Vivian Brown 1964–

TV meteorologist

Excelled at Track and Field

Worked to Perfect Her Broadcasting Skills

A Blend of Science and Public Service

Sources

For Vivian Brown, an on-camera meteorologist at the Weather Channel, forecasting storms and inclement weather is both a social and an intellectual calling. In an interview with Contemporary Black Biography (CBB), Brown, one of only two African-American anchorwomen at the network, described her work as “interesting, exciting,” and “a branch of science that is definitely opening up for women.” The most rewarding part of the job, she added, is “knowing that what I’m doing can somehow, in some way, possibly help at least one person to protect themselves, their family, and their property from dangerous weather conditions.” Though Vivian Brown didn’t set out to be a TV meteorologist, even as a little girl she was fascinated by the weather. Her hometown of Jackson, Mississippi was not a target for hurricanes, tornadoes, or blizzards, but was, she told CBB, “right on the perfect latitude for ice storms.” Several times each winter, sheets of treacherous ice fell from the sky, knocking out power lines, covering roadways, and resulting in dangerous—and often deadly—travel conditions. During the summer following her sophomore year in high school, she jumped at the chance to turn what had been a casual interest into a career. Jackson State University, which had just launched a new degree program in meteorology, was offering a paid internship for high school students interested in entering the field. In addition to making daily weather observations, the job involved meeting with forecasters at the local office of the National Weather Service and learning the rudiments of weather and forecasting. Brown returned to complete a second internship the following summer.

Excelled at Track and Field

The daughter of two college professors, Brown was a serious student who had always excelled in math and science. But she was also a talented athlete who participated enthusiastically in track and field events—a passion encouraged by her track coach father—throughout her high school years. So when Jackson State University offered her a full athletic scholarship, she seized the opportunity to combine her interests in track and meteorology. A number of colleges had offered her scholarships, but it was only at Jackson State that she could earn an undergraduate degree in meteorology. She continued to compete in track and

At a Glance…

Born Vivian Brown, Greenville, MS; daughter of William Brown college track coach) and Dr. ReJohnna Brown (a college professor); married; one child. Education; Jackson State University, B.S., 1986.

Career: Meteorologist and product specialist, The Weather Channel, 1986-88; broadcast apprentice, 1988-89; on-camera meteorologist, 1989-,

Member: American Meteorological Society; International Weather Association; Alpha Kappa Alpha.

Awards: 20th-Century Pioneer in Atmospheric Science, 1999.

Address: Office— The Weather Channel, 300 Interstate North Parkway, Atlanta, GA 30338.

field events in college, winning an MVP (Most Valuable Player) award in high jump and long jump at the Southwestern Athletic Conference, and in 1984 was ranked fifth in the world in the 50-meter track competition.

In 1985 she served as captain of the track team at Jackson State. Despite her achievements, Brown confessed that she never had any serious athletic ambitions. “I never had any intentions of taking it further than college,” she told CBB, “but it was a tool that helped me in all other areas of my life.”

Brown first arrived in Atlanta in 1986—her senior year in college—to complete a research project in atmospheric science at Georgia School of Technology. The project involved analyzing the different ions present in acid rain and correlating these ions with different meteorological parameters such as wind direction, wind speed, rain duration, and rain intensity, to see how the different ions varied. While in Atlanta, she stopped by at The Weather Channel’s national headquarters to submit her resume. Within a few months of receiving her B.S. degree—the only meteorology graduate in her class at Jackson State—she was hired by the Weather Channel as a Product Specialist. Among her responsibilities were to prepare graphics and on-air map products and help forecast and analyze weather conditions. Two years later she joined the network’s apprenticeship program, designed to help behind-the-scenes meteorologists develop skills in television presentation.

“I had never even considered TV meteorology,” Brown told CBB, but once I got there [The Weather Channel], I think it was just another option. I saw that, wow, this is a different aspect of meteorology!” The meteorology curriculum at Jackson State, she added, had required “nothing in terms of the broadcasting aspecL...no practical, hands-on experience in terms of television.”

Worked to Perfect Her Broadcasting Skills

Of the more than 60 meteorologists employed by The Weather Channel, only about 30 appear in front of the camera. Shy by nature, Brown did not find the transition from behind-the-scenes scientist to TV personality especially easy. She put in many months practicing in the studio and sharing her demo tapes with experienced broadcasters, who helped to critique her work and offer suggestions for improvement. “These informal auditions finally positioned me to be chosen to go on-air for real—and I was really bad!” Brown said in an interview with Essence. “But I kept listening to the critiques and working on my presentation and, with time, I became more poised and comfortable in my delivery.” The next step was the 3 a.m. “graveyard shift,” which allowed her to put in plenty of on-camera time with a smaller and perhaps less discriminating TV audience. Today she works a five-hour afternoon shift, appearing on the air once every other hour. In between, she pores over maps and reports to keep up to date on the latest weather developments.

Over the years, the most exciting weather Brown can recall reporting for TV was the blizzard of 1993, which roared through Atlanta in March, dumping nearly a foot of snow on a city accustomed to receiving little more than a dusting or two. “It was literally a snowstorm-hurricane,” she told CBB. “It totally shut down the city. It was certainly the worst snowstorm I’d ever seen, especially being from the South.”

A Blend of Science and Public Service

When asked about recent climatic changes and their effects on weather patterns, Brown suggested that it is not so much that the weather is changing, but that social factors, such as population growth, have brought people and the elements closer together. “Our urban areas are getting larger and we’re becoming more urbanized closer to the coasts, which are the most vulnerable to severe weather events, such as hurricanes,” she told CBB. And it is inclement weather that most interests both meteorologists and the average viewer. In an interview with Essence, she described meteorology as “the physics of the atmosphere, just as biology is the physics of the body,” adding,“It’s fascinating to observe God working through nature and the elements, affecting change, both gradual and drastic, on the planet.”

Meteorology, Brown told CBB, offers a perfect blend of science and public service. As for the future of her own career, Brown says she wants to “take it day by day, as I have done in the past,” adding, “I can’t say that I actually set out to do what I’m doing. Every day it just happened, and each day led me here. I try to just live my life in a way that all of my blessings and mercy will be bestowed upon me.”

Sources

Periodicals

Essence, March 2000, p. 62.

Multichannel News, January 10, 2000, p.6.

Other

Additional information for this profile was obtained from internal publications and press releases provided by The Weather Channel and from an interview with Brown on October 20, 2000.

—Caroline B.D. Smith