Not Your Average Weatherman: From Meteorologist to PR Pro

Chris Vaccaro is not your average weatherman.

A major in meteorology in college, Vaccaro quickly realized that there was much more to being a weatherman than simply being on TV. Gradually he turned his focus to communications and began a unique career path towards public relations. After a journey stretching from interning and working at USA Today to receiving a master’s degree from the University of Oklahoma, to working with the public affairs office at the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), he has finally landed in the position of director of public affairs for the National Weather Service. Speaking to a communications class at American University Monday, Vaccaro described his journey in detail, as well as some key guidelines and aspects of public relations writing.

After interning at USA Today during college, they offered him his first communications job immediately out of college during the dot com boom. Hired for work on graphics and stories for weather, he eventually wound up doing a substantial amount of content for USA Today’s web site and working on USA Today “Live,” a short television broadcast for Gannett TV stations. His first real work in public relations, however, didn’t start until he moved to working at NOAA, with the public affairs office. Four years ago, he joined the National Weather Service as a public affairs specialist. With that, Vaccaro described enthusiastically, he got the chance to work on “high impact weather events” such as the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, and Hurrican Katrina in 2005. Two years ago, he was transferred to NOAA headquarters to run communications campaigns for all aspects of the agency, in effect, completing his transition from weather to public relations. Just last week, Vaccaro was promoted to director of public affairs at the National Weather Service.

At the NOAA, Vaccaro described, public relations are “not very political,” and “really just focused on getting the word out.” In other words, there is very little so-called “spin” often seen in other public relations – Vaccaro focuses on releasing climate reports, news releases, online content, teleconferences, and more, in hopes that the media will pick them up and spread the word. Because NOAA is the “official government source,” Vaccaro explained, generally they don’t have to struggle to get press coverage. In addition, NOAA’s news has a direct impact on everyone – it is always important for people to hear. Some of Vaccaro’s reports have been extremely successful, such as his report on climate change and its impact on extreme weather. It was covered on all the major news wires, and on two out of three major evening news programs. Other reports, while they may not exactly saturate the news, still have significance, such as NOAA’s hurricane outlooks. Released twice a year, these consist of forecasts and warnings for the upcoming hurricane season.

Working in public relations, Vaccaro emphasized, is largely about working with the client to write press releases and get their news out. Unfortunately, there are often stylistic differences between the client and the public relations staff. What many clients don’t understand – whether they are scientists or executives – is that press releases have to be written for the media, with the purpose of spreading the news, not just making the news yourself. He explained that, for example, scientists tend to get very wordy and descriptive in releases, which simply isn’t necessary for the media, and could overwhelm readers in the public who just want to get to the point of the story. “What’s new and why should I care?” is the question you should ask yourself, Vaccaro said.

Vaccaro concluded his presentation to the students by describing several other key aspects of public relations writing. With quotes, for example, he how it is “very rewarding” to write a quote in a press release and then have the media use it verbatim. It’s all about learning to “weave some of the news into the quote” and keeping it “short and concise,” he said. In terms of the length of the press release, Vaccaro explained it should be short, usually no more than 400 to 500 words. Giving an example of bad press releases, he pointedly remarked that the Smithsonian Institute is often “extraordinarily excessive” with press releases of up to four to five pages. In press releases, he explained, you’re only planting the seed, “helping to direct and set the tone of what your agency’s messages are.”

Despite Vaccaro’s unique and winding path to public relations, he makes it clear that he knows his material. With his background in meteorology, his master’s degree from the University of Oklahoma – where he says he learned the “essence of PR,” – and his passion for the news he is spreading, he is supremely qualified for his new position, and seems to take pride in what he does. He is a weatherman in a new sense of the word, one who doesn’t so much forecast the weather or speak on TV but instead builds the foundation for the news of weather, spreading the news with public relations.