er) 2nd yet #or some reason, somewhere outside the #ray, the
weather sa$e .ohn (oleman decided it shouldnt be) *hat wed been hoodwin"ed) *hat it
was still worth tal"in$ about) 0o a year and a hal# a$o, determined hed heard enou$h o#
the noise and the 2l 7ore and the !olar bears, he threw his ,oice into the con,ersation)
'hen (oleman !osted his #irst climate chan$e brie# online, he was sur!rised by the
attention it $ot) 8/ thou$ht / was the only one,9 he says) 8/ started #indin$ that there were
!lenty o# !eo!le out there, its +ust that the media was i$norin$ them and the !lace to #ind
them was on these little corners o# the internet)9 /n 5ay, 200:, an or$ani;ation called the
<re$on /nstitute o# 0cience and 5edicine released a !etition at the =ational Press (lub,
with the si$natures o# >1,000 scientists re+ectin$ the ?)=) consensus o# man-made
climate chan$e) =ine thousand o# the names re!ortedly belon$ to Ph)@s)
1ncoura$ed, he deli,ered a s!eech last 5arch at the /nternational (on#erence on (limate
(han$e in =ew Aor" where he said that 2l 7ore and others sellin$ carbon credits should
be sued #or #raud) -is ho!e, he said, was that the !ublicity #rom such a suit would
!otentially debun" climate chan$e in a court room instead o# waitin$ #or the media to do
its su!!osed due dili$ence)
0o is he a cran"'illard 0cott with an a$enda that $oes beyond hoo"y old-school
weatherman shtic"6 (olemans li#e has been dedicated to studyin$ and !resentin$
weather and the science that creates itso shouldnt we at least hear him out6 -e thin"s
we should, and he has su!!orters) -e says the science we,e di$ested is erroneous)
Colemans still got a steady $i$, and he doesnt #eel he !ersonally has much to lose in
allowin$ himsel# to be one o# the most !rominent climate-chan$e naysayers) -es already
lost his babythe 'eather (hanneland, he says, *'( is a !er!etrator o# the scam
alon$ with all the other mainstream media or$ani;ations) (oleman doesnt li"e what his
baby has $rown into) 'hen / as" him about the current !roduct, he doesnt s"i! a beat)
81,erythin$) *he 'eather (hannel is terrible) Pathetic)9
Bon$ estran$ed #rom the 'eather (hannel, (oleman has been li,in$ out his $olden years
and ser,in$ u! sunny local weather #or C?0/ in 0an @ie$o, (ali#ornia, what he re#ers to
as his 8retirement +ob,9 since 199&) 0an @ie$o wasnt on (olemans radar a#ter his
oustin$ #rom *'() First, he tried =ew Aor" #or about a year, then bac" to (hica$o #or a
#ew years) *hen, when thin$s dried u! in (hica$o, in 199>, he loo"ed around and, he
says, nobody wanted him, so he wound u! in the desertDPalm 0!rin$s) 8=o station in the
world wants an old, has-been weatherman in his #i#ties,9 he says) (oleman was 56 at the
time) 8<lds a curse)9 (oleman s!ent less than a year in Palm 0!rin$sDhes been $ettin$
older in 0an @ie$o e,er since)
(oleman says bein$ in 0an @ie$o is 8li"e li,in$ in hea,en without dyin$)9 /n 0an @ie$o
you,e $ot your occasional 0anta 2nas, a little 1l =iEo and Ba =iEa, some ni$ht and
mornin$ low cloud !atterns, but most o# the time you,e +ust $ot sunshine and the bree;e)
*he weather in 0an @ie$o itsel# is why (olemans C?0/ website bio be$ins with the
quote: 8Fein$ a *G weatherman in 0an @ie$o is an outra$eous scam)9 *he bio,
incidentally, was written well be#ore .ohn (oleman made a #ew headlines, callin$ climate
chan$e warmin$ a scam)
(oleman saw An Inconvenient Truth on @G@ and he says he made it all the way throu$h,
but 8not without screamin$)9
2mon$ other thin$s, it too" drownin$ !olar bears and the internet to $et .ohn (oleman
#irin$ on all cylinders) 87radually theres this build-u!, this hysteria about $lobal
