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Former WSYR-TV methodologist Dave Eichorn left TV news to pursue his doctorate degree. He also is making furniture.
(Photo by Gloria Wright)
By Nicole Moss Underwood
Here's a look at what some former Central NY TV weather forecasters are doing now.
Chris Brandolino
Chris Brandolino
Chris Brandolino, formerly with WSTM-TV (now CNYCentral's Channel 3) and WSYR-TV (NewsChannel 9), moved to Auckland, New Zealand, early in 2014. He is a meteorologist and forecaster at the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research. Brandolino was on the air in Central New York for 16 years, including more than a decade at WSTM-TV.
He previously spent time in Australia, working at the Australian Bureau of Meteorology for two years. He came back to Syracuse in 2009 to work at NewsChannel 9 and also co-hosted the station's talk show, "Bridge Street."
Kathy Orr
Kathy Orr
Kathy Orr, formerly with WTVH-TV (now CNYCentral's Channel 5), joined Fox 29 Weather Authority in Philadelphia in September 2015. Orr, a Westvale native, is a graduate of the State University of New York Oswego and Syracuse University.
She arrived in Philadelphia in 1998 as the first female meteorologist in that television market. In Philly, she has also worked at the NBC and CBS affiliates.
Al Roker
Today Show weatherman Al Roker doing live weather reports from Oswego State University.
No doubt the most famous face of Central New York weather forecasting is NBC "Today" show meteorologist Al Roker. A 1976 graduate of State University College at Oswego, Roker was hired as a college sophomore to do weather forecasts on WTVH-TV (now CNYCentral's Channel 5). After stops in Washington, D.C., Cleveland and New York City, he joined the "Today" show as a substitute for forecaster Willard Scott in 1988 and succeeded Scott in 1996.
Roker returns to Central New York frequently. In 2014, he shared a trip down memory lane when he stopped at SUNY Oswego, where he visited his old dorm room in Onondaga Hall, ate at his favorite restaurant and delivered "Today" show weather segments live from the campus.
Dave Eichorn
Former WSYR-TV (Channel 9) meteorologist Dave Eichorn left the station in April to finish work on his doctorate at State University College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Eichorn had been delivering forecasts since 1979. After graduating from State University College at Oswego, he started his career in Rochester than moved to Oklahoma and North Carolina. He came back in 1990 to work for Channel 9, then left there in 2008 to teach for a few years. He worked for the Syracuse Media Group and then returned to Channel 9 in 2014.
He hopes to finish his doctorate in two years, and in between doing that, he has been nurturing his wood working hobby into a small "garage" business. His furniture pieces are in some local shops, including Imagine in Skaneateles. To see more, go to the Facebook page Eichorn Woodworking.
This article, written by freelance writer Nicole Moss Underwood, appeared in the November/December Edition of The Good Life Central New York magazine.
