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TVSA Interview: Derek Van Dam
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Monday, June 30, 2008
by Tashi Tagg
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At the end of April I confessed that I'd applied to be a weather girl for the eNews Channel and failed to get a gig.
When the channel launched I was very interested to see who got it instead so I could get revenge on them and I'm pleased to report that my objective has now been achieved.
After planning my stormy strategy I got hold of the culpit, -
eNews's weather anchor Derek van Dam
- and forced him to talk to me at the tip of the world on an icey Cape Town day to make him suff-ff-ff-ff-er as much as possible.
Waves smashing over the edge.
He had no idea before natch - I told him I wanted to meet at the edge of the cliff's in Green Point because of the cool lighthouse backdrop:
Derek, who hails from Grand Rapids, Michigan in the US, was a weather anchor at NBC before relocating to SA three months ago. Here's what he had to shiver:
Tashi: I've read your blog and saw that you arrived in SA and then just didn't go back home.
Derek: Basically yeah - I came to Cape Town, met the people at e.tv, went back home for about ten months - the whole time I was in a Cape Town mindframe, like "I've got to go to South Africa." I made it happen and here I am.
Tashi: What made you visit in the first place?
Derek: I was doing humanitarian work in Swaziland with a group of missionaries from my church. Afterwards they went back to the United States and I had pre-arranged plans to come to Cape Town 'cos I've always wanted to come to the city.
I rented a villa and documented my trip to Africa for NBC. I went downtown to use an internet cafe, they asked me what I was doing and they say: "So you work for a TV station? Do you know there's a TV station across the road? Would you like to meet them?"
I went over to the e.tv studios, met Andrew Barnes and that was that. He asked me about my contract details at NBC - I told him it was ending soon and he says, "We're launching this 24hour news channel soon and we're looking for a meteorologist." That was all almost a year ago.
Tashi: At NBC, what did you do? The daily weather?
Derek: I was the morning meteorologist: "You wake up with DVD."
Tashi: What's your take on weather anchors who aren't meteorologists? - there's a lot of them.
Derek: Weather actors you mean?
Tashi: Yes.
Derek: Oh those ones. *laughs* In the States there aren't a lot of them 'cos you have to have a meteorology degree to anchor - not with everyone, but it's mostly the case.
So long as they know their stuff - if they can do it accurately with some personality I have no problem with it but my goal here is to hire the most credible team of meteorologists.
Tashi: You're hiring right now?
Derek: Yes we've recently had someone new start - she's a PHD student from the University of Witwaturrrsrahnd so she's been studying meteorology and climatology her whole life.
Tashi: So there's no chance for me?
Derek: Let's see ... Saskia Falken - she's a fantastic woman and she's good at what she does. I think people feel "We really like her, we can relate to her," she comes off as a great weather anchor, she's not a meteorologist but she's great at what she does. As I said I've got nothing against someone who's not one, so long as they can convey to the public what the weather's going to be.
Tashi: How many people are going to be in your team?
Derek: Five - we're in the process of training the people I've hired. They need a little bit of TV training and so on. I've been doing most of the shows but it's daunting to do that.
Tashi: How many inserts are there a day?
Derek: We're working our way up to having it as an hourly thing when everyone's trained and ready to go. One thing I'd like people to understand - we've had an overwhelming response from the public, it's been awesome. 90 - 95% of the mails and phonecalls have been positive, a very warm welcome.
There's been 5% of it - I understand what's going on in South Africa with xenophobia and so on - and people see this foreigner doing the weather on a local channel and what they don't understand is that we're creating all these jobs for South Africans.
Tashi: People have been upset that you're not South African?
Derek: Yes, the thing people don't understand is that I'm hiring South Africans and training them because they want to have that standard - the European and American standard of weather forecasting - that's what e.tv wants. So we're creating jobs and training people - it would be nice for people to understand this.
They say "Why are you on this channel?" and I say "I'm here to help." I understand that South Africa's in a very sensitive situation - it may not pertain to me - but the idea of a foreigner coming in and doing a job here, people aren't too keen on that but we are hiring South Africans.
Tashi: We have to have people from everywhere - it's what the world's about. If South Africans go over and do a job in the US everyone's pleased - no-one anywhere criticises it.
Derek: You have to have a thick skin in this business.
Tashi: Someone once said - can't remember who - that you can't ever take bad comments too seriously and you also can't take the good too seriously. Do you get stressed you're gonna get the weather wrong?
Derek: Yes. Yes I do. *laughs* When I wake up in the morning and see the mountain's covered in cloud when I didn't predict it. I'll be the first to admit that weather forecasting is an educated guess - it truly is.
You can look at the computer data and all kinds of things that tell you the forecast, you interpret the data and then it'll do a completely different thing. I think we've been doing pretty good so far though.
Note: the toastier background. Allowed Derek inside for a bit 'cos I was dying for a coffee.
Derek: Have you seen the film The Weather Man? I'm waiting for you to ask me: "Have you ever had a milkshake thrown at your head?"