warmin$,9 he says) 8*he 2l 7ore boo" comes out) *he 2l 7ore mo,ie comes out and
starts winnin$ awards) *he ?)=)s /nter$o,ernmental Panel on (limate (han$e $ets
headline news status and starts issuin$ its !redictions) *he media is clamorin$ aboard and
the ne4t thin$ / "now, its headline news e,ery day, e,erywhere) 2nd /,e been studyin$
it, readin$ stu##, and loo"in$ at it, and cant #i$ure out what the hec" theyre tal"in$
about)9
'hat 8they9 are tal"in$ about, and we ha,e heard much about is that climate chan$e is
one o# $reatest challen$es we #ace in our li#etime and that human"ind is $enerally
#uc"in$ u! e,erythin$ ima$inable in,ol,in$ air, water, and land) .ohn (oleman says its
!er!etrated by the media who lo,es it some 7ore) 8Aou,e $ot 2l 7ore) Aou,e $ot the
en,ironmentalists) 2nd then all the networ"s come aboard, because they lo,e $loom and
doom, the-end-is-near,9 he says) 8From A2C to "iller bees7od, $i,e us somethin$ to
tell !eo!le their li,es are comin$ to an endcancer scare, -/G, whate,er we,e $ot
lets $o, 5an, scare the hell out o# !eo!le,9 he says) 8*his is aw#ul) 0hame on them,
scarin$ !eo!le) *hats de!lorable)9
2ccordin$ to (oleman, the media is biased and slo!!y and !er!etuates the climate
chan$e myth) 8-as Barry Cin$ called me6 <h no) -as 60 Minutes been interested in our
side o# the story6 <h no) 20/206 <h no)9 (oleman continues: 8/,e been totally i$nored
by 2F(, =F(, (F0!ut down by (==)9 -e has been inter,iewed by F<H =ews and
also by 7lenn Fec", who, he says, 8used me as !art o# his rant)9
(oleman saw An Inconvenient Truth on @G@ and he says he made it all the way throu$h,
but 8not without screamin$)9 7ores #ilm won two <scarsone #or best documentary
and in <ctober, 200%, 7ore and the ?)=)s /nter$o,ernmental Panel on (limate (han$e
won the =obel Peace Pri;e) I9/ ha,e a #riend who calls the =obel Peace Pri;e the Biberal
o# the Aear 2ward,9 (oleman tells me)J (oleman seethed) 0oon therea#ter, he !osted a
missi,e on C?0/)coms 8(olemans (orner)9
80o / $et indi$nant and / write that blo$ and throw it on the website,9 he says) 8*hats
"ind o# totally absorbed my li#e since)9
0ittin$ at our table o,erloo"in$ 5ont$omery Field, a re$ional air!ort, +ust a #ew miles
north o# downtown 0an @ie$o late last s!rin$) 'ith the distant whir o# sin$le-en$ine
!ro!s in the bac"$round, .ohn (oleman tells me that all anyone really needs to "now
about the climate chan$e scam is carbon dio4ide)
81n,ironmentalists, they thin" (<2 is a !ollutant,9 he says, and then ma"es an act o#
e4halin$) 8*heres a little !ollution #or you,9 he says, and then !oints in the $eneral
,icinity o# ,e$etation that isnt loo"in$ all that ,ibrant Iunless brown is ,ibrantJ) 80ee
that bush beside you there6 /td be dead without (<2)9 'ithout (<2, he says, 8'e
wouldnt ha,e any #ood) -umans couldnt e4ist) (<2 is ,ital to li#e)9 -e !auses #or a
moment and then raises his ,oice an octa,e) 85y 7odK (allin$ that a !ollutant6
Lidiculous)9
(oleman ac"nowled$es that carbon dio4ide continues to build u! in the atmos!here) /n
195:, he says, the (<2 atmos!heric le,el was >15 !arts !er million) *oday (<2 is >:5
!arts !er millionmore than a 20 !ercent increase) /# youre ma"in$ a case #or a direct
correlation between increased atmos!heric (<2 le,els and climate chan$e, youre sayin$
the increased (<2 is causin$ chan$es in ocean chemistry, which in turn is chan$in$ the
entire climate equation)
8/ts a trace) -ow does that destroy the !lanet69 says (oleman) 82nd they !ublish their
!a!ers and scream and the media says, <h 7od, the end is nearK 2nd its all baloneyM
