WDAM-TV

Being first to air with accurate, life-saving information is personal for Patrick Bigbie, Chief Meteorologist at WDAM-TV in the Hattiesburg, Mississippi area. Having lived near the region all his life, Patrick knows firsthand the impact of severe weather. “It can feel like a severe weather magnet, from hurricanes and tornadoes to the occasional winter storm,” Patrick notes, and he’s not exaggerating —  it’s a region where meteorologists need to be ready to spring into action at a moment’s notice.

Their previous severe weather alert system solution began to bump against its limitations. As Patrick put it, “It was like an outdated PC…sure, you can still use it, but everything was passing it by technology-wise.”

The pain points were clear: outdated features, lack of flexibility, as well as limited tropical weather capabilities. Likewise, making even minor changes required a cumbersome process. “Previously, one of my biggest gripes was having to call master control for any edit,” Patrick explains. “It involved a third-party, which can be time-consuming.” So, the team at WDAM looked for ways to streamline their workflow, improve on-air graphics, and ultimately get critical information to audiences faster and more efficiently —  Max Alert Live fit the bill.

Examples of on-screen alerts created with Max Alert Live

More capable, more in command

Faster alerts, integrated on-air graphics, and greater control — all crucial elements for a station serving an area prone to diverse and severe weather events. Implementing Max Alert Live at WDAM delivered a paradigm shift in how the station handles severe weather coverage, even while at home. In fact, Gray Television, WDAM’s parent company, found Max Alert Live’s capabilities so beneficial, they purchased this severe weather alert software solution for over 100 of their U.S. stations that also experience severe weather.

Patrick notes with enthusiasm, “Our general manager loves it because now it’s easy for master control or vice versa to make small tweaks, like adjusting coverage of a sports scoreboard remotely.” On top of that, Max Alert Live’s hurricane feature was a game-changer for WDAM. “During Hurricane Ida, we were limited to showing basic watch and warning information,” Patrick recalls. “…Now, we can create and access crawls more readily, display high-resolution cone graphics, and wind speed features. It all adds up to make our coverage more dynamic and informative.” The new tropical features and templates within the solution allow for county-by-county mapping capabilities adjacent to the crawl to visualize the potentially impacted areas, but also maintain brand consistency, and ease the station’s workflow, expediting their on-air severe weather broadcast.

Workflow time-savers, better audience experiences

As someone with a keen eye for graphics, Patrick appreciates the visual refresh Max Alert Live brings. “It just looks so much better on TV,” he says. “The look is cleaner, and there are many more capabilities at our disposal.” For Patrick, the graphic upgrade isn’t only about aesthetics – it’s also about keeping viewers engaged and informed during critical weather events.

The ability to make changes quickly through a browser — without multiple authentications or program switches — has significantly improved WDAM’s overall workflow efficiency, allowing the team to focus on what matters most: delivering accurate, timely weather information to their audiences.