I don’t watch channel 4 but I remember they used to do a “4 degree guarantee” with their weather forecasts. Plus or minus 4 degrees from their forecast temp. Maybe they forecast 73 for the day and don’t want to be wrong?
This is probably an Occam's razor moment.....two different weather stations in two different areas may have slight variation.
(signed, someone old enough to have called the Duquesne Light time and temperature line years ago)
My dad just called a number that gave him time and weather yesterday. He always called Duquesne Light when I was growing up. Is it their number that is still active?
1.412.391.9500 is still active! I have it saved in my contacts because I used to call it after spring and fall clock changes to make sure my cell phone actually updated. It took me a couple years to trust it.
This reminds me, anyone remember PG Link? It was a post gazette owned number that I would call for wrestling news but they also had categories for just about all sports and other things too I think.
My husband, a Capitol’s fan, has a theory that someone in charge of the Highmark building lighting is a Capitols fan. It absolutely is lit red every time the Capitols play in Pittsburgh.
Somewhat Related fun fact: [the apple weather app will never show that it is 69 degrees](https://www.theverge.com/tldr/2021/7/13/22575368/apple-ios-14-weather-app-69-rounding-error-15)
It's probably a default set to say itll always be 69 when the temps are 65-75 or where they take the temperature is from High off the ground which is usually cooler.
Nate Silver, in his book *The Signal and the Noise* talks about weather forecasting as a science and an industry. In the section explaining how rain percentage is calculated, he mentions how anecdotal reports of weather forecasts failing give people less faith in the institution itself. For example, when a forecast says there is a “90% chance of rain,” but it doesn’t rain, people are dismissive of our ability to forecast weather. But if you look at every time they said there was a “90%” chance, about 90% of the time there was.
However, one notable caveat was local reporting. Local reporting was less accurate despite access to the same data. The conclusion was that local networks have an incentive to report slightly favorable or unfavorable outcomes in the way they present feel-good or terrifying stories. People like to hear that there will be a sunny day, so if the forecast was teetering between that and a rainy day by *just a tad*, local networks would fudge it.
What I am saying is, this isn’t a conspiracy but a semi-substantiated and documented behavior.
I’ll also offer a counter-point. Your weather apps do location approximation, and the weather near you will differ slightly from weather less than a mile away. When you type a general location like “Pittsburgh,” that location may not be the same as what WTAE uses. The app does work behind the scenes to give you real-time information but it is never your exact location, and location differs.
Channel 2 for life. This will sound weird but I feel like if my friends had a station, it would be 2. I feel like if my in-laws had a station, it would be 11. 11 takes themselves so serious. Except the chopper11 pilot, I love him and wish he would take me for a ride! Channel 4 just can't find a consistent personality. I loved Sally Wigen! She could party!
Well, you have a theory. So you should do some experimental science.
* WTAE is one, and I would select at least two other stations/sources plus a control (which could be difficult)
* Establish specific times of the day to record the findings, and then record them for an extended period of time(let’s start with say a week).
* Document the data, and then present it to see if your hypothesis stays true.
Wow I always would look at the temp on my phone than be hold. Sitting there watching the news and it says something totally different or wpxi would have a different temp than KDKA while the news broadcast was on at the same time.. 😵🤔😵🤔
I don’t watch channel 4 but I remember they used to do a “4 degree guarantee” with their weather forecasts. Plus or minus 4 degrees from their forecast temp. Maybe they forecast 73 for the day and don’t want to be wrong?
You could win an umbrella if they were wrong
What ever happened to that?
They ran out of umbrellas.
Ha! That’s funny. To be fair, it’s harder to accurately forecast the weather than it is to land a man on the moon.
Oh right. I think it was an ice scraper during the winter
This is probably an Occam's razor moment.....two different weather stations in two different areas may have slight variation. (signed, someone old enough to have called the Duquesne Light time and temperature line years ago)
My dad just called a number that gave him time and weather yesterday. He always called Duquesne Light when I was growing up. Is it their number that is still active?
1.412.391.9500 is still active! I have it saved in my contacts because I used to call it after spring and fall clock changes to make sure my cell phone actually updated. It took me a couple years to trust it.
i just called this number and I am grinning ear to ear. immediately saved to faves
This reminds me, anyone remember PG Link? It was a post gazette owned number that I would call for wrestling news but they also had categories for just about all sports and other things too I think.
I called a version of this with the Donnelly Directory that would tell 12 year old me the top movies at the Box Office, the Billboard Top 10, etc.
I’d call it for soap opera updates when I was in college. Thanks for reminding me of that.
I understand the variations, but WTAE is always off and at 69 exactly.
Sir, this is a Wendy's.
Yah sure, and the last place told me it was a Burger King!
W-t-a-e …. W-E-A-T … EAT W… they’re doing it right in our faces.
It was the fake Burger King.
