Act III Scene 11 - Weekend Weather Report

Act III Episode 11 - Weekend Weather Report

As the sun rose over the ocean as usual, the Thursday before Labor Day weekend began unusually, out of routine, with KYWTV3 News Investigative Team on-camera reporter Tom Snyder called to extra duty as the weekend weatherman – as the usual weather girl had put in for vacation.

They were going to send Snyder back to Philly on the train, but the executive producer decided to try out some new micro-wave relay technology so they set up the equipment at the Ocean City Music Pier, where they were also producing a live TV teen dance show they wanted to promote, so the KYW TV crew set up their own base of operations at the Music Pier, just north of the 9^th Street Beach and across the boardwalk from the Moorlyn Theater and Moorlyn Terrace street.

If Snyder had gone back to Philly, Brenner would have had to do the on-camera reporting himself, and started practicing, and began to like being on camera and started cracking jokes about it. Setting up the on camera scene at the Music Pier for that morning’s weather broadcast, Brenner the director situated Snyder so his back was to the sun rising over the ocean horizon with the Atlantic City skyline in the background.

Brenner also had Snyder wear his skimpy, tight French cut bathing suit, and every time he would come on, usually two or three times a broadcast – three broadcasts a day, he would have Snyder wear a different silly hat and a different t-shirt – each one promoting a different bar or restaurant – Bay Shores, Dunes t’ill Dawn, the Anchorage 7-4-1, Tony Marts All Stars, Mack & Manco’s, so he got to plug some of his new friends and their businesses, some of whom helped grease they way on the stories he did and was doing for the hour long documentary – The Long Cool Summer, that was to air on KYW TV 3 at Prime Time on the day after Labor Day.

At precisely Six thirty-five AM Brenner checked all the equipment and tapped the cameraman on the shoulder and the secretary said it was a go, and something clicked and Brenner pointed to Snyder and he began talking: “Good Morning Delaware Valley, I’m Tom Snyder filling in on the Dawn Patrol for Samantha Rich, your Weather Gal, who is on vacation, but to tell you the truth, I feel like I’m on vacation here in Ocean City, New Jersey – America’s Greatest Family Resort.”

After a pause and a broad smile, Snyder continued: “The good news is that it appears the weather will be terrific for the Labor Day weekend despite the lingering presence of two low pressure areas off shore, storms that have the potential of developing into major hurricanes, the second and third major storms of the season that the National Weather Service has named Betsy and Carroll. While these storms do present a potential danger to the East Coast flooding areas, they should bring big waves so the surfers should be happy about that,” Snyder smiled and then laughed half-heartedly and Brenner had the cameraman pull back the camera lens from Snyder’s talking head to reveal his whole body, including the Bay Shores – Dunes ‘Til Dawn T-Shirt and Snyder’s French cut bathing suit, and finally a fade out and “Cut."

At noon, for the mid-afternoon news weather report, Brenner had Snyder dress in Jigg's Cowboy hat and wear an Achorage 7-4-1 t-shirt, and escorted to the water's edge by an Ocean City boardwalk summer policeman with a noise meter and a 9th Street Beach lifeguard with a geiger counter, to show that the water was safe and the beach not overwhelmed by loud music.

Snyder also reported that the traffic was being blocked at the foot of the Atlantic City Expressway by irrate motorcyclists who were protesting the ban against motorcycles on the Expressway, and that if you're heading to the shore, it would be advisable to avoid the Expressway and take either the White or Black Horse Pikes an alternate back roads route.

Snyder, to end his report, also noted that the two tropical storms off shore had achieved hurricane status, and that Betsy was changing course and heading towards the Florida Keys were it was expected to make landfall at Key Largo, while Hurricane Carroll was slowing down and maneuvering off shore and while making big waves, was not expected to make landfall.

 The day was just beginning however, and Brenner and his crew still had to cover the Carroll Brothers court case – the first legal test of the noise ordinance that afternoon, and the City Commission meeting early that evening, where a new resolution was being introduced banning bicycles and skate boards on the boardwalk, motorcycles on the causeway, and surf boards all together.