Jörg Kachelmann
Encyclopedia
Jörg Andreas Kachelmann (born 15 July 1958 in Lörrach
, Germany
) is a Swiss presenter
, journalist
and entrepreneur
in the meteorological field.
. His childhood ambition was to become a meteorologist and record the weather.
During his school and university holidays he worked for various weather services.
He studied geography
, mathematics
and physics
at the University of Zurich
, where meteorology was not offered. He dropped out of the university before being awarded his degree and became a free-lance contributor to a Swiss newspaper, the Sonntagsblick. In between he also worked for Schaffhausen local radio station Radio Munot. From there he moved to the Scientific Editorship of Swiss Television SRG
and in 1988 he became Deputy Editor in Chief
of Schweizer Illustrierte.
For a long time he had faxed unsolicited weather forecasts to Südwestfunk. Eventually these were adopted. In 1989, Jörg Kachelmann bought an old farmhouse in Bächli and rebuilt this into a high tech weather station
. In 1991 he founded the Meteomedia AG
weather service operating over 1000 weather station
s in Germany alone.
In 1996 Kachelmann became Programme Director of the German
edition of the American
television Weather Channel. After barely two years, however, the station discontinued the service citing "lack of viewer interest."
Apart from producing weather forecasts for ARD
and various other broadcasters Kachelmann acted in other areas. In 1996 he presented the German programme "Vorsicht Blöff", appeared from 1999 to 2004 on the talk show
"Riverboat
", to which he returned in 2007 and which he gave up due to lack of time in 2009. 1998 he presented three shows of the quiz show
"One will win".
In April 2002 ARD changed its weather service provider from the German Weather Service, DWD, to Meteomedia AG. Since then he has presented the weather alternating with Claudia Kleinert, Sven Plöger and Alexander Lehmann before the main news. Kachelmann has become famous for his unconventional presentation of the weather. A common fallacy is that he introduced words such "Blumenkohlwolken" ("Cauliflower clouds" for Cumulus
) and "schlürfende Winde" (slurping wind). He denied this in a interview with the German newspaper Der Tagesspiegel
. In January 2009 he became an Internet phenomenon after a cat joined him on set while he was presenting the weather.
The headquarters of the Swiss Meteomedia AG is located in Gais AR near to St. Gallen
, the headquarters of German Meteomedia GmbH is in Bochum. In 2004 Meteomedia founded the Weather Information on Demand (WIND) system in Austria. He has been criticised for his commercial exploitation of the media and describing himself as a "meteorologist" without holding a recognised qualification. Kachelmann has also been criticised for his sensationalism. He established a weather station at the Funtensee
in Germany because of the extremely low temperatures in winter (up to -45 °C) caused by the location of the lake. It is situated in a valley which is shaded by high mountains, forming a sink for cold air. Local hotel owners in the winter sport resort Berchtesgaden
near the Funtensee are afraid that tourists stay away because of the reported low temperatures.
In March 2010, Kachelmann was arrested at the Frankfurt airport in Germany after rape
accusations by an ex-girlfriend after an argument with her in February 2010. After a trial lasting almost nine months, Kachelmann was acquitted on May 31, 2011.
Lörrach
Lörrach is a city in southwest Germany, in the valley of the Wiese, close to the French and the Swiss border. It is the capital of the district of Lörrach in Baden-Württemberg. The biggest industry is the chocolate factory Milka...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
) is a Swiss presenter
Presenter
A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...
, journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
in the meteorological field.
Biography
Jörg Kachelmann spent his youth in SchaffhausenSchaffhausen
Schaffhausen is a city in northern Switzerland and the capital of the canton of the same name; it has an estimated population of 34,587 ....
. His childhood ambition was to become a meteorologist and record the weather.
During his school and university holidays he worked for various weather services.
He studied geography
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
, mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
and physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
at the University of Zurich
University of Zurich
The University of Zurich , located in the city of Zurich, is the largest university in Switzerland, with over 25,000 students. It was founded in 1833 from the existing colleges of theology, law, medicine and a new faculty of philosophy....
, where meteorology was not offered. He dropped out of the university before being awarded his degree and became a free-lance contributor to a Swiss newspaper, the Sonntagsblick. In between he also worked for Schaffhausen local radio station Radio Munot. From there he moved to the Scientific Editorship of Swiss Television SRG
SRG SSR idée suisse
SRG SSR is the Swiss public broadcasting organisation, founded in 1931 as SRG-SSR. Headquartered in Bern, SRG SSR is a non-profit organisation, funded mainly through radio and television licence fees and making the remaining income from advertising and sponsorship.Switzerland's system of direct...
and in 1988 he became Deputy Editor in Chief
Editor in chief
An editor-in-chief is a publication's primary editor, having final responsibility for the operations and policies. Additionally, the editor-in-chief is held accountable for delegating tasks to staff members as well as keeping up with the time it takes them to complete their task...
of Schweizer Illustrierte.
For a long time he had faxed unsolicited weather forecasts to Südwestfunk. Eventually these were adopted. In 1989, Jörg Kachelmann bought an old farmhouse in Bächli and rebuilt this into a high tech weather station
Weather station
A weather station is a facility, either on land or sea, with instruments and equipment for observing atmospheric conditions to provide information for weather forecasts and to study the weather and climate. The measurements taken include temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, wind speed, wind...
. In 1991 he founded the Meteomedia AG
Meteomedia AG
Meteomedia is a company founded by Jörg Kachelmann, which operates a large network of Weather stations in Switzerland, Austria and Germany. The company's services include weather forecasts, severe weather warnings and meteorological consultancy. The headquarters of the company are situated in Gais...
weather service operating over 1000 weather station
Weather station
A weather station is a facility, either on land or sea, with instruments and equipment for observing atmospheric conditions to provide information for weather forecasts and to study the weather and climate. The measurements taken include temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, wind speed, wind...
s in Germany alone.
In 1996 Kachelmann became Programme Director of the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
edition of the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television Weather Channel. After barely two years, however, the station discontinued the service citing "lack of viewer interest."
Apart from producing weather forecasts for ARD
ARD (broadcaster)
ARD is a joint organization of Germany's regional public-service broadcasters...
and various other broadcasters Kachelmann acted in other areas. In 1996 he presented the German programme "Vorsicht Blöff", appeared from 1999 to 2004 on the talk show
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
"Riverboat
Riverboat
A riverboat is a ship built boat designed for inland navigation on lakes, rivers, and artificial waterways. They are generally equipped and outfitted as work boats in one of the carrying trades, for freight or people transport, including luxury units constructed for entertainment enterprises, such...
", to which he returned in 2007 and which he gave up due to lack of time in 2009. 1998 he presented three shows of the quiz show
Quiz Show
Quiz Show is a 1994 American historical drama film produced and directed by Robert Redford. Adapted by Paul Attanasio from Richard Goodwin's memoir Remembering America, the film is based upon the Twenty One quiz show scandal of the 1950s...
"One will win".
In April 2002 ARD changed its weather service provider from the German Weather Service, DWD, to Meteomedia AG. Since then he has presented the weather alternating with Claudia Kleinert, Sven Plöger and Alexander Lehmann before the main news. Kachelmann has become famous for his unconventional presentation of the weather. A common fallacy is that he introduced words such "Blumenkohlwolken" ("Cauliflower clouds" for Cumulus
Cumulus cloud
Cumulus clouds are a type of cloud with noticeable vertical development and clearly defined edges. Cumulus means "heap" or "pile" in Latin. They are often described as "puffy" or "cotton-like" in appearance. Cumulus clouds may appear alone, in lines, or in clusters...
) and "schlürfende Winde" (slurping wind). He denied this in a interview with the German newspaper Der Tagesspiegel
Der Tagesspiegel
Der Tagesspiegel is a classical liberal German daily newspaper...
. In January 2009 he became an Internet phenomenon after a cat joined him on set while he was presenting the weather.
The headquarters of the Swiss Meteomedia AG is located in Gais AR near to St. Gallen
St. Gallen
St. Gallen is the capital of the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. It evolved from the hermitage of Saint Gall, founded in the 7th century. Today, it is a large urban agglomeration and represents the center of eastern Switzerland. The town mainly relies on the service sector for its economic...
, the headquarters of German Meteomedia GmbH is in Bochum. In 2004 Meteomedia founded the Weather Information on Demand (WIND) system in Austria. He has been criticised for his commercial exploitation of the media and describing himself as a "meteorologist" without holding a recognised qualification. Kachelmann has also been criticised for his sensationalism. He established a weather station at the Funtensee
Funtensee
Funtensee is a lake in the Steinernes Meer plateau in the Nationalpark Berchtesgaden, Bavaria, Germany located on the larger of the two sinkholes of the uvala, known for record low temperatures up to 30°C lower than the surrounding area. Its primary inflows are the Steingraben, Stuhlgraben and...
in Germany because of the extremely low temperatures in winter (up to -45 °C) caused by the location of the lake. It is situated in a valley which is shaded by high mountains, forming a sink for cold air. Local hotel owners in the winter sport resort Berchtesgaden
Berchtesgaden
Berchtesgaden is a municipality in the German Bavarian Alps. It is located in the south district of Berchtesgadener Land in Bavaria, near the border with Austria, some 30 km south of Salzburg and 180 km southeast of Munich...
near the Funtensee are afraid that tourists stay away because of the reported low temperatures.
In March 2010, Kachelmann was arrested at the Frankfurt airport in Germany after rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
accusations by an ex-girlfriend after an argument with her in February 2010. After a trial lasting almost nine months, Kachelmann was acquitted on May 31, 2011.