Over the past couple of weeks our state has suffered terrible flooding. Amid the flooding of people's homes and how reliant people were on weather forecasts, The Australian Bureau of Meteorology took time out to publish a press release after paying a couple of hundred thousand dollars to a private company commissioned to 'correct the name', approved by our former conservative government.
My summary is that is what The Bureau wants is in the first instance it should be referred to as Bureau of Meteorology and subsequently the weather bureau. What media should not do is refer to it as the BoM, as in bomb. Media is not to say bomb when quoting the Bureau.
After derision and criticism by the general public, along with media broadcasters and the federal minister in charge of the BoM, the BoM relented and said, call us what you like.
The weird thing is that our media generally doesn't use the word BoM. I don't use the word BoM and I don't know anyone who does. I say bureau or weather bureau.
$270,000 pissed in the air by our former government. Yes, pennies in our federal budget, but look after the pennies and the pounds will look after itself.
ABC Melbourne breakfast radio host and comedian Sammy J put it to music. I can't insert the video, only give you the link here.
Meanwhile at the Bureau of Meteorology website, what do we see in large letters? And as my phone app says...
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Love Sammy J's take.
ReplyDeleteAnd no, it is the Bureau to me. Or sometimes the weather bureau.
SUCH a waste of money and energy.
A waste, yes EC, and right in the middle of a flood crisis. Tosser management.
DeleteIt does seem absurd to be bothering about a name when many Victorians have suffered greatly because of flooding. I assume that the water did not reach the windows of the luxury apartment you share with the master spy "R" of James Bond fame.
ReplyDeleteYP, the waters did not even top up the pond at our building's entrance. My fault I know because I am a shallow old queen, but I don't get the Bond reference.
DeleteI believe there's an "M" and a "Q" in Bond films so I thought there might be an "R" too!
DeleteThe Stalker
ReplyDeleteAndrew ,
Rone Exhibition the Ballroom Flinders Sreet Station Looks amazing have already booked for December…better than the boring BOM , they never seem to get it right whatever they want to call themselves .
We study the radar to see what might eventuate
Stalker, BoM radar is very helpful but not so much when rain builds to the west and north when it did not come down from somewhere. I'd like to see both the ballroom and the exhibition but something is stopping me looking at it. Maybe I feel poverty stricken at the moment.
DeleteThe name change is the common trickery corporate companies love to do. Just do the work rather than worrying about the names. The video is hilarious, and Jimmy definitely has vocal training in his career. Sadly, I find google weather forecast more promptly and accurate than BOM
ReplyDeleteRoentare, especially with government departments. Note the state government setting up a new electricity company but branded with the trusted title SEC. State Electricity Commission. For rather obvious reasons the company near us with naming rights for I think 3 Queens Road did change its name from Isis to Shape.
DeleteI have never said BOM, or BoM, or even weather bureau. I am crass and uncouth and say weather people. Or sometimes "the TV says it's going to be hot," or whatever the expected weather is. I am very annoyed that so much money was wasted on this idiocy. If they want to waste money they can chuck some at me.
ReplyDeleteRiver, I just say bureau. Private companies or government departments don't see to differ with rebranding wastes of money.
Delete"Video failed to load" :(
ReplyDeleteprobably because I declined to accept the cookies
River, adjust your setting to biscuits rather than cookies.
DeleteI call it the BoM. Or just BoM. It appears I am in the minority. That clip says it all!
ReplyDeleteCaro, you and Sammy J are as one.
DeleteWhat's even funnier is they didn't even use a small "o".
ReplyDeleteKirk, quite so. The small o is my work.
DeleteI don't call it anything apart from 'just the weather'....what a waste of money.
ReplyDeleteIt sure was a waste Margaret. It is fortunate that people like you and I don't waste money like governments do.
DeleteSammy has a very sharp voice - as someone mentioned, maybe had a few lessons along the way
ReplyDeleteYes, it always used to be The Bureau for me but then when apps appeared lately in my mind it became the BOM. Like you I’ve never heard any ‘weather presenter’ call it anything but The Bureau.
Cathy, there were some high notes in Sammy's song and he pretty well got them. I had not noticed until this clip, but he can actually sing. R uses a different weather phone app to me and it is strangely different with its detail and forecasts.
Delete'Much ado about nothing' comes to mind. I'd not heard about flooding. I'm trying not to watch the news here. The election frenzy stuff is just too stressful. I will pull my head out of...er...the sand after Nov 9th.
ReplyDeleteDebby, I am hearing this from your fellow citizens everywhere. You must be very fed up with the barrage.
DeleteHere we say "check the weather" and we all know what it means but if you could see the millions spent on consulting and branding here you would weep.
ReplyDeleteXO
WWW
M, there will be a political mate to pay off at some point and you may have a new grand title for weather bureau.
DeleteBom weather! Sammy J has a nice voice. I looked at some flooding in your area stories. I didn't realize you were getting so much rain.
ReplyDeleteStrayer, the flooding is not so dramatic as it is mostly about slowly rising rivers. Nevertheless, the damage has been immense. It doesn't take much rain to flood here.
DeleteHere they have begun calling bad weather days "Weather Impact" days. Oh yeah. What find of impact?
ReplyDeleteHa Maribeth. I find an impact from all weather, one way or another.
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