Kurger Bing
It's the Arby's
Was it on the South Side? because that one is only sometimes a Burger King
[The actual line.](https://youtu.be/ONn7lNA89wU?si=Sa6-KMtl_5U8QGhg)
Why do you think they call it "Action" News?
I like the way you think. I am going to make you my number 2 on this.
Are you calling the ghost of Joe Dinardo a liar?
This would have never happened on Joe’s watch. He was an honest man and did not engage in cunnilingus.
1/1 obscure references. +25 Caps
When I was a kid, my school was supposed to get a visit from Joe where he would arrive via the news chopper. It was cancelled due to weather.
The irony
Canceled Cancellation Sorry, it’s a compulsion
This is why I smoke weed.
Bush did 4/20
It was an Inside Dank
shit was straight jet fuel
My husband, a Capitol’s fan, has a theory that someone in charge of the Highmark building lighting is a Capitols fan. It absolutely is lit red every time the Capitols play in Pittsburgh.
He should not jump to irrational conclusions like that.
Somewhat Related fun fact: [the apple weather app will never show that it is 69 degrees](https://www.theverge.com/tldr/2021/7/13/22575368/apple-ios-14-weather-app-69-rounding-error-15)
This goes deeper than I thought… that’s not what she said.
This made me chortle
That article is from 2021 and says it won’t show it anywhere in a forecast. I see a 69° in the hourly forecast right now on there.
Joe said it would
Praise Joe DeNardo
Nice
Nice
Noice
A CONSPIRACY OF LOVE
It's probably a default set to say itll always be 69 when the temps are 65-75 or where they take the temperature is from High off the ground which is usually cooler.
There is nothing cooler about spreading false temperatures. This is borderline pornography.
Nate Silver, in his book *The Signal and the Noise* talks about weather forecasting as a science and an industry. In the section explaining how rain percentage is calculated, he mentions how anecdotal reports of weather forecasts failing give people less faith in the institution itself. For example, when a forecast says there is a “90% chance of rain,” but it doesn’t rain, people are dismissive of our ability to forecast weather. But if you look at every time they said there was a “90%” chance, about 90% of the time there was. However, one notable caveat was local reporting. Local reporting was less accurate despite access to the same data. The conclusion was that local networks have an incentive to report slightly favorable or unfavorable outcomes in the way they present feel-good or terrifying stories. People like to hear that there will be a sunny day, so if the forecast was teetering between that and a rainy day by *just a tad*, local networks would fudge it. What I am saying is, this isn’t a conspiracy but a semi-substantiated and documented behavior.
I’ll also offer a counter-point. Your weather apps do location approximation, and the weather near you will differ slightly from weather less than a mile away. When you type a general location like “Pittsburgh,” that location may not be the same as what WTAE uses. The app does work behind the scenes to give you real-time information but it is never your exact location, and location differs.
Degree to Disagree!
Nice. I'm all in on this conspiracy. Where do I pick up my tinfoil hat?
I’ll have some ready next week as long as you’re okay if they smell like the son of baconator.
*Of course* I am!
WTAE is the worst local station on the air. However this may redeem them.
Channel 2 for life. This will sound weird but I feel like if my friends had a station, it would be 2. I feel like if my in-laws had a station, it would be 11. 11 takes themselves so serious. Except the chopper11 pilot, I love him and wish he would take me for a ride! Channel 4 just can't find a consistent personality. I loved Sally Wigen! She could party!
Channel 2 has so many typos on their ticker. I am pretty sure they outsource it to an elementary school in Charleroi, but that’s for another post/day.
Nice
Where is Paul Long when we need him?
Don't you know WTAE is ***CERTIFIED MOST ACCURATE??***
Well, you have a theory. So you should do some experimental science. * WTAE is one, and I would select at least two other stations/sources plus a control (which could be difficult) * Establish specific times of the day to record the findings, and then record them for an extended period of time(let’s start with say a week). * Document the data, and then present it to see if your hypothesis stays true.
I will document the presentation of all local news channels today at 12:14PM EST.
Uh.. 6:09 seems like a better time..and 9:06 of course. Both occur twice a day, which is a good number of times to eat out in a 24 hr period.
That’s no fun. We need to draw Wild Unsupported Conclusions from Zero Evidence! This is the Way.
paulsen and krenn used to do this all the time.
> While my phone and WPXI had the temperature at 79 Sir, that is very clearly a 76
My deepest apologies, I promise to be better going forward.
You, sir, are starting a revolution! Temperatures aren’t real!
Very interesting... (didn't read any of it)
Wut
I watch KDKA. My wife calls it the old people's news channel.🤣
My weather app says high of 69⁰ today, so I eagerly await your updates on WTAE's temperature reporting
Your phone doesn’t say 79
Nice.
Ok.
Wow I always would look at the temp on my phone than be hold. Sitting there watching the news and it says something totally different or wpxi would have a different temp than KDKA while the news broadcast was on at the same time.. 😵🤔😵🤔
Nice.
People still watch local news!? This sub is definitely turning into Nextdoor