ARRL Southeastern Division Director Greg Sarratt, W4OZK, traveled to Atlanta on February 15 to make a live, on-air presentation of the 2017 ARRL Bill Leonard W2SKE Professional Media Award for Video Reporting to The Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore and Jen Carfagno. Cantore and Cafagno co-host The Weather Channel’s morning AMHQ: America’s Morning Headquarters program.

The 2017 Leonard award recognized the AMHQ co-hosts’ September 2017 interview of then-ARRL Emergency Preparedness Manager Mike Corey, KI1U. Corey discussed ARRL’s efforts to assist the American Red Cross in the response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. The February 15 presentation included a clip of the Corey interview as well as an interview with Sarratt. He presented AMHQ co-hosts with a $250 check as part of the award, which The Weather Channel will donate to the American Red Cross.

“I enjoyed my visit to The Weather Channel, making the presentation, and meeting many friendly people there,” Sarratt said. “Before the presentation, I was given a quick tour of the studio and, after the presentation, I was given detailed tour of the control room and learned how the shows are put together and produced.”

It’s estimated that nearly a 250,000 people were watching The Weather Channel at the time of the presentation.