KMOX's overnight show going national: Overnight America to be syndicated by Dial Global

A St. Louis-based overnight radio show is going into national syndication.

Radio syndicator Dial Global and CBS Radio's KMOX-1120 announced yesterday that KMOX's Overnight America with Jon Grayson will be available nationally starting next Monday, Jan. 30.

The show, which debuted about three years ago, according to Radio Ink, is already carried by CBS stations KDKA in Pittsburgh and WCCO-AM in Minneapolis, and can also be heard on the Radio.com mobile app. No word yet on whether it will come to the Tri-State directly, but since KMOX's signal reaches much of the area already during the nighttime hours, it's not hard to find.

I happen to be a fan of the program, which airs from midnight to 5 a.m. Central time. Grayson covers a variety of topics on each show and always makes it interesting. Last night, for example, Grayson talked about the death of former LAPD detective Philip Vannatter, who was one of the lead investigators on the O.J. Simpson murder case. The wealth of anecdotes Grayson shared captured my interest, and I ended up listening for quite a while, as I often do.

If you're having trouble sleeping some night, give the show a try. I think you might just like it ... and maybe, just maybe, if one of our local talk stations is looking for something different for the overnight hours, it'll come here.

State of the Union speech is tonight

President Obama

President Obama will deliver his annual State of the Union speech tonight before a joint session of Congress, and it won't be hard to find on TV (or anywhere else, for that matter), should you wish to watch.

ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and PBS stations will all carry it live beginning at 8 p.m. Central time (as usual), as will Fox News, CNN and MSNBC on cable (also as usual). It'll even be on the radio in places if you'd rather listen than watch.

The networks will have online coverage, too, with additional features and analysis you might not see on air.

Even the White House is in on the online thing; the official whitehouse.gov stream can be had two ways tonight - the standard feed or an "enhanced" version that will have multimedia doodads to help you understand what the President is talking about.

Hoosiers will have an extra reason to tune in tonight: Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels will give the Republican response to President Obama's speech, and that too will be carried live by the networks.

Kentucky's budget is the subject of tonight's Kentucky Tonight

It's no secret that the Commonwealth of Kentucky has a real mess on its hands when it comes to plugging all the holes in the state's budget for the next two years. What services should be cut? Which should be spared? 

Gov. Steve Beshear has already submitted his proposal to the General Assembly, and four men serving in Frankfort who will help decide what the state's next step will be are scheduled to appear with host Bill Goodman on KET's Kentucky Tonight this evening at 7 p.m. CT.

Goodman's guests will be:

• State Sen. Bob Leeper (I-Paducah), chair of the Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee
• State Rep. Rick Rand (D-Bedford), chair of the House Appropriations and Revenue Committee
• State Rep. Bob DeWeese (R-Louisville), vice chair of the House Appropriations and Revenue Committee
• State Sen. Ray Jones (D-Pikeville), member of the Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee

In addition to airing live on KET this evening, Kentucky Tonight can be seen online at 7 p.m. CT tonight by visiting ket.org/live, and will be broadcast on radio in Western Kentucky on the following radio stations Tuesday at noon CT:

• WKMS-91.3 FM, Murray
• WKMD-90.9 FM, Madisonville

TELEVISION REBROADCASTS:

• Tonight at 11 p.m. CT on KET KY
• Tuesday at 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT on KET KY
• Wednesday at 1 a.m. CT on KET and 4 a.m. CT on KET KY

For a video preview of tonight's program, click here to visit Bill's Eye.

The Gleaner makes TV Showcase a separate publication

On Sunday, the Henderson Gleaner officially made its weekly television guide, TV Showcase, a separate publication.

Following in the footsteps of its sister paper, the Courier & Press, which recently required a separate $2 monthly subscription for those who wish to keep getting TV Week, TV Showcase will also cost Gleaner home subscribers $2 per month. It will not be available in copies purchased at local stores or via the mail; however, individual copies can be purchased at the Gleaner's Klutey Park Plaza office for 50 cents.

