A Minnesota meteorologist is being dragged by viewers over his “unprofessional” behavior when he texted his wife live on air during severe weather coverage.
KTTC News Chief Meteorologist Nick Jansen was three hours into his reporting on storms walloping the Rochester, Minn., region on July 28, when he was caught using his phone to make sure his family — including his 6-month-old child — found shelter.
“I received an email telling me how unprofessional I was during my coverage. The quote that really struck me: “That he has to call his wife to make sure she takes the baby to safety? Maybe some people think it’s noble or cute. I don’t,’” Jansen wrote on Facebook with the now-viral video of the 10-second clip.
The caught-on-camera moment happened when Jansen was in the studio, standing in front of the radar screen, waiting for news director Zach Fuller to wrap up a power outage update.
Jansen, 32, was captured on video looking down at his phone, seemingly unaware he was on live TV.
He managed to get the text off before the report was sent back to him.
“Sorry, just had to text my wife, baby was sleeping well tonight so that’s gonna be over with at this point in time,” Jansen said as he resumed his weather reporting duties.
The chief meteorologist and family man estimated strong winds in the Rochester area could reach between 40 to 70 mph.
Jansen defended his actions amid the viewer’s backlash, saying he was looking out for his family while he had a brief moment off-camera during the broadcast.
“I take my job and your safety very seriously. But I’m also a husband and a father,” Jansen responded to the viewer. “In the middle of severe weather, I decided to take a brief moment to make sure my wife and child were safely in the basement.
“That’s not me being unprofessional, it’s me being human. I am a husband and a father FIRST. Let’s all try to show each other a little more understanding and respect in life,” he added.
Jansen doubled down on his assessment of the on-air blooper as an acceptable act from a loving father.
“When I received this latest email, I was like, you know what? I don’t think it’s acceptable that I can’t take a second to make sure my loved ones are OK,” Jansen told TODAY. “I’m sure a lot of viewers were texting their families. And we always say on-air, ‘If you know someone in such-and-such a town, make sure to let them know this is coming.’ So I was kind of taking my own advice.”
Station executives praised Jansen for thinking of his family while keeping the viewers informed of the danger they faced in the inclement weather.
“The KTTC team is proud of Nick and the work he and the First Alert weather team did Monday night and the work they continue to do to keep our communities safe,” station Vice-President and General Manager Stephanie Hedrick said in a statement.
“KTTC knows that when our meteorologists, anchors and reporters are delivering the news, they are also talking to their own families- informing them and helping to keep them safe. In this case, viewers saw that happen live – Nick being a good husband and dad by taking a moment and making sure they were safe.”
Other viewers applauded Jansen for taking the time to check in on his family.
“Texting your wife in the middle of a broadcast was my signal to take the storm seriously. I now have a new level of storm seriousness,” one person commented.
“I support you! I thought it chivalry at it’s best!” another added.
The massive storm cell blew across the Gopher State and the surrounding Midwest in the late evening of July 28, producing damaging winds up to 75 mph and causing power outages for thousands of customers, according to the National Weather Service.
The strongest wind gust was measured at 92 mph at the Spencer Municipal Airport in Spencer, Iowa, approximately 200 miles southwest of the KTTC studios.
KTTC is a dual affiliate of NBC and CW+, covering southeastern Minnesota and northeastern Iowa.
