Rob Dwyer, marketing director at WCNC, Tegna’s NBC affiliate in Charlotte, N.C., says the idea for the station’s latest weather promo was the result of a casual conversation between Joan Barrett, WCNC’s GM, and Brad Panovich, the station’s chief meteorologist.

“Brad brought up how he has always loved weather [Panovich says he wanted to be a meteorologist since he was 6 years old] and even got his AMS (American Meteorology Society) card when he was 13,” Dwyer says. “We thought it would make a great spot.”

“I remember watching Dick Goddard in Cleveland and he had AMS seal No. 7,” Panovich says. “I remember seeing that in the corner of the screen.”

(Goddard was the evening meteorologist on WJW in Cleveland from 1966 until 2016. He holds the Guinness World Record for longest career as a weather forecaster.)

Panovich found out there were student memberships available, and joined the AMS as a middle school kid.

Dwyer credits Matt Hammond, his promotion manager, with coming up with the creative and working with marketing team to make it happen.

“We kicked around potential child actors, then asked Brad how old his son was and we had perfect fit.” Dwyer says.

Kyler Panovich says being the 12 year-old son of a well-known TV weatherman has its advantages.

He says his friends think it’s cool and they sometimes ask him to forecast the weather.

Brad Panovich says after the promo shoot, young Kyler wanted to know why they shot so much stuff and used very little. Brad told him: “That’s TV buddy.”

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