Chris Bailey LEAVING WAKA
This ad was posted on WAKA.com very recently -
CHIEF METEOROLOGIST
WAKA-TV in Montgomery, Alabama has an opening in the News Department for a Chief Meteorologist. Person hired must have extensive knowledge of Weather Central System and be able to create computer-generated graphics. Person hired will be in charge of a three-person Meteorology Staff and must have excellent communication skills, a high work ethic, and be creative and community oriented. We need a Chief Meteorologist who is determined to “Win with Weather.” Candidate for the position must have a B.S. Degree in Meteorology (college degree required), plus AMS or NWA certification strongly preferred. A resume’ and non-returnable VHS tape or DVD containing examples of candidate’s work is required. NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE!! Send resume’/tape/DVD to WAKA CBS 8, Human Resources, 3020 East Blvd, Montgomery, AL 36116.
This is BIG. Real BIG. WAKA has had the same Chief Meteorologist for a long time. No word on Chris’s future plans yet. For that matter…without confirmation that Chris is leaving…who’s to say he hasn’t been demoted and a new person is being brought in as the chief. It’s all speculation and until confirmed all we know for sure is that Chris Bailey’s current position is being advertised as open. Still developing.
Update:
Chris is leaving. His contract with WAKA was not renewed per Alabama Broadcast HQ who received this information from NewsBlues.
Popularity: 48% [?]
Bring back Don Markwell and Joe Marcus! 
Cussing out your boss isn't exactly a good career move. 
Yawn... hope he has a valid drivers license. He will need it. By the way, what does an APD do ...
Why did he leave and where did he go?
I was wondering the same thing
His contract was not renewed. I am unsure of his current employment status, but if he goes to work for another TV station we will report it! If someone enters a non-media job, we don’t report that unless it is part of a news release or they ok’d for us to say where they are.
He is missed already!
How can an employee of a major tv station in montgomery leave after 15 years without a trace?????MHP
I already miss Chris, as a concerned vewier I want to know where hes at and was it his decision to leave? If it was his decision I will respect that.If it wasn’t I will find another weather source.
His contract was not renewed. This basically means he was fired. He is not in a public position at this time.
I don’t know Chris personally but I’ve seen him on TV these years and tell me, who couldn’t like him? Remember his high voice at times? I wish him well.
What I think was when the appearance and presentation changed. Boring (to me) set in when the certain weather person whiz started rattling like a Coney Isle barker. A view at the same time. But what did it for me was repeating two words “right now” several hundred times a session. Right then I couldn’t remember the weather. Maybe Chis and management just got caught up in the right now thing or whatever. So Chris then vigeriously included right now and reading all the temperatures. Like we couldn’t but he was faster. Right now I did get a little tired of a constant view of Pettis Bridge. So for right now that’s it. May justice pevail!!
what happened to matt tanner???
He’s still there. He does Thursday and Friday evenings and weekends.
Not according to waka.com
Nice guy matt tanner does a good job except for one thing, He sometimes makes mis-quotes over and over. By the time he corrects it under breath mumbling I’m so confused that who knows, will it rain or sunshine?
I hate when good people go away without one word.
I didn’t know he was gone.He will be greatly missed!
ashley mcdonald is not a good weather woman. she does not keep my attention
I have been out of the loop! I slowly realized who I was missing.
I and thousands more, I expect, wish Chris Bailey the very best.
He is missed!
Chris Bailey was an EXCELLENT meteorologist and I miss seeing him deliver the weather. Ashley McDonald was an excellent choice, though, if we had to lose Chris. I remember Chris from the tornados that hit in 1994, and he certainly kept us up to date on those. (1994 was when I brought my youngest son home from the hospital)…I was afraid to bring a baby out in the horrible weather, and listened constantly to Chris’ reports.
I am shocked to learn that Chris is no longer with WAKA.I enjoyed watching him tell the weather,he was my favorite source.I wish him well
Geez folks…move on. Bailey has been missing from WAKA since somewhere around the end of March. If you want to catch a good meteorologist…check out Kait Parker in the mornings. She is excellent. Ashley McDonald and Rich Thomas are okay, but I enjoy watching someone who acts like they enjoy their job and give an accurate read on the weather.
I am a personal friend of Chris Bailey so I can tell you exactly what happened. WAKA did not renew his contract, so as someone else said, that is tantamount to him being fired. Why would they fire someone like Chris? Well, Chris saw this coming YEARS ago and thus, was not surprised. It came down to two things: he was costing them too much, and they didn’t really like him anyway.
As a 15+ year veteran with the station, they had to give him at least a small cost-of-living raise every time his 2 year contract was renewed. He had pretty much topped out at the pay scale (which, believe me, was not all that much.) They could easily replace him with someone like Ashley McDonald, who was pretty much fresh out of college, for about half of what they were paying him. So…
Also…I know a lot of you think Chris is a nice guy…and he is. But as I said, I know him well, and at times, Chris can be a little abrasive in the personality department. Don’t get me wrong…he means well, but sometimes, without realizing it, he can come across as a pompous, opinionated, condescending —. Bottom line…the people at the station just don’t particularly like him. (And he doesn’t particularly like most of them, either.)
Chris had been extremely unhappy in broadcasting for quite some time. He is actively seeking a job in another field, such as PR. By the way…WAKA really did him wrong in that they basically gave him no notice at all that they did not intend to renew his contract, thus depriving him of enough lead time to find another job. Pretty unprofessional behavior on their part, wouldn’t you say?
On the surface, this transition in weather at CBS 8 appears to be a beauty contest. I hope it is more than that, but TWO atractive females on the same weather team? Don’t get me wrong, I am a male and not complaining, but I hope things would not be run that way at that level.
To Ken and others on this post: It’s very sad when women are judged by their looks and looks alone. I am a female who used to work in the TV world; I have since had a couple of kids and decided to be a full time mom. Nevertheless, these young ladies have degrees, solid degrees in science. Ashley has an Aerospace Engineering major for crying out loud, and has a Masters in Meteorology. Kait has a degree in Atmospheric Sciences and is no “bimbo.” Yes they may not have 15 years of experience under their belt, but they do a GREAT job. I even think a better job than some personalities with 10+ years of experience.
Have any of you ever seen a female Chief in this market, and the answer is no. So, you may have to warm up to the idea of a female leading your weather team, but I think Ashley does a fantastic job. Not to mention, Ashley has worked every weather position at WAKA. I think she knows how to do her job and has the credentials to prove it. She also spent a year in Atlanta, learning from some of the best people in the field.
And Kait, she is bright and bubbly. She had big shoes to fill when Ashley left and she has done an outstanding job. She is so involved in the community and she is a great fit for a morning show. Again, another strong, smart, and attractive woman…I guess woman aren’t allowed to smart and beautiful.
i totally agree with you!!! I’m a woman as well. What really gets to me is that WAKA DOESN’T refer to Ashley as CHIEF Meteorologist.
Just because you have degrees doesn’t mean you do a good job. These girls seems fakey to me. Also…during severe weather, their skills sorely lacked or they weren’t there at all a few months ago. People want to see knowledgeable broadcasters…not just pretty people with smiles who can rehash what the weather service is saying.