To more or less replace the Showcase, readers will find a daily TV schedule in the classified section. The Sunday edition will include schedules for both Sunday and Monday.

Kudos!

Congratulations to NIU junior Mr. Daniel Brouillette for winning the 2010-11 National Weather Association's Arthur C. Pike Meteorology Scholarship. The scholarship is named after Mr. Pike, who was a charter member of the National Weather Association, a research meteorologist for the National Hurricane Center, and an educator. The scholarship is awarded based on academic achievement/merit. Again, congratulations Daniel!

NWS Student Career Experience Program

For any meteorology student who is interested in operational meteorology, the Student Career Experience Program (SCEP) through the National Weather Service (NWS) is an experience that should be considered. SCEP is a great opportunity for a student to work in a Weather Forecast Office (WFO) alongside operational NWS meteorologists, and learn the ins and outs of the weather service, and obtain permanent employment. As a SCEP, you are a temporary federal employee, working shifts and learning duties that are required of the weather service employees. Within each WFO, there are opportunities to shadow the forecasters, assess severe weather events, participate in community outreach, work alongside forecasters on separate projects, and also work on projects of your own, as well as work shifts.

After a competitive application process, if selected for a SCEP position, the student is assigned to a WFO that is close to the specific university of attendance. Scheduling is done per the specific office and the student’s schedule. Typically, a student will work full time at the office during semester breaks and either part time, or leave without pay, during the semester. This schedule will continue until the student graduates from his or her university, resigns from the program, or is let go. Before graduation, the student is required to work 640 hours at his or her WFO to be eligible for conversion.

Upon graduation, as long as the student is eligible, there is a greatly increased likelihood that the student will be converted to a permanent employee with the NWS. Although employment is not guaranteed, the great majority of SCEP students who graduate from their universities successfully do move on to an entry level position. The conversion is not competitive, unlike the SCEP application process, and is aided by the NWS’s SCEP coordinator and specific WFO. A significant portion of the NWS’s entry level positions are actually filled by SCEP graduates.
Since the application process is very competitive, many students will take positions as student volunteer at a WFO before applying in order to increase the chances of SCEP selection. This position is unpaid, but provides valuable experience and insight into the NWS and operational meteorology, and is highly recommended.

The application for SCEP is typically due in February, and questions about the process can be forwarded to: nws.scep-reply@noaa.gov. Additional details regarding NOAA opportunities, including the SCEP, may be found at the Chicago-Romeoville NWS WFO website. Finally, NIU students may want to discuss the SCEP experience with Ms. Rose Sengenberger, a current student who was awarded a SCEP during 2010-11. Congrats Rose!

Scholarship Season

The Meteorology Program at NIU would like to bring to your attention several amazing scholarship opportunities. Please consider applying for these prestigious scholarships if you meet the criteria.

• The American Meteorological Society administers a variety of scholarships. Details regarding the scholarships, as well as applications, may be found on the AMS's site.
• The National Weather Association administers a few scholarships. Information is available on the NWA's scholarship application page.
• Sophomores are encouraged to apply for the incredible NOAA Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship [$16,000 plus internship in NOAA facility].
• NOAA also has a very nice scholarship under the Educational Partnership Program.
• NASA has a variety of scholarships and internships available as well.
• Though the application for 2011 is not available at this time, please consider applying for the National Weather Center's Research Experience for Undergraduates Program. See a prior student's experience here.
• The National Center for Atmospheric Research annually awards phenomenal research-based internships through the Significant Opportunities in Atmospheric Research and Science (SOARS) program.
  

Current NIU Meteorology students should routinely check the "Meteorology Today" board in the Davis 2nd Floor hallway for additional opportunities (e.g., scholarships, internships, jobs) and updates.

If you have any questions regarding the application process after you have read the necessary application materials, feel free to ask Drs. Ashley, Bentley, Changnon, or Song. We look forward to helping you acquire one (or more!) of these scholarships.