As "The Great Blizzard of 2015" turned into "The Moderate Snow Storm of 2015", many voices began to enter the debate about forecasting, information dissemination, and alleged "hype". I had a lot of things I wanted to say, and thought that I would take a few moments to say some of those things.

First, I want to stress the fact that we, as an organization, have no interest in "hyping" a story. Our main purpose is to inform the public.

Some of the criticism directed at media outlets talks about how we "kept slamming the forecast". The approach that most broadcasters take to information dissemination is in 15 minute intervals (or, in industry lingo, "Average Quarter Hours"). That's why you hear traffic reports every 15 minutes. Especially in an area like Ocean County, most people listen in similar "AQH" patterns.

For someone who has the radio on all day, it may sound like we're "hyping" the information, but for someone who may be just getting into their car to run to go get gas, it very well may be the first time they're hearing the weather report, school closings list, or traffic report.

Again, we have nothing to gain by hyping the situation. We don't make extra money if we make a situation sound really bad.

Another point that I want to stress is that fact that we have an incredibly dedicated staff. I'm very proud to work with a group of professionals who don't think twice about sleeping on floors, shoveling and digging out before the sun rises, and sometimes even being away from their families for possibly days at a time.

We are considered "essential personnel" by the State of New Jersey. That means that we don't get "snow days". So, if you think about it, it's in our best personal interest for storms to not be bad, that means that we get to stay off the roads and sleep in our own beds.

Please keep in mind, too, that forecasting the weather is really hard. Think about all of the media outlets that were predicting up to two feet of snow. That's because all of the data, models, trends, and history pointed to that situation. But remember, we're dealing with Mother Nature here. We can take all of the data, trends, and maps into consideration, but if Mother Nature decides to do something unexpected, all the data in the world could go out the window.

In the end, we're here to help. We live here too. Our main interest is to keep the residents of Ocean County safe and informed.

I like to joke that a couple times a year, my job actually becomes important. And it's times like this that I take great pride in what I do, the team that I work with, and the community that I live in.

When all is said and done, all that we can do is hope that we help our community.

More From 92.7 WOBM