Paul, O'Connell Have Severe Disagreement
Channel 4 meteorologist Don Paul and his Channel 2 counterpart, Kevin O'Connell, are having a Facebook Feud.
The two weather guys have been debating the meaning of "severe" when it comes to predicting storms.
Of course, they've had similar disagreements over the years. Facebook just gives them another avenue to debate who is more accurate.
In a telephone interview Tuesday, Paul admitted he usually just uses Facebook to give weather reports and tell some jokes and added he regretted the exchanges with his rival.
"Unfortunately, I let him goad me into something," said Paul. "It was silly to even get on there with that nonsense."
Now Paul just plans to keep the silliness where it belongs -- on his Channel 4 weather reports.
"I'm just going back to doing weather and being stupid again," said Paul. He was alluding to his tendency to tell jokes on the air.
If you're "a friend" of the weather guys and have followed the Facebook Feud, what do you think? Is it a "severe" breach of Facebook etiquette or is it perfectly suited for the social network?
-- Alan Pergament
I'm not convinced that either of these guys know that much about weather. There are "true" meteorologists in town who provide info to the weather folks who in turn make it "sensational". Paul and O'Connell should just duke it out in neutral territory..like Channel 7's parking lot. My money's on Kevin.
Posted by: Ted | July 14, 2009 at 12:48 PM
I will say that both should update their Facebook photos -- Paul has alot of hair in his, and O'Connell looks about 100 lbs. lighter than he currently is.
If anything, it's entertaining. The real worth is which one gets the forecast right. I'd love to see the News do an article comparing their forecasts against each other and see which one get's it right over the course of the week. Throw WKBW and YNN into the mix too. The ruler would be whatever the NWS deems to have been the weather conditions, highs and lows were for each day.
Posted by: Dude | July 14, 2009 at 01:19 PM
Facebook and Twitter are the perfect media for the "debate" that raged. If you can't talk about it online, where can you talk about it? On the air? That's unprofessional. No, social networking allows things like this to be hashed out. However, if it makes him uncomfortable to use his Facebook profile to discuss this, Paul made the right choice to stop. He has the right to use his profile as he sees fit. If he didn't enjoy the discussion, he made a good choice to leave it alone.
Posted by: Tim | July 14, 2009 at 11:15 PM
Tempest in a teapot.
Posted by: Don H | July 15, 2009 at 09:19 AM
They're both idiots...now they're just exposing this fact to a wider audience. The use of SEVERE is way overdone by both of these morons so we are afraid to not watch their forecast. All I need is the seven day chart of highs, lows and the little pix of clouds/sun/rain/snow. Both of these mindless yappers could take a long walk off a short pier and it wouldn't make one bit of difference in my life.
Posted by: McBea | July 15, 2009 at 04:43 PM
O'Connell is like everyone's grandpa, who wouldn't like him? Paul's conceitedness turns me off..
Posted by: Gomer | July 15, 2009 at 09:50 PM
McBea, you are right on! I just want to know the high, the low, the wind speed and if it's going to rain (or snow in the winter). I don't need to know where the whole weather system originated and what it's going to do in Ohio and Illinois before it gets here! You can switch from Paul's forecast to another station, watch an entire report and come back to Ch 4, and he's still talking!!
Posted by: Hodge | July 16, 2009 at 10:24 AM
O'Connell isn't even a meteorologist (as far as I know), he's a "weather man". He probably graduated with a degree in Communications or something similar, so any forecasts from Kevin I take with a grain of salt. If I'm wrong about his lack of meteorology credentials, then my apologies to Kevin. Otherwise, I've always found Paul's forecasts to be far more accurate, and enjoy the interesting scientific details he conveys to the viewers, whereas other TV weathercasters simply keep things in idiot terms and provide far less information about my local weather than what I could get from weather.com in 14 seconds.
Posted by: Chris | July 16, 2009 at 11:30 AM
McBea, I think calling both O'Connell and Paul "idiots" is completely out of line. They are clearly not idiots and both have had successful careers and do their jobs as best as they can.
Now, arguing that a large percentage of their viewers are idiots I will agree with 100%.
Posted by: Chris | July 16, 2009 at 11:43 AM
Pay them by their accuracy. Stopped watching local news years ago. Too much happy talk, lawn fete coverage and bad weather forecasts.
Posted by: Dave | July 16, 2009 at 04:11 PM
You can't be watching Ch. 4 weather. No happy talk, lawn fete coverage or bad forecasts for sure. You get weather that has been analyzed by someone that understands it. Not just someone that reads it from a prepared statement. You also get a really good understanding of weather in general, that is assuming that you have the brain cells to comprehend what's being said.
So if you stopped watching 'local news' years ago, whoopee ding for you. Means you are getting a diluted version of what's going on in your area and your bank of knowleddge is about as limited as that of Ch. 2.
As for Mr. Paul's method of conducting himself? He knows what he is talking about, and has earned the right to hold himself as he does. Remember, he doesn't just 'read' the weather, he interprets it. Scientifically. Big difference there. Really big. I might even say it was 'severely' different.
Posted by: Mary-Catharine | July 16, 2009 at 11:35 PM
Gomer obviously mistakes Don's superior knowledge of meteorology over Kevin's as "conceitedness." I'd rather have a conceited, knowledgeable, METEOROLOGIST give me the forecast than grandpa.
Posted by: John | July 17, 2009 at 11:16 AM
Geez Mary-Catharine, how are you related to Don Paul ??? If there is a forecast that is ever right it's a miracle with these guys !! I know and Don Paul says "it's hard to forecast the weather here because of the lake" what a croc !!
Posted by: Jim | July 21, 2009 at 01:48 PM
wny channel 9 on the 9's I find to be the most accurate of them all.
Posted by: flcookie | July 23, 2009 at 10:22 AM
Kevin "Porky" O'Connell only has a "certificate in broadcast meteorology", which means he's just a "weatherman". He has zero scientific education with a degree. That said, yes, all he does is read a scripted forecast that Channel 2 bought from some weather reporting firm.
He's like the Barack Obama of the weather world......just reading a teleprompter without having a clue what he's saying.
Posted by: Moved2Texas | July 27, 2009 at 12:51 PM
No one mess with O`Connell,he`s got the same medical problems i had about 15 years ago.
Posted by: dumbunny | September 05, 2009 at 09:26 AM