The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Local youth weather spotter for Quad Cities television station.
by David Grimes, Quill Correspondent
Media - Most children his age probably spend their spare time honing their video game skills or slumming at the mall, but 10-year-old Thye Inghram would rather be experimenting with a remote control car or monitoring local weather conditions for WQAD-TV in the Quad Cities.
"Science and social studies are my favorite classes," he said.
Inghram is a fifth-grader in the Southern School District and attends classes at Media.
His love of science is what coaxed him to contact WQAD weatherman James Zahara and join the ranks of Channel 8 weather spotters.
But the 10-year-old wasn't able to do that until he made a follow-up call to the Moline, television station.
"The first time I called, the lady who answered the phone told me I was too young to be a weather spotter. And then I heard a "click,' " Inghram recalled.
But the lad was not to be deterred, and the next time he called Channel 8 he spoke directly with Zahara.
Zahara assured Inghram the station could use another weather spotter in Henderson County.
"He is our newest and youngest spotter to join the team. He has all the enthusiasm that our adult spotters have," Zahara said.
"He told me he loves watching the weather on TV as well as studying it."
Weather spotters are asked to record the current temperature in their area, check a rain gauge for precipitation amounts for the day and have a good set of eyes for watching the skies, Zahara said.
The weather spotter program offers no pay, no perks, just the satisfaction of being a member of the TV station's cadre of more than 60 weather-watching enthusiasts from around the Channel 8 viewing area who occasionally get to hear their name and see a photo of themselves during newscast weather segments.
Inghram said he'd like to travel to the Quad Cities sometime in the near future to tour the station studios and see the equipment weathermen Neil Kastor, David Paul and Zahara use in preparation for their weathercasts.
Because each newscast only can mention 5 to 7 weather watcher reports - the 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. broadcasts are the most popular - weather watcher reports are taken over the telephone about an hour before air time and on a first come, first serve basis.
Inghram said he's called reports in to the station for the 5 a.m. broadcast five or six times, but calls in for the early evening broadcasts more frequently.
While he's had plenty to report this winter in the way of snow, sleet and freezing rain, Inghram said he looks forward to the day when he can call the station to report a tornado sighting.
"Not to chase one, just to see one and tell them about it," he clarified.
WQAD's weather spotter program was implemented about 10 years ago, Zahara said.