Q: With long-time Atlanta meteorologist David Chandley and his 25 years of experience joining Fox 5, who are the other meteorologists who have had long tenures in Atlanta? How long were they on the air?
—Leon E. Collins, Stone Mountain
A: Local TV meteorologists, and the weathermen who came before them, are revered around here. Everybody has their favorite, from Guy Sharpe to Johnny Beckman to Glenn Burns.
If you don’t believe me, check out the AJC’s Q&A on the News column. I answer questions all the time from folks wondering about them.
So here’s a quick look at some of the weathermen and meteorologists who have spent much of their lives telling you if you need to wear a coat or take an umbrella to work tomorrow.
Guy Sharpe: From his stately white hair to the endearing personality, Sharpe was a favorite of viewers for 40 years, until he retired from TV in 1996. He wasn't a meteorologist; he was more like an entertainer doing the weather, but Sharpe was so beloved that he worked for the ABC, CBS and NBC stations in Atlanta. He died in 2004.
Johnny Beckman: He's always loved writing, so that's what the former chief meteorologist at WSB (20 years) and WXIA (13 years) is doing these days (johnbeckmanbooks.com). "Tell all of my Atlanta friends that I am still alive and don't know how I managed a full-time job, because there are not enough hours in the day to do all the things I want to do," Beckman wrote in an email. He lives in Stone Mountain.
Ken Cook: Cook retired last July after 35 years at Fox 5 (WAGA) and said then that he plans to buy a second home at the beach. He went on the air in 1979, two years before WSB's Glenn Burns, and his retirement opened the position for David Chandley.
Glenn Burns: Forecasting has been a part of Burns' life since he was 14, when he began working part-time for a Miami station. He joined WSB in 1981 and has been there ever since.
Paul Ossmann: Like Sharpe, Ossmann has bounced around Atlanta's networks. He worked at WAGA and WXIA before landing at CBS46 (WGCL) in January 2012, giving him more than 25 years at the city's stations.
Karen Minton: Many folks begin the day with Minton on WSB, who has been a mainstay there since 1986.
David Chandley: Chandley took his strong reputation from more than 25 years at WSB and love of Atlanta to Fox 5, where he was hired as the chief meteorologist last month.
Chris Holcomb: His much-deserved promotion to 11 Alive's chief meteorologist came last July, in Holcomb's 23rd year at the station.
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