Al Roker talks weather, family and climate issues

Television weather personality Al Roker, a fixture on NBC’s “Today Show” for decades, said his passion for a weather show for children is driven in part by his work to ensure his generation leaves a better planet for the next generation.

Roker spoke Tuesday (June 17) to a large crowd at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in conjunction with the 11th annual Bentonville Film Festival (BFF) that runs through June 22. Genna Davis, Bentonville Film Festival co-founder and chair, introduced Roker, saying it was hard to believe BFF is in its 11th year, which she said is amazing given when it was launched there was not a movie theater in town. Most of this year’s festivities are centered around The Momentary at 507 S.E. E. St. near downtown Bentonville.

Roker promoted his new children’s cartoon titled “Weather Hunters,” which will air at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 8 and show weekly on Mondays in that time slot. Roker said the series is geared toward kids ages 5 to 8 and is designed to support their learning about Earth science and meteorology through adventure and comedy. He hopes the show will cultivate awareness and curiosity. He also hopes the series will foster caring about how weather and climate impact individuals, communities, and global society.

“Weather has always been a passion of mine, and inspiring young minds to explore its wonders has been one of the most fulfilling parts of this journey,” Roker said. “With ‘Weather Hunters,’ I’m thrilled to share that passion with a new generation, including my granddaughter, Sky, who reminds me every day of the importance of leaving a better planet for our kids.”

Roker joked that he loved his three kids very much, but now that he has a granddaughter, he does not need them anymore. Admittedly, Roker said he’s become a gushing grandpa as he whips out his phone to show a picture of Sky to the crowd.

He is excited to see the series launch after years of playing it through his head. Roker provides the voice and likeness for Al Hunter, and the character’s wife, Dot Hunter, is voiced by Holly Robinson-Peete. Three young actors portray their kids ages, 5, 8, and 12. Roker said he records his parts in New York, and Robinson-Peete and the child actors record in Los Angeles.

The series centers around 8-year-old Lily Hunter, a weather detective who shares her investigations with her family and friends. Roker said the series is designed to examine natural weather phenomena while also observing and tracking weather patterns, investigating the weather at different times of the year and in different places around the world, and the connection between weather, humans, and their environment.

Roker said weather brings people together, whether it’s a devastating storm like the tornado that ripped through north Bentonville and Rogers a year ago or a sunny summer day that allows a family to picnic at the lake.

“Weather Hunters” has completed 22 episodes, and there are 40 episodes slated for production. Roker said he’s proud of the series and the partnership with PBS, saying it was the logical, trusted source for educational television programming devoid of supplemental advertising.

Drastic changes in weather patterns in recent years have been attributed to a warmer planet. Roker said it’s not about politics, it’s about survival for future generations that merit concern.

Roker did not set out to be a weather presenter. The Queens, N.Y., native graduated from State University of New York at Oswego in 1976 with a bachelor’s degree in communications. He worked at a local CBS affiliate in Syracuse while he was in college, presenting the weekend weather. Roker said he always expected to be behind the camera, producing or perhaps working in animation for Walt Disney. But as luck would have it, Roker took a job in Washington, D.C., for an independent station that needed a weatherman.

Roker does not have formal training in meteorology but said he did take a course while in college. He also holds a lapsed seal of approval from the American Meteorological Society. In 1978, Roker went to Cleveland, where he presented the weather forecast for five years for an NBC affiliate. In 1983, he returned to New York and became the weathercaster for WNBC-TV.  He became a fixture on NBC’s morning show, filling in for Willard Scott and Bryant Gumble.

Roker said Scott was a mentor to him who gave him some sound advice.

“I was trying to be like Willard in my presentations, and he told me to just be myself, because everyone was taken,” Roker said. “I did that, and it paid off.”

He counts himself lucky to have worked with some of the best news people in the business. Roker said it was not always by choice, but more like logical happenstance.

His greatest accomplishment is his three children, whom he co-parented with his wife, Debra Roberts, also a television media personality. Roker said his dad was a hardworking bus driver who still had time for him and his five siblings.

“You watch your kids grow up and you know it’s a cliche, but where did the time go?” he said. “And if you are fortunate enough, your kids grow into compassionate human beings. Someone once told me you are only as happy as your least unhappy child. I guess that’s about right.”