Pretty good summary. I would add that a degreed TV or Radio meteorologist can get certified by the American Meteorological Society under their Certified Broadcast Meteorologist (CBM) program. The requirements are actually pretty strenuous and often broadcast meteorologists who have a degree in Meteorology don't apply for certification. Those that do apply, meet the requirements, and pass a rigorous test can display an AMS Seal of Approval during their broadcasts.
Certified Broadcast Meteorologist Program (CBM) - American Meteorological Society (ametsoc.org)Quote:
On 7 February 2020, the AMS Council upon recommendation of the Board of Broadcast Meteorology approved a change to the CBM application requirements. As of March 15th, in order to be eligible to apply for the CBM, an individual must hold a degree in meteorology (or equivalent) from an accredited college/university* and have at least two years full time or three years part time experience as an on-air broadcast meteorologist at a local television station and/or national network. College experience at a student-run station does not qualify for this work requirement.
I was stationed at Cannon AFB, Clovis NM in the early 70's (2Lt newbie) and again in the early 80's (Maj and now BOSS). We got our TV from Amarillo and Lubbock. During my first tour an Amarillo TV forecaster, Len Slesick, was my favorite. He was absolutely NAILS, especially when it came to blizzards that often formed in eastern NM. As a newbie forecaster I have to say I learned a hell of about the eastern NM/Tx Panhandle weather from watching Len and also Dan True, another great Panhandle forecaster. He's 90 now and lives in Clovis.
Speaking of TV weather forecasters in general, here's a few observations. I think the best TV forecasters are in areas where the weather can often become quite intense (Panhandle - Tornadoes, Blizzards, Houston Hurricane, floods for example). Also, the longer a meteorologist has been at one location the better understanding of the local weather quirks/tendencies/etc they have. That's why I rarely watch Weather Channel or national news network TV meteorologists. They just give broad brush forecasts without accounting for the LOCAL quirks/tendencies that IMO are so important for accurate forecasting.