There’s little doubt that Chris Suchan had some big shoes to fill when he replaced 19-year veteran Katie Horner as KCTV’s top meteorologist late last year.
An “outsider” among some very established veteran Kansas City weather guys such as Bryan Busby (KMBC), Gary Lezak (KSHB) and Mike Thompson (Fox 4), Suchan was the new guy after spending three years at WTSP in St. Petersburg, FL.
It now seems as if Suchan has officially arrived on the scene after his weather team won the 6-7 p.m. severe weather reporting Sunday night in Kansas City as potential tornado warnings arose throughout the area.
When the ratings for the key hour were released KCTV was at 13.8; KMBC, 11.0; KSHB, 6.8; and WDAF at 6.2.
Some of his success could have come from viewers tuning to the CBS affiliate to see “60 Minutes,” but it still a strong statement that there is a new guy in town on the weather scene.
It was particularly interesting because Horner was often criticized for her station’s “first on, last off” policy where her reports seemed to drag on even after storms had left the area. On Sunday, Suchan’s report ended promptly at 7 p.m. when the storms had dissipated, while KMBC’s continued.