Rob Gilman is WATD’s resident meteorologist.
His live reports begin at 5am each day, and air throughout the day. “And if there is a storm brewing, we’ll stay on the air as long as necessary,” Rob says.
Rob was writing the daily Weather Watch column for the Patriot Ledger, broadcasting on WRKO-AM, WATD-FM and providing expert testimony for legal and insurance matters when he started working with Bill Gile in 1991. A native of Boston winters, Rob’s education at Northeastern and Penn State led to a study going back to research done by Dr. Charles F. Brooks on snow accumulation along the Washington-Boston Corridor was part of his work at Penn State.
More about Rob
Rob grew up on the South Shore watching weatherman Don Kent on TV, then studied meteorology at Penn State. He got his start in radio with the college’s campus radio station, and has worked at Accuweather, and WRKO Radio, Boston. His forecast appears daily in the Patriot Ledger.
How does Rob actually forecast the weather? “I don’t just look out the window,” he says. “That’s like looking into a room through a keyhole. You see part of the room but you can’t see the guy behind the door who’s holding the gun!”
Instead of the keyhole approach, Rob relies on up-to-the-minute information from satellites and hourly FAA computerized forecasts. He is in constant touch with weather stations at Blue Hill, Logan Airport, and other airports throughout New England, and also talks regularly with amateur weather watchers on the South Shore.
We know a lot about what’s going to happen locally based on current information. And we know that weather information is one of the most important things radio listeners want,” Rob says.
I’ve worked at a number of different radio stations in different markets,” Rob says, “and I’ve never seen anything like the sense of family we have here at WATD. We’ve won a number of awards for weather coverage from the Associated Press, but beyond our technical excellence, there’s really a sense of fun here at the station.”
“It’s obvious that people here like their jobs. WATD is a great place to work.”
Rob Gilman Facts:
Favorite book: Animal Farm
Favorite TV Show: Boston Public
Favorite Food: Carrot Cake
Pet Peeve: I was a student at Penn State and missed the blizzard of ’78!
Favorite Song: Singin’ in the Rain
Favorite Movie: Blazing Saddles
For Fun: I go to the beach