there isnt anythin$ to it) /t turns out to be sheer #olly) Fut it all comes bac" to (<2they
ha,ent $ot anythin$ else)9
8-a,e tem!eratures $one u!6 =o) /s $lobal warmin$ swee!in$ the !lanet6 =o) /s the ice
meltin$ at the !oles6 =o) /s there any !roo# that its creatin$ si$ni#icant im!act6 =o) (an
you !roduce a com!uter model that !redicts that it will6 <h yeah, anyone can mani!ulate
a com!uter model, and they ha,e)9
<# course, the !re,ailin$ wisdom is that yes, tem!eratures ha,e $one u!, that ice is
meltin$, and that the scientists assessin$ climate data arent doin$ so with malicious
intent) 2ttem!tin$ to debun" those who are attem!tin$ to debun" climate chan$e, as it
turns out, is com!licated)
*o $et some sort o# de#initi,e e4!lanation, / tal"ed to Cerry 1mmanuel, who is a
!ro#essor o# 2tmos!heric 0cience at 5)/)*) -e a$rees with 2l 7ore that the debate is o,er
Ialthou$h he does thin" the mo,ie has some 8scienti#ic #laws9J) 8/ would not ta"e
anythin$ that .ohn (oleman says too seriously,9 1mmanuel tells me) 1mmanuel says he
could relati,ely quic"ly $i,e me a 8$ood #eelin$ #or the e,idence)9 Fut, he says, to brin$
me u! to s!eed on the !hysics behind the $reenhouse e##ect, 8youd ha,e to ta"e a
semester class)9 <n to! o# that, he says, 8*he models are e,en di##icult #or the
!ro#essionals to understand)9 0o the !roblem, as 1mmanuel !resents it, is that scientists
o#ten e4!ect the $eneral !ublic to acce!t conclusion 8as an article o# #aith9 because the
e4!lanation can be so intricate and di##icult to communicate) 8*herein lies a !roblem,9
says 1mmanuel) 8Aou ha,e to ta"e my word #or that)9
John Coleman has had a thin$ about bein$ heard #or a lon$ time) 8/ was the #i#th o# #i,e
children,9 he tells me) -e $rew u! in south *e4as durin$ the @e!ression and says, 85y
!arents hardly had any time #or me, or any interest) Bi#e was busy and hard) 'ho needed
another "id69
(oleman obser,ed that his !arents did !ay attention to the radio) 80o / decided / better
$et on the radio,9 he says) 2s an ei$hth $rader, he s!ent a lot o# time readin$ in #ront o#
the mirror, de,elo!in$ *he Goice) -e started han$in$ around '(/B radio in (arbondale,
/llinois, and e,en as a hi$h school #reshman, was !retty close to bein$ a #ull-time
em!loyeeon-air #rom the be$innin$) 80ure enou$h, my !arents listened,9 he recalls)
8Pretty cool)9
(olemans #ather was a colle$e !ro#essor who had a habit o# $oin$ on e,enin$ wal"s) <n
these wal"s (laude (oleman would loo" at the s"y and !redict the ne4t days weather)
0ometimes .ohn ta$$ed alon$) 80o / learned somethin$ about !redictin$ the weather by
loo"in$ at the s"y with my dad)9 /n colle$e, .ohn !arlayed his radio e4!erience into
doin$ weather on *G, a new medium he was determined to conquer)
2t 1:, .ohn (oleman was a local celebrity) 8/ was brash and !retty much a +er",9
(oleman recalls, with a dee! lau$h)
*he ride to the to! #or (oleman had some sto!s) Floomin$ton to Peoria) *hen to <maha,
where he once wor"ed throu$h >0 days strai$ht o# tornado warnin$s) *hen came
5ilwau"ee) 'hen (oleman arri,ed in (hica$o, he became a member o# the #irst-e,er
local 1yewitness =ews team) -ed hit the weather bi$ time) 8(hica$o is the Froadway o#
weather,9 he says)
Forecastin$ (hica$o weather with 1yewitness news led to a bi$-time national $i$ in
19%5) Fein$ the #irst-e,er weatherman on 7ood 5ornin$ 2merica was certainly a bi$
darn dealnational weather on a national sta$e) 8/ was $ettin$ u! at >:>0 in the mornin$,
bustin$ my tail to !redict all 50 states)9
8/ would not ta"e anythin$ that .ohn (oleman says too seriously,9 says Cerry 1mmanuel,
!ro#essor o# 2tmos!heric 0cience at 5)/)*)