Tashi: Have you?
Derek: No. *laughs*
Tashi: Can you make a living being a weather anchor?
Derek: Oh yeah, absolutely. You can make great money. I depends on how lucrative you are - if you're good at what you do you can move up pretty quickly. In the States especially - you can make a lot of money.
Tashi: What weather makes you miserable?
Derek: I've seen pretty miserable weather in the States - 30 degrees fahrenheit below zero. My worst is when it's so cold you have to scrape the ice off of your windscreens.
Tashi: Have you ever been in a tornado?
Derek: Yeah I have. A tornado moved through my neighbourhood.
Tashi: Did you cling to stuff?
Derek: It was actually called a straight line wind. This was before I got interested in the weather and didn't know any better. I was peeking out through the window - which isn't something you want to do in a tornado - and I remember seeing trees getting uprooted and people's houses getting smashed - it's very scary.
Tashi: What are you like on a plane when the weather goes crazy?
Derek: I sleep.
Tashi: I always think that if anything where to happen I'd end up in an episode of Lost. Then I look at the people around me and worry about who I'll end up with.
Derek: So how do you feel about not getting the job?
Tashi: I'm still sour. But ... I have to begrudgingly say, that you've been getting the weather right - (used Derek's report to plan the interview day) so I'm thinking of forgiving you.
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Replies: 15 You must be a TVSA member to post a reply |
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| Reply from: |
Preshiii
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6/30/2008 7:17:43 AM |
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University of Witwaturrrsrahnd
LOL! I can just hear him say this! |
| Reply from: |
felfel
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6/30/2008 7:25:23 AM |
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| Wow nice one Tashi Derek's cute and sounds rather knowledgeable in what he does........ |
| Reply from: |
tha - bang
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6/30/2008 7:31:39 AM |
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| good interview the guy sound like a very decent oke hehehe |
| Reply from: |
belz
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6/30/2008 7:38:22 AM |
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| student from the University of Witwaturrrsrahnd>LOL !!!! I must say this guy is very good, when i first saw him, i thot of you Tashi, i was thinking this is the guy who took Tashi's job. but no i aint complaining. He's got a thing of making you feel like you are in a Geography class, not sure if that is good or bad. |
| Reply from: |
carino
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6/30/2008 7:43:16 AM |
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So, was this a DATE???? |
| Reply from: |
carino
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6/30/2008 7:46:55 AM |
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I'll admit, from the first time I saw this guy, i just liked him... Sometimes I just listen to his voice and realise afterwards that I forgot to watch the weather. Yerrr...
And I'll confess, I've written him a coupla emails at that address that they always give and the other day when he said "we received your concerns that the numbers on our map are not big enough" I was like, Yeepppp, that's me!!..
Ok, now im going to read the interview. |
| Reply from: |
Cnglemother
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6/30/2008 8:04:30 AM |
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oh the cute Maphumalanga guy! i love him. same here Carino I dont hear any weather related ish but listen to his voice only realise later that it was the weather and i missed it.
Weather forecast in English has never been this interesting, so pls ETV keep him we dont care about the Maphumalanga isht he will get it eventually.
Thanks Tashi! sorry about the job he-he-he! |
| Reply from: |
myname
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6/30/2008 8:13:53 AM |
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| Yes he is gud but i have a problem with this new plan or whatever. Its not clear & its fast. |
| Reply from: |
Fluffy Head
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6/30/2008 8:21:52 AM |
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| I like the guy....I watch weather now...woooooo...nice, its amazing how much knowledgeable people can change the way you view things.....Gone are the days of......ooooooooo kumhlopheeeee |
| Reply from: |
Cnglemother
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6/30/2008 8:34:15 AM |
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nice, its amazing how much knowledgeable people can change the way you view things.....Gone are the days of......ooooooooo kumhlopheeeee, tl-tl-tl! Fluffy u cracked me up.
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| Reply from: |
tizoz
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6/30/2008 3:27:21 PM |
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Tash...... did u take that pic in studio, if so I will never forgive you for not saying hi to me...
Nice intervier with DVD! |
| Reply from: |
andi01
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6/30/2008 3:41:30 PM |
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| I must admit, i dont do white boys, but this mafacka always has me drooling, i like him a lot, i havent had teh chance to read his interview but i will ASAP (resso), thanks Tashi tag, you never cease to amaze me. |
| Reply from: |
andi01
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6/30/2008 3:43:24 PM |
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@Fluffy head nice, its amazing how much knowledgeable people can change the way you view things.....Gone are the days of......ooooooooo kumhlopheeeee, ouchhhhhhhhhh !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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| Reply from: |
Kakapana
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7/3/2008 1:00:04 PM |
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| he reminds me of Stevovo, fomr SABC1. |
| Reply from: |
ngwana
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7/3/2008 3:41:58 PM |
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| I was doing humanitarian work in Swaziland with a group of missionaries from my>> hope he is not a mormon, that would ruin the dirty thoughts i have about him. |
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