VOA常速英语2007年-The Weather Channel's 'Smooth Jazz' Strikes Cho

By Doug Levine
Washington
12 November 2007

Every day, millions of U.S. television viewers tune¹ into the Weather Channel to get their latest forecast. But, as VOA's Doug Levine tells us, weather may not be the only reason people are watching.

Neither snow nor rain nor heat have dampened the spirits of a growing number of Weather Channel viewers who are tuning² into its local weather segments for the background music as well as the forecasts.

It may sound like a smooth jazz radio station, but the regional forecast known as Local on the 8s (meaning that local forecasts are broadcast each hour at 8, 18, 28, 38, 48 and 58 minutes past the hour) has been music to the ears of the Weather Channel's music producer Steve Hurst.

"When I took it over, my mandate³ was to make it (Local On the 8s) bigger and better, and more appealing," he explains. "And then we had some new leadership come to the department and they said, 'This is a huge thing. It's one of the biggest, most recognizable aspects of our programming and we really need to focus on it.' So, they gave me money and they gave me time to really get into it and make it much better."

Hurst found that modern instrumental jazz struck a chord with viewers intent on getting the most up-to-date forecast. He says he had mixed results when he tried programming more traditional forms of jazz.

Hurst: "I played Charlie Parker which really didn't go over too well."

Host: "How come?"

Hurst: "I guess it was so different, kind of like the bop stuff he plays. It was so different from what we played it kind of threw everybody for a loop [confused everybody]. So, I was asked to tone that one down."

The Weather Channel has come a long way from the days when employees brought their own records to play on the air. Today, the music has become so popular the network released a CD of some of its most requested songs: The Weather Channel Presents Smooth Jazz.

Steve Hurst, who has been fine-tuning the music for Local on the 8s for the past eight years, says it took some trail and error to narrow down his playlist to a 12-song compilation⁴.

"At first I had a huge list of songs and I would just take my very favorite songs. But then, you put them all on an album, and they don't really flow well together," he explains. "So, the list [of songs] we have on there now really balances out; one song to the next song to the next song to the next. It's really a lot more fluid."

The Weather Channel Presents Smooth Jazz unites new talent with veterans. One of the network's most requested artists is saxophonist Dave Koz who teams up with guitarist Robben Ford⁵ and drummer Chester Thompson on "Shakin' The Shack⁶."

1 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

2 tuning   

n.调谐，调整，调音v.调音( tune的现在分词 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调

参考例句：

• They are tuning up a plane on the flight line. 他们正在机场的飞机跑道上调试一架飞机。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The orchestra are tuning up. 管弦乐队在定弦。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

4 compilation   

n.编译，编辑

参考例句：

• One of the first steps taken was the compilation of a report.首先采取的步骤之一是写一份报告。
• The compilation of such diagrams,is of lasting value for astronomy.绘制这样的图对天文学有永恒的价值。

5 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

6 shack   

adj.简陋的小屋，窝棚

参考例句：

• He had to sit down five times before he reached his shack.在走到他的茅棚以前，他不得不坐在地上歇了五次。
• The boys made a shack out of the old boards in the backyard.男孩们在后院用旧木板盖起一间小木屋。