(oleman says his 752 +ob was ultimately made untenable by con#lict with co-host
@a,id -artman) 80o now what am / $onna do69 he recalls thin"in$) 8/ wanted to do
weather on tele,ision and / wanted to do it ri$ht)9 .ohn (oleman wanted more weather
and less teasin$ se$ments) (oleman #i$ured his ,iewers mi$ht want more weather too)
(oleman had a bi$ idea)
'hile han$in$ in at 752, (oleman be$an his !ush in 19%% to $et #inancial bac"in$ #or
the #irst-e,er 2&-hour weather cable channel) -F< was newly minted and *ed *urner had
recently launched 2&-hour news with (==) (oleman #i$ured his networ" would be so
$ood that local stations would $i,e u! doin$ weather) 8/ assumed it would be a hu$e
success,9 he tells me) 80o / made a business !lan and went out to #ind N1& million to start
it u!,9 he says, then !auses #or a moment) 82nd / $ot lau$hed at coast-to-coast)9
.oe @2leo, a !rominent climate chan$e dissenter who (oleman calls 8the $reatest
meteorolo$ist ali,e9 and who was the #irst @irector o# 5eteorolo$y #or the 'eather
(hannel, can attest to (olemans #ire in the early days) 'hile wor"in$ under him as a
#orecaster at 752, @2leo says, [Link], o#ten a#ter the show, would #ly #rom (hica$o to
=ew Aor" or @en,er to tal" to ,enture ca!italists or !otential #inancial bac"ers about the
'eather (hannel) -e would #ly bac" in the e,enin$, $o home, $rab a di##erent suit and
dri,e bac" in at midni$ht and then wor" with us o,erni$ht $ettin$ ready #or the mornin$,9
he says)
(olemans tirelessness #inally !aid o## when he con,inced media and news!a!er $iant
Bandmar" (ommunications to come on as an in,estor) *he deal was, theyd !ut u! the
money and (oleman would $et almost com!lete control o# the networ") -ed recei,e no
salary, but hed $et a 20 !ercent sta"e in the com!any)
'hile he was in 2tlanta startin$ the 'eather (hannel, (oleman continued to a!!ear on
752 ,ia satellite #eed) -artman and the e4!ense o# the satellite hoo"u! a!!arently
sealed the end #or (oleman at 752 in .anuary, 19:>, when his contract with 2F(
e4!ired) *his, (oleman tells me, is when thin$s be$an to $o wron$) 0i4 months later, he
$ot bounced #rom the 'eather (hannel)
80ure enou$h, / $ot screwed,9 he says) 8*hey "ic"ed me out and that was the end o#
that)9 *he networ" had been on-air #or +ust o,er a year and was re!ortedly runnin$ N%
million in the red) Bandmar" e4ercised a contract o!tion that allowed them to oust
(olemanthe chairman, !resident, and #ounder o# the networ"a#ter a year on-air)
(oleman had a month to scramble to #ind in,estors, this time #or N& million, and he
couldnt #ind any ta"ers)
*urns out, it would ha,e been a $ood in,estment) *he 'eather (hannel be$an turnin$
!ro#it in 19:5 and was sold in 200: to a consortium, headlined by =F( ?ni,ersal, #or
N>)5 billion) *wenty !ercent o# N>)5 billion, e,en a#ter ta4es, would be enou$h #or
(oleman to trade his 5ercury 7rand 5arquis in #or a !im!ed-out brand new 7rand
5arquis Imiles !er $allon: 16 city32& hi$hwayJ)
"olling in the (oleman 7rand 5arquis bac" to C?0/, 23( on, the 'eather 7rand
5arquis himsel# turns u! the ,olume on a (@ hes $ot in the !layer) /ts the artistry o#
#ellow C?0/ weather collea$ue, who moonli$hts as a +a;; com!oser) /n the bac"seat
there are small !lastic bottles o# red 7atorade and a case o# @iet (o"e) 2 bo4 o# Cleene4
was ridin$ shot$un be#ore / dis!laced it)
Fac" in the heart o# C?0/, a warehouse-li"e #acility north o# downtown 0an @ie$o,
(oleman introduces me to @a,e 0cott, +a;; musician) 0cott is ha,in$ a di##icult time
$ettin$ a tem!erature readin$ #or *i+uana u! onto his com!uter weather ma!)
8'or"in$ with .ohn is li"e wor"in$ with the 'alter (ron"ite o# weather,9 0cott says to
me, in #ront o# (oleman)
8-es ali,e, isnt he69 (oleman as"s)
*he on-air .ohn (oleman is di##erent #rom o##-air .ohn (oleman) 8Aou ha,e to be a
!ersonality that !eo!le want to tune into,9 he e4!lains) 8Aou $otta ha,e !i;;a;;) Peo!le
lau$h at my shtic", but it $ets noticed) 2nd it wor"s and it $rows on !eo!le)9
(oleman is $reen screenin$ li"e its 19:1, but hes doin$ it bac"ed by the latest weather
#orecastin$ technolo$y, because hes determined to do the weather ri$ht) 2nd, he doesnt
want to #rea" his audience out)
8/ $ot screwed) *he 'eather (hannel "ic"ed me out and that was the end o# that,9 says
(oleman)
8*he newscast !roducers and news directors lo,e to !ut me on at the be$innin$ o# the
broadcast when a storm is comin$, to tell !eo!le that were $oin$ to #lood and ha,e
mudslides and were all $oin$ to lose our homes and were all $oin$ to die,9 he says)
82nd / come on and say, O'ell ha,e a !retty decent storm, but we,e had storms li"e this
be#ore and nobody died and / sus!ect nobody will die this time) Fut you should "now its
$oin$ to rain an inch-and-a-hal# and the winds $oin$ to blow 60 miles-an-hour, theres
$oin$ to be some trees comin$ down, therell be a #ew mudslides) 0o be care#ul out there)
*hats it)9
(limate chan$e hysteria, #rom (olemans !ers!ecti,e, is an e4tension o# todays am!ed-
u! weathercastsit $ets ratin$s, but does it in the end deli,er6
John Coleman lives in a 55-!lus community with Binda, his wi#e o# nine years) Bi#e is
$ood) -e s!ends time with #riends!lays !o"er, $oes out to dinnerand $oes to !lays,
concerts, and some mo,ies) 2t the time we met, (oleman was about hal#way throu$h
5ichael (richtons State of Fear Iwhich ta"es on climate chan$eJ) (oleman doesnt
watch much tele,ision, he says) 8/ $et all my news online)9 -e says he s!ends time
e,eryday online doin$ climate chan$e research)
(oleman $i,es s!ea"in$ en$a$ements he says are well recei,ed, but wont acce!t
in,itations #rom the !etroleum industry) 8*hey all in,ite me, because they are so tired o#
bein$ the bad boys o# $lobal warmin$) 0o they want to ha,e me come tell them theyre
not bad boys,9 he says) 82nd they want to $i,e me money)9 (oleman says hes !ro-
alternati,e ener$y, because its a natural !ro$ressionnot because o# climate chan$e, he
says)
'hen / as" him whether he tal"s climate chan$e with his $rand"ids Ihe has #i,eJ, who
are colle$e-a$ed, he says, 8*hey dont care about the to!ic one way or another, seems
li"e) *heir li,es are o## doin$ other stu##)9 2nd what about his two children6 8/,e tal"ed
to them about it, but they "ind o# $la;e o,er,9 he says)
Fein$ a climate chan$e dissenter isnt se4y) (limate chan$e has -ollywood, says
(oleman) (limate chan$e has 2l 7ore and Farac" <bama and most o# the other
!oliticians) *his is a star-dri,en society, (oleman says) 8/ cant be a star, /m too old,9 he
says) 8'e need somebody youn$, dynamic) 'here are they6 -ello, /m loo"in$ #or you)
/ wish / could be the star, but / see all the $uys who could be the star climbin$ aboard the
bus with 2l 7ore)9
For now, .ohn (oleman is the $uy who started the 'eather (hannel who says climate
chan$e is a scam) 8/ want to ha,e the last lau$h) 'hich means /ll ha,e li,ed another
twenty years,9 he saysa dee! lau$h !ushin$ a bit more (<2 into the atmos!here)
Photos by Brian Paumier