Bob Johnson (weather forecaster)

Infobox Person
name = Bob Johnson
birth_date =
nationality = British
known_for = Weather presenting
employer = ITV
title = Meteorologist
website =

Bob Johnson (born Robert M Johnson in Kincardine on Forth) is a meteorologist and regional television weather presenter. He has broadcast on Tyne Tees Television for over fifteen yearscite web|title=Bob Johnson|work=Tyne Tess Logo Page|url=http://www.ttlp.org.uk/weather/bobjohnson.live|accessdate=2006-10-24]

Early career

Johnson joined the Met Office from school and spent over 30 years as a weather observer and forecaster. He gained vast experience in Britain and abroad in all facets of the weather with civil airports at Edinburgh, London Heathrow and Wick, with the RAF at Lossiemouth, Kinloss, with the British Army of the Rhine for eight years in Germany forecasting for tanks, helicopters, harriers, guns and nuclear war, and exercising with the army.cite web|title=Bob Johnson|work=Tyne Tess Television |url=http://www.tynetees.tv/Bob_Johnson.htm|accessdate=2007-05-16]

He also spent many years at weather centres in Glasgow and Newcastle upon Tyne forecasting for the media and the public, broadcasting on radio and television, before going full time with Tyne Tees Television as a presenter. Bob is known for either putting anagrams on the weather map (which are revealed towards the end of the bulletins), such as "Al owned all ten" or adding place names which (looking down the map) spell a particular word. [cite web|title=TTTV Bob Johnson|work=TV Whirl|url=http://www.tvwhirl.co.uk/tttvweather.html|accessdate=2006-10-24] Since the move to the new studios in Gateshead, Johnston sometimes broadcasts weather reports from a weather garden designed by Gateshead Council's Design Services. [cite web|title=Tyne Tees move to Watermark|work=Business Briefing, Gatesheard Council|url=http://www.gateshead.gov.uk/DocumentLibrary/Business/Leaflets/BBOct05.pdf|accessdate=2006-10-24]

Other appearances

Johnson has appeared on Tyne Tees' regional programming, often as a metrological expert. [cite web|title=Programme Two: Weather|work=Grundy’s Wonders|url=http://www.itvregions.com/NR/rdonlyres/6CECAA67-0DFA-436C-9E2B-B9B3508D6210/1783/Grundy_2.pdf|accessdate=2006-10-24] He is "in demand" by schools who invite him to talk about media literacy and "raise awareness about weather forecasting and the environment." [cite web|title=Annual Programme Statement 2006; Programme Review 2005|work=ITV Tyne Tees|url=http://www.itvregions.com/NR/rdonlyres/19875F6B-F591-4CBE-A0B8-5BAA74D8A597/0/ITVTyneTees.pdf|accessdate=2006-10-24]

He was patron of A Celebration of Life after Cancer, a charity established in 1999. [cite web|title=A Celebration of Life after Cancer|work=This is North East|url=http://www.communigate.co.uk/ne/colac/|accessdate=2006-10-24] He also supported Macmillan Cancer Relief in the 2000 Great North Run, himself taking part in the Great North Walk. [cite news|title=Charity appeal|work=The Northern Echo|date=2000-07-18|format=Reprint on web|url=http://archive.thenorthernecho.co.uk/2000/7/18/196085.html|accessdate=2006-10-24]

He is the cousin of Alan Hansen, BBC football pundit, and his grandfather comes from a large mining family in Stanley, County Durham.

References