CBS News and Stations announces weather unit changes

CBS News and Stations has announced the next stage in building its weather reporting network that includes adding a rotating cast of forecasters to “CBS Mornings.”

CBS News national weather correspondent Rob Marciano kicked off the new effort, appearing on “Mornings” Jan. 6, 2024, reporting from Washington, D.C. amid the winter storm that hit the region.

The network also plans to use Jessica Burch from KPIX in San Fransisco and Kate Bilo from KYW in Philadelphia as part of the mix on its morning show. Segments will also leverage the network’s existing mixed reality technology when appropriate. 

Plans call for Burch and Bilo to originate segments from their home stations, which are both equipped with AR green screen studios, according to a source. Marciano will remain based in New York and all three will also have the ability to venture into the field based on the news cycle.

This part of CBS’s weather strategy is notable because when the network launched the 2015 version of “CBS This Morning,” the predecessor to “Mornings,” it opted not to have a full-time dedicated weather forecaster. While the show will still not have a dedicated forecaster on duty every day, it does appear to be drawing on the weather unit the network launched in April 2024.

The thought of relaunching “This Morning” without weather talent was that weather tends to be more relevant to smaller portions of the country, so the strategy was to have local stations provide forecasts during cut-ins while the network itself covered major weather events like news stories. Both of the “CBS Mornings” rivals, NBC’s “Today” and ABC’s “Good Morning America” have full-time on-air forecasters that offer brief national and regional weather overviews. These personalities, including Al Roker and Ginger Zee, also contribute to other segments on the programs.

In addition to the increased presence on “Mornings,” the network will continue to enhance its weather coverage on its other broadcasts and platforms. 

CBS also noted that WCBS forecaster Lonnie Quinn and and KYW forecaster Andrew Kozak have contributed to weather coverage to “CBS Evening News” and “CBS Weekend News” and it plans to have WCBS’s John Elliot appear regularly on “CBS Saturday Morning.”

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The network has also begun using forecasters at its various owned stations across the country to contribute weather reports to its CBS News 24/7 streamer.

Leveraging local forecasters on a national basis also echoes CBS’s soon to launch strategy of having WCBS anchor Maurice DuBois becoming co-anchor of the “CBS Evening News” later in January 2025. 

It’s been common for networks to rely on local talent at both owned and affiliated stations to support editorial operations, but CBS’s strategy of combining its network news division and TV station group’s management has reinforced the synergy between the two levels.

Below is the full text of the memo from Adrienne Roark, vice president of newsgathering and editorial.

Dear team,

Our vision for a unified and groundbreaking CBS Weather Network is now a reality. This milestone marks a bold step forward in how we deliver weather coverage across broadcast, streaming, and digital platforms, reinforcing CBS News and Stations’ leadership in storytelling, technology and collaboration.

This week, we launched our new weather format for CBS Mornings, featuring a team of rotating meteorologists beginning with CBS News national weather correspondent Rob Marciano, who dove in yesterday, while on the ground covering storms in the D.C. area. Also, in the rotation you will see Jessica Burch (CBS Bay Area/KPIX-TV) and Kate Bilo (CBS Philadelphia/KYW-TV). This experienced team will debut alongside our immersive AR/VR weather presentation on CBS Mornings, setting a new standard of cutting-edge weather reporting.

We have also expanded our weather coverage team in other significant ways:

• Lonnie Quinn, who we have all seen regularly on CBS Evening News and Andrew Kozak, on CBS Weekend News, both of whom have done fantastic work these past several months.
• John Elliott, CBS New York’s meteorologist, bringing his expertise to CBS Saturday Morning, ensuring comprehensive coverage over the weekend.
• CBS Stations’ local meteorologists from across the country are now contributing daily updates to CBS News 24/7, demonstrating the depth of our collective talent and the strength of “ONE CBS.”

This initiative began last year with a promise to unite the expertise of our CBS station meteorologists and national weather teams with technology to create a best-in-class weather network.

With a focus on real-time data, visually stunning 3D formats, and unparalleled context for weather stories, this new format represents the best of what CBS News and Stations stands for—innovation, collaboration, and the ability to connect with our audiences in meaningful ways.

We’ve delivered on that promise thanks to Wendy Fisher’s leadership, our outstanding engineering team out of KPIX, and many of you. From our local stations to the national team, this success is a testament to what we can achieve when we work together.

Thank you for your role in making this vision a reality.

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Lastly, as we move forward, we will share how we plan to continue to work with The Weather Channel in other content areas.

With gratitude,

Adrienne