ORLANDO, Fla. â If youâre a loyal News 6 viewer, you know Chief Meteorologist Tom Sorrells has been covering Central Florida weather for a long time. (Okay, heâs not THAT old. Ha!)
Tom said before social media was a thing, a News 6 producer came up with a unique idea to connect Tom with viewers.
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âPeople could just call in and talk to me and I could answer them, like, live on TV, almost like talk radio comes to TV, and I always tell people it was social media before there was social media,â Tom said.
Talk to Tom debuted in 2004 when Hurricane Charley plowed through Central Florida, making landfall as a Category 4. Viewers called in during live coverage. While answering questions, Tom would use radars and other weather tools to pinpoint the conditions in specific areas.
âThereâs any number of data points, any numbers of wild research going back 50 years. Peopleâs favorite part of the newscast is weather and this is just our way of giving people what they want,â Tom said. âAfter we started doing Talk to Tom, the newspaper at the time made fun of us. Thought it was the goofiest thing theyâve ever seen. Other stations tried it and eventually stopped, but we kept doing it and itâs become my thing.â
Fast forward nearly 20 years and Tom now hosts the show from his home in the mornings in a casual setting. Viewers chime in on social media to keep the conversation going.
âI am more of a people person. Donât get me wrong, I like my private time, but I like to interact as well,â Tom said.
Tom will answer your questions on just about anything from weather to more personal topics.
âPeople ask âWhy did you want to be a meteorologist? Who cut your hair? What kind of car do you drive?â I donât mind that either... questions about âDo you think the Dolphins are going to go to the Superbowl?â We talk about everything except politics... we donât talk about politics,â Tom said.
Talk to Tom has since evolved to a podcast, now a weekly show starting Thursday, Nov. 17.
âIf you want to Talk to Tom, submit your questions. Weâll call you and talk to you. Thatâs whatâs new, itâs not just during a crisis time, not just during hurricane season, itâs year round all the time. You canât get enough Talk to Tom,â Tom said.
If you would like to Talk to Tom, just fill out the form below. Itâs quite possible that we will be in touch and youâll be featured on the show!
You can listen to every episode of Floridaâs Fourth Estate in the media player below: