Just watching Alabama meteorologist James Spann in action on TV is impressive by itself. When a rash of tornadoes crisscrossed the state last week, he tracked them all in real-time, calling on dozens of communities to take cover — sometimes more than once as tornadoes reformed or double-backed. Spann and the rest of the ABC 33/40 team saved countless lives that day.
What’s even more amazing is how Spann’s social media accounts exploded during and after the story. As we wrote a couple weeks ago, he has more social fans and followers than anyone in local TV (60,000 on Facebook and 26,000 on Twitter). When the tornadoes hit, those social channels turned into a reverse torrent of information: thousands of people posted on his Facebook wall and sent him tweets with damage reports, questions and pleas for help. This firehose of social reports — directed at a single person — is unprecedented in local media, and it could signal a new approach to covering big stories.
In fact, @Spann still has so many incoming tweets right now, he’s set up a hashtag system to help users connect with each other. First, he created #WeAreAlabama, which spread like wildfire. Then, he created the hashtags #ALNeeds and #ALHaves, turning Twitter into a real-time resource to help with recovery efforts. “My stream has evolved into one that is matching groups or people with tornado relief needs with those who can meet those needs,” he explains. “I was blessed to have a large number of followers before the tornado, and we are using this vast army to really make a difference to our neighbors in need.”
So how did a Birmingham, Alabama meteorologist amass so many dedicated social followers? Why are thousands of residents sending him messages instead of submitting their reports to news organizations? How does he multitask on the air, balancing live tornado coverage with social media updates? We interviewed him, via Facebook, of course:
Lost Remote: What an amazing couple weeks. In all your television career, how does this story compare?
Spann: No doubt this is the most significant tornado outbreak I have worked…. my first TV weather job was in the summer of 1978. I have worked major hurricanes, big severe weather outbreaks, and crippling winter storms. But, nothing like this in terms of the widespread nature of the event and major loss of life.
LR: The response on Facebook and Twitter has been stunning, with people sending you a torrent of updates, questions and praise. How would you characterize this unique connection you have with Alabama residents?
Spann: Perhaps the connection with the people here simply has to do with my tenure, but I also think it comes from the fact that I am very ordinary and approachable. I am the guy that coaches your son in youth baseball, teaches your kids in children’s worship on Sunday, and bumps into you in the supermarket. I speak in a school every day during the school year, and spend plenty of time visiting with senior adults groups, civic clubs, etc. The personal connection is crucial.
And, in this age of social media, I think it was important that I was an early adopter. I am a long time geek (I got my ham radio license at the age of 14), and love trying new things. And, it is not just about being early to the Facebook and Twitter game, it is about having a real conversation with our audience. It is my firm belief that broadcasting is not one way anymore; it is two-way. I follow everybody that follows me on Twitter (unless it is a spam bot), and do my best to glance at that fast moving stream multiple times a day. I answer all questions, and respond to all emails. (I do have about 4,000 new Twitter followers I will follow when I have some time after this settles down).
LR: Is there one example over the last couple weeks, from social media, that really stands out?
Spann: While I used social media to push critical weather information during our long form coverage on April 27, which to some was a lifeline, what stands out to be is the stunning success in the following days matching those with critical needs to those who can meet those needs. I have pretty much given up my Twitter and Facebook streams to meeting the needs of the people of our state during this crisis. It is immediate, and it works very well. See my Twitter stream to see how it has been going.
LR: You now (as far as I can tell) have the most social followers of anyone in local TV — even compared to the largest markets. What’s your secret?
Spann: I think the secret to getting followers is to listen to those who follow you, make timely responses, and consider your audience friends, not idiots. These are wonderful people that have provided some great information for me during severe weather over the years, and provide incredible input for our weather products and services. And, the information I push via Twitter and Facebook is timely, not overwhelming, and useful, in my opinion. No warning bots, nothing automated. Just me talking and listening to the audience.
LR: I watched a few hours of your live coverage, and like many people, I have to ask, how did you do it all? Tracking multiple tornadoes, watching user reports… and were you able to post on FB and Twitter on the air?
Spann: During our long form tornado coverage, I am looking at a remarkable flow of information on that MacBook Pro you see on TV. Ten live chats with NWS offices and our trained Skywatchers, multiple live video streams from our Skywatchers in the field, streams from Twitter and Facebook, and of course, email. You have to learn to process all of this on the fly, throwing out what is trivial, and getting focused on the important stuff.
The weather people here have full control during long form coverage; we call the shots. That is a freedom I don’t take lightly, and have learned to process multiple information streams at once.
I do post via Twitter and Facebook while on the air. It usually happens when the other in-studio meteorologist, Jason Simpson, is talking, but I can sure talk and type at the same time. Go back and you will see several “tornado emergency” tweets from my while I was actually on the air. I should mention that you need a stud of a computer with lots of horsepower, and these Macs do the job without fail. Guess that has turned me into an Apple fanboy.
LR: I’ve heard from so many TV meteorologists who can’t say enough great things about you. What advice would you give them, especially as the TV news business enters uncertain times?
Spann: I usually speak several times a year at Mississippi State on the future of broadcast meteorology. I have gone bullish in the last two years simply because those that are willing to work long, hard hours pushing products and services across a wide variety of platforms, and carve out a new business model at the same time, will be very successful. These are the key virtues I teach…
*Work hard. I mean really hard. With the Internet, there are no more “shifts”. You are always on. I get up every morning at 4:52 a.m. local time, and don’t get to bed until midnight. But, while working hard, you must keep your priorities in line. Faith, family, etc. still must come first.
*Have a servant’s heart. If you do what is in the best interest of your readers and viewers, you will win in the long term. There is no room for self-centered jerks in our business. Unfortunately, we still have plenty of them. If you put others first, you will stand out and be very successful.
*Be the best meteorologist in your market. Learn something new every day. Study the bad forecasts and don’t make the same mistake again. Be aggressive with severe weather coverage. Develop your own blog that isn’t part of your station’s web site. Ours is alabamawx.com, which based on the latest metrics I have seen blows away every other local TV station web site in our market in page views. By far.
*Have a creative outlet. Mine is WeatherBrains, a weekly Internet show about weather we have been doing for over 5 years. We have a blast.
*Put something back into the community that supports you. Not for a TV promo opportunity, but real service that involves the sacrifice of time or resources.