NBC5 tabs a less famous J. Lo as early morning meteorologist (updated)
04/16/08 10:52 AM
By ED BARK
NBC5 has hired Jennifer Lopez -- no, not that Jennifer Lopez -- to succeed Rebecca Miller as the station's early morning meteorologist.
Lopez, scheduled to start at NBC5 on June 16th, has been with The Weather Channel since May 2000. She has a degree in meteorology from Florida State University.
"We did a national search, and she was the most qualified," NBC5 president and general manager Tom O'Brien said in a telephone interview Wednesday. "It really is a great fit all around."
Veteran NBC5 meteorologist David Finfrock had a "key role" in deciding on Lopez, O'Brien said. "We're thrilled with the new team, and couldn't be happier."
In a later NBC5 news release, Lopez says, "My family and I are really looking forward to experiencing everything the Dallas-Fort Worth area has to offer. As a meteoroIogist, I know North Texas is a great place to observe different types of weather, from heat to wind to thunderstorms to snow and ice. You get it all."
Her husband is a pilot for Southwest Airlines who's currently on military leave and in charge of relocating a Navy DC-9 squadron from Atlanta to Fort Worth, where NBC5 is based. They have two daughters.
Lopez, a native of St. Augustine, FL, began her weathercasting career at WPTV-TV in West Palm Beach, FL.
NBC's dismissal of Miller last month prompted hundreds of protesting comments and emails to unclebarky.com. She had been with the station since 1991.