Being
the coordinator for the media services division
of Compu-Weather, I'm often asked how we "work"
- in other words, what do we give you in return
for your money? For those who still haven't figured
it out or really want to understand the true value
of Compu-Weather, I will attempt to explain it
so that it is obvious that Compu-Weather is the
best value for your forecasting dollar.
First, the primary
thing to keep in mind is that Compu-Weather is
a "flat-rate" service, that is, you
pay one price for unlimited access to our meteorologists
for a day, a week, or a month for one location
per day. Extra locations on those same days (e.g.
for second unit work) are half again the regular
rate.
Compu-Weather
charges you only for the days you ask about, not
the days you call. That's what we mean when we
say you can get up to ten days of forecasting,
while paying for only one day. The day or days
you pay for are the days you're planning on for
your shoot. We encourage you to call our weather
center up to ten days prior to those days so you
can plan. Compu-Weather is indeed the lowest-cost
provider of consistently accurate weather forecasting
in the industry today!
Compu-Weather
is open 24 hours a day, so you have access to
our meteorologists at any time of the day. This
is obviously important if you're up early and
you need some weather guidance for the upcoming
day or for those times when you're doing a night
shoot. You'll never find a ringing phone with
no one at the other end - there is always a meteorologist
on duty.
Your call to
set up is toll-free. Your call to our meteorologists
is toll-free. We don't charge you for the call.
Simple.
Your forecasts
can arrive by fax or can be delivered verbally
over the phone. It's up to you - when you call
for a forecast, the meteorologist will ask you
how you would like the forecast delivered. The
only favor we ask is that you ask for one or the
other upon each call.
Faxed forecast
updates can be scheduled to be received automatically
up to three times a day at no extra charge. Just
tell us when you want' em!
Why we really
don't worry too much about the Internet............nothing
can replace a live, real-time professional who
forecasts day in and day out for you! Our forecasts
are not for a listening, viewing, or computing
market; they're for you, right where you are.
That is what we mean when we say our forecasts
are site-specific! Tell us where you are or where
you'll be and you'll get a forecast for that very
spot. That can be very important when you're under
the gun to wrap by deadline. We can help you "thread
the needle" by telling you when the rain
or snow will start and stop, so you don't wind
up wasting a whole day because of the weather.
Compu-Weather's
weather forecasts are made-to-order. They are
not "rip and read" off of a National
Weather Service ticker. We create our own forecasts
and we create them with the best meteorologists
in the business of forecasting. John Papp, our
forecast operations manager and chief meteorologist,
doesn't just hire the first body with a degree
off the street. Hiring for forecast positions
is a rigorous process. I've asked John why, with
all of the people that he interviews for one open
position, it takes him so long to find the right
one. He tells me that there are many who have
meteorological degrees, but very few who can really
forecast the weather well. (You wouldn't believe
how many we've turned away - good forecasters
are hard to find!) Our standards are very high
and we demand the best.
Once again, thanks
for using us - we sincerely appreciate